Category: Fourre-tout

A little bit of everything

Humility

I have never been a “high-five” fan and I have said so repeatedly.

After winning a few minor tournaments some players start believing their own press.
On the field, they prance, they dance, they high-five.
This is rather annoying, even offensive.

It is always good to remember that you might be a big fish in your own little pond, but a rather small fry in somebody else’s lake.

Recently, the Youth and Women’s Championship was held in Montauban (France).
Forty countries (40) sent their top players to compete, and after 3 grueling days the winners emerged.
And for many players, it was a great lesson in humility.
When facing top players your pond becomes amazingly smaller and the other guys’ pond extraordinarily larger.

According to my spies, here are the
Final results of the Women’s World Championship.

In Quarter finals
Canada def. Tunisia: 13/5
France def. Denmark: 13/5
Thailand def. Madagascar: 13/10
Cambodge def. Belgium: 13/4

In Semi finals:
France def. Canada: 13/7
Thailand def. Cambodge: 13/9

In the finals:
Thailand def. France: 13/10

This year the Thai women are the top dogs and I very much doubt that they  “high-fived” each other on the podium.

Regardless of the circumstances, humility is far more appealing than an arrogant display of triumph.

Alain La Foudre

By the way, have you ever noticed the eerie similitude between the high-five and the Nazi salute?

 

Alexander Graham Bell’s grandchild

According to Wikipedia, “the first successful bi-directional transmission of clear speech by Bell and Watson was made on March 10, 1876 when Bell spoke into the device, “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.” and Watson answered.”

***********

phone-women-talkingNot so long ago, no modern young woman would venture into a public place without clutching a pack of cigarettes.
It was a way of looking cool, emancipated, with it.
These nicotine-laden days are mercifully over, but it seems that young females are still unable to go anywhere without clutching something.
And today the “clutchee” of choice is the smartphone.

You cannot go to any public place without spotting females carrying or fondling a smartphone. They seem to equate it with a modern rabbit’s foot, an amulet that will protect them wherever they go.
Luckily unlike the genuine rabbit’s foot, the smartphone doesn’t have to be captured or purchased in a cemetery.
But absolutely, definitely, unquestionably, young women cannot leave home without it.

Phones used to be simple means of communication, but not anymore.
Today you can ask your phone all kinds of questions and they will give you amazingly accurate and personalized answers.

I just asked my phone: Siri, do I look good today?
And Siri answered:
“Simply fabulous Alain. Is it what you wanted to hear?”
How could you ever leave home without such a friend?

You can also say “Siri, take me home” and Siri will obligingly pull out a map and give audible commands to take you back to your lair.

Men are a little different from women when it comes to phones.
They carry a phone all right, but in less obvious ways. They tote the little bugger in a pocket or in holster, not like a crucifix.
But women are definitely quicker on the draw.
Ring, ring… Yes, yes, I am here… Talk to me…

Women are more particular about color coordination than men.
The color of their phone cover has to match the color of their fingernails otherwise the device will be prone to hiccups.
Men are not as particular; a camouflaged cover will do, but they are more likely to have a customized ring.

Technologically speaking though, the next big innovation will be the Google Glass.

Through this amazing wearable computer you will be able to take pictures, record and share video clips, get driving directions, ask all kinds of questions, etc. everything via natural language, hands-free.
This means that across the dinner table, people will seemingly look at you but not pay the slightest attention to what you are saying.
They will be too busy watching something on their head-mounted display.

This won’t really change much in terms of human relations. Your wife won’t still listen to you and you won’t probably hear a word of what she is saying.

As the French have been saying all along « Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose »
The more things change, the more they remain the same!

Alain La Foudre

Pravda

“Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.”
Russian proverb

Pravda (the Truth) has many brothers and sisters, but strangely enough they don’t seem to be related. They bear the same name but they often don’t look or sound alike.
How could that be?

It might be because the French truth (la Vérité), the German truth (die Wahrheit), the American Truth, the Arabic truth and many relatives of this extended family are on barely speaking terms. They don’t believe their crumby relatives.
This kind of things happens in many families.

First of all, what is the definition of truth?
It seems that this word has many different interpretations.
“Conform to fact or actuality”
“The real facts about something”
“A verified or indisputable fact”
Hum…

Then, where do we get the Truth?
In the olden days we found it in newspapers.
My own mother often said, “If it is in the newspaper, it has to be the truth”.
Hum again…

Nowadays, fewer people read newspapers and many get their facts from television or the Internet.
They in turn get their facts from reporters, and reporters  can be highly opinionated.
Depending on where they stand during a confrontation, they can report the same event in a widely different manner. But they always tell the truth don’t they, because they were there!

The truth is also conditioned by your environment.
If you are born into a Jewish family, your truth will be different from the truth of an Arab family.
Similarly if you are black, your truth will be different from a white family.

Truth is very pliable. That’s why people love it so much. Like plastic explosive, it can be molded into all kinds of different shapes and blow up those heathens who don’t believe your particular truth.

TruthBut in spite of its shortcomings, truth still has many adherents.
All the world leaders profess to be fond of it
They have said one time or the other:
“You must believe what I say, for I alone am in possession of the truth”
“Those who do not believe are our enemies and must be treated accordingly”
“Alternate viewpoints must be eradicated. No dissension can be tolerated. Nothing can be allowed to stand in the way of the truth”

It is evident that these people like the truth!

Ahmadinejad denied that the Holocaust ever occurred. That’s his truth!
His successor Hassan Rouhani while acknowledging that some nasty business might have occurred in Europe during WWII is a “moderate Holocaust denier”. He is not sure where the truth is.

The 9/11 Truth movement asserted that George W. Bush deliberately allowed the attack on the World Trade Center towers to happen. That’s their truth.

The Creationists don’t believe in the Big Bang. It is not their truth.

The Government is not telling us what they know about UFO’s.
Naughty boys…

Truth is like beer. Bitter at first, but eventually drinkable.
After a while one becomes accustomed to swallow all kinds of truths  without batting an eyelash.
And that’s what leaders are aiming for.

Getting close and flirting with the truth is exciting but also inherently dangerous.
Some rival truth lovers might become jealous and decide to eliminate somebody preaching an incorrect brand of truth.

Personally I don’t believe that Truth exists.
Just like Paradise, I believe that the Big T is a myth created by zealots.
Like Elvis it is seen and heard everywhere, but nobody can tell for sure who the real McCoy is.

Isn’t it the truth?

Alain La Foudre