Au Cochonnet Marin

A tornado is a mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds often having the appearance… of a 5-year-old little boy

These youngsters look cute and innocent, but don’t be fooled… They are fallen angels; angels who were expelled from heaven. This says it all.

Early on in life, wise people realize that some things are better enjoyed from a distance. In the Yellowstone National Park for instance, some visitors seeking unusual photo opportunities often ignore that advice. They come very close to the animals… forgetting that these peaceful looking beasts are wild.

Considering that the average weight of a male human being is around 170 pounds, and that a male buffalo can be up to 2,000 pounds, you would think that it would be prudent to keep a safe distance from it. But visitors cannot resist the attraction of the beasts; they come too close. They forget that an annoyed bison could easily toss any interloper up to 10 feet in the air.

In a certain way, a 40 pounds little boy can be like a bison. It is safer to enjoy him from a distance. But small children and animals are so darn appealing, that it is very difficult to avoid being pulled in their spellbinding orbit.

Grandparents whose immunity system has already been weakened with age are especially vulnerable to their spell. Despite their best efforts, they find it nearly impossible to say “no” to them.
Little boys are “touche-à-tout” (touch everything). Their insatiable curiosity drives them to touch and often take apart any unusual object, and I have a few of them in my office.

Grand-parents’ dwellings are generally not child-proof and are therefore vulnerable to sudden raids. Articles will suddenly disappear and remain hidden for a while. They will be found a few days later in some unusual places.

Computers can also be very appealing targets. Although many toddlers cannot yet read, today they handle a computer with the dexterity of a NASCAR driver.

“Toddlers take half an hour to get a pair of shoes on but can open 5 apps, delete your photos, and call your boss all within 16 seconds.” ~Internet meme

But you can also learn from children. They will help you to discover how much patience you have in you. And if need be, they will teach you how to remain stoical under duress.

Little boys are made invulnerable by their magical charm. It is impossible not to like them, especially when they give you so much unaffected love.

As a new Goliath, I thought that I could easily defeat little David, but I was mistaken. The little guy won by a mile and I am now totally under his control. I might even need some help to escape his magic embrace.

Beware of little boys. The little scamps will steal your heart and have you eating in the palm of their hands in absolutely no time.

Alain

Many Americans don’t seem to a have a good grip on the concept of freedom. I suspected that much for a long time, and my feeling was finally fully validated last year.

2020 will be remembered as the year of the pandemic, a disease prevalent all over the world. Covid-19 is an insidious enemy, invisible, highly contagious and deadly. It is especially dangerous because, unlike some other diseases, its effects are not immediately seen or felt.

Some slow-witted individuals refuse to believe anything they have not personally experienced. They need to be burned, to believe that fire is dangerous. They claim that this virus is a hoax, and wrapping themselves in the flag of freedom, they reject the wearing of masks and social distancing. Like Nero they continue to party while the city is burning.

These pathetic souls have a twisted and self-centered view of freedom. Freedom does not mean that you are entitled to do absolutely as you please. With freedom comes responsibility, especially when you are part of a community

“America became obsessed with free-dumb: the idea of freedom as the removal of all restraint, the right to harm others, the ability to do anything you please, no matter how destructive, toxic, foolish, or inane.”

These fools not only endanger themselves but contribute to the spread and survivability of the pandemic. They will only grudgingly acknowledge the existence of the virus when lying on a hospital bed, strapped to a ventilator.

Freedom is a fragile, endangered species. It might become extinct if not protected and nurtured. Its guardians must remain vigilant and immediately sanction anyone or any group trying to harm it.

And regrettably, this is what is presently happening. Donald Trump lost the 2020 Presidential election by a wide margin. But instead of abiding by the will of the people, he has been bargaining like a bazaar rug merchant to have the results overturned.

There is no doubt that the soon to be one-term president was inspired by his bosom buddy Vladimir Putin. The former KGB operative skillfully engineered a scheme that will keep in power until 2036. Trump is fortunately too obtuse to be equally successful.

But there is nothing more dangerous than a spurned lover. Being rejected by anybody is hurtful, but being repudiated by millions must be intolerable… especially by a narcissistic individual. And murderous violence is usually the answer.

What happened in Washington  on January 6 was no accident. With the silent complicity of his Republican minions, Donald Trump’s attempted coup had been planned for weeks…  Its violence even shocked the president’s hardcore allies who are now running for cover.

NOBODY is above the law. Citizen Trump must be held responsible for the physical damage inflicted on the Capitol and on the American psyche. He must pay a heavy price for the chaos and the dangerous instability that he has created during his capricious tenure. This spoiled brat must be spanked, energetically!

Freedom got a small reprieve, but it is not safe. We must remain vigilant and guard against dangerous populists… and as demonstrated on January 6, they are legions in this disjointed country of ours.

Alain

Wanted, dead or alive:  your email address.

Anytime that you are shopping on the internet (and who doesn’t), no matter where you end up, you will be asked (or begged) to provide an email address.

“To not have an email address is the digital equivalent of being homeless. Without it, you can’t shop online, bank online, or engage with social media.” ~ Dela Quist

And there no fate worse than being homeless. Today, if you don’t have an email address, you don’t exist… or you are a caveman not worth acknowledging.

Your email address is worth something and this is why everybody wants it. Personally, I think that anytime a company asks you for it, it should pay you a fee. Or even better, anytime a business uses your email address, it ought to share with you a small percentage of the transaction.
Remember, if your ship does not come in, swim out to meet it!

Today, you cannot even read a newspaper article anymore without showing “patte blanche” (providing your address.)
(The French idiom ‘montrer patte blanche’ translates word by word as ‘to show a white paw’. However, the meaning of the idiom is equivalent to the English ‘to show your credentials’.)

On top of the myriad of revenue-making ads peppering their page, newspapers want to squeeze a few more bucks out of you. Give me a break! It feels like having to pay for breathing some fresh air.

If you are not careful and listen to their siren song, very soon you will be flooded with a deluge of unwanted messages. Just like the ever-increasing number of ads popping up on your TV screen, or on your phone. And the few messages that are really important will be lost in a flood of unsolicited propositions.

Wanted, dead, or alive… this is the poster that now jumps to my mind when I am surfing the web.
You could, of course, create a bunch of new email addresses to deceive the enemy… but that would require some extra work and the advertising fat cats are counting on your indolence to avoid this.

Use your email address judiciously, otherwise, it will be added to millions of them sold and traded like captive animals. And nobody enjoys seeing caged animals.

“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.” ~Alice Walker

Alain