Category: Fourre-tout

A man’s home is his castle. “A proverbial expression that illustrates the principle of individual privacy, which is fundamental to the American system of government.”

 What I do in my home is my own private business. I can smoke weed, watch porn, wear pantyhose, worship Satan, drink absinthe and engage in any sexual practice I desire.

This is fundamental to the American system of government.

 By the same token, whatever a woman chooses to do with her own body is her own private business, and hers alone. It is not up to her neighbor, church, government, or any other entity to decide for her, no matter what their motivation is.

I am a strong advocate of democracy and women’s rights, and I am horrified and angry at the prospect of the Roe v. Wade ruling reversal.

This historical 1973 decision clearly stated that “A person may choose to have an abortion until a fetus becomes viable, based on the right to privacy contained in the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

 I have already seen it, and I hope that there will be massive demonstrations all over the country to stop what clearly goes against the will of the American people.

According to Forbes magazine (updated May 3, 2022) “Gallup polls show Americans’ support for abortion in all or most cases at 80% in May 2021, only slightly higher than in 1975 (76%), and the Pew Research Center finds 59% of adults believe abortion should be legal, compared to 60% in 1995—though there has been fluctuation, with support dropping to a low of 47% in 2009.”

No matter what the nosy do-gooders will dictate, abortions won’t stop. If banned, they will become more dangerous and will primarily affect people who need it most, juveniles and people of modest means.

America is becoming an increasingly oppressive society and if we are not careful, we will end up in an autocratic state where obscene Special Military Operations will be forced on people and lauded as patriotic deeds.

The Supreme Court’s impending, politically motivated decision, must be fought on all fronts and not be allowed to become the law of the land.

Alain

If you look up the word “best” in the dictionary, you will find the following definition “the most excellent, effective, or desirable type or quality.” So naturally, everybody wants that… in every domain. It is everyone’s Holy Grail pursuit.

As the saying goes, “I am too poor to buy cheap stuff” so when I need something, I want to buy a good product… sometimes the best available (if I can afford it). But is there such a thing as “the best?”

After many disappointing queries, I tend to doubt it. When I navigate the internet looking for the best frying pan, for instance, I get plenty of recommendations, but none of the so-called experts seems to agree on which is the “best” product. Lots of lists with all kinds of different rankings, but no consensus. It is not even close. I find this rather strange… If you are the best, everybody should agree that this is so, don’t you think? And if nobody agrees, how can anybody claim to have the best?

In the good old days, you could easily settle this matter with a duel, and with a body lying on the ground, nobody would question who was the best.

I have the feeling that all these so-called “experts” quoted on the internet are probably a bunch of kids (or chimpanzees) on their first professional assignment and throwing darts in the dark. Or maybe it is just the old payola story, financed by shady operators… I would not be surprised… Money talks… softly, but effectively alas.

So how do you track down the elusive “best”? Difficult to say. Some people have tracked the best mate, deal, car, coffee maker, mattress, etc. for years without ever finding it. To succeed, it helps to be lucky, because absolutely nothing beats luck.

“We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like?” Jean Cocteau

To find the finest, you must test, compare and take plenty of notes. It seems that Zsa Zsa Gabor did so when she married and divorced 9 times before finding her “best mate”.

In 1986 she wed a charlatan named Prinz von Halt (26 years her junior) and the pair stayed together until her death in 2016. To each his own.

Looking for the best of everything could be time-consuming, and if you want perfection, you will have to try harder, many times harder. Good luck my friends.

Alain

Tomorrow is le Premier Mai (May 1^st) and in France’ it is known as “la fête du muguet”.

 It is the day to present a few sprigs of Muguet (Lily of the Valley) to family, friends, and everybody dear to you. It is considered a lucky charm, and it would be an unforgivable mistake to forget to do so, especially between sweethearts. In the language of flowers, the lily of the valley symbolizes marital happiness.

“Le premier Mai c’est pas gai, Je trime, a dit le muguet,
Muguet, sois pas chicaneur, Car tu donnes du bonheur.” G. Brassens

On that day, “des brins de muguet“ (small bouquets) are sold everywhere on French streets by individuals and charitable organizations… and amazingly for France, you don’t need a license to do so. In my youth, a few friends and I used to bicycle to a little forest around Paris to collect some of these wildflowers. Today it is almost impossible to find any of those, and the muguet is mainly grown in greenhouses.

The origin of this tradition is likely pagan, but it became semi-official when “in the 1560s, King Charles IX of France was presented with du muguet by a knight named Louis de Girard de Maisonforte. The king enjoyed the gift so much that he began to present the ladies of his court with the flowers each year on the first of May.” 

 If you want to be cool, especially if you want to ingratiate yourself with some lady, offering some sprigs of muguet to her will definitely get you some extra points.

It is said to be way more powerful than a glass of the best Champagne and it will definitely knock the socks off of the person you are wooing.

Joyeuse fête du muguet a tous !

Alain