Can the 737 MAX be salvaged?

These past days, Boeing’s top boss, Dennis Muilenburg, has been in the hot seat, and when asked by a victim’s parent to resign, he answered by saying that he had not been raised to give up that easily.

The problem is that, he and his board of directors, are either totally devious or woefully incompetent, but should certainly not be allowed to stay at the helm of the company. The same could also be said about the FAA’s folks that were more than lax with the MAX certification process.

At the same time, there is still no firm date in sight as to when the “software problem” will be “fixed”, and if this were to be enough, would passengers in their right mind fool enough to fly in that seemingly cursed airplane.

My guess is that, in the end, Boeing will have little choice but swallow very hard, take back these planes that were sold or are still on order, perhaps retrofit them into regular 737s if it can be done, and start developing the airplane it should have created in the first place instead of the failed MAX version…

Is the US Army going to the dogs ?

Like most, I had heard about Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but the man never had the notoriety of Osama bin Laden, so when Trump announced his capture, I paid attention and listened to the whole, wild press conference.

What struck me most is when he said: “You know, these people are very smart.  They’re not into the use of cellphones anymore.  They’re not — they’re very technically brilliant.  You know, they use the Internet better than almost anybody in the world, perhaps other than Donald Trump.  But they use the Internet incredibly well.” This part was priceless. It just great to know that Trump is the man who can resolve any online issues.

Of course, there was the dog part, in which Trump said: “look, nobody was even hurt.  Our K-9, as they call — I call it a dog, a beautiful dog, a talented dog — was injured and brought back.  But we had no soldier injured.”

This makes me think that the best asset we might have in our military might be our canine units. Just think about it, we could start making some serious budget savings if we suddenly replaced the unaffordable F-35 with a herd of dogs and, just like for the Mexican wall, we’d ask the people from Park City to ship their dog surplus free of charge to the Army!

The American healthcare mess

Last night, I was watching a news show on Swiss TV, explaining how Switzerland’s market-based healthcare system (very similar to the United States’) is ruining working people with no end in sight and how badly healthcare needs to be regulated in order to contain greed surging from all places.

Price regulation is not just needed for insurance companies (that probably should go away) and big pharma, but also from hospitals, physicians, specialists and all folks who contribute to the spiraling health care costs.

Once more, it would be good to address the causes of a massive societal problem instead of its more striking symptoms, and this healing process should begin much sooner than what politicians think, but let’s not start dreaming...

A new ski racing season…

This weekend, I woke up early to watch both second runs of the men’s and women’s GS in Sölden, Austria and enjoyed it a great deal.

Spring conditions in October is a new concept in skiing, but we may have to get used to it in a very near future.

At any rate, I enjoyed the victory of Alice Robinson and was pleased to see a return of Mathieu Faivre in form and what is quite ironical is that the ex-lovebirds, Shiffrin and Faivre, both finished second of the season’s opener.

Do you see just like me a mere coincidence or is there more to it?

Discovering St. George, Utah

For a long time, our son and daughter in law have been saying wonderful things about the are of St. George in Southern, Utah.

We weren't too convinced, simply because we had not spent any time there and only saw the place as another town between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. A weekend spent in that region has completely changed our mindset about the place.

Now, we can appreciate their infatuation for the place, its picturesque red rock canyon and it desert atmosphere just four and a half hour from Park City.

We’ll be back!

Three generations…

The Tour of St. George is a road bike race available in a variety of lengths.

First there’s the 35 mile version (56 km), then a stretched 50 mile (80 km) and finally for the fearless, there’s a full100 mile (161 km). We decided to align the 3 generations that our family counts in the 35 mile course, by including Finn (11 years old), his Dad (40), and the Grandpa (yeah, that’s me at a mature 71).

Even though St. George is located in the far southern corner of Utah, it was freezing, this morning, at the 8 am start time, just a measly 43 degree F (6 degree Celsius), but we managed to overcome that grueling hurdle and worked together as a strong and efficient team.

