Au Cochonnet Marin

Here we go again! The peons are being rounded again to go the polls and voice their sentiments.

To me though, the bloody elections are like a recurring rash. Annoying and irritating.
Annoying because my mailbox is filling up with political pamphlets that I never read, and irritating because the airwaves are full of partisan messages that nobody pays attention to.

All this hullabaloo because of democracy: the rule of the people.

Democracy has a nice ring, but the principle is flawed because most of the electorate has not the faintest idea who or what to vote for, and many abstain to participate for that simple reason.
In today’s elections we are faced with so many questions and decisions that unless you are a hardcore political junkie, you are practically unable to proceed.

In Marin County, we have to elect or re-elect a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, State board Equalization district 2 (what the heck is that?).
Then we have to vote for a US Representative, a State Senator, a Member of the State Assembly, a State Superintendent of Public Instruction, a Healthcare Director.

What do we know about the incumbents or the candidates? Practically nothing.

In order to vote for a candidate, I would like to know what his political record is and how he/she stands on at least ten major issues. But this kind of information is not readily available.

It does not mean that you should not vote, but to vote earnestly you have to do a lot of research and I don’t think that the average citizen has the time or the inclination to do so.
Most voters will vote by party affiliation or union affiliation. They will leave it up to their leaders to tell them what to do to protect their narrow interests.
And these leaders can, and often are controlled by the omnipresent money of special interests.

In order to vote intelligently, you need to investigate each candidate, each proposition thoroughly. And in this respect, the Internet can be very helpful.

But you also need to check various sources to form a valid opinion. And those sources have to give you sound reasons to vote for certain candidates or propositions.
A single newspaper endorsement is not enough to form an opinion. It is a good idea to check a few local newspapers and examine their reasons for endorsing a candidate or a proposition.
It is hard work, but if you care about your future or about the future of your children, you have to do this.

You have to vote, but you need to do your homework carefully and thoroughly before trekking to the voting booth and casting your fate to the wind.

Alain

I don’t get it.
Why would anybody bankroll a schlocky movie that few people will ever care to watch?Making a movie costs beaucoup bucks, doesn’t it? So why would anybody sink millions in turkeys that will never fly?
This is rather puzzling…

Like thousands of people, I am a Netflix subscriber.
For about $11.00 a month I can watch as many movies as I like.
But what kind of movies? Critically acclaimed flicks?
Heck no, mostly B movies, which were probably never shown in movie theaters.
And there are thousands of them… all competing for “Razzies” (worst in film) awards.

If you want something more stimulating, better turn to adult entertainment.
What’s nice about porno movies is the fact that the plots are never overly taxing and that unlike foreign movies you don’t need subtitles.
Everybody can easily follow the story line without intensive mental exertion.

In a typical plot, a guy rings a doorbell and a bare breasted babe in high heels opens the door. The guy mumbles something about being lost and needing directions, and before you know it, they are both naked on the couch performing Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, the Rabbit’s Stomp, the Milkmaid’s Fantasy and various sex acts outlawed in forty-five states.

In another plot, a half naked woman catches a cat burglar in the act, and after scolding him, she forces him to submit to her libidinous cravings.

In most cases dialogues are superfluous. The wailing, panting and moaning heard in the background are only here to highlight “the artistic merit” of the protagonists.

Now, what so bad about those movies?
They are highly moralistic and occasionally educational.
In the first plot, it is clearly demonstrated that you should never talk to strangers, and in the second it illustrates the fact that crime doesn’t pay and that you will always have to pay for your misdeeds.

These movies can also be educational. You might discover new stimulating sexual positions besides the well worn “missionary” and the “let’s do it like animals” standbys.

Erotica has also proven to be highly spiritual. The characters of these sexual romps have often been known to cry out the name of the Lord at crucial moments. How many acclaimed movies can claim that distinction?

So in conclusion, as long as they are paying taxes and do not hurt children or small animals, adults should have the option to live vicariously by watching highly improbable but entertaining sexual romps.

We are not living under bearded, repressed, censorious mullahs… yet.

Alain

Due to prior commitments I could not attend this event, but I managed to twice sneak away from family obligations and come to the field to witness the semi-finals and the finals of this tournament.

Six Bay Area pétanque clubs sent their champions to participate in this event. They were:

Valley of the Moon (Sonoma)
Jean-Michel Poulnot, Peter Wellington, Mike Cooper, Adair Hastings, Narin Garrett, Barbara Hall, Bernard Passmar, Holly Sammons, Frosty Sabo, Kevin Evoy, Dave Lanter, Alan Bauermeister.

La Pétanque Marinière (San Rafael)
Jean-Claude Etallaz, Colette Van Der Meulen, Sabine Mattei, Helga Facchini, Eva Lofaro, Henry Wessel, Genevieve Etallaz, Louis Toulon, Calvert Barron, Antoine Lofaro, David Riffo, Francois Moser.

Lamorinda
Carolina Jones, Dollzee Austin, Robert Belforte, Beth Lysten, Philippe Guerit, Bill Hansen

La Boule d’Or (San Francisco)
Jean-Claude Bunand, Alain Gusella, Danielle Gusella, Luc Pouget.

Sacramento
Helen McGill, Marie-Anne Curley, Lisa Vaughn, Simone Furlan, Kevin McGill, John Morris.

Petaluma
Steven Jones, Ed Porto, Jim Johnson, Christine Jones, Nancy Jencks, Kathy Stone, Hans Kurz, Bleys Rose, Les Stone, Wolfie Kurz.

As I was told, 3 doublettes games were originally played and individual scores were kept for each player.

Then, the 3 highest scorers of each club were chosen to compete against the 3 highest scorers of the other clubs.

**********

In the semi-finals, San Rafael (Jean-Claude Etallaz, Calvert Barron and Antoine Lofaro) faced Petaluma (Hans Kurz, Wolfie Kurz and Bleys Rose).

The coin toss to choose the playing area was won by Petaluma; they shrewdly elected to compete in the most demanding surface of the field.
It is an area where previously stood a tall tree. The tree was removed and the resulting hole was filled with a mixture of sand and gravel. A dangerous sand trap for inexperienced players. But a serious advantage for Petaluma contestants whose field is essentially covered with sand and gravel.

Usually reliable pointer Calvert Barron struggled to place winning shots and her teammates were powerless to fill the gap.

At 3:37 p.m. Petaluma was leading 9/1
At 4:00 p.m. it was over.
La Pétanque Marinière lost to Petaluma with the dismal score of 13/3.

In the finals, Petaluma faced Sonoma (Peter Wellington, Holly Sammons, Frosty Sabo).

The game was played away from the sandpit, and with well-balanced teams on each side it felt more like the finals of a tournament.
Both teams had good pointers (Holly and Hans) and good shooters (Peter and Wolfie).

During the entire game, scores went back and forth between the two teams.

At 4:40 p.m. Petaluma was leading 8/2
At 5:00 Sonoma closed the gap with Petaluma only leading 10/9
At 5:13 Sonoma took the lead 12/10
At 5:30 Petaluma scored 3 points and won the game by the skin of their teeth with a final score of 13/12.

Heartbreaking for Sonoma but well deserved victory for a resilient Petaluma team.

Petaluma we hate you! Congratulations!

 Hans Kurz, Bleys Rose, Wolfie Kurz

Drinks and “amuse-gueules” were served after the tournament.

Alain

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