Au Cochonnet Marin

Explosive devices are dangerous and can be lethal… but few people seem to care. Today, they are owned by many, obviously unaware of its destructive power.

It is well known that danger creates a rush of adrenaline that increases blood circulation and breathing. Some people, like bungee jumpers or racecar drivers, thrive on this condition and crave it. It adds spice to sometimes dull and boring lives.

In the hands of an expert, explosive devices are relatively safe, but when handled by rookies, they can generate a great amount of destruction. These contraptions used to be cumbersome, difficult to hide. But no more. Today, they are small, light, easy to conceal, and readily available. They are even seen in some children’s hands.

If you own a gun, you ought to take certain precautions… Like severely restricting its access. A weapon is something highly personal that should only be handled by its owner… And so, should smartphones.

Yes, these cute little gadgets ARE dangerous explosive devices. They are rightfully protected by a password that should not be shared with anyone.
You might not even think of it, but your smartphone contains many personal and intimate details that could embarrass or even compromise you. Every call or every message that you send can later be used against you.

And then, a romantic relationship comes into play. The BIG question is: should your significant other have access to your phone and its data? Some people are very amorous (possessive?) and want to know everything about you, especially when you are away. Is it a good thing? I am not so sure…

Forbidden romances are always exposed by your trusted iPhone. This device does not care about your secrets, it just processes and preserves them. If there is suspicion in a household, watch out! smartphones will be hunted and tortured until they confess.

No matter how tight your relationship, you are entitled to some privacy. A little bit like going to the bathroom… you don’t need to share this experience (unless you are a pervert) with anybody.

In other words, let sleeping dogs/explosive devices lie. If you absolutely don’t have to, your companion’s smartphone is off-limits. It is his/her private place and it should not be tampered with.

But if you are an adrenaline junkie, go for it… and watch the fireworks.

Alain

“If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed, and color, we would find some other causes for prejudice by noon.” ~ George Aiken

Prejudice (a usually unfavorable evaluation of another person) is alive and well. It is widespread, but contrary to popular belief, it has little to do with race. It is more a matter of perception.

We are all prejudiced. Some people are judgmental about overweight individuals… Others are biased about political affiliation, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, occupation, education, national origin, foreign accent, black cats…
The list is endless…

We are all affected (and often offended) by what is unfamiliar, foreign to us. When I was a child, I remember the solemnity and the somber mood of funeral processions. The hearse was pulled by a plumed horse, and a crowd dressed in black walked silently behind the carriage. The atmosphere was subdued.

In my first California wake, I recall being shocked by the rather jolly mood and the colorful attire of the crowd. I was disturbed by the perceived lack of respect shown to the deceased.

When it comes to prejudice, vulgarity (not race) is what offends me the most. I don’t care about ethnicity, but about the image projected. Haircuts, clothes, mannerisms, language are what is first registered… and often generating prejudice. Rednecks and morons parading with weapons are also high on my list.

We have all been subjected to prejudice and discrimination. Human beings (as well as animals) are naturally attracted by beauty and turned off by imperfection. A hunchback, for instance, does not have a ghost of a chance to attract a beautiful woman or to score a corporate job.

But it does not have to be that way, and it is not always the case. Charm (an indefinable enchanting quality) upstages it all. Charm is the ultimate weapon. No matter how you look, if you have charm you have got it made.

“Charm is the ability to make others forget that you look as you do.” ~ Jean-Paul Belmondo

But charm is a gift from Heaven and it is bestowed to relatively few people. And (this is the best part) no matter how much money you have, you cannot buy it. Sorry DT!

Yes, prejudice is alive and well, but it is up to each individual to do some damage control. Be pleasant, helpful, respectful and the world will magically become your oyster.

Alain

This ludicrous proclamation sounds like 5^th-grade rhetoric, but it seems to have resonated with a small vocal minority.

Wearing a mask has long been seen as a sign of dissimulation and hypocrisy. But no more. These days it is an indication of mutual respect and solidarity.

The so-called “freedom” to go maskless is nothing but a misguided idea of what freedom really means. This word has often been discredited by its misuse. Everybody ought to understand that the right to act or to speak as you please is always subservient to higher concerns. Today the superior concern is the nation’s health as a whole.

The pseudo “freedom rebels” should remember that “One person’s freedom ends where another’s begins.” My neighbor can play his music as loud as he wants, as long as it does not interfere with my own rights. The minute it does, his “freedom” is curtailed.

The majority of (literate) citizens abides by this dictum and respects their neighbor’s well-being. Unfortunately, this issue has been politicized, and now serves as a tool to bait and further divide an already divided nation.

Wearing a mask should not be optional but mandatory and transgressors should be penalized. If they don’t care about their own stupid lives, that’s their sorry business. But when they endanger the rest of the population, this is our business and our right to chastise and penalize them… Or even brand them with a scarlet letter.

In the middle ages, lepers had to wear special clothes and ring a bell whenever they went. If the “freedom fighters” want to parade without masks, they should be constrained to wear such attire and ring such a bell.

By comparison, health workers should be praised and hailed as heroes. It is now worth repeating Winston Churchill’s declaration “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.” I was gratified to see that in their July 14^th national parade, the French authorities included these shining examples prominently in their ceremony.

The throngs of young people ignoring the call to wear masks have the most to lose. They are just starting their lives and have only experimented a few of its many delights. Sexagenarians, septuagenarians or generations beyond, have already lived a full life and have much less to lose than the kids.

The question that young adults should ask themselves is “Are a few beers and a few hours of merriment worth mortgaging at least 50 years of your lives?”

Wear a mask and live.

Alain