Category: Fourre-tout

We all have our likes and dislikes… it is human nature and we would not be honest if we denied it.
But there is a difference between disliking and hating. Hate is much more intense and toxic than dislike. Today we are so polarized that we are unable (or unwilling) to differentiate between these two emotions. If we dislike something or somebody, we simply “hate” it.

Well, I am personally averse to many things and many people… without really hating them. I might have a strong dislike to them, but I don’t wish them to swim with the fish…

For my part, I object to people who are dishonest, cruel, ignorant, vulgar, irresponsible, rude, susceptible… In addition, I also dislike braggarts, liars, extremists, religious zealots, and humorless people… and I cannot mention everybody, the list would be too long.

It seems that I am not fond of too many people… but hey, it is my right to like or dislike anybody.

“Do you like people? Most people claim that they like people with, of course, a “few exceptions.” When the exceptions are added together it becomes clear that they include a vast majority of the people. It becomes equally clear that most people like just a few people, their kind of people, and either do not actively care for or actively dislike most of the “other” people.” Saul Alinsky

 As you can see, I am an equal opportunity “disliker.” I equally dislike many people, regardless of race, sex, age or religion.
Now, if I disapprove of a person of color, does that make me a racist? If so, yes, I am a racist. But I never dislike anybody for the color of their skin, I just object to their offensive behavior.

Do I hate some people? Of course.
This does not mean that I want them dead. It just means that I have an intense dislike of them and would like them to magically vanish into thin air… Or maybe like Dorothy and Toto, to be snatched by a cyclone and dropped hundreds of miles from where I live.

It’s not impossible… and one can dream… can’t he?

Alain

 What do I dislike about death? Must be the hours. Woody Allen

“All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” Thomas Paine 

Exactly my thoughts.

 Thomas Paine, if you care to remember, was an interesting fellow.

 “Born in England in 1737, moved to America in 1774. In 1776 he pleaded for American independence in a famous pamphlet called Common Sense. During the War of Independence, he served in the Continental Army and continued writing.

In 1777 he became Secretary of the Committee of Foreign Affairs in Congress, but in 1779 he was forced to resign because he had disclosed secret information. 

In 1787 he went back to England and to France where he became deeply involved in the French Revolution.  Although he didn’t speak French, he was elected to the National Convention.”

 If I lived in that era, I would definitely have rooted for this fellow.

It annoys me to no end when an individual tries to weave religion into politics, but it becomes intolerable when an elected official uses that ploy.

Religion has no place in politics! It is a private matter and like genitals, it should remain private. Worship on your own if you must, but never bring this up in government affairs. If you do, you are bound to hear ridiculous statements such as this:

 The idea that religion and politics don’t mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country. Jerry Falwell

 Any display of religious symbols should be banned in Congress. They are lighting rods begging to be struck.

You should not rely on anybody flaunting a cross, a star of David or a crescent. Those people are not to be depended on; they are biased and don’t seek to protect your interests. They owe allegiance to another entity that does not include you.

Wearing a hijab in Congress is equally offensive. It is a religious symbol and it is as provocative as wearing any other religious badge. It should not be condoned or excused.

Alain

 “I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.” Susan B. Anthony

These last few days I have been wondering whether or not I would play in the Sunday tournament. It rained intermittently almost every day of the week and especially on Saturday when the rain pounded my roof all night.
I was convinced that soon or later I would get a “texto” canceling this event. But this message never materialized, meaning that the tournament was on.

I eventually opted not to play, but I was really curious to see who would. So on Sunday morning, around 10:00 am I ventured to the field to find out who the mad dogs of pétanque were.

I marched to the command post manned by (gloriously resuscitated) Christine Cragg and Mike O’Leary.
So how many crazies showed up this morning? I politely enquired.
We have 6 teams they told me. Being a math wizard, I quickly concluded that a total of 18 people would compete in this tournament. And they were:

1. Doug Coleville/ Les Stone/ Kathy Stone
2. Mark Shirkey/Sandra Shirkey/J-M Poulnot
3. Beth Lysten/J-C Etallaz/Serge Hanne
4. Kevin Evoy/Tim Wetzel/Holly Sammons
5. Mone Lee/Tom Lee/Michelle Dang
6. Phomenick Lee/Pao Lee/Maryanne Curley

I tip my hat to those devotees, especially the Sacramento crowd. They must have gotten up at six this morning to show up on time. You must really love the game to do this, particularly on a questionable day.

So, was the field playable? It depends on who you are talking to. It was definitely muddy and not to everybody’s liking… certainly not to mine.

Three 45 minutes games were played in the morning and everybody would play in the Concours.

I spent just one hour on the field shooting pictures and went back home  to process what I gathered.

I came back around 1:00 pm and was greeted by a surprising ray of sunshine. But it was just a teaser. Half an hour later the players were soaked by a sneaky shower. Nobody took cover and everybody kept playing.

Being averse to cold, I packed my gears and went home again.

Last minute (per Mark Shirkey) the top dogs are:

1st place: Phomenick Lee/Pao Lee/Maryanne Curley
2nd place: Kevin Evoy/Tim Wetzel/Holly Sammons

3^rd place: Doug Coleville/ Les Stone/ Kathy Stone
4th place: Beth Lysten/J-C Etallaz/Serge Hanne

Enjoy the pictures.

Alain

Feel free to download any of my pictures, but when posting any of them on social media, please include photo credit (Photos by Alain Efron). Thank you.