What's remarkable is that Finn finished 1st in his age group (up to 14) and that we all made it, together, to the finish line. What's next? Fifty miles in 2020?

Bannon, the Puppet Master

As a follow up to my previous blog, I took the time to watch the “Zero-Tolerance” show from PBS, that details how deftly Trump was installed at the helm of the United States by a nefarious trio made of Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions and Steve Miller.

Bannon, was in fact the architect of the entire scheme under the guise of a new Nationalist dogma hinged around immigration and trade, and how he happened to pick Trump, a providential candidate, with “lots of flaws” as he admits, that has pretty much become Bannon’s puppet.

In fact, the film shows that Bannon “used” both Sessions and Miller in installing them in key positions to advance his agenda, secure Trump in place and also demonstrates that “businessman”

The documentary also shows that Trump was in fact totally clueless when it came to the business of leading the country.

Yet, this was okay, as long as Steve Bannon could excel at the art of manipulating the egocentric man who believed he was fully in charge.

Whether I like it or not, Bannon isn’t just a “Big Mouth”, but he’s also an effective Machiavellian.

Bannon, the American Big Mouth

I just viewed Steve Bannon’s interview by Ann Coulter on PBS Frontline. The man is a master of BS and follows a tactic used by many folks in that category, like Trump, Berlusconi (Italy) or Tapie (France).

He reminded me of three individuals that I worked with, who used to drawn their listeners in a deluge of gab, never interacting, never responding precisely at questions or backing up their statements, but always including a few intriguing words into the sauce to make their speech sound more elaborate and credible.

The key for these Big Mouths to succeed is the use of monologue, as they can’t afford to let dissenting voices debunk their unfounded theories. Of course, in that case, the right-wing interviewer just let him unload his Nationalistic dogma as if it were Gospel. People like Bannon are malevolent weather-vanes that use any convenient cause to advance themselves.

For instance, what are the benefits of the kind of fierce Nationalism Bannon advocates, in a planet that is dying of over-exploitation and overpopulation? None whatsoever. Globalism is the answer. Globalism can work if well regulated.

Bannon and his disciples are master at stirring the pot of anger and frustration that lay in the common man by oversimplifying issues and blurting out simple-minded, but unpractical truths. The large number of folks that approve his theories are evidently lazy, dumb, mean, or a combination of the three.

Interestingly, and because it is founded on a piling up of meaningless words and gobbledygook, this kind of Big Mouth communication that relies solely on a verbal tsunami doesn’t export itself too well. Berlusconi and Tapie could only work in Italy or France, and if Steve Bannon succeeded somewhat in the U.K. in validating Brexit, he failed miserably during his recent Italian of French indoctrination campaigns.

Finally, I much prefer Steve Bannon’s upgraded new look. It’s definitely more civilized, even though it retains his record number of shirt layers!

My Dad, the entrepreneur

I’ve never looked at my Dad under the light of an entrepreneur, but he really was. From a very young age, growing up in Montriond, a remote village in the French Alps, he once was attracted, as a little boy, by a shiny object on the ground, sparkling in the sun as if it were a providential treasure. As he almost reached out for it, the treasure turned into a viper that escaped his fingers…

Later on, my Dad went to Chamonix to learn woodworking, but didn’t carry on and instead of laboring for others, decided instead to by his own boss and started his own cheese making business. This was tough, unsatisfying and didn’t make him rich, but kept him going, trading, purchasing and selling.

Of course, he built himself the family home that would welcome my parents as newlyweds and in which they’d spend the rest of their lives.

During World War II and the German occupation of France, no one wanted to be the mayor of his small town, and guess who ended up with the job? My Dad, again. Everyday he has to hide stuff from the Germans, forge false papers and guide escaping Jews through the mountains into the nearby safety of Switzerland.

Later on, in 1956, while he was still pursuing his pastoral cheese making business activity, he saw the first tourists come up on a newly paved road to the alpine hamlet where he worked during the summers months.

