“Searching for Andreas: Political Leadership in Times of Crisis”: The complicated nature of Greek politics

Greek politics have never been easy to understand. How complex they can be are detailed in the 2018 Greek documentary “Searching for Andreas: Political Leadership in Times of Crisis” available until March 29th through the Hellenic Film Society USA https://hellenicfilmusa.org/

I have taken 5 pages of notes on this film and I don’t want to spoil the story nor do I want you to nod off.

For Greek political and history buffs this is a do not miss film.

For novices you might wish to say Greek politics has been rough and tumble since the 40’s and until recently with the election of Kyriakos Mitsotakis in 2019. Greece was occupied by Germany from 1941-44. Then the Metaxas dictatorship from 1936-41. Then a Civil War from 1946-49. Then another dictatorship from 1967-74 under Colonel George Papadopoulos. The far-right new Dawn in the 90’s until 2019.

Andreas Papandreou was born on the Greek Island of Chios in 1919 where his father George was the Governor of the Aegean Islands. George later became Greek Prime Minister on three separate occasions.

Andreas enrolled in the Athens Law School from 1937 until 1938 when he was arrested by the Metaxas dictatorship and left for the United States where he obtained a PHD in philosophy and economics. He then taught economics at the university level. Andreas divorced his wife and married an American woman with which he had three children. He returned to Greece in 1963 and his father George, newly elected Prime Minister, appointed Andreas as a Minister to the Prime Minister and Alternative Minister of Economic Co-ordination. Andreas was arrested in the Papadopoulos coup of 67 and left for the United States and Canada. In September of 1971 he returned to Greece and founded the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). Andreas was a three-time Prime Minister of Greece in the late 1980’s and mid nineties.

All said and done Andreas was a perplexing figure many seeing him as a populist hero and socialist reformer. Others vilified him for the same reason. He did create a national health care system in his first term as Prime Minister (1981-85) but it was a series of reforms that led to ballooning state deficits and overextended banks on the verge of collapse.

At the end of his third term as Prime Minister (1993-96) he was removed as leader of PASOK in 1996 and died in June of 1996. His son George A. Papandreou become a PASOK Prime Minister from 2009-2011. Unfortunately, he walked into the Economic collapse of Greece that required three “bail outs” in 2010, 2012 and 2015.

The question is was Andreas a charismatic populist who introduced social reforms that bankrupted Greece? Did his time as Prime Minister cultivate a cult of populism?

As a political scientist states at the end of the film Greeks should not look for a political Messiah but instead focus on checks and balances in the system and reforms in the educational and judicial system that will affect the entire political system.

This 95-minute 2018 film is directed by Harris Mylonas and Theo Prodromidis and is in Greek with English subtitles.

The film is one of ten celebrating 200 years of Greek independence available through the Hellenic Film Society USA and runs until March 29th.

You can watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKha7qmiHvE

You trust Big Pharma, technology companies and IBM with your personal information…….right? Who are these “organizations” accessing your health information?

Moderna and IBM Plan to Collaborate on COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain and Distribution Data Sharing

Initial focus on technologies aiming to bolster trust and help reduce community spread

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and ARMONK, N.Y., March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Moderna (Nasdaq: MRNA) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced their intentions to explore technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain and hybrid cloud, that could help support smarter COVID-19 vaccine management. Central to the effort will be a pilot of open, standardized, technology-enabled vaccine distribution approaches aimed to improve supply chain visibility and foster near real-time tracking of vaccine administration.

The aim is to identify ways technology can be used to help accelerate secure, information sharing between governments, healthcare providers, life science organizations and individuals. In so doing, Moderna and IBM seek to improve confidence in vaccine programs and increase rates of vaccination, thereby reducing community spread.

