Category: Fourre-tout

Today, not a single day goes by without the media mentioning ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and its infamous acts of brutality and inhumanity.
Their heinous deeds are splashed on the front page of every newspaper, magazine or news bulletin.

ISIS “in your face” type of actions seem to act as a magnet for disaffected youth all over the world.
Its violent credo appeals to discontented young people (often issued from the immigration) who have proved unable to adapt and succeed in their adopted country.

Often due to peer pressure, they shun schools and education to conform to the rules of their toxic environment. They are nobodies in a world that rewards go-getters and looks down on underachievers.
“Jihad”, they are told is the righteous way to freedom and glory!
By joining fellow misfits they feel accepted as equals instead of being ostracized by the establishment.

Jihad is a war or “struggle” against “unbelievers” (or perceived oppressors) that allows fighters to express their pent-up rage against the machine.
Jihadists often don’t have a clear idea of what they are fighting for, but the “struggle” empowers them and gives them absolute control over thousands of powerless people.
Keeping women totally subjugated also seem to be very appealing.

But a strict Islamic state (under harsh Sharia rule) might not be what they were seeking. And if they survive, they might become prisoners of a barbarous medieval system that they might not be prepared for, because the tyranny of any theocracy can be worse than any dictatorship.

ISIS is hostile to Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews (naturally), Zoroastrians, pagans, atheists, Christians, and to top it all fellow Shia Muslims.
Is there anybody else left to hate?

But with the world slowly but inexorably mobilizing against ISIS, the “Caliphate’s” glory will be short-lived.
Even chronically wishy-washy French President François Hollande managed to grow a spine and dispatch Rafale fighter jets to the fray.
They just launched their first airstrike against ISIS in Iraq.

“Those who live by the sword shall (undoubtedly) perish with the sword.”

Alain

Nowadays, practically everybody uses the Internet. To book a flight, to make a restaurant/hotel reservation or to purchase an item.
It is convenient, fast and utterly cool.
With one caveat. On the Internet you are not talking to human beings, you are communicating with robots.
And while navigating the seemingly serene waters of Ocean Internet, you ought to remember that among the harmless creatures of the deep also lurk piranhas.

A few weeks ago, I was looking to book a hotel room on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe.
I fired up my computer and soon after, an ad sponsored by Expedia caught my attention. It showed a nice spacious room, reasonably priced, located at “The Squaw Valley Olympic Village”.
The price per night was shown in big bold characters on the right side of the page.
After picking a date and booking this room for 4 nights, the grand total was shown again, also in bold characters.
Excellent!

I printed that document and then noticed an ominous warning at the bottom of the page:
“This reservation is non-refundable and cannot be cancelled or changed.”
Not able to cancel 3 weeks ahead of time? Who ever heard of such a thing?
A rather peculiar policy.

Upon my arrival to the resort, I was surprised to discover that I had to pay an additional $23.00 per night for a “Lodging Resort Charge” and other minor fees.
Seeing my look of disbelief, the front desk clerk hastened to say, “It says so on your reservation”.
After looking more carefully at my printed reservation form I indeed came across the “Resort Fee” shown in the proverbial “fine print”.

Excuse me for saying so, but this reeks of “bait and switch” tactics. It is a flagrant case of misleading advertising. A few bucks more are not going to kill me, but I hate to be deceived in such a fraudulent manner.
So, before you whip out your plastic and unlock your strongbox, it would behoove you to actually read the fine print.

The room was not what I would call spacious. It had only one nightstand and the single night lamp worked intermittently.
It was stuffy and there was no obvious way to start the ceiling fan.
The bathtub was slippery and the elevator and the bathroom could use a new coat of paint.
The garage was ill-conceived and difficult to enter and navigate. Its extremely narrow entrances proved a hazard to inattentive drivers.

Upon my return to the Bay Area, I logged unto the Internet again and was surprised to read that according to Expedia 92% of the previous guests “recommended” this place.
I certainly won’t.

I also discovered while rummaging through the Web, that contrary to Expedia’s assertions, a great number of people are not exactly thrilled with its operations.
The following sites are not shy about dissing Expedia.

Expedia.pissedconsumer.com, Consumeraffairs, Trustpilot

To sum it up, Expedia is an expedient outfit (convenient, although possibly acting improperly or immorally) and running its business with a rather cavalier attitude.

If you want to book a hotel, check it out online, read the fine print, call the hotel and talk to a human being before securing the deal.
So far, a human being is more amenable than a bot.

Alain

Yesterday, the world famous Marin pétanque club (La Pétanque Marinière) hosted its annual Leg of Lamb picnic.
It drew a decent crowd (around 60 registered guests and some stragglers) who came to chomp on the lamb, chew the fat and incidentally toss a few boules.

 

This picnic, which was gratis for club members, reinforces the fact that with a membership fee averaging less than $3.00 a month pétanque is a ridiculously cheap form of entertainment.

And no special equipment is required to play the game.
No helmet, no protective gear, no mouthguard (even though some individuals could use it to keep their mouth in check) and no flashy uniform.
All you need is a set of good boules and you are set for life.
What popular sport can claim this distinction?

But enough said about the virtues of pétanque.

Here are the people who elected to play in the tournament:

1. Alain Efron & Helga Facchini
2. Louis Toulon & Tamara Efron
3. Christine Cragg & Genevieve Etallaz
4. Rene Di Maio & Lillian Sebban
5. Bleys Rose & Calvert Barron
6. Gustave Foucher & Monique Bricca
7. Philippe Arnaud & Blaise West
8. Colette Van Der Meulen & Claudie Chourre
9. Magge Lane & Mireille Di Maio
10. Joe La Torre & Charlie Davantes
11. Henry Wessel & Francois Moser
12. Jean-Claude Etallaz & Susan Holbert

The “piece de resistance” of the picnic was lamb and it was expertly cooked by Jean-Claude Etallaz and Antoine Lofaro.

I am unable to mention all the people who toiled behind the scene to make this event successful but they were many.
Some cleaned the field, some did the shopping, some prepared the meat, some prepared the vegetables, some did the paperwork, some helped to serve the food.
Let’s just say that it was a communal effort that ought to make the club proud.

Back to the tournament.

Three leisurely games were played after lunch and no scores were kept.
The format of the tournament was “à la mêlée » and luck provided a partner.
Personally, I had the good fortune to land a very capable teammate (Helga Facchini) and we did well.
We won 3 games out of three and we could have done better if I had not faltered in the last game.

I managed to take a few pictures, mainly before the tournament, and those quick candid shots turned out pretty well.

Incidentally, we have a new club member and his name is Harold. Please make him feel welcome next time you see him on the field.

The tournament ended with a wine lottery. Some people were extraordinarily lucky and ended up winning three bottles.
Lady Luck can be overwhelmingly generous or dreadfully spiteful.

 

“Nothing is as obnoxious as other people’s luck.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Alain

PS: To look at photos of this event and listen to accompanying background music, turn the sound on, and click on the link “My Photos” located on the right side of this page.