Category: Fourre-tout

After a short illness, Roger Mattei, a well-known member of the Bay Area French community passed away this morning April 4, 2022, at 8:45 am. He was 85 years old.

Roger was born in 1936 in Marseille France. Along with his mother, he moved to San Francisco in 1953. He later served in the US Navy during the Korean War and was awarded American citizenship for his commitment.

When he returned to the Bay Area, he and his mother Ginette opened Le Montmartre, a famous watering spot located on Broadway in San Francisco. They had a very successful run for 25 years, before moving to Lombard Street and finally closing shop.

In his later years, Roger became a commercial salmon fisherman. He enjoyed that life very much and was very good at it. He was so good that many other fishermen asked him to fish with them when they were not successful. He would, and they eventually would be successful again. This was known as “getting the skunk out of the boat”. He was affectionately known as “Frenchy” by all the captains of the commercial fishing boats.

Roger was a man who was always willing to help, and he was known as a fellow that you could count on.

He was a loving husband and father and he is survived by his wife Sabine, and his two sons Richard and Roger.

 

PS: You can view 2 separate albums of Roger’s photos by clicking on “My photos”.

When there is a conflict, there is dissension. Both sides always submit different, conflicting versions of the same event, and this is what we are presently seeing regarding Ukraine. The Russian side has a vastly different version of the war “military special operation” from the Ukrainian side, and it is often very difficult to know the truth.

This fratricidal war, in conjunction with field operations, is above all a media war. The press on both sides has gone into overdrive to convince the masses of the righteousness of their cause. So, who are you going to believe?

If you want some sincerity, I suggest independent vloggers. They are on their own and broadcast short videos of what they see… and believe. To me, they seem more believable than the big network reporters.

I came across such people while watching some videos on YouTube. I was particularly impressed by a young fellow named Niki Proshin. He lives in St Petersburg, speaks almost flawless English, and broadcasts regular vlogs about life in Russia.

But like all Russian citizens, he must presently be careful about what he says, because Big Brat is watching. The Russian word brat (брат) by the way, is pronounced almost exactly like the English word and amusingly means “brother”; so, the Russian Big Brat is as much” ill-mannered and annoying” as George Orwell’s character.

If Big Brat does not like what you say, you might be arrested, heavily fined, or even go to prison.  This is why you see so few protesters in the Russian streets. It is cold and very inhospitable out there, and you have to admire and cheer the few courageous people who dare to confront the authorities.

But no matter how much censure there is, the truth will eventually seep through all the obstacles. And often with the help of these plucky young vloggers.

Russians are now prevented from communicating with the West, but the smart set is using VPN (Virtual Private Network) to get around the censure. VPN is “a secure private network using encryption over a public network”. You can download a phone version of this app on the Internet, and it costs about $7 to $10 a month.

You might be wondering why I am so interested in the Ukrainian conflict… Well, I have some Slavic roots, and I sympathize with the terrible plight of the Ukrainians… and the lied-to Russian citizens.

Tune in to Niki’s vlog. It is worth watching.

Alain

After the massive destructions and the horrendous loss of human lives of WWII, you would assume that anybody would think more than twice before starting another war. But human hubris often trumps reason, and this is what happened in Ukraine.

Conflicts often have the feeling of poker games. One side is bluffing and daring the other to fight or capitulate. Vladimir Putin thought that he could intimidate tiny Ukraine, or if need be, dispatch it in a few days, but it now looks like he mightily overplayed his hand.

The would-be prey didn’t fold and even had the audacity to fight back. After a few weeks of hard combat, it seems that the Russian ogre bit more than he can chew. Its quarry is now sticking uncomfortably in its throat and threatening to choke it.

This terrible war, instead of enhancing the political status and the invincibility of Russia, has had the opposite effect. It has shown the ineptitude and the blaring weaknesses of the Russian army and its leaders. After a month of relentless fighting, the Russians have suffered a large number of casualties and a tremendous loss of material. It is also said that supplies are low, and so is troops’ morale.

This war has also shown the changing tactics of modern warfare. Tanks are not any more invincible monsters and can be destroyed rather easily by a single infantryman. They, like CDs, might soon end up in large graves or museums.

But the tragedy of this conflict is that neither side really wanted it. It only happened because of the hubris of a single flawed individual: Vladimir Putin. Most Russians didn’t support this war and were shanghaied into it through propaganda and intimidation. Many have now sheepishly expressed sorrow and regrets about this disaster.

On July 20, 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg tried to kill Hitler. He didn’t succeed but he saved a tiny bit of the immensely tarnished honor of Germany. It proved that not every single German was in step with the monster who led them, and some tried to fight back. Russians can do it too.

As president Biden said, I hope that the Russian people will soon see the light and eventually reject a cold-blooded tyrant who never freed his countrymen from slavery.

Like Lady Macbeth, he can wash his hands forever, but the blood of his victims will always remain on his fingers.

Alain