Capo di tutti capi

Capo di tutti capi

As a child of WWII, I deeply empathize and sympathize with the plight of the Ukrainian people. The brutal, unprovoked attack by Russia on Ukraine bears an uncanny similitude with Nazi Germany’s attack on Poland in 1939.

In 1939, an overwhelming Nazi juggernaut subdued a courageous but underequipped Polish army in a matter of days. The same fate awaits Ukraine which is no match for the Russian giant.

But this unthinkable aggression could be the beginning of the end for the wolf in sheep clothing who has ruled Russia for the last 20 years. Invading a weaker country is one thing; keeping it indefinitely under its thumb is another one.

The similitude of Hitler’s and Putin’s actions is undeniable. Russia is already the largest country in the world with an enormous area of 17,098,250 square kilometers. By comparison, Canada, the second-largest country in the world is half its size with 9,879,750 square kilometers.

But still, this is not enough for the Kremlin’s ogre. Like Hitler, he wants to extend his hegemony over an even larger area. But unlike in 1939, the Russian people are not overwhelmingly enthusiastic about their Capo di tutti capi’s actions. Small demonstrations have already started in Russia and around the world, and they will intensify as days go by.

The Russian people will also feel the pain. In the coming weeks, due to the economic pressure applied by the West, oligarchs and plain folks alike will see their standard of living deep significantly. Soon they will start to grumble, and later, when pressure intensifies, no amount of vodka is going to prevent them from rioting.

The end will come with the imploding of the Kremlin’s monopoly. It will start when the Russian casualties will become known to the public at large, and intensify with the increased cost of living. It might take a little while, but plain Russian folks are not as fanatical as the Hitlerian hordes. They don’t crave more territory, they just want more freedom and a better standard of living

Just like in the Godfather’s saga, the “Capo di tutti capi” will meet his fate at the hands of his own entourage. And it will be a grim ending for the man who desperately wanted to be the unrestricted “Tsar of all the Russias.”

Shortly after the erection of the Berlin Wall, in 1963 President Kennedy said in a speech “ich bin ein Berliner” and today like him, I am saying “I am a Ukrainian”.

Alain

Parking horror stories

https://www.skylineriskmanagement.com/insights/2016/6/22/6-parking-lot-perils-youll-wish-you-avoided

Parking has become one of the greatest nuisances of the 21st century. Today, you cannot go anywhere without a car, and when you arrive at your destination, your misery begins.

Regardless of your mode of transportation (bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, or even horseback), after your ride, you need to securely park it. And unfortunately, there always seem to be more cars than available parking spots.

In the olden days, there was one car per family. Today everybody drives, and you can easily have 3 cars per household, hence the problem! Most everybody enjoys driving but (unless you are a certified masochist) everybody hates searching for a parking spot.

Now, before you curse me and start legal proceedings against me, I want to reiterate that I love women… except when they loiter in a parking lot. When you drive into a parking area and see a man walking toward his car, you are almost certain that this upstanding fellow will vacate his spot within minutes.

But when a woman enters her car, her liftoff time can vary between 5 minutes to 2 days. I don’t know why it takes so long for her to depart, but while fretting in my own car, I have come up with some hypotheses.

First, a woman cannot drive away without first glancing at the rearview mirror, checking hair, eyeliner, lipstick, and foraging in her handbag. Then, she probably must call somebody (boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, shrink) to give them the latest dope about her expedition. If she is gabby or annoyed, this could take a good 10 to 15 minutes. Messages also have to be deciphered and answered. This also adds significantly to the waiting time.

She might have to change shoes. These stiletto heels are good to impress a customer or a lover, but there are very unpractical for operating a vehicle. Tennis shoes are much easier on the foot, and let you clearly feel the gas pedal and the brake pedal.

I am not exactly the image of patience and waiting 20 minutes for somebody to vacate his/her spot while a cretin is honking behind me, makes my blood boil. And knowing that the minute I lose patience and leave the area, the parked nuisance will finally depart and the moron behind me will get the spot that was rightly mine.

But generally speaking, I think that women are more sensible drivers than men. They drive slower (not all) and don’t take as many chances as men on the freeway.
Outside a parking lot, I am susceptible to their charm and always enjoy any tête-à-tête with them.
But only outside the hellish area called a parking lot!

“He who thinks too much about every step he takes will always stay on one leg.” Chinese Proverb

Alain

A winter anomaly

Yesterday’s tournament hosted by La Pétanque Marinière felt like a winter anomaly. The weather was unusually sunny and warm for mid-February and it felt like Spring came ahead of itself. But who is complaining?

Thirty-two people came from all the Bay Area counties and registered to compete. Among the newcomers, I particularly noticed the Checkered Stranger, a mysterious young man never seen on our field before. I just discovered that his name is Ben Pierce and that he just joined our club. Welcome to the Promised land young man.

Despite a lingering backache I decided to play and temporally desist from my semi-official position as the club photographer. I requested to compete as a wingman since my spine does allow me any strenuous effort, and inherited Caitlin Woodbury as my partner in crime.

It was a very fortunate occurrence. Caitlin proved to be an excellent shooter who saved our butts many times during that day. Thanks to her skills, we managed to win 3 games out of 4. Not too bad, considering my rather restrained participation. As a bonus, I rediscovered that Caitlin speaks very decent French and was able to understand some of my questionable jokes.

But Once photography enters your bloodstream, it is like a disease.” You cannot stop cold turkey and totally cease shooting regardless of the circumstances. I am fortunate to own a small, unobtrusive Canon camera that I carry in my pocket almost everywhere. This camera has a decent focusing range and between “mènes” I managed to shoot some targets of opportunity. Yesterday I shot at least 20 people…  and they will love me for it!”

 I forgot to mention that the format of this tournament was mêlée, and 2 games were played before lunch and 2 games after lunch. A convenient setup that did not put too much undue strain on my back.

By 4:00 o’clock, all the numbers had been tabulated, and the names of the winners emerged.

Bernard and Shama

1st place:        Bernard Passemar and Kota-Gutheti Shama
2nd place:      Christine Morier and Eddy Pay
3rd place:       Paulo Crustred and John-Philip Wyek

And that’s the way it was.

Alain

PS: Click on “My photos” to watch the pictures