Initial work is planned to focus on exploring the utility of IBM capabilities in the U.S. including:

  • Vaccine management solutions that provide end-to-end traceability to address potential supply chain disruptions. The solutions enable governments and healthcare providers to quickly and securely share data regarding individual vaccine batches as they travel through the complex COVID-19 supply chain, from manufacturing facilities to administration sites.
  • Digital Health Pass, built on blockchain technology, is a solution designed to help individuals maintain control of their personal health information and share it in a way that is secured, verifiable and trusted. Organizations can use the solution to verify health credentials for employees, customers and travelers based on criteria specified by the organization, such as test results, vaccination records and temperature checks.

“Moderna is committed to working with a coalition of partners to increase education and awareness of the importance of vaccination to help defeat COVID-19,” said Michael Mullette, VP, Managing Director North America Commercial Operations of Moderna. “We look forward to working with IBM to apply digital innovations to build connections between organizations, governments, and individuals to instill confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.”

“If ever there was a time to rally around open technology and collaboration, it’s now,” said Jason Kelley, Managing Partner, Global Strategic Alliances Leader for IBM. “As governments, pharmacy chains, healthcare providers and life sciences companies continue to scale and connect their tools, and as new players enter the supply chain, open technology can help drive more transparency and bolster trust, while helping to ensure accessibility and equity in the process.”

The work with Moderna aligns with IBM’s efforts to help address the COVID-19 pandemic by providing access to its technology portfolio. At the outset of the pandemic, IBM joined the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and other technology companies as part of the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, a partnership to give supercomputing resources to researchers to help speed the discovery and development of COVID-19 vaccines. IBM also offered its IBM Clinical Development (ICD) solution to eligible trial sponsor organizations as part of its medical community support efforts to help address the pandemic. The company received interest from numerous hospitals, sponsors, contract research organizations and academic institutions.

About IBM

Statements regarding IBM’s future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals and objectives only. For more information about IBM visit, www.ibm.com.

About Moderna

In 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a science research-stage company advancing programs in the promising-but-still-unproven field of messenger RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with its first medicine having treated millions of people, a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across six modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio in areas including mRNA and lipid nanoparticle formulation, and an integrated manufacturing plant that allows for both clinical and commercial production at scale and at unprecedented speed. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for the pursuit of both groundbreaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna’s capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use of one of the earliest and most-effective vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moderna’s mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases and auto-immune diseases. Today, 24 development programs are underway across these therapeutic areas, with 13 programs having entered the clinic. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past six years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including statements regarding: initiatives for IBM and Moderna to collaborate on technologies to facilitate COVID-19 vaccine distribution and the potential for these initiatives to increase vaccination rates and slow the spread of COVID-19. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors those other risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Moderna’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and in subsequent filings made by Moderna with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by law, Moderna disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this annual report in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Moderna’s current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.

Canada Launches Economic Sanctions Against China

Special Economic Measures (People’s Republic of China) Regulations

Whereas the Administrator in Council is of the opinion that gross and systematic human rights violations have been committed in the People’s Republic of China;

Therefore, His Excellency the Administrator of the Government of Canada in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, pursuant to subsections 4(1)a, (1.1)b, (2) and (3) of the Special Economic Measures Actc, makes the annexed Special Economic Measures (People’s Republic of China) Regulations.

a S.C. 2017, c. 21, s. 17(1)

b S.C. 2017, c. 21, s. 17(2)

c S.C. 1992, c. 17

Definitions

Definitions

1 The following definitions apply in these Regulations.

People’s Republic of China includes

(a) any of its political subdivisions;

(b) its government and any of its departments or any government or department of its political subdivisions; and

(c) any of its agencies or any agency of its political subdivisions. (République populaire de Chine)

Minister means the Minister of Foreign Affairs. (ministre)

List

Listed person

2 A person whose name is listed in the schedule is a person who is in the People’s Republic of China, or is a national of the People’s Republic of China who does not ordinarily reside in Canada, and in respect of whom the Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister, is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe is

(a) a person who has participated in gross and systematic human rights violations in the People’s Republic of China;

(b) a current or former senior official of the Government of the People’s Republic of China;

(c) an associate or family member of a person referred to in paragraph (a) or (b);

(d) an entity owned, held or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a person referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) or acting on behalf of or at the direction of a person referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or (c); or

(e) a senior official of an entity referred to in paragraph (d).

