Category: Fourre-tout

It always amazes me to see an incompetent blowhard outmaneuver decent, smart, qualified individuals.

The blowhard’s main weapon is a mouth that, like an adult store, never closes. This orifice generates a loud and uninterrupted flow of rubbish on a permanent basis.

We see this happening in media, business, politics, the movie industry, manufacturing, and yes, in pétanque as well… The mouth that roars overwhelms everybody with a deluge of bombastic statements that nobody bothers to contradict.

If you repeat your baloney long enough, just like Frankenstein’s creature it acquires a life of its own and begins to thrive.

All the so-called “strongmen” of the past had a big mouth and many of them paid a steep price for that poisoned gift.

“You prove your worth with your actions, not with your mouth.” Jean Paul

Listening to a blowhard’s directives is like flying a plane engulfed in cannabis fumes. While it lasts the ride is exhilarating; but when the plane leaves the stratosphere and returns to earth, it can leave you with a severe hangover.
You have to cut your losses and cash your chips… if you have any left.

When a blowhard is blathering, Satan smiles appreciatively. The Prince of Darkness recognizes one of his minions.

The days of a blowhard though, are usually numbered. He is like a high-wire artist; highly susceptible to a gale coming from any direction.

“Tail-gunner” Joseph McCarthy was a prime example of such a scam artist. He rode high from 1950 to 1954, spooking everybody with his Red Scare and Lavender Scare.

In 1954 the Senate censured him. He died an alcoholic 3 years later at the age of 48.

Food for thought

“Never miss a good chance to shut up.”  Will Rogers

Alain

PS: you might want to add a comment. This section is finally operational.

The last boule (as well as the first boule) of a pétanque game is extremely important. Both can make or break a game.

I am of course talking about casual players, not humanoids from another planet who can hit at least 10 “carreaux” in a row.

A well-placed first boule is very important; it might force the opposite team’ shooter to intervene, and hopefully squander his ammunition. But the last boule is also equally significant because a slapdash throw could disturb and spoil the winning array already on the ground.

In a tournament, credit often goes to the shooter, but without an outstanding pointer (it is a cliché, I know) a shooter is “bupkis.” Nothing, niente, rien.
The pointer does the embroidery while the pointer rides shotgun. If no enemies come close to the coach, the enforcer won’t have to intervene.

But the problem facing the last player is that by then the field is extremely crowded; an unfortunate throw could push an opponent’s boule forward and nullify all the previous accomplishments. I have wrecked enough games to exactly know what one endures when making such a blunder. It almost feels like shooting a friend.

It is close to a Shakespearean tragedy.

To be, or not to be–that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

Sometimes, the situation is not worth any gamble. If you are ahead, dropping the last boule and settling for what is on the ground is the safest solution.

The best policy during a pétanque game is, regardless of the circumstances, to never upset your partner. Any careless remark will exacerbate the situation and cause your partner to lose his/her concentration. Blabbermouths hinder a game; they never help anybody or anything.

Players have two things to do. Play and keep their mouths shut. Sparky Anderson

Alain

 

You might not realize it but the sexes have been at war for a long time. It is an undeclared war, but a war nevertheless, with countless casualties.

On one side you have the Macho Men contingent, males who are loath to give up their prerogatives and resist changes. On the other side you have the New Suffragettes; women who demand equality on all levels and who are getting more vocal every day.

Harvey Weinstein was the catalyst for the sexual uprising that occurred recently. Coaxed by a few forceful women, the “weaker sex” came out of the shadows to expose a noxious sex exploiter and his cohorts.

Using authority to obtain sex has long been the weapon of choice of powerful men (and women?) and some women have willingly used their sexuality as a springboard for advancement. But many more have been coerced into submitting and keeping silent.

Women, can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Desiderius Erasmus

True?

Which brings up the question of sex. Since artificial insemination is always an option, is sex on its way out? Or do both sexes equally yearn for sex?
And are men more sexual than women? This article sheds some light on the subject.

I think it is a draw. I am always a bit surprised though when I hear a woman grumbling  “I have not been laid for a long time”.
So are some women willing to sleep with the enemy? I am shocked…

Some men can be scoundrels, but so can women; and they can be as devious and as wicked as men.
Can women (more than men) be trusted to do the right thing? It is highly debatable…

Ultimately, sex is not the issue. A dubious moral character is. And this flaw, regardless of one’s position, will always hang around a person’s neck like a dead albatross.

This war will stop when both sides reach equal rights or armament parity. “Mutual deterrence” (Mutual Assured Destruction) is the key to the problem.

In conclusion

Give women the same rights and perks as men and this endless war will (maybe) stop.

Alain

The war between the sexes is the only one in which both sides regularly sleep with the enemy. Quentin Crisp.