Au Cochonnet Marin

Last Sunday La Pétanque Marinière hosted its regular monthly tournament that attracted 30 “doublettes” teams from all over the Bay Area.

Christine Cragg (our venerated club president) recently back from her sabbatical in France (and assisted by Shama Gutheti) oversaw the event. To make sure that she didn’t waste her time abroad, I briefly tested Christine’s newly acquired knowledge and she passed effortlessly. Good for you Christine!

The playing conditions were good, although it was a little cloudy and slightly muggy.

When I arrived on the field, I discovered that it was already claimed by a young duck who didn’t seem to be in hurry to vacate the place. It finally flew away after cursing us in (I guess) Javanese.

As usual, 3 games were played before lunch, and elimination games followed in the afternoon. My partner (François Moser) and I did fairly well in the morning, winning 2 games out of 3. This qualified us for the Concours where after lunch we faced Carmen Ellis and Suzie (Bad News) Lee. I played against Suzie in last month’s tournament, and she murdered us 13/1. I can certify that under an unassuming look, this person is dangerous: excellent pointer and outstanding shooter. You have been warned…

After a tough game, Carmen and Suzie booted us out of the tournament with a final score of 13/9. I always hate to lose, but this worked well with my preconceived action plan. My aching back was begging me to stop, and I welcomed the opportunity to quit and concentrate on documenting this event.

I tried to photograph as many people as I could, but in photography, it is the lighting conditions that dictate who and where you can operate. The ideal conditions are light without any shade which is almost impossible to find in an urban area. This is why I prefer to shoot in a well-lit area.

If you don’t see pictures of yourself, blame the weather conditions.

Concours

1^st place:        Xiong Chang & Phomenick Lee     $108.00 ea
2^nd place:       Michelle Dang & Barbara Hall       $90.00 ea
3^rd place:       Antoine Lofaro & Eric Thiebault and Dave Lanter & Brendan Cohen

Consolante

1^st place: Lynn Bell & Richard Bell:                        $54.00 ea
2^nd place: Serge Hanne & Philippe Guerit           $36.00 ea

Alain

PS: Go « full screen” to watch the accompanying pictures.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” –Anatole France

La donna è mobile…Thalia, my favorite muse, is capricious and fickle. When she visits, don’t expect her to stay patiently by your side until you get what she is trying to convey. She comes carried by a light breeze and is gone before you even notice.  You need to be attentive and attuned to her presence.

When I seek her help, I lie quietly under my yum-yum tree and wait for her to inspire me… and I think that she just did it.

There are terrible things presently happening in the world and I am tired of hearing and writing about them. Man’s inhumanity to man seems to be endemic and endless, but occasionally you hear about some good deeds performed by humans to protect our furry friends.

I just read in the Economist that France is actively building freeway overpasses to reduce roadkill, and it warms my heart. I am an unconditional animal advocate, and I will always take the side of four-legged creatures over man’s greed or indifference.

These “écoponts” are sorely needed everywhere, and Europe seems to be a leader in this field. Freeways present unsurmountable obstacles to all species and we owe animals the protection they need to survive and thrive. Can you imagine for a minute a world without wildlife? How terribly sad it would be.

The few measly dollars spent for these good deeds look ridiculously small when compared to what man spends for wars and annihilating his own specie.

“A study for Vinci, another French motorway operator, found that between 2011 and 2015 each of its green bridges was used each year on average by 1,086 red deer, 150 wild boar, 104 roe deer, 48 foxes, eight badgers, four weasels, one hedgehog, and one wolf. “

 In Marin County, it is not unusual to see deer on the side of the freeway and you just shudder thinking of what might happen. Overpasses would be a great blessing.

Animals, like humans, have feelings and emotions and they can be a great comfort to humans. They are now commonly used in hospitals and retirement homes to comfort those in need of sympathy. In France, they are known as “animaux de compagnie” and they are always welcome everywhere.

If you are looking for a mate, always make sure that this person likes animals. If he/she does not, keep away; these people are selfish and mean.

Alain

America, the land of the free, the home of the brave… and his beloved guns.

Today, two calamities are laying waste to America: a pandemic and a shooting epidemic… and they are both equally deadly. I am fully aware that I wrote about this subject many times before, but it needs repeating, even hammering for people to finally wake up from their torpor.

As far as I know, everything possible has been done for controlling the pandemic, but very little about stopping the sickening regularity of mass shootings.

Nothing annoys me more than the prayers, vigils, speeches, the official homilies after each carnage, while absolutely nobody seems to notice the elephant in the room. Voting individuals should picket and mercilessly harass any elected official who refuses to even talk about the subject. Some pro-lifers are picketing abortion clinics… if they are pro-life as they say, why don’t they picket gun stores instead… it would yield much better results.

I understand that a person might want to buy a handgun for home protection, but an AK-15 Kalashnikov with 30 rounds magazines? Who is he expecting to attack? Hordes of living dead? Commies? Transgenders?
Such a thing has no place in a civilized society.

Why would anybody want to buy such a killing machine, but for the only purpose of harming people? In Texas, it is easier to buy an AK-15 than a simple handgun. Does it make any sense?

It is not people who are doing the killing… it is GUNS! And don’t talk to me about background checks. There are just insignificant band-aids applied to out-of-control hemorrhages… You don’t have to be mentally deranged to want to kill somebody… A laid-off person can sometimes be more dangerous than any sicko, and he can buy an automatic weapon anytime he wants.

As long as anybody can purchase military-style semiautomatic weapons and assault rifles, the killings won’t stop.

In 2019, New Zealand showed much more backbone than America when, after the killings in Christchurch, it permanently banned the sale of all automatic weapons.

America is not Russia. We still can speak our minds without fear of retribution. Put pressure on the Congress’s fat cats and shine a bright light on their cozy relationship with the NRA. It might nudge them into becoming responsible human beings.

I can just imagine the state of mind of school children today. No matter what they are told, they won’t rest easy. They know that big bad wolves are lurking in the shadow and that they are very vulnerable.

Do you want the killings to stop? Don’t pray, light any candles, or listen to any baloney! Demand results. Ban automatic guns, your life depends on it.

Alain