Prohibitions

Prohibited dealings and activities

3 It is prohibited for any person in Canada or any Canadian outside Canada to

(a) deal in any property, wherever situated, that is owned, held or controlled by a listed person or by a person acting on behalf of a listed person;

(b) enter into or facilitate any transaction related to a dealing referred to in paragraph (a);

(c) provide any financial or related services in respect of a dealing referred to in paragraph (a);

(d) make available any goods, wherever situated, to a listed person or to a person acting on behalf of a listed person; or

(e) provide any financial or related services to or for the benefit of a listed person.

Non-application

4 Section 3 does not apply in respect of

(a) any payment made by or on behalf of a listed person that is due under a contract entered into before the person became a listed person, provided that the payment is not made to a listed person or to a person acting on behalf of a listed person;

(b) any transactions necessary for a Canadian to transfer to a non-listed person any accounts, funds or investments of a Canadian held by a listed person on the day on which that person became a listed person;

(c) any dealings with a listed person required with respect to loan repayments made to any person in Canada, or any Canadian outside Canada, for loans entered into with any person other than a listed person, and for enforcement and realization of security in respect of those loans, or payments by guarantors guaranteeing those loans;

(d) any dealings with a listed person required with respect to loan repayments made to any person in Canada, or any Canadian outside Canada, for loans entered into with a listed person before that person became a listed person, and for enforcement and realization of security in respect of those loans, or payments by guarantors guaranteeing those loans;

(e) any benefit paid under the Old Age Security Act, the Canada Pension Plan or the Act respecting the Québec Pension Plan, CQLR, c. R-9, any superannuation, pension or benefit paid under or in respect of any retirement savings plan or under any retirement plan, any amount paid under or in respect of the Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act or the Pension Benefits Division Act and any other payment made in respect of disability to any person in Canada or any Canadian outside Canada;

(f) financial services required in order for a listed person to obtain legal services in Canada with respect to the application of any of the prohibitions set out in these Regulations;

(g) any transaction in respect of any account at a financial institution held by a diplomatic mission, if the transaction is required in order for the mission to fulfill its diplomatic functions as set out in Article 3 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations or, if the diplomatic mission has been temporarily or permanently recalled, when the transaction is required in order to maintain the mission premises;

(h) any transaction with any international organization with diplomatic status, with any United Nations agency, with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement or with any entity that has entered into a grant or contribution agreement with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development; and

(i) a transaction by the Government of Canada that is provided for in any agreement or arrangement between Canada and the People’s Republic of China.

Assisting in prohibited activity

5 It is prohibited for any person in Canada or any Canadian outside Canada to knowingly do anything that causes, facilitates or assists in, or is intended to cause, facilitate or assist in, any activity prohibited by section 3.

Duty to determine

6 The following entities must determine on a continuing basis whether they are in possession or control of property that is owned, held or controlled by or on behalf of a listed person:

(a) authorized foreign banks, as defined in section 2 of the Bank Act, in respect of their business in Canada, and banks regulated by that Act;

(b) cooperative credit societies, savings and credit unions and caisses populaires regulated by a provincial Act and associations regulated by the Cooperative Credit Associations Act;

(c) foreign companies, as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Insurance Companies Act, in respect of their insurance business in Canada;

(d) companies, provincial companies and societies, as those terms are defined in subsection 2(1) of the Insurance Companies Act;

(e) fraternal benefit societies regulated by a provincial Act in respect of their insurance activities and insurance companies and other entities regulated by a provincial Act that are engaged in the business of insuring risks;

(f) companies regulated by the Trust and Loan Companies Act;

(g) trust companies regulated by a provincial Act;

(h) loan companies regulated by a provincial Act;

(i) entities that engage in any business described in paragraph 5(h) of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act if the business involves the opening of an account for a client; and

(j) entities authorized under provincial legislation to engage in the business of dealing in securities or to provide portfolio management or investment counselling services.

