Longing for the old place in the old days

It seems that many of us long for the good old days, and those of us that were born in some charming locale also long for it.

This is particularly true of expats like me. In my case, I left my little cute corner of Europe more than 41 years ago, when I was the exact same number of years younger and when living and lifestyle in that part of the planet were significantly different from what they are today.

So, we get stuck with this idealized memory of days past, in which good memories seem to have overridden bad ones that have been conveniently long forgotten if one's outlook on life is mostly positive.

This explains why it's easy to fall into the trap on longing for something that no longer exists or has become vastly different, with a body that is no longer as capable, and with a state mind that has been severely impacted by its new culture and is also a tad more cynical.

A perfect storm for making a terrible decision.

When this longing enters the picture, it's time to become highly skeptical, pinch oneself and admit that bygones are bygones and that only the “here and now” is what really counts.

Not the romantic, sugary impressions that try to hijack our memories and our common sense back into some fantasy land that might never quite existed as we remember it.

Instead, listen to some of your favorite oldies from the seventies and don't change anything to your life!

Too old to drive a rental car?

In planning a vacation abroad, I discovered that certain countries have an upper-age limit to driving a rental car.

This surprised me, as there is none in the USA, but there are places where you shouldn't wait till you turn 90 to rent an automobile.

Official health organizations say that older drivers tend to be at greater risk for injury or death, not just because they are bad drivers, but they're more susceptible to injuries and medical complications.

On the one hand, older folks generally don't drive at night or by bad weather, are less likely to be drunk behind the wheel compared to their younger counterparts, but on the other hand, age-related impairments like vision, hearing, physical and cognitive issues may contribute to traffic accidents.

All these elements are used to justify that in Cyprus, Bosnia- Herzegovina and Macedonia the age limit for renting a car is at 75, while Portugal is a bit more tolerant with its 80 years upper limit.

With this in mind, my word of wisdom for the day is not to wait for self-driving cars to take over, but to travel your heart content while still feeling like a teenager!

Car sponsorship trends in the ski industry

Yesterday, we talked about Toyota taking over Audi as the official car of the US Ski Team.

Today, we'll try to figure if skiing still is a good avenue for a car maker to spend its promotional dollars.

Obviously, most skiers are affluent and able to afford expensive cars, but how does being the official car of the national team, a specific ski resort or the national ski patrol impact consumers?

Probably not as much today as Saab enjoyed when it equipped the Aspen Police Department in 1974. At that time, most cars where rear-propulsion and the Saab front-wheel-drive stood out among sedans and made the Swedish brand a must have when driving on snow. As the story goes, Aspen PD was undecided between the Saab and the Ford Bronco, and in the end, Saab offered a better deal, as the brand wanted to use the Aspen PD in its advertising.

Today, everyone from Audi to Volvo offers an SUV, and motorists assume that all are equal on snow. In Utah, Subaru is the official car at Snowbird, GMC at all Vail Resorts and Acura at Sundance.

Closer to home, Deer Valley Resort has enjoyed for several years a sponsorship deal with Cadillac, a brand perceived as “old”, at a resort where most guests drive BMW, Mercedes and Tesla, all stand-out products that leave the aging GM-built SUV design in the dust; I should say, “into a light dust of deep Utah powder...”

Does this kind of sponsorship help the brands? I seriously doubt it because the impact is now leveled off. In 2016, Toyota sponsorship budget was 7 time that of the group VW, so this might be a compelling reason why the Japanese automaker was able to displace Audi in supporting the US Ski Team!

The US Ski Team switches from Audi to Toyota

Over one month ago, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard named Toyota as its official automotive and mobility partner, bringing the world’s top automaker together with America’s best winter athletes to achieve success at the upcoming ski competitions and beyond.

Dan Barnett, an Englishman, is US Ski & Snowboard’s chief commercial officer. He oversees a sponsorship program that includes names like Visa, P&G, Comcast, FedEx and now Toyota, all said to generates around 40 percent of the team total income.

