So we are stuck here in Canada in a lockdown situation. Travel is possible but mandatory quarantine in a government approved hotel is required at your expense so airlines here in Canada slowly dying. Being so sick and tired of this imprisonment perhaps I can whisk you away to the Boca Raton Museum of Art where the exhibition Glasstress is running until September 5th which is the day I guess I will receive my COVID vaccination. Strap on your seatbelts as we are taking a trip to Boca Raton!
Poetry Corner: “The Decline of the American Empire”
The Decline of the American Empire
The destiny of any empire is to collapse
Look at Nero, Hitler and the USSR and there is no need to ask
for centuries they may last
Portugal, France and Rome
it is rather self evident so why mention in a poem?
As with any end
violence and insurrection cause the mind to bend
Kennedy both John and Bobby then Martin Luther King
and Malcom X said the chickens have come home to roost
giving white and black hatred a boost
they didn’t get Reagan
and settled in New York for John Lennon instead
or those with an homophobic ilk
took joy with the assassination of Harvey Milk
Lee Harvey Oswald, John Wilkes Booth, Jack Ruby, Sirhan Sirhan
so much sickening violence in this American clan
the conclusion of decline hastened by an incompetent you know who
allowed to flourish in an American political zoo
Would this inanity being prevented by the election of John McCain
or was America already too far down the drain
And now with angry mobs storming Capitol Hill and vegan horn-rimmed asshole
trying to put Pence in a noose
quite frankly there is a load of shit flying about in the American political caboose
America is burning in a political and racial riot
fuelled by a moron called Trump
But incited by his treachery to the proud boys
I fear they’ll attack him and with a machete his legs will be reduced to a stump
I’ll feel sorry for him as a chump
deservedly in a wheelchair will be occupied by his rump
America burns in a fire
comedic in its ire
Biden left in ruins missing Trump playing his violin as Rome burns
while the hateful and blinded Republicans and Democrats churn
Not even a brilliant African American poet at Biden’s in inauguration can heal
as democracy in the United States takes its final squeal
Being far to late for any healing FDR New Deal
death rings from churches peal
facilitated by the Orange Toad seal
balancing balls of hatred
as the American Empire takes its death kneel
no church bells of his evangelical troops will bother to peel
Robert K. Stephen
Back to Bordeaux: Disappointing this time
As for Bordeaux reds there is, as far as the Liquor Control Board of Ontario goes, a decent supply available at reasonable prices and you are almost assured good quality wines. You can spend a bundle for the “first growths” upwards and beyond $1,000 a bottle but you can be parsimonious and spend in the mid twenties.
Our first Bordeaux baby is a Château Pierre de Montignac 2015 from Médoc. The Médoc region is made up of two appellations. One is called the Medoc which is the appellation closest to the Atlantic Ocean and the other is the Haut-Médoc.
On the nose this Médoc has notes of blueberry, cherry, blackberry and a wee bit of coffee. I get the impression this is one of those tightly wound French reds. Although the tannins are noticeable they are mild indicating the fine is not suitable for any serious ageing. On the palate there is some juiciness but the fruit is so well hidden one is left with a dusting of tannins on the mouth but little fruit. Bordeaux’s often are very parsimonious with noticeable fruit but this wine has almost none on the palate. The finish is bland. Personally I’d stay away from this one. You can do better in Bordeaux.
(Château Pierre de Montignac 2015, Cru Bourgeois, AP Médoc, Earl de Montignac, Civrac, Médoc, France, AP Médoc, $25.95, LCBO # 437954, 13%, 750 mL, Robert K. Stephen a little birdie told me so Rating 84/100).
Not off to a good start with Bordeaux and I am both disappointed and surprised. Hopefully with a Château Le Cap 2018 from the Côtes de Blaye region we can remediate that situation. The wine is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Most of wines in Côtes de Blaye are Merlot and it is here if you look carefully and know your producers you can snap up some excellent Bordeauxs at an attractive price. This region is across the Gironde River almost directly opposite Médoc.
On the nose Santa Rosa plum, black cherry, blackberry, beets with a hint of Café Americano. On the palate the tannins are mild. This wine is stubbornly traditionally tight on its fruit or perhaps I am just caught in the past. I pick up some terrified of exposure blackberry, black cherry and loganberry. This is not a wine you open up and immediately pour and drink. It I so shy it needs some decanting to combat its shyness. I also think it needs a couple more years in the bottle and that a traditional Bordeaux red of a few decades ago when immediate accessibility was not favoured by consumers. There is possibility of sophistication if you age this a couple of more years. I think this would go well with roast duck and potatoes that have been cooked with the duck.
(Château Le Cap 2018, AC Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux, Vignobles Carreau, Cars, France, $17, LCBO 11838, 14%, 750 mL, Robert K. Stephen a little birdie told me so Rating 90/100).
Here is hoping the last Bordeaux makes up for the lacklustre first. It is Château Corbin Montagne 2015 and it is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon.
