Au Cochonnet Marin

“A friend is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.” Aristotle –

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Everybody wants friends, the few people with whom we can share secrets and intimate thoughts without fear of betrayal.

But true friends are a rare commodity for friendship is a slow ripening fruit. It is a long process and much to the chagrin of many, there is no such a thing as an instant friend.

Individuals usually become friends in their formative years, or through shared experiences like college, army or even prison.
True friends though can be counted just on one hand, because as the saying goes “if you have too many friends, you have none”.
Be courteous to all, but intimate with few.

People desperate for friends will sometimes turn to social media like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
There they can get “instant friends” at the click of a button, but these “friends” are not the genuine article and they all come with STD (Socially Transmitted Disease).

The minute you “hookup” with a friend, the hosting social media will grab the names (and all its accompanying data) all your friends and the friends of your friends.
Media Miners will immediately pounce on it.

These specialized data gatherers will analyze and extract as much information as possible and resell everything to merchants for a hefty price.
So, be wary of the information that the media prods you to volunteer.

Merchants are more than happy to pay for this. Instead of shooting in the dark, they can now focus on your interests and shower you with targeted ads.

So, “media friends” can be as much as a liability as a source of comfort.
And you cannot call any of those “chums” in the middle of the night for an emergency. They are just fair weather friends, ready to disappear at the first rumble of a storm.

If you want a true ever-loving friend, someone who will stick with you through thick and thin and never utter a single disparaging word against you, get a dog!

Alain

One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. Euripides

 

“Ninety-five percent of the time we get treated the way we invite people to treat us.”

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I read this in a book or a magazine a while ago, and I definitely agree with this.
You will often be treated according to the image that you project, especially in Europe where people frequently judge you based on your appearance.

Torn jeans (definitely not my cup of tea) might look cool in the US, but if you want decent service anywhere else, don’t show up looking like a Third World refugee.

It is always good to remember that “Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success”. Christopher Lasch

Even if you don’t have a penny to your name, appearance and demeanor matter. Probably even more.
A ready smile and friendly manners will unlock many doors that might otherwise remain shut if you don’t make the effort to be cordial.

But clothes and manners do not totally make the man. You can wear fancy duds and be betrayed by your body language.
In this day and age we communicate with words, but body posture has often a much greater impact than a glib tongue.
A jutted chin, a scowl, hand gestures will often expose the true personality of an individual.

To win hearts and minds you also need to be likable. And it is an elusive quality that few people possess.
If you are not simpatico, it is going to be a steep uphill battle to convince people that you can be trusted.

In political campaigns bravado works up to a point. Some people like bullies but most don’t.
When it comes to choose between a belligerent candidate and a rational individual, smart people will put their money not on a mouth that roars but on a brain that works.

To formulate a sensible opinion, watch less television and read more books and news magazines.

Alain

“The elections are run by the same industries that sell toothpaste on television.” Noam Chomsky

Alas!

Un nom de guerre (war name) is “an assumed name under which a person engages in combat or some other activity or enterprise.”

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Pétanque is basically a hand-to-hand combat where two factions (doublettes or triplettes) fight for supremacy.
It is indeed a mini-war and it would be fitting for all combatants to have some “noms de guerre” (war names).

If you watched Top Gun (who didn’t) you probably remember that all the fighter pilots had “call signs” (aka noms de guerre).
Tom Cruise was “Maverick”, Val Kilmer “Iceman” and Anthony Edwards “Goose”

In the French Foreign Legion, new recruits can also pick a new name (no questions asked) to start a new life.

Why not apply this convention to pétanque? It would add spice and pizzazz to the game.

As far as I am concerned, it would be definitely more fun to report that La Bête Noire polished off La Fillette or that La Foudre shocked Le Facteur repeatedly.

A good nom de guerre can also add glamour and vitality to sometimes-bland characters.
You have to admit that “Le Facteur” (who always rings twice) sounds much more compelling that plain Jean-Michel and Le Canonnier more intimidating than Noel.

So put on your thinking cap and let me know what your fighting name is going to be.

So far, I have collected just a few names, but I urge everybody to come up with a new moniker ASAP to make games more entertaining.

Actual “noms de guerre”:

Efron Alain:               La Foudre or Le Bourreau
Efron Tamara:           Rasputina or Raketa
Gautier:                    Schubert
Marcovecchio:          Le Canonnier
Moran Brigitte:          Fillette
Moser Francois:        Le P’tit Suisse
Poulnot J-Michel:      Le Facteur
Wessel Henry:          La Bête Noire

Alain la Foudre or Le Bourreau