Now, you might ask the question “Why did Audi drop as a sponsor?” I have absolutely no clue. It could range from a disappointing team performance in Korea or the huge $30 billion fine slapped at the VW group for tinkering with Diesel emissions...

Who knows for sure? One thing is certain: The fabled Quattro just “lost some traction” with the American skiers!

Facebook update

While I was using it, I was an unconditional fan and a staunch proponent of Facebook. I couldn't see, hear or speak any evil about the social media platform.

On March 22, however, I decided to suspend my account and it's now been more than 4 months that I am no longer the slave of that highly addictive tool.

This said, I admit that I've since briefly re-entered Facebook about 10 times and spent no more than 20 minutes total to check-out that parallel universe, but as of today, my access is still suspended and the only tool I use (rarely) is its own Messenger.

The net result is that my dwindling voyeurism has probably saved me at least 60 hours of my precious time and perhaps much more...

Suffice to say that I'm better for it and intend to maintain that “suspension” as I haven't yet found the sheer courage to completely pull the plug on this vicious invention. 

Oh, by the way, I might not be the only one reneging on Zuckerberg's baby, as its stock plunged almost 20% yesterday after the market closed, and lost a whopping $120 billion in valuation!

Women in Politics

As the American November election is approaching, more women – mostly Democrats – will be vying for a seat in congress.

Well, women parliamentarians still have a pretty long way to go in many parts of the world. If we look at the OECD countries, Japan with only 9.3% of women in parliament has some formidable work to do.

Yet, our own United States that spearheaded feminism in the 60's has less than one out of five women in Congress while France with one out four isn't doing much better.

As one would expect, Finland, Swedenand Iceland are leading the pack with respectively 42%, 43.6% and 47.6% of women member of parliament, but the real great surprise is Mexico, our neighbor to the south, is at a remarkable 42.6%.

¡Bravo!

Ready for warmer nights?

Have you noticed how nights feel much warmer these days?

This is simply because the greenhouse effect is at work day and night. If global warming was just caused by the sun, the heat would be greater during daytime but cool temperatures would return at night.

Instead, scientists are observing a decrease in cold nights that is greater than the decrease in cold days, and conversely an increase in warm nights greater than the increase in warm days.

The greenhouse phenomenon has a leveling effect between day and night temperatures. Unlike what climate warming naysayers are claiming, this happens regardless of where weather stations are located. A good way to check temperature accuracy is to compare it to satellite data.

These are showing the same amount of global warming. As there are no air conditioners or car parks in space to throw off measurements, as climate change deniers like to point out, this is a confirmation that thermometers, down on earth, are pretty accurate.

I guess it's time to sell all these extra blankets you no longer use!

Party affiliation in the USA

This morning, NPR was mentioning that, among Republicans, Trump still enjoyed some major support.

This prompted me to think, what's today's party affiliation in the United States?

I obviously had some idea with something like 1/3 – 1/3 – 1/3, between Republicans, independents, and Democrats. Gallup got me a more precise set of numbers, like respectively 27, 43, 29, giving Democrats a slight edge.

This edge is even magnified if we looked at how independents would tip the balance if their preference is taken into account with 42% leaning republican vs. 47% leaning democrat.

This could be deemed as an encouraging sign prior to the November 2018 election, but with the mercurial Trump, data vary daily...

How to manipulate kids

I just finished reading the unauthorized biography of golf prodigy's Tiger Woods.

This extremly well researched and documented book put its finger on the “helicopter parents” culture and its potentially chocking influence on their offspring, to the point of complete brainwashing and absolute mind control.

This, of course, is not solely limited to parenting, but also extends to youth religious education.

After reading this book, I can see how Tiger Woods' incredible achievements on the golf course were precisely and perfectly programmed like one would program a robot regardless of the devastating consequences it eventually would have on his own personal, family and social life.

Essential education

Besides reading, writing and arithmetic, the three most essential skills that should be taught in school - and aren't - are: 

• What is the best occupation I should aim for when I grow up? 
• How to choose a significant other? 
• If I want to have kids, how should I raise them?

Before teaching religion or other questionable subjects, these three elements should be front and center in any curriculum...