On the nose a rich black cherry and red plum rule the roost. Strong secondary notes of blueberry. On the palate is that this is a bit high on the alcohol of 14.5%.for a Bordeaux and this is because recent retaliatory tariffs on French wine imposed by the US on certain European wines do not kick in if the wine has a greater than 14% alcohol content! The tariffs were imposed by the Trump administration in retaliation of certain European governments subsidizing Airbus manufacturing. In my view the high alcohol of the wine distorts the fruit or possibly even obfuscates it. The underlying fruit of black cherry and blackberry is almost completely buried by the alcohol. You could get away with this in Australia but it just doesn’t work in this case. Save this one for your next chunk of goat or bowl of goat stew. Drink now. Please forgive me but you can always try this wine and see if you agree with me that its potential may have been ruined by an attempt to enter the US market without a 25% tariff slapped on it.
(Château Corbin Montagne 2015, AC Montagne Saint-Émilion, bottled in the Château by Maison Tanase, Le Bouscat, France, $25.95, LCBO # 17481, 14.5%, 750 mL, Robert K. Stephen a little birdie told me so Rating 85/100)
A very disappointing wine
Virus # 26,Chapter 52 “the post pandemic world : no more biological warfare research”
Chapter 52 “the post pandemic world : no more biological warfare research”
We knew where to point the fingers for COVID-19 and that was the Americans and the Chinese and for Virus # 26 it was the Turks and the Iranians who the Americans paid back in limited nuclear strikes. In both cases it amounted to negligence by humans in the pursuit of evil ends. Science focused on how to kill millions that did far worse than the murderous scientists working on the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear bomb for the Americans so they could drop it on Germany or Japan and end World War 2. If there is a God all these scientists would be roasting in hell along with their ambition to kill and maim millions.
So the end result of all this murdering in the name of science came to an end with a United Nations treaty “A Convention to Outlaw Biological Warfare and its Research”. All countries signed this treaty, even North Korea. This time all countries had suffered under biological warfare research gone wrong so it looked as if this treaty was not a treaty made to be broken.
So many scientists had become whores for close to a century and we all hoped this would end their murderous inclinations.
Worthy from Walla Walla Washington!
It is grand not having to associate Washington with corruption, riots and Trump. I am referring to the state of Washington that has a good reputation for its Cabernet Sauvignon.
This one is from Canoe Ridge Vineyard sourcing grapes from the Horse Heaven Hills.
On the nose you get a sense of new French oak with generous wafts of vanilla. Loads of blueberry and blueberry pie. There is also some raspberry jam and blackberry. On the palate there aren’t a load of tannins hanging around. What you will get is a nicely oaked a smooth wine with a taste of blueberry, coconut and raspberry coulis. Quite the perfect balance of acids and tannins. Confident yet not boasting too much jamminess or oak it is a good sipping wine. As for food it will do well there with home baked Focaccia topped with a chunky and garlicky tomato sauce and no cheese needed however a good crumbling sprinkle of Feta might enhance your munching experience.
At $29.95 you might call this an entry point for California Cabernet Sauvignon. Land being cheaper in Washington State it might be said that state can produce wine cheaper than California can.
I may be on the edge and say this is an elegant Cab. I would think that it will not improve with ageing but it will be consistent through to 2023.
By the way Walla Walla produces some 11 million kilos of red onions famous for their low sulfur and sweetness.
(Canoe Ridge Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Horse Heaven Hills, Columbia Valley, Washington,Canoe Ridge Vineyard, Walla Walla, Washington, $29.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 15829, 750 mL, 13.9%, Robert K. Stephen Set The Bar Rating 94/100).
Poetry Corner: “Set The Alarm”
Set the alarm
agonizing daybreak
punch your timecard in the slot of mockery
distant from the Club Med
packaged release
can be cached
when the rat trap salesman and the countess
frolic in the bathtubs of seedy motels
while fantasy hawkers
crouch behind the armchair
teasing pulsating veins
praise aortas
alas it beats
arduously battling a multitude of cigarettes
and
imaginary confrontations
The ticking of nuclear warheaded pregnant
with screaming alarms
monotonous begging chant
summoning the high priestess of the pillow
to honour yesterday’s victims
comforting
with several hours of respite
not warranted
and no money returned if not satisfied
Robert K. Stephen
The Lonely Lebanese; Château Ksara
Lebanon is not exactly a hopping wine destination. However as a former French colony, like Algeria, it does produce a limited amount of wine. Two of its wines are available at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.
Château Ksara is perhaps one of the best-known labels at least here in Canada. And not surprisingly we have a wine from a French grape Carignan from the Bekka Valley.
Chateau Ksara was founded in 1857 by Jesuit monks and the wine is from 60-year-old vines wild fermented in the Jesuit’s original concrete tanks. The grapes were grown at an altitude of 1,200 metres.
First comment here is that it needs time to breathe as initially its nose can be a tad corky which is not always fatal but might spell trouble in a year or so. Decant for half an hour prior to serving. On the nose red cherry, dates, beet juice, cherry pie and blackberry jam.
On the palate tannins are low. There are notes of prunes, red cherry, red plums with somewhat of a peppery long finish. It is a wine of simplicity and would pair well with roast or grilled lamb or roasted butternut squash, carrots, potatoes drizzled with olive oil and some maple syrup and crushed almonds.