Duty to disclose — RCMP or CSIS

7 (1) Every person in Canada, every Canadian outside Canada and every entity set out in section 6 must disclose without delay to the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or to the Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service

(a) the existence of property in their possession or control that they have reason to believe is owned, held or controlled by or on behalf of a listed person; and

(b) any information about a transaction or proposed transaction in respect of property referred to in paragraph (a).

Immunity

(2) No proceedings under the Special Economic Measures Act and no civil proceedings lie against a person for a disclosure made in good faith under subsection (1).

Applications

Application — removal from list

8 (1) A listed person may apply to the Minister in writing to have their name removed from the schedule.

Reasonable grounds

(2) On receipt of an application, the Minister must decide whether there are reasonable grounds to recommend to the Governor in Council that the applicant’s name be removed from the schedule.

New application

9 If there has been a material change in circumstances since the last application was submitted, a person may submit another application under section 8.

Mistaken identity

10 (1) A person whose name is the same as or similar to the name of a listed person and who claims not to be that person may apply to the Minister in writing for a certificate stating that they are not that listed person.

Determination by Minister

(2) Within 30 days after the day on which the Minister receives the application, the Minister must,

(a) if it is established that the applicant is not the listed person, issue the certificate; or

(b) if it is not so established, provide notice to the applicant of his or her determination.

Application Before Publication

11 For the purpose of paragraph 11(2)(a) of the Statutory Instruments Act, these Regulations apply according to their terms before they are published in the Canada Gazette.

Coming into Force

12 These Regulations come into force on the day on which they are registered.

Schedule

(Sections 2 and 8)

Persons

Part 1

Individuals

  1. ZHU Hailun
  2. WANG Junzheng
  3. WANG Mingshan
  4. CHEN Mingguo

Part 2

Entities

  1. Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau

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“Mutantism on the March”: Chapter 27: “Off Goes Santa and His Elves Into the Fray”

The first order of Santa and his band of merry elves was to loot and destroy the colonialist’s stores in the North Pole such as Mudson’s Bay and Frantic Adventures. They then had moved onto Montreal orchestrating a series of “fund raising” affairs, namely bank robberies often in tandem with Machine Gun Molly’s gang. In these bank robberies Santa never wore a disguise so the public believed that Santa was an imitator and his elves just a bunch of violent midgets. Parents told their children good guys never robbed banks quickly forgetting their own childhood idol a “terrible thief” Robin Hood and his band of Merrymen.

World terrorist gangs lauded applause on the Santa Claus Gang finding it dialectical that a public figure, who had a reputation as a paragon of virtue to little bourgeoisie children could steal and fight those who owned “the means of production” and their hired lackies like those generals in Columbia. As an act of solidarity the Pasta Brigade of Italy bombed the offices of the Hexxon Oil Corporation in Naples as it was searching for oil in the Gulf of Naples. The notorious Baden Baddies of Wuppertal in Germany bombed the American embassy in Bonn. Santa’s Little Red Book became the inspiration for many terrorists as they hijacked and bombed. My goodness Santa Claus was becoming a cult figure in international terrorism that was based on economic rationale as opposed to the terrorists of later years whose hatred was based on religious perversion.

One quote from Santa’s Little Red Book fascinated Squid, “Terror is the lifeblood of the economically desperate. It is the only weapon of those with their back to the wall. Terror is the human manifestation of suffering. Terror is the result of fear, the fear of being squashed by rulers and their capitalist henchmen. They terrorize us and we reciprocate. There terror struggle but ours is not. Terror is the only force that can vanquish terror.”