To be continued.

A unique summer skiing option...

A few days ago, I found a pictorial from the Atlantic Magazine, introducing a ski resort I had never heard about, located in Lesotho, the enclaved Kingdom in the middle of South Africa. on the picture below, taken on July 11, all the snow is man-made, but natural snow happens (bottom picture).

The top of the ski hill is about 10,600 feet high and the single, pretty narrow run is 3,300 feet long.

That resort, call Afriski, is perched high in the Maluti Mountains, about 330 miles away from Tiffindell, the other South African resort located on the opposite (south end) of the Kingdom.

If you find the run too narrow, there's always off-piste skiing, but it must be quite challenging and if you're up to it, I recommend that you bring your “rock skis.”

The season runs from early June to early September. Afriski is about 292 miles or 5 hours from Johannesburg or about 300 miles from Durban.

Staying positive no matter what

The value I estimate the most is our capacity to think and view the world in the most positive way possible.

Of course, I'm not even talking of times when everything is great, okay, or just mediocre. I'm talking about these moments when we fall through our commitments, when we feel cheated, unlucky, down on our luck or simply finished.

In fact, all these terrible moments when it feels totally impossible to keep a positive outlook.

Even before staying healthy, I wish that I can always keep my mind positive even in these dire situations.

Then, and only then, do I deserve to feel proud of myself.

Incongruous design?

Architecture never stops evolving, improving, or sometimes revisiting the past. In the early 80s, “contemporary” design was cool in Park City, Utah.

Then it progressively went out of fashion and reverted into a more alpine-inspired look with sloped roofs, massive timbers, ornate trusses and the like.

For now a few years, we're back into a radical contemporary look, with fish-tank views inside the home, showing suspended staircases and the like.

The only problem is that this new style, when planted into established neighborhood, either because of a last lot filling in or a more radical tear-down project, doesn't blend harmoniously with the surrounding established style.

In fact, it sticks up like a sore thumb and I fear that it soon will go out of style in a hurry like most “contemporary” pieces of housing that have preceded it.

Incongruous? I'd say!

Who do you fear, God, Putin, Trump?

Well, I don't fear God, because I'm convinced there's one, at least in the way most folks represent it. Further, if as it proclaims, it is all about love, what would there be to fear from it? I'm sure Putin pretends he fears God as lying and hypocrisy come as a standard package with membership in the KGB.

Then who fears Putin? Not me, because I don't live in the totalitarian state of Russia, nor did I seek refuge abroad from Russia, and I'm not loud enough from distant America to criticize the tyrant. The man who fears Putin, however, is Donald Trump. The way our “fake” president behaves when he's around Vladimir, shows he's got something big to hide.

This leaves Trump. Do I fear him? Not really; I've never been impressed by bullies and have always stood up to them. There's just one group of people I'm afraid of, however, and that's the millions of terrible individuals that voted for him or somehow still support him.

As have said before, these deplorable people fall in one of four categories:

1. Mean-spirited, hypocrite and extremists 
2. Gullible, that is, believing in unrealistic and simplistic political or religious promises 
3. Lacking any form of common sense and decent judgment (I sometimes call them idiots) 
4. Any combination of these terrible four traits.

Never easy to be positive!

Have you ever tried to think positively, or engage in positive creativity when you are tired or exhausted? You may agree that it's very difficult, if not impossible.

Thinking negatively, on the contrary, comes so easy, especially if you are not in top shape or are down on your luck. In fact, both positivism and negativism work like any sport of gravity, making climbing hard and going down very easy. lead to satisfaction and elation, while negativism is not as fun as downhill skiing, but more like a bike descent without any brakes, that lead to hurt, sadness and depression.

This is where the comparison ends, however, as positivism, in spite of the work and attention it demands, lead to satisfaction and elation, while negativism is not as fun as downhill skiing, but more like a bike descent without any brakes, that lead to hurt, sadness and depression.

So next time you're tired and are tempted to think down, relax your mind, shut it down if you can and fall asleep. This will pay greater dividends!