A neighbor had just began selling refreshments to the passers-by and my Dad was mesmerized by the small, colorful soft-drink bottles that were being delivered on a regular basis, so he decided to do the same and undertook to build the first phase of what would become our very successful family restaurant.

He remained a builder and developer till his late 60’s when he opened up a family small hostel for young skiers to better occupy the winter season.

No, my Dad was not warm and fuzzy with his wife and his family, but very few entrepreneurs are. He was all work and all development, and I can only respect his tumultuous life path and be immensely thankful for it, because without him, I wouldn’t be around.

New snow to die for

Yesterday during our morning walk, we noticed some fresh snowboarding tracks at the Park City cemetery and were rightfully intrigued by them.

I also noticed that they all led to the same, modest, flat grave marker under the name of a certain Anna. I got closer, and using my secret but never disclosed talent of conversing with the dead, I stroke a conversation with the deceased that dwelt there.

After introducing myself, I asked: “Who are you” “Anna,” she responded, “What’s up with you?”

I went: “I couldn’t help but notice the nice tracks someone made next to your marker. They look cool.”

She said: “It’s me yesterday, just after it had snowed. I simply couldn’t resist!”

Impressed, I blurted out: “Gee, you’re good! Do you often ride like that?”

She admitted: “Not often as I should, plus I tire really fast and it’s a real pain to get the board in and out of the grave, but when you like to ride, I guess nothing stops you!”

Since I needed to move on, I tried to conclude: “So, no riding today, right?”

She perfectly addressed my concern by saying: “You know, I’d rather not come out during daylight, I don’t look that pretty anymore!”

Where’s my time going?

It used to be that I had more time available to waste on unproductive projects, daydreaming and the like.

Today, as I still waste my so precious time, my time container seems to have shrunk dramatically and I’m always running out of space to fit all the little ideas I want to implements, the chores that are overdue and the good and useful matters I should attend to.

My time-tank must be seriously leaking… This is becoming a huge problem as my plans aren’t shrinking a damned bit, but are forming a long, inexhaustible line in front of my eyes.

Has anyone got a solution or even a suggestion?

When first snowfalls seem too early...

This has been a snowy October, so far. Park City received its first white coat five days ago and this morning was even whiter! Is this going to stick?

Perhaps at higher elevations, but most likely not just where we live.

This said, early snowflakes get the entire community, the whole Salt Lake Valley and the Utah fans all excited, whether they live in Los Angeles, New York or Florida.

Early snow storms are no longer as forceful on me as it used to be. First, my survival doesn’t depend 100% upon the ski business and also, I’ve learned, over the years, not to get too excited about premature snowfalls.

I’d rather get a deep snowfall early December than a myriad of small ones in October that all end up melting away. Yet, this morning, I still can feel the anticipation!

Time to train for the race!

Next Saturday, I’m registered to race on my road bike along with my son and my grandson.

The race takes place down in St. George, in the middle of Utah’s southern desert, where the weather is still nice and warm, but where 35 miles is still 35 miles to ride. This will be fun...

The only problem is that I haven’t trained that much and I am a bit worried of being able to pull it off without being totally exhausted and suffering from a real pain in my rear end.

As of today, I still have to gradually train from 19 to 35 miles. Wish me good luck !

Chamois, Ibex and Mountain Goat's footwear

Climbing shoes are the result of clever R&D and modern materials, but long before La Scarpa and La Sportiva’s had developed their best and latest products, Mother Nature already endowed some mountain creatures like the Alpine Chamois, the Ibex or the American Mountain Goat, with the most advanced climbing footwear money can buy.

The sides of their toes is the same hard keratin found in the hoof of a horse. Each of the two toes wrap around toenails can grip and hold into cracks (A) or rock irregularities and is also helped by a traction pad that sticks out slightly from under the nails.

This pad is rough and malleable enough to provide all the friction needed when stepping on smooth rock and ice. In addition the two toes act like an independent suspension (B) by spreading themselves on uneven surfaces to maximize the contact area.

