Category: Fourre-tout

A little bit of everything

We want you

Kitchener-Poster-Recruitment-Poster-Featuring-Kitchener-You-are-the-Man-I-WantMost everybody in the Bay Area is aware that La Boule d’Or, the San Francisco pétanque club is in big trouble.
After years of glory, the second oldest club in the United States is on the verge of collapse.
It barely manages to attract a handful of players and its tournaments are sparsely attended.
It is obvious that the club needs help to stave off disaster.

But La Boule d’Or’s predicament is not unique.

Many pétanque clubs are steadily losing members and something needs to be done to counter this trend.

The problem in San Francisco and in Marin County is that these clubs were originally founded by native Frenchmen and attracted mainly French players.
Many of these old-timers passed away and practically none of their children (eager to conform with their American peers) took up that sport.

IMG_2944I said practically none because fortunately there are exceptions.
And the exceptions are Agnes and Gilbert Sonet.
Early on, this nice French couple instilled in their son Noah the love of pétanque. He started playing at 3 ½  and now at 11 he is already a remarkable player.
I predict that this boy will undoubtedly improve with age and soon be somebody to reckon with.
We need more people like Agnes and Gilbert… I think that we should look for ways to clone Noah.

But seriously… The only pétanque clubs thriving in America are clubs headed by younger Americans. And rightly so.
They have the savvy and the energy that many older French people don’t have anymore.

So what can we do to promote pétanque?

It seems to me that we need some incentive. We need to dangle some kind of carrot in front of youthful individuals to incite them to set foot on our fields.

What kind of carrot?  I don’t know.
I leave it to you readers to provide answers. Let me know if you have a killer idea susceptible to snare potential recruits.

If you do, I am pretty sure that our club could find a nice way to reward the person with  the best workable suggestion.

Get your brain in gear… On your mark, get set, go!

Alain

Self love

Technology has made it too easy for selfies (self-portraits taken at arm’s length or with a mirror) to grow and multiply.
It wouldn’t be that bad if the impulsive young adults (?) doing so could pause for a minute and resist the urge of immediately posting their artwork on the Internet.

When you post something on the Internet, you make a Faustian bargain. You exchange you soul for very few worldly gains.
Immediately after set free, the selfie takes a life of its own and spreads like wild fire.
Like a wicked boomerang it can fly and come back at the speed of sound and smack you when you least expect it. It might go around the world a few times, but like a homing pigeon it will never get lost.
It knows where you live and will find you.

Even after burning, a Phoenix-like selfie will rises from its ashes and come back to haunt you.
Taking a picture of your private parts and sending it (in confidence of course) to a “friend” is always risky business.
Some politicians learned this at their own expenses.

Photo on 3-24-14 at 3.21 PMA “safe” selfie, is no selfie at all.
But if you absolutely cannot resist the urge of going public, post a camouflaged selfie.
Or a picture showing only the face. Boobs, bums and zizis are verboten. Unless you are Kim Kardashian (who thrives on commercializing her assets), anything below the neck can be and will be used against you.

Very few things today can remain private.
If you “google” yourself on the Internet, you will be surprised to discover how much of your private life has become public knowledge.

Before posting a selfie on the web, sleep on it.
In the morning, send it to yourself and try to figure out the effect it will have on “friends”, relatives and frenemies.
You might even show it to your dog. If he yawns it might safe to proceed. If he wags his tail, watch out.

Alain

PS: Even after sleeping on it, I couldn’t resist the urge of posting a selfie. I am pretty confident that nobody will recognize me.

Sonoma 4 balls singles. To look at some  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.

The laughing grass

Liking it or not, marijuana is now as common as dirt. And it is here to stay.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you should not be the least surprised to catch a whiff of Acapulco Gold, even in your own backyard.
To most people, the aroma of “broccoli” is now as familiar as the smell of garlic bread.

Nothing seems to be able to stop the ineluctable march forward of the Locoweed.
Its popularity is abundantly illustrated by the hundreds of slang terms alluding to it.

So since Wacky Weed is so popular, why is its sale still illegal?
There are many pros and cons regarding that question, but many people have come to realize that, like alcohol previously, the sale of Yerba Buena cannot be held back forever.
The question is not if but when the sale of cannabis is going to be legit.

Brent MillerProhibition was an experiment that few people would care to repeat. It did not stop the consumption of alcohol and only benefited criminals.
Common wisdom is now starting to say, “If you cannot lick them, join them!” Instead of fighting an increasingly losing battle, it would seem much smarter for the authorities to join the fray and try to regulate the sale of cannabis.

In North America marijuana ranges from about $150 to $400 an ounce and according to statistics, there are at least 17 million users.
That’s a lot of moolah!

Instead of letting drug dealers be the sole beneficiaries of that commerce, let legislators regulate and tax the catnip. The extra income would go a long way to fund much needed social programs.

KillerdrugBoth sides of this debate have valid arguments against and for the legalization of marijuana.
Although activists are claiming that smoking pot has no negative effects, some scientists believe otherwise. But there are no definitive answers.
As with alcohol, nobody denies that marijuana can impair vital cognitive functions.
Smoking and driving (or operate any kind of machinery) should be an absolute no-no punishable by stiff penalties.

But if marijuana can alleviate suffering in severely ill patients, they should be able to obtain it. And I surmise that it is probably less harmful than morphine.
In the same vein, if “puffing the dragon” can reduce the stress of overburdened citizens, so be it.
The key as always is moderation.

In my humble opinion, puffing on an occasional doobee is no major crime and should not be criminalized.

Alain

PS: Slaving on this little piece has exhausted me. I think that I might have a stress reducing session with Dona Juanita.