France, Soccer, diversity and success

During the Soccer World Cup final, a friend of mine from Nevada texted me, saying that “France is a country of immigrants as well [as the United States] and that its team was well represented by immigrants”.

I responded that the small Caucasian portion of the team was “paling in comparison to the whole” which is another truism.

If one were needed, this is a convincing evidence of diversity at work!

Before Belgium, the U.K. lost to Trump

What happened later last week in England shows that Ms. May and the Queen didn't know how to handle the terrible Donald.

They should have known better though, had they observed and learned from what had happened before, to Trump's 16 other primary opponents or to Hillary Clinton. The man is rude and uses his bully tactics knowing full-well that no one will reciprocate under the guise of proper etiquette or diplomacy.

Like many, they should have never heeded Michele Obama's flawed motto: “When they go low we go high”.

Trump was no diplomat when he trashed May in the Sun interview and she should have told him: “I don't enjoy being insulted, Mr. Trump. If you want to have a meeting with me today, please start with a full public apology for what you said yesterday. If not, fly out of the U.K. tonight and spend the weekend in Russia, in Mr. Putin's company”.

The Queen would have then echoed her Prime Minister and sent that message to Trump: “The tea party is canceled. If you're thirsty, just ask one of your Secret Service Agent to grab a can of Coke off one of the vending machines we have everywhere in London. Goodbye”!

This, unfortunately, didn't happen as both cowed to the Bully-in-Chief.

To ride or not to ride again?

On Wednesday I muster the willpower to get my road bike out and rode again for the first time since my accident more than 6 weeks ago. I was a bit apprehensive while walking my bicycle out of the garage, but once I hit the street, it was as if I had never stopped using it.

During my short, 5 km ride, I thought about the pluses and minuses of getting back on two wheels. I came up with this:

On the negative side, biking, just like skiing, is equipment intensive and requires a lot of preparation just to get going, like slipping on special clothes, helmet, gloves, eye-wear, getting water ready, checking the bikes for air, etc.

It's also extremely equipment-dependent (maintenance, transmission problems, flat tires, etc.)

Finally it's not a super safe sport, especially as we get older (vicinity of cars, falls, collision with people and animals, etc.)

On the positive side, it's obviously fun and part of our long, beautiful spring, summer and fall seasons, here in Park City, whether it's on a road bike or on fat tires.

In addition, we just can't stop simply doing something because there's some danger associated with it, living alone, is eminently dangerous.

Finally, we own the bikes and they're anxiously waiting for us inside our garage!

How long will I ski?

If you asked me that question today, I'd probably answer “Till the day I die”, something totally predictable.

I had just read an article in the British “Telegraph” on how to ski into old age and I, too, have my idea on it. The article tried to address injuries, natural decline and some sophisticated analysis and regimented plans. This is a bit too much. I don't want to see a guru or enroll into some kind of “rejuvenation program”!

My philosophy is more along the lines of “going with the flow” and following one's common-sense just like using more gravity and less muscle strength - that's dwindling anyway - and by listening closely to our very own instincts that tend to protect us from harm.

For instance, my body tells me not to jump a 5 foot drop anymore because it knows that it's shock-absorbing capabilities are no longer effective to soften the landing.

Of course, I try to stay as fit as I can, without enslaving myself into some unrealistic objectives, knowing full well that I won't be able to spectacularly push back my physiological decline.

You could call this being smarter in using whatever we have left, and that pretty much covers it.

Please, compete to win!

Utah is a red, red state and Republicans, an offshoot of the Mormon Church, are holding tight to power, labeling Democrats as the “abortion party”.

This November, Jenny Wilson will be running against Mitt Romney for Orrin Hatch's seat. Already, political pundits are giving Romney a clear winner. If that is the case, why should Ms. Wilson even bother running?

If you recall, Romney was the former governor of Massachusetts, a losing opponent to Obama in 2012 and in between, in charge of the Salt Lake Olympics, for which Pierre de Coubertin's motto was that “the important thing is to participate”.

