Au Cochonnet Marin

Despite appearances, I am no saint. I seldom walk on water and I don’t love everybody. As a matter of fact there is a bunch of people that I actively dislike.

Among those are Hypocrites, dudes pretending to be what they are not, and doing what they tell other people not to do. Regrettably these Tartuffes thrive almost everywhere, especially in the field of politics and in the clergy.

I admit that it is difficult to be a politician without being a hypocrite, but why would you want to be in politics in the first place? To satisfy a burning desire to help your fellow men? Don’t make me laugh I just had surgery… A lust for power and its beguiling perks is the main motivation and has always been!

To get elected a politician needs to be a political chameleon. He has to charm fool as many people as possible, and he has to make good use of “alternative facts”.

“I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great great wall on our southern border and I’ll have Mexico pay for that wall.”

Fortunately, most of the statements made by a politico are recorded and can (and absolutely should) be used against him.
Beware of people claiming to have higher moral standards than you; they might be the worst offenders..

I would rather vote for somebody who frankly admits his shortcomings than for a lily-white bible thumping hypocrite.

A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation. Adlai E. Stevenson

Hypocrites are more dangerous than liars because they sometimes believe  what they are saying.

Alain

I have being driving since the dawn of time (or so it seems) and I always highly prized this privilege. Last month though, I had to undergo some surgery and was prohibited from operating a vehicle for a while. A mighty blow to my independence, especially since I am living in a quasi-rural area.

When you reside in a metropolitan area, moving around is no problem; public transportation is omnipresent. But when you live in close proximity to cows (yes), you face a different situation. Driving is an absolute must.

My steed has been inactive for about a month and the air in its stall is getting stale. It is high time to groom it and take it out for a ride, because yes Virginia, there is such a thing as galloping fever.

No matter what your occupation is, you need to momentarily escape the confinement of your abode to remain connected with the outside world. And in California you need to drive to get there.

For the time being driving is an absolute necessity but in a year or two, this might not be the case. Driverless cars are starting to materialize and the public seems to be ready to accept them because who needs the hassle of parking?

A license for car riders might not even be needed  anymore.  A vehicle will be summoned by a smartphone and will magically appear on a doorstep. They will say: take me to the ballpark and continue a worry-free conversation with God or their business associates .

I don’t think that driving a vehicle will be missed. You won’t lose your independence and you will get rid of the costly inconvenience of ownership. Just like the horses of yore, individual cars will vanish and become another rental commodity.

But for the time being, I still need and enjoy the convenience of a private car. It takes me where I want whenever I want. And, as a bonus it gives me the pleasure to curse inconsiderate drivers in my native tongue. You could not do this in a driverless car.

Ten to 20 years out, driving your car will be viewed as equivalently immoral as smoking cigarettes around other people is today. Marc Andreessen

Alain

PS: I will start driving again in a few days.

If somebody from a distant planet landed on earth and undertook to write a report on its dwellers, he would probably record that they seem to be subservient to an intriguing little box called a cellphone.

The observer would not be too surprised though. On his own planet, machines of all sorts also mingle freely with its inhabitants and even compete with them. Some rightwing alarmists have voiced concerns that these “things” might even breed with them and eventually enslave the entire galaxy. But they are no concrete facts (so far) to substantiate these assertions.

There is no doubt that cellular phones are amazing entities capable of performing many tasks. But it is up to humans to keep them in check and decline to respond to their every request. If not, they can become extremely aggressive and seriously harm relationships. Like spoiled children cellphones must be disciplined and taught that there is a time and a place for everything.

If not restrained they will intrude on very facet of your life, spoil dinner parties, religious services, yoga sessions and even sexual congresses, a multi-consequential transgression to avoid at all costs.

So-called smart phones are amazingly versatile devices capable of executing many tasks, but humans should avoid becoming too fond of them.
Cellphones should mainly be used to communicate with relatives, friends, coworkers and bookies. They can be a lifeline and a powerful psychological prop for seniors or people living alone knowing that they can summon help anytime.
A cellphone is like a pacemaker for these people, and whatever the reasons it should never be turned off.

On the plus side, cellphones can help with destination guidance, transfer of data, photos of accidents, or videos of civic disturbances.

But they can also be a great source of distraction and considerably increase the risks of accidents. And there are also more secrets hidden inside a cellphone than anywhere else. In case of loss it could become a serious liability.

Cellphones are generally thin and good-looking, and one finds it difficult to break up with them. To stay in good terms with your clingy device, keep it fully charged and take it out to a fancy place once in a while… and ask it to keep mum.

As they say in France: “Sois belle et tais toi” (be beautiful and keep quiet).

Alain