Au Cochonnet Marin

“Past 60, if you wake up with no pain anywhere, you’re probably dead.”

A famous French actor once said this, and I totally agree with his statement. Nowadays, I often wake up and need to talk to somebody to verify that I am still alive.

The French, between grumblings, came up with an amusing term to identify their ailing citizens. Tamalou, a made-up word whose root stems from the expression “t’as mal où?” (Where do you hurt?). So, all the senior citizens are basically all Tamalous, because when they meet, instead of cracking jokes as they should, one of their leitmotifs is Tamalou, “where do you hurt?”

Because after a certain age, pain starts shadowing you. It follows you everywhere like a faithful pet who doesn’t even stop to pee. Hey, where are you going? don’t leave me behind… we are buddies…

 I wonder who is the fool who started the legend about the Golden Years? What gold? All you get is lead, and it is a particularly heavy load to carry. The real Golden Years are probably your twenties and thirties, and you should be reminded of this often in order not to waste those precious decades… after this, you are just on the waiting list to join the Tamalou club.

What about doctors? Are they your knights in shining armor defending you against your enemies? Not exactly.

“A doctor is a man who writes prescriptions, till the patient either dies or is cured by nature.” – John Taylor

 When I was a child, doctors’ main characteristic was their almost illegible writing. It was then up to the pharmacist to figure out what these hieroglyphs meant. Today doctors don’t write prescriptions by hand anymore, but they have a greater variety of drugs at their disposal, and prescriptions, they do prescribe, liberally.

And then you have Tamalous… and Tamalous. A good Tamalou is a person who despite his/her growing age and aching body kept his sense of humor and still can laugh at others and himself.

A not-so-good Tamalou is a bad-tempered grump, who is mad at the world and blames everybody for his poor condition.

Tamalous are often bitching but as Maurice Chevalier once said:

“Growing old isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.”

 N’est-ce pas ?

 Alain

I am obsessed with the Russian-Ukrainian war. A fratricide conflict that should never have occurred. Russia and Ukraine are two closely related nations, with many Russians living peacefully in Ukraine and vice versa. This war is alas a reenactment of the American Civil War that pitted brothers against brothers between 1861 and 1865,

Russia is unquestionably the aggressor and Ukraine the recipient of Putin’s madness, but the Russian people are far from being unanimous about this conflict. Many disagree with each other because this war is also a gigantic battle of information, misinformation, and disinformation.

Due to the government’s tight censure, many Russians have no idea of what’s happening in Ukraine. Some don’t even believe that a war is taking place.

After watching a great number of western YouTube videos, with many Russians reluctant to express their true feelings, it seems that the nation is somewhat divided into two groups: the older generation sticking with Putin and the younger disagreeing with him.

Many anti-war demonstrations have already occurred in Russia, with St Peterburg (the cultural capital of Russia) leading the pack. And despite ferocious pushback by the police, demonstrations are bound to increase, especially after the substantial Russian losses will become known by the public. Mothers will undoubtedly blame their leaders for the pointless loss of their sons and scream their anguish and discontent.

This is an extremely dangerous situation, with the Russian president feeling trapped in a corner by most of the western nations. He might have realized by now that he foolishly engaged in a quagmire, but he is unwilling to lose face and might resort to desperate measures. A nuclear war that nobody can win.

Undisclosed negotiations are surely already taking place, but the Russian intransigence and the Ukrainian chutzpah don’t augur well. Neither side is ready to compromise, and it will become uglier before it becomes better.

This conflict taking place at the other end of the world is affecting the entire planet. Everyone on earth, especially the Russians, is going to feel the pinch because agreeing or disagreeing, we are all connected and dependent on one another.

It is going to become more critical with each passing day and the pressure on Russia is soon going to become untenable. Grumbles in the country will increase and turn into angry accusations that might improbably come from the elite and the oligarchs.

No more jetting or cruising to the south of France. No more extravagant parties in every corner of the world. No more “canard a l’orange” at La Tour d’Argent; you will have to stay home and eat borsht like every common moujik. Who the hell is responsible for this nightmare? will become the burning topic of the nation.

The oligarchs’ trophy wives will soon revolt and besiege their sugar daddies. Do something or I will go in the streets and protest with everybody else…

No, no, любимая (darling) I’ll speak to the boss and  I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse. It’s not going to be personal, it’s going to be strictly business.

This scenario might not happen but I hope that it will and put an end to this indefensible, abhorrent war.

Alain

Comme beaucoup de gens, j’ai été choqué et horrifié par l’invasion soudaine de l’Ukraine par la Russie. Une guerre qui, selon moi, a beaucoup de similarités avec l’invasion de la Pologne en 1939 par les forces nazies.

En considérant le carnage que peuvent infliger les armes modernes, c’est un conflit absolument impensable au 21eme siècle ; spécialement entre deux nations ayant tant de liens et d’affinités en commun.

Le plus étonnant dans cette désastreuse affaire, c’est que pour beaucoup de Russes (ceux qui osent s’exprimer) cette guerre ne fait pas l’unanimité générale. Ce n’est plus la glorieuse Grande Guerre Patriotique ; c’est une guerre sale et honteuse.

Soit en anglais, soit en leur propre langue, beaucoup de Russes questionnés dans la rue expriment leur opposition et leur regret quand a cette guerre.

Ceux qui soutiennent leur « président » sont généralement des personnes plus âgées et moins informées que ceux qui opposent sa politique. La liberté de la presse en Russie est maintenant quasiment inexistante, et les personnes qui soutiennent Poutine ânonnent simplement la version officielle des évènements.

Selon les supporters de la guerre, la Russie a attaqué l’Ukraine à cause du « génocide » qui aurait eu lieu dans la région du Donbas. Je pense que si ce carnage avait vraiment eu lieu, la presse occidentale en aurait eu connaissance et publié les faits.

Cette guerre, est avant tout une grande opération de propagande, étroitement contrôlée par le pouvoir en place.  La version officielle (la seule autorisée) est diffusée en permanence et malgré la désapprobation internationale quasiment générale, certains citoyens pensent que les Ukrainiens méritent cette effroyable punition.

Mais voilà ce qui peut arriver quand un seul homme (un tsar) a les pleins pouvoirs. La Russie malheureusement n’a jamais réussie a se débarrasser de son passé tsariste. Elle a toujours été gouvernée par des « hommes forts » employant des moyens forts, et Vladimir Poutine continue de gouverner comme a l’époque d’Ivan le Terrible.

Comme l’a écrit un contemporain de l’époque :

« Ce gouvernement est une tyrannie pure et simple car il subordonne toutes choses à l’intérêt du prince et, cela, de la manière la plus barbare et la plus ouverte. » 

 Dans l’intérêt mondial, le peuple russe devrait se ressaisir et se défaire d’un dangereux mégalomane qui menace la sécurité de toute notre planète.

Alain