I don't agree with this at all. If any one is to compete, it must be in order to win, especially in a one-on-one contest like a run for the United States Senate. My point is that Jenny Wilson must have a plan to WIN. Not just pretend to participate and let Romney take the spoil of victory. If not, there is no point in wasting money and effort to even enter that race.

The times are now extremely serious and there is no more room for another hypocrite like Romney, to represent Utah in Washington. This man is a hypocrite because he first said Trump was a “phony”, now he's ready to work with him.

Even worse, back in May of 2012 he said that the 47% of Americans who don't pay any income tax systematically vote Democrat because, and I quote him: “I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

So my final point is whether Jenny Wilson is really willing and courageous enough to take on Mitt Romney with a plan that can send her to the Senate? I'm waiting to hear from her.

If it does make sense or if she heeds my advice, I'll fight on her side to execute that plan. Just competing without a winning plan is totally senseless.

What to do?

Political news is rarely elating me; on the contrary, they seem to be an irritant or just maddening most of the time. So the question that arises, is how do I process them?

Do I let them make me upset, angry or even more disillusioned, or do I turn them into some form of constructive plan of action? The answer is pretty clear and applies not just to politics but anything that impacts my daily life.

Any dissatisfaction should be transmuted into some concrete action, likely to push back - even if it's generated in minute amounts - against whatever I dislike, as long as it is reasonable.

So whenever we experience something we don't like, our next logical question should always be: “What could I do about it?”, followed by the statement “This is what I'm going to do about it.”

Looking for a project

I love projects.

They keep my blood pumping, maintain me active and going. At the moment, as I am almost fully recovered from my bike accident, I need to sink my teeth into something that will fully occupy me for a few months or much more, if that's possible.

I seldom find myself in that form of scarcity, that feels unusual, quite uncomfortable and totally challenging. I'm considering a few ideas, but I might need more in order to make a choice I can feel very good about and that will signal that I'm not leaving any avenue unexplored.

To be continued...

Tired of heat or tired from heat?

I'd say both, are the reasons why I can't wait to see some water. We just had a 10 minutes downpour yesterday, but that's far too little.

Yes, I'm awfully tired at the moment, and even though the temperature should be 83 today, I'm sleeping like a log. I'm just exhausted. Apparently, my old body is working far too hard to keep me cool, and this extra effort kills me.

That's right, I must dilate your blood vessels, so more blood flows near my skin's surface and I must also pour torrents of sweat onto my skin so it can evaporate and work like a fridge over my entire body.

To makes matters worse, being hot and sweaty only makes me more dehydrated and tires me even more.

We only go out in the morning and the evening, and the only thing I'm thinking is drinking liters of cool beer or a Pastis, but I'm told it's a bad idea because alcohol is a diuretic, which means that it can only make my dehydration worse.

Well as you can see, I'm not just tired from heat, I'm simply tired of it and can't look forward to going to hell when I die!

Hottest day of summer?

Seems like we experienced the hottest day of summer this past Friday in Park City by registering a serious 90 degrees in the shade.

We've done worst than that on a couple of occasions by hitting 91, since I have begun keeping records.

What's certain is that I don't like my town to be associated with anything at or above 90.

Usually, really hot days don't happen in the later part of July and August, so we might have already gotten our sampling of hell for the summer!

Decision readiness

We know the importance of luck in life and next to it, perhaps, is the importance of proper timing. We probably all experienced instances of poor timing and fortunate one.

Today, I'm not talking about the timing of trivial issues, but rather of potentially life-changing events.

Has this happened to me? At least in one circumstance, and while the choice I made then could be attributable to good timing, as time goes by and circumstances evolve, it's might be no longer appear as wise as it once seemed.

The lesson in this fuzzy area is that we must always listen to our deep self, make whatever choice has to be made and move on without looking back too much.

We might just allow ourselves to ponder if the decision we made was wise, excusable or simply inevitable, but we should never spoil reality by sprinkling regrets into it!

A shifting viewpoint on America

When I left France to settle in the United States more than 41 years ago, I was under the illusion that America was still the “laboratory of the future” and also was a progressive country fully engaged into social change.