Santa was involved in Columbian matters for it was yet another instance of legalized terror. Santa was liked by Squid despite finding him a bit naive in socio-political issues. What could one expect from a recluse! Santa was also reassured by Squid’s agreement with him that terror was a legitimate last stand to economic strangulation.

Well it wasn’t only the struggle of the peasants in Columbia that drew Santa to it. Santa was a huge purchaser of cocaine used for Christmas gifts for “the freaks and hippies”. Freaks were near and dear to Santa and he was often labelled as one of the world’s biggest freaks. After all what fool would give away presents and not expect anything in return although he and his reindeer really did enjoy milk and cookies on Christmas Eve. The joy of small children was all the payment he needed. What would happen to the freaks without their cocaine? What sort of Christmas could they expect without the snow? Go over to Aunt Mary’s for turkey dinner and get laughed at by the uncle from the stock exchange? Truth be told Santa did have a snort now and then as well as Rudolph as for what reason did they have such red noses?

10 Steps We Can Take to Never Have a Year Like 2020: #6 Increase Access to Mental Health Services

Again the Quebec magazine L’actualitê has an interesting feature article in its April edition dealing with COVID-19 and translated it means what are the steps we can take to ensure we don’t have a year like 2020?

The sixth step to increase access to mental health services.

President of the Quebec Order of Psychologists Christiane Grou offered the following comments.

She said that health care measures increased the amount of distress and anxiety. They have also increased family tension. Problems in the mental health system were building prior to the pandemic where mental issues were the main cause of illness and absenteeism and represented 30-40 % of consultations with family physicians. The mental health system is the poor parent of then general health system where Quebec has allotted 6% of its health budget to mental health compared with 13% in the United Kingdom.

Quebec has the most psychologists in Canada and the greatest per capita representation in North America. There are also 1,000 psychiatrists and 1,800 psychotherapists. In the public system there is a serious problem with waiting lists with waits of 6-24 months if not greater. The problem is that the public system is losing psychologists to the private sector where conditions are better. There remains 2,400 psychologists in the public system and 1,200 in the educational system. This should be corrected as the public system has to deal with more complicated cases which require more resources.

One problem to enter the public mental health system one needs a referral from a physician which bloats the medical system and diminishes access. A simple solution is to open access to public psychologists directly to the public. If you visit community health centres with a prescription for psychotherapy they can only offer group therapy. This is not bad on its own but is not workable if you require some serious needs for psychotherapy. Some community health centres have neither psychotherapists or psychologists.

The Government has decided to purchase mental health services from the public sector. That is an excellent initiative but we need a more durable solution.

Grou is nervous about the offering of on-line mental health services but proposing that alternative to those that require psychotherapy is a bad practice.

In mental health one does not treat troubles but treats persons that are in trouble.

Jon Kabat-Zinn’s “Full Catastrophe Living”: Non-Striving

“Although it takes a lot of work and energy of a certain kind, ultimately meditation is a non-doing, It has no goal other than for you to be yourself. The irony is that you are already are, this sounds paradoxical and a little crazy, Yet this paradox and craziness may be pointing you toward a new way of seeing yourself, one in which you are trying less and being more, This comes from intentionally cultivating the attitude of non striving.

Remember we are simply allowing anything and everything that we experience from moment to moment to be here, because it already is. The invitation is to simply embrace it and hold it in awareness. You do not have anything with it.”

“Dig Our Roots” : Wineries of Niagara-on-the Lake Annual Celebration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 23, 2021

Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake

‘Dig Our Roots’, the Annual Celebration of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Wine Appellation, is back!

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ON- Wineries of Niagara on-the-Lake is ready to welcome back VQA wine lovers to safely taste exceptional wines grown in the heart of wine country. During the ‘Dig Our Roots’ weekends in April, guests will be able to discover what makes this place and our wines so special through exclusive, pre-reserved and safe winery experiences. Tastings have beencurated by our winemakers to offer an in-depth look at the wines unique to our appellation (wine region) and reflective of the ‘terroir’ of our vineyards.