When descending steep slopes, the animal gets some extra contact points with its protruding dewclaw (C)that minimize the risk of slippage when the forces of gravity add up.

Now that you know why these experts climbers are so surefooted, we’ll try to determine which of the three is the best overall mountain ruminant.

Just be aware that, among the trio, the ibex stands out by climbing trees, but only the lower limbs so it can nibble some of its foliage!

Another (dismal) Democratic Debate

In my view, this 4th Democratic debate was quite disappointing. My main take-away was that the leading trio is getting older faster than regular time would allow for it, and I don’t look forward for another septuagenarian as our next president.

Bernie looks and acts old, Biden wasn’t quite in charge and Warren nervously defensive.

Well, Biden says that “Medicare for all” will cost $3 trillion a year, which is a tiny bit under what health care costs are now in the USA, so there’s not one red cent added to what we’re paying to stay healthy, and it’s just a question of data entry. Who exactly pays for it and how?

As for Warren, she’s woefully incapable of explaining how she’ll pay for all of her programs. Both are definitely not the most reliable calculators on the oval office desk...

The two only “good news”, thank God, so much younger, were Buttigied and Klobuchar, but they better be revving up their engines fast if they want a shot at the nomination. I think Harris is done and both Booker are O’Rourke don’t seem to get any new traction anymore…

The good news though, is that even the worst debater last night is still and far and away more qualified than the clown that currently occupies the White House.

Damned jet lag!

Traveling to far away places from East to West or West to East would be fun if it weren’t for jet lag and what it does to day. It is said that it takes one day per time zone to overcome it and that’s probably true.

Even in the most favorable direction (Eastbound) of our return trip from Europe, it took us a full week to recover the eight-hour time difference!

The scientific community says that jet lag is not just an inconvenience, it has a huge physiological impact on the human body. Folks who travel a lot are more likely to put on extra weight, behave badly and punish their cardiovascular system.

Apparently each one of the billions of cells in our body has its own clock, and vital functions including heartbeat, digestion and metabolism get all messed-up when organs can figure out which time it is.

As a result, more and more travelers are trying to fight jet lag with drugs like Melatonin, anti-anxiety medication like Xanax, gadgets like the Propeaq light-emitting glasses and there are even apps offered that can be installed on your smart phone!

We’re waiting to hear how these solutions work before we seriously consider them...

A (stupid) way of pricing a ski vacation

According to the UK Daily Mail, Bansko in Bulgaria is the cheapest place in Europe for a family skiing holiday while Italy boasts the highest number of best value resorts.

The report I read said that a week ski vacation for a family of four in the Bulgarian only costs the equivalent of $1,936. This compares to my hometown resorts of Morzine and Avoriaz, respectively ranked 11th and 18th in that same survey with a cost of $2,644 and $2,868.

These prices seems very cheap to me, but in taking a closer look at the above table, I came to realize that it didn’t include any transportation from home to the ski resort and, more strikingly, no breakfast, dinner or accommodations.

Obviously Brits are willing to sleep outside under some very cold winter stars to save a few Pounds... I guess those are self-imposed sacrifices ahead of a gruesome Brexit!

The (better) way to fight climate change

While we were in Europe, “climate change”, not Trump, was the daily topic of choice.
I have written a lot about the subject, but it’s still worth repeating that CO2 emissions aren’t the problem.

The problem is that there are far too many of us on a planet that has become too tight for accommodating such a massive human presence and its unlimited thirst for expansion and domination. Right, overpopulation, not CO2 emissions, is the REAL problem, or if you prefer it, the Elephant in the Room.

Do I suggest that we annihilate two-third of humanity in one scoop?

Not at all. I recommend that instead, we take some strong, widespread and global measures to limit and control births, so we can begin to slow down planetary population increase before we can successfully reduce it and when that’s done, begin to significantly shrink the entire world population.