Since these days, I have lived in its environment, struggled to make my place in society and progressively discovered the true face of my new country's society.

Today, I realize that my country of citizenship is profoundly racist, unjust and quite corrupt at the political level. Many of its baby-boomer that once were so revolutionary are now watching Fox News and have become part of the problem.

Americans still are disciplined, good foot soldiers and have been trained to believe that their government is the best in the world and that American exceptionalism is what it's supposed to be.

So where does that slow-seeping realization leaves me? Ready to move back to Europe or better yet, to nearby Canada?

Not quite, but definitely open to explore alternative ways to change the society I'm living in, no matter how arduous it might be and how long this might take.

An old friendship

I met Jean-Pierre for the first time in Chamonix and then in Megève, France, in late May of 1971. We were both in our early twenties and ready for some big time adventures.

From Genoa, Italy, we traveled by ship to Australia via Naples, Athens, the Canary Islands, Durban, South Africa, Perth, Adelaide and disembarked in Melbourne with a host of weird stories happening during the protracted voyage, plagued with recurring strikes by the Italian crew.

We then taught skiing at Mt. Buller, an Australian ski resort, and liked it so much that we returned the following season, albeit working at different ski schools. From there, we just kept in touch.

In 1974, as I grew tired of teaching skiing, JP, as he's often called, got me in touch with Look bindings.

Bottom line: He's the one who helped me land my first ski-industry-insider job, launch my career and got me into the United States where we both reside these days!

Proud to be an American?

Today is Independence Day in the USA and it's no coincidence that Gallup poll commissioned a survey early June asking a random sample of 1,520 American adults how patriotic they were.

For the first time in 18 year, when Gallup began asking United States citizens how proud they were to be Americans, only, 47% describe themselves this way, down from 51% in 2017 and well below the peak of 70% in 2003.

Without a doubt, politics are a big factor, with sharp declines evident among Democrats, political liberals as well as independents, yet with no visible decrease among Republicans and conservatives.

Progressives' antipathy toward Trump, and their belief that other countries don't like the president, are weighing heavily in their waning patriotism, particularly the sharp drops in the past year.

Now, you might ask, what about me?. My answer is crystal clear: “I wish I could be proud to be a citizen of planet Earth, but I can't, because we are simply not taking care of it as we should.”

Time to focus on the south!

Whether it's in Europe or America, governments are experts at using band-aids. They're apparently wringing their hands addressing all the symptoms of immigration while woefully ignoring their causes.

The reason for the unbridled immigration is at its source. In Africa and in Syria, or in Latin America.

The super-wealthy and semi-law abiding north is creating too much tension with the poor and the outlaw south, and unless politicians have the courage to recognize and embrace that reality, they'll soon be run-over by a migratory tidal wave.

Time for America to get out of Afghanistan and many other places where it has no business being, and start investing where it might pay off. Like by starting bringing some law and order inside Latin America by uprooting corruption and rogue regimes and not by just ignoring the situation. Same advice for Europe regarding its neighboring African and Arab populations.

Will that cost resources? You be it will, but in long run this might be a better way to invest rather than pretending curing an intractable and worsening problem.

The elusive reciprocal love

There's a craving in most humans to be loved by all, but since the rest of the world is generally too preoccupied with itself, love hardly goes both ways and more often than not, it only flows in one direction.

While life might feel much better if love were a two-way street, it's never too late to realize that it's not.

So to avoid disappointment, heartaches, and endless questioning, just give love liberally, without even thinking, and refrain from expecting anything in return, as it most of the time is an illusory hope.

To ride or not to ride?

After a bad accident like the one I just suffered over a month ago, I've been asking myself the question, should I ever ride again?

The corollary would be that if I don't, I might as well do nothing, stay in bed and wait to die. Not an acceptable proposition.

Then, I haven't even mentioned the options: Road vs. mountain-bike, easy routes vs. tricky ones, etc.

This, as you can't see is quite complicated and since I'm not yet fully recovered, a final decision will have to wait a little bit longer...