“The term ‘terroir’ is a French word that speaks to the taste and flavor of a wine based on the natural environment in which the grapes are grown, including the soil, topography, and climate. All wines naturally differ based on where they are produced and even a vineyard has its own unique characteristics and taste profile,” explains Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake Chair Andrea Kaiser. “The terroir is something that develops over time and as Niagara-on-the-Lake is now home to some of the oldest vines in Canada it is an ideal place to produce premium VQA wines,” said Kaiser. “Dig Our Roots is essentially a celebration of our heritage.”

DIG OUR ROOTS PREMIUM TASTING PASSPORTS

Guests will be able to purchase a ONE DAY PASS on April 10,11,17,18,24 or 25, 2021 and will have access to reserve FOUR WINERY TASTINGS from over 20 partner wineries who will offer exclusive on-site winery experiences. Tastings will take place at 11:00am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm and 3:30pm each day. Dig Out Roots Ticketed Experiences must be booked in advance, and COVID-19 precautions are in place at all locations.

Dig Our Roots exclusive one day passports are available on our website.

APPELATION THEMED PACKAGES

Our winery members have also created a one-of-a-kind appellation themed package to enjoy at home. The Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake are renowned for making wines that fully express the grape varietal and vineyard they come from and it’s a fascinating adventure to see how these factors can affect the wine. Shop our wineries today and learn the stories of their appellations and their wines and all that goes in to making them so special! Stay safe and shop online – https://wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com/shop

The Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake is a self-funded marketing organization that for over 25 years has existed to tell the story of their iconic wine destination. All members are committed to serving 100% VQA wines in signature programs. Visit us at http://www.wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com.

For more information contact:

Brianne Hawley, Marketing Manager

Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake marketing

marketing@wineriesofniagaraonthelake.ca

Brianne Hawley

Marketing Manager

Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake

Marketing@wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com

wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com

10 Steps We Can Take to Never Have a Year Like 2020: #5 Vaccinate all the planet

Again the Quebec magazine L’actualitê has an interesting feature article in its April edition dealing with COVID-19 and translated it means what are the steps we can take to ensure we don’t have a year like 2020?

The fifth step is to ensure the entire planet is vaccinated.

Tedros Ghebreyesus the Director General of the World Health Organization called it a moral catastrophe that as of January 15th 93% of the vaccines produced so far were purchased by wealthy countries Canada amongst them.

This vaccine nationalism is risky because the more the virus circulates amongst the world the more susceptible it will be to mutations which could complicate the vaccine process including in the wealthy countries. For example Canadian citizens could visit the Caribbean in 2022 and possibly come into contact with a mutation that can resist the vaccine of those Canadians.

A group of the wealthy countries have created COVAX that will distribute 2 billion doses of vaccine to countries that do not have the means to vaccinate their entire populations. Canada has contributed 865 million dollars. In terms of Big Pharma only the manufacturers of the AstraZeneca have agreed to supply to COVAX at cost price until July 2021.

Mira Johri a professor of The School of Public Health at the University of Montreal thinks that states should unify and impose on pharmaceutical companies a guarantee they will make only a reasonable profit from their vaccines which would be justified by the massive amounts of  public funds that financed vaccine research.

There should be a push to make the vaccines generic as soon as possible. Denise Byrnes director general of Oxfam Quebec noted that we have seen that in South Africa the use of generic drugs completely transformed the AIDS epidemic.

A Couple of Reds From Israel

I can’t complain about Israeli wines but we receive such a slim inventory here in Ontario a general statement that they are generally good wines might be taken with a grain of salt. I was offered a media trip to Israel a few years ago but it conflicted with an important wedding so I never had the chance to go on a tasting blitz. Do avoid the “boiled” Mevushal wines!

