Category: Fourre-tout

Yesterday was a dark day for women… especially for women in Afghanistan.

 Kabul has fallen and the Taliban predators are swarming in. The Sharia is going to be re-established, and women will be required again to cover all their bodies except hands and face. They are already hiding and burning or concealing any document validating their education.

This turn of events is eerily reminiscent of the Nazi treatment of conquered European nations during WWII. The Nazi first move was to seek and exterminate the elites. Educated people were especially targeted and swiftly murdered by specialized execution squads. Ignorant people they thought, would be easier to control and manipulate.

Under the pretense of “religion,” the Taliban is seeking new enslavement of their women. And it is relatively easy in a country steeped in misogynistic beliefs.

Since an early age, I have distrusted theocracies. Religion was created by zealots, and God has absolutely nothing to do with it. Religion is just a devious way to control minds and bodies. Why would a priest or a mullah have better judgment or wisdom than a common mortal? Do they have a direct line of communication with the Almighty? It is up to every individual to decide for himself what is right and what is wrong and act accordingly.

Women are not second or third-class citizens. They are as able and as smart as any man, and they ought to be treated as fairly as men. They can, and they have proved it, achieve anything that a man can do.  They are teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers, lawyers, astronauts…  Only ignorant louts will argue with this.

Women are not saints to be worshipped or adored. They are as fallible as men, but they always must be given a chance to prove themselves. We have had very capable world female leaders, and they often performed as well if not better than men.

If the Taliban return to its old nasty habits, it is my hope that civilized nations all over the world are going to unite and apply intense pressure on them to force them to treat their women fairly and humanely.

I deeply empathize with the panicked people trying to flee Afghanistan. At one time or the other, we all have been persecuted, and grateful to have found a haven somewhere.

All civilized nations must do their share and help as many people as possible. Keep in mind that what is happening in Afghanistan can happen anywhere in the world, including America.

Alain

For the past seven years, we have provided free room and board for an individual afflicted by (I believe) a bipolar disorder.

“Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression).”

 Typically, she can be playful and friendly, but suddenly, without any provocation, she can bite or scratch. Despite her excellent physical condition, she is not interested in any kind of job. She spends most of her time snoozing, reading trashy novels, or snooping on the neighbors.

Above all, she is atypical. Although she looks like a feline, she does not behave like one. She never purrs and does not like to cuddle. Like a beautiful woman, she likes to be around people, but just to be admired… You can look at me, but don’t you dare to touch me… I know excellent lawyers who have won all their cases of sexual harassment.

She is also very territorial and guards what she considers her home with great vigilance. Night or day, any trespasser will be repulsed by loud cries and hissing sounds. And nothing is more frightening than the sight of an angry female.

A cat is supposed to be nice and cuddly, but this one probably was a juvenile delinquent. When we adopted her, we didn’t bother to check her criminal record. Maybe we should have… because who knows what evil lurks behind her fearsome green eyes?

Even though she is rather indolent, she is capable of extraordinary feats. She can scale fences and posts as easily as Spiderman… probably even better.

Lately, I have started to suspect that she belongs to a subversive organization called « Coalition secrète des chats conspirateurs pour l’asservissement des humains » or «Secret Coalition of Conspiratorial Cats for the Enslavement of Humans”.

Do you remember the flick called Planet of the Apes? If we are not vigilant, we could soon end up on the Planet of the Cats. And it could be tough. The felines would certainly treat us like slaves (they already do) and force us to submit to all their whims.

Moral of the story: beware of individuals afflicted by bipolar disorder. They might be good-looking but they are difficult to live with… unless you subscribe unconditionally to all their caprices.

In spite of it all, I still love that darn cat… but she does not deserve it.

Alain

When you attempt to write about an event that you witnessed (and photographed), the first thing that you need to do is triage. You need to go through the hundreds of shots that you took and discard the undesirables. And it is a difficult and times consuming task… but you to learn to suffer for what you love… Then you can look at the pictures while writing what you witnessed.

In many respects, photography is somewhat like pétanque… sometimes you hit, and many times you miss. And due to the many shaded areas of our beautiful field, I bungled a lot of shots. But, c’est la vie… One word of advice though… if you want to look your best in pictures, don’t wear black… or white. They absorb or reflect the light and prevent a photographer from taking clear, well-focused pictures.

All right, let’s get down to business. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I missed the opening of the tournament, but I will try to redeem myself. So on August 8^th, I managed to make it to the field around 12:30 while everybody was munching (and moaning about lost games).

The weather was partly cloudy and ideal for pétanque.

As I was made aware, 30 select doublettes made it to the field, ready to brawl (and some almost came to that). The Heavy Weights (bogeymen) made it to the Concours, and the others were shown the door to the Consolante.
By the way, I want to pay tribute to Christine Cragg for a well-run tournament. It is never as easy as it looks, and she did a great job. Merci mille fois Christine!

In the afternoon, while I was busy putting as much stuff as possible on film, people lived and died on the field. I got to watch the fight between Max/Antoine Lofaro versus Paul Yang/Jer Thao and it was Homeric. The Lofaros won by a very thin margin and made it to the finals.

I got a few glances at the game between Paul Kos and Isabelle Kos and Brigitte Moran and John-Philip Wyek. I was surprised by the skills of the Kos formation that literally tore apart two seasoned players. If I am not mistaken, Paul and Isabelle won First Place in the Consolante. Congrats guys!

The finals saw Wolfie Kurz and Mickey Coughlin (two heavyweights) battling Antoine and Max Lofaro, also two very good players.

Mickey played as a pointer and Wolfie as the shooter. They were in total sync and played beautifully, especially on gravel. On the Lofaro side, Max was the pointer, and Antoine was the shooter. From the beginning though they did not fare well. They lost 4 points on the first mène, and it looked bad. While Wolfie and Mickey continued to be extremely accurate, and Antoine missed a few crucial shots. In the finals it is deadly.
Mickey and Wolfie won 13/5.

Concours
1^st place: Mickey Coughlin and Wolfie Kurz:                  $260.00 ea   Gold medal
2^nd place: Max and Antoine Lofaro                                     $173.00 ea    Silver medal
3^rd place: Janice Bissonette and Mike Lee                         $130.00 ea    Bronze medal

Consolante:
1^st place: Paul and Isabelle Kos                                             $103.00 ea
2^nd place: Chong Xiong and Linda Bedrossian               $69.00 ea
3^rd place: Joe LaTorre and Rob Everett                              $43.00 ea

Alain

 PS: to watch the pictures, click on “My photos”
The photos of the Consolante winners were taken by Christine Cragg