Category: Fourre-tout

I have been looking for the right word to label this little essay and I think that I finally found the right term. Tendentious. If you are not quite sure of the exact meaning of this word, here is the English Oxford Dictionary’s definition:

“Expressing or intending to promote a particular cause or point of view, especially a controversial one.”

I always said that to be noticed, you need to separate yourself from the pack; you have to be”tendentious” and today I came across such a person. She is a young French woman and her name is Julia Pietri. I am betting that before long she will be making the rounds of every American talk show.

She penned a little book titled “Le petit guide de la masturbation feminine” (The little guide to female masturbation) and she is an unabashed feminist advocate.

Due to its underlaying Puritan culture, American society has always been prudish and beset by taboos. Luckily, these bugaboos are finally starting to bite the dust one by one in an ever-increasing number.

Masturbation,  especially female masturbation is not a subject that is usually broached in polite society,  but it is a taboo that ought not to be. Onanism is alive and cannot be swept under the rug.

Julia, a well-spoken young woman, attacks this subject with gusto and there is no stopping her. She says:

“I write this book to help liberate women sexually, to democratize the true anatomy of the clitoris, so that nobody talks anymore in our place, to break the myth of vaginal orgasm…”

I stand for an open society, with fewer taboos as possible, and I applaud her initiative. Never forget that most taboos have a religious origin and that trusting a cleric is as bad as trusting a Scientologist.

In summary

When it comes to sexual matters, many people are poorly educated . They just do what comes naturally… using Polynesian navigation. A little education never hurt anyone and the more we know about a subject, the better off we are.

This book should be read by everybody.

Alain

 

Forty years ago, when were all young and handsome, some members of La Pétanque Marinière flew to Southampton, Great Britain to compete in the 1979 World Championship Cup.

They were Louis Toulon, René Di Maio and Marcel Parnell.

 

 

 

 

Louis, with whom I had the pleasure to play last Sunday, is now the sole survivor, but memories of this event survived.
Yesterday I came across some photographs (taken by Mireille Di Maio) of that period, and you can now see them in an album called Southampton 1979. Notice the snazzy red caps and the tricolor jerseys worn by our champions.

Seventeen (17) countries took part in this event notably Algeria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, the Netherlands, Senegal, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, USA and Venezuela.

Our people did not bring back any medals, but just participating in this event was a thrill.

If I am not mistaken, no women played (or were not allowed) to participate in this tournament. Fortunately, times have changed and women (some of them extraordinarily good) are now represented in all tourneys.

Enjoy the pictures.

Alain

Stop your nefarious business!
Stop armed robberies and all that petty stuff! You won’t get away with it. There are cameras everywhere and everybody is now carrying a recording device. Your chances of success are practically nil.

As a friend, I would advise you to branch out to another racket. Instead of a career in crime you could try running for office. Many people do.
Lately, it looks like many latent criminals chose politics over criminality. It is cleaner, less risky, and let’s face it, the job has more perks than of a Mafia’s “made man”. It has also a better chance of pardon.

What qualifications do you need to be a leader of men? Not too many, judging by the last elections. Above all, you need to have a big mouth, a short memory and being impervious to controversy. The perfect candidate is a Teflon candidate.

In politics, you start small and little by little, through sponsors and seniority you will gain power and influence. A man who can dispense favors is then very likely to be romanced by lobbyists.

“Lobbying is the world’s second – oldest profession.” Bill Press

The wooing starts insidiously (like a nice little lunch) and after a while a politico can reap substantial benefits for mutually agreed favors. All in the guise of helping his constituents naturally.
Why do you think that we have so many ridiculous laws on the book?

There is a thin line between a politician and a criminal. As long as you are not caught, you are a “respected” statesman. But if you get snared with your hand in the cookie jar, the story takes a darker turn.

To avoid long prison terms, you might have to rat on your old friends and become a pariah. And no more invitations to the Hamptons.

But generally speaking, politics are safer than a life of crime. To start with, the members of the ruling class can always afford a good attorney, not the kind thrown to penniless miscreants. And if convicted, don’t believe for a minute that politicians will be incarcerated with the riffraff.

Do you think that Paul Manafort will spend his prison term locked in a little cell like a common prisoner? Not for a minute. He will spend time in a fancy Club Med-like “pay-to-stay” prison, definitely not the Sing Sing kind. Money is always a great facilitator.

Crime does not pay; politic does!

Alain