We might as well start with a Binyamina 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon. On the nose there is a riot of black cherry and blackberry. Very simple and direct. Also black cherry and blackberry on the palate. There is also a hint of coffee. Not tannic and yet a bit austere on the palate. Drinkable but not exciting.

(Binyamina Winery, Teva 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Israel, $25.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario #539528, 13.5%, 750 mL, Robert K. Stephen a little birdie told me Rating 87/100).

We conclude with a Merlot from one of Israel’s best wineries, Galil Mountain. Over the years their wines, except for one disaster, have been very good.

It is black cherry in colour. On the nose black cherry, blackberry, blueberry and dates. On the palate it is the black cherry that wins the battle but that little nudge of blueberry pie is neat! Unlike many a Merlot that swaggers around with lushness this one is fairly well knit together and tight.  Would say try with an Eggplant a la Norma.

All in all a decent wine but again not that wow wine you are looking for but it and the wine above show you need not tremble with indecision about trying an Israeli wine.

(Galil Mountain Winery 2018 KP Merlot, Galilee, Israel, $20.10, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 60749, 14.5%, Robert K. Stephen a little birdie told me Rating 89/100).

“Mutantism on the March” : Chapter 26 “The Arrival of Santa and Squid Has a Price on His Head”

Chapter 26 “The Arrival of Santa and Squid Has a Price on His Head”

The pamphlet was printed on the presses of the Albanian Colombian Friendship League. It spread throughout the country like wildfire and it wasn’t long before the Colombian generals and American executives read it. They were furious as local protests and disruptions gained in size and momentum. 4N stock had dropped 35% in the matter of days. The New York Times also printed a copy of the pamphlet. The Colombian coast was in great turmoil “where all the communist agitation was centred threatening the peaceful existence and solidarity of the Colombian people “so said General Liquita.

It wasn’t long before Squid had a bounty on his head. Bogota was generous in rewarding snitches that could buttress its power. The outlawed Communist Party, often thought to be funded by the junta, declared Squid a CIA operative luring discontent into the hungry jaws of U.S. imperialists where it would be crushed. The junta took the tired position that foreign investment was a boon to Columbia as it would create jobs and created pools of capital for further development. However in the long term it destroyed employment and dislocated economies and well the pools of capital went into the hands of the 4N Company and a generous percentage into the hands of the junta safely stashed in foreign bank accounts to be relied on when the next coup replaced the current junta. The nationalists were somewhat support of the resistance as they had been warning for decades of the dangers of foreign control but really did nothing more than theorize as clever intellectuals. They preferred the creation of local patriotic councils devoted to peaceful discussion as opposed to radical peasant tactics that “would further the grip of communists on the country”.

Finally, Santa arrived in the midst of the turmoil. What could such a jolly man have to due with an issue so steeped in politics? Santa had no such illusions witnessing similar problems in the North Pole where American industry was exploiting oil reserves. Oil drilling and tanker transports were ruining the ecology and local culture. The Inuit people were reduced to begging for food at the workcamps of the oil crews. The workers had ravaged the caribou herds through their recreational hunting depriving the indigenous population of a valuable food source. The water was covered with floating tar balls transforming fish and seal into poison. Alcohol, drugs and poor health ravaged the local communities In desperation they had formed roving bands of guerillas terrorizing the workers.

The guerillas had asked Santa and his elves for help. The peace and quiet of the workshop was continually disrupted by the horns of passing oil tankers. Santa had tried all the possible polite tactics to no avail and was becoming increasingly distraught with the hunger, disease and cultural decimation. Young girls prostituting themselves for boxes of Kraft Dinner! So Santa and his elves began manufacturing automatic weapons and joined the resistance movement in the North Pole.

Santa brought to Columbia a cache of weapons and some of his most militaristic elves and they joined the resistance in Columbia. Poor Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was now Rudolph the Red and fat and jolly Santa loved by so many little children around the globe became known as Castro of the North Pole!