I would say drink this year.
(Château Ksara Old Vines Carignan 2018, Bekka Valley, Lebanon, Château Ksara, Bekka Valley, Lebanon, $20.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 18221, 750 mL, 13%, Robert K. Stephen, A little birdie told me Rating 89/100).
Beyond Me Mindfulness: What is it?
After practicing mindfulness over the past few years I am coming to the conclusion that much of it is about the self.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a technique used to control and manage your stress. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is about managing psychiatric issues one may have. It seems to be a “me game”.
Many of its values are about you and you only. Even compassion-based meditation where you send good wishes, hopes for safety and health to third parties seems designed to make you feel better about yourself.
Perhaps one might say mindfulness is about technique. Meditation is for you. It improves your health.
Surely mindfulness is about more than the individual.
We should investigate a concept of “value based mindfulness” where one takes into consideration those about you more than simply you.
Using the publication “16 Guidelines for Life” we can try and bring some values into a mindfulness practice if that helps you become a better person. Of course, if mindfulness is working for you and you are happy with you no need to push the boundaries. But mindfulness should be more than “a practice” but a way of life and a Buddhist secular approach might give us some guidance.
Beyond Me Mindfulness: Principles
While politics are often driven by ideologies human life is guided by principles or a personal ideology if you like. Your principles can be misguided and fallacious or they can be evil and entirely selfish somewhat like former President Donald Trump where his principles were staying in power and threatening and bullying those who have principles that differ from his.
You can be mindful only as regards yourself and that may work out well for you. But practitioners of mindfulness often emphasize compassion and reduction of human suffering as some of their key goals which means regard for the world beyond me. One can only hope your principles extend to how you interact with others.
Just about all the features of beyond me mindfulness focus on how we treat those around us. Those with no principles can be subject to third party manipulation but even those with principles aligned with those they admire can equally be subject to manipulation. Principles can be a double-edged sword.
I would argue there is a sense of universally accepted goodness that enables one to determine if principles are to be admired or shunned. I do not wish to be flaky on that point but an ability to detect goodness is really an innate ability we all possess. The key is to be able to identify your principles and implement them consistently. Hypocrisy is close relative of a lack of principles.
For example, only 42% of Canadians according to a recent poll, remained in their bubble over Christmas and New Years. 58% did not and over 20 politicians (and still counting) left the country on vacation despite the fact these politicians and their medico allies were urging everyone to stay in their bubble of the holidays. The principle of trust was sadly abused and exposed the politicians warming their toes in warm water in holiday destinations and the 58% as having little regard for their fellow citizens and their super spreader behaviour blazed away brilliantly in front of all Canadians as people with no care about decreasing human suffering. I suspect many of these selfish people were at one point criticizing the Trump super spreader rallies are really no different than Trump and his campaign advisers. Their principles are the same selfish all about me.
As Allison Murdoch and Deyki-Lee Oldershaw write in their “16 Guidelines for Life, “Principles help us make friends and work together for good causes. They are a message, a badge of identity, which inspires confidence about who we are, how we operate and what we represent. If we know someone will never tell a lie, then we also know we will never be deceived by them. If we know they will never resort to physical force, then we are not at risk of violence. Our principles can make a refuge for everyone around us.”
Mindfulness: Compassion as a key foundation and compassion vs. empathy
Practitioners of mindfulness soon realize compassion is a key component of mindfulness. There is self-compassion and compassion for others. If you can’t be compassionate with yourself how can you be compassionate to others?
In fact there are even specialized meditations that focus on compassion.
I would argue if you can’t exercise compassion for yourself you may be setting yourself up for undue misery. Assume a terrible event has occurred in your life and you are bothered with it. You can be bitter and resentful if you react to that terrible event leading to emotional upset. Or you can respond to that event by showing some compassion to yourself. Through showing this compassion you may overcome the event, learn to accept it and believe it or not you might even be thankful for the event or it may be a combination of all three. You can’t truly escape sorrow but you can “manage” it so it does not become self destructive.
I refer to the “arrow story” for a bit of analogy. You are shot with an arrow and are in pain. If you start criticizing yourself for a myriad of reasons for being an easy target you are heaping fuel to the fire accomplishing little but adding to your pain.
Assuming one is not a psychopath or sociopath compassion is infinite or can be infinite.
It is as simple as closing your eyes and giving yourself or anyone else compassion. Recognize the sadness, anger or whatever the negative emotion is swirling in your head and send kind wishes of health, safety, understanding and in some cases forgiveness. Compassion has become so important there is actually a companion to mindfulness called compassionate cultivation training. Compassion does lead to a degree of neuroplasticity.
Empathy can be somewhat tricky in mindfulness. Empathy is in essence connecting with yourself or a third party and can be painful and draining. Perhaps instead of feeling for yourself or that third party send out thoughts of compassion.
Listen to the following short talk by author Paul Bloom on compassion vs. empathy. https://mindfulnessexercises.com/empathy-compassion/
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