Category: Fourre-tout

Ah, a brand-new, shiny year… pregnant with good resolutions… But it seems alas that these admirable decisions (probably made under the influence) are always taken too soon. Never hurry to implement important changes.

“Once my decision is made, I hesitate for a long time.” Jules Renard

So, do I. It is wiser and more mature.

When deciding on New Year resolutions, you should not be too ambitious. Your goals should be modest and reachable, otherwise, they will quickly fall apart and leave you disheartened.

A few days ago, I was having lunch with some friends, and we discussed our goals for the new year. We are not kids anymore and we usually weigh our thoughts carefully.

My first guest quickly revealed his decision. I will continue to smoke he said. We all nodded in agreement. A reachable goal indeed. Not too ambitious, doable to be sure.

The second guest said: I will continue to eat.  Another mature, sensible resolution. To endure, you need to nurture the body.

When my turn came, I said: I will continue to breathe. A resolution that was also warmly approved by my friends.

Another friend decided to lose weight. A good, but difficult objective. When we told her so, she simply said “I will just avoid anything that makes me look fat… mirrors, weighing scales, photos…”

We thought this was very clever, and we congratulated her for a smart, feasible decision.

Friends are important. They advise you and encourage you when you need help. But there are friends, and there are friends… They all rate differently. They are kind of like boobs… some are little, some are big, some are genuine, and some are fake.
So, when you decide to befriend somebody, please choose carefully, and go along with what you feel comfy.

“To like and dislike the same things is what makes a solid friendship.”

To sum it up, let’s resolve this year to make better bad decisions! May the Farce be with you!

Alain

Writing is not for sissies. It is a complex, time-consuming process that requires hard work and perseverance. Due to its complexity, few people choose to make a career of it.

But spurred by Artificial Intelligence, new applications are emerging every day to make writing easier. Last weekend, I was told about a program that caught my interest. It is called ChatGPT and it is able to create any kind of document providing that you first feed it specific instructions or pertinent vocabulary.

The following document was entirely created with this program after it was supplied with about a dozen words.

Women standup comedians have made important contributions to the field of sex education. They use their platforms to discuss and address issues related to sexuality and relationships in a humorous and relatable way. They helped to destigmatize these topics and make them more approachable to audiences. In doing so, they can help to educate and inform people about important issues related to sexual health and relationships.

Women comedians often bring a unique perspective to these issues, as they may have personal experiences and insights that are different from those of their male counterparts. This can help to add diversity and depth to the conversation around sex education.

It’s also worth noting that sex education is not just about imparting information, but also about creating a safe and supportive environment for people to learn and ask questions. Women comedians played a vital role in creating this kind of atmosphere by making it okay to talk about these issues openly and without embarrassment.

Artificial Intelligence can be very helpful for writing and can save time by automating certain tasks or suggesting edits. However, it is important to carefully review and edit any text generated by ChatGPT or any other AI tool, as it may contain errors or inconsistencies.

Alexandre Dumas père (The Three Musketeers) who was a prolific writer (and even a greater spender), was known to use various collaborators to expedite the completion of his novels. He would have loved this application which would have kept his pesky creditors off his back.

Alain

In America, thieves prey on banks or jewelry stores, but in France, especially during the Holidays season, they have more important priorities.  They target foie gras, a delicacy without which the French could not decently enjoy their traditional reveillon.

“Resisting a beautiful chocolate cake or a wonderful foie gras is as difficult as (the idea of) saying no to Paul Newman.” Diane von Furstenberg

It has been so bad, that the police have been mandated to patrol the areas (especially Dordogne) where the foie gras is produced and sold. In the eyes of the French, stealing truffles, oysters, or foie gras is a capital sin equal superior to gluttony, sloth, envy, wrath, lust, pride, and greed all put together.

While Americans are most concerned about trivial matters such as the cost of health care, violent crime, gun violence, climate change, and illegal immigration, the French right now fret mainly about vacations (winter and summer) and foie gras. To each their own.

But is foie gras ethical? I think not and I could easily do without it. The gavage of geese is cruel and inhuman, and in many countries such as Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, and Poland, or following interpretation of general animal protection laws in Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom have banned its production.

Foie gras production has been outlawed in the state of California and New York City, but it remains legal all over the US.

Do all French crave foie gras? No, especially the younger generation more concerned with the environment and animal rights.

“Late in 2003, the French group Stopgavage (“Citizens’ Initiative for the banning of force-feeding”) published the Proclamation for the Abolition of Force Feeding, which asks justices to find foie gras production practices a violation of existing animal welfare laws. For this manifesto, Stopgavage claims the support of over eighty French animal rights and welfare associations, over a hundred such associations from 25 other countries, and over 20 thousand individual signatories.” Wikipedia

 Personally, I say the heck with the foie gras and the bûche de Noël. I love animals and I am plump enough. Instead of Fat Liver, I will celebrate with oysters and some other non-cruel delicacies. I have never heard oysters scream when I open them, and that’s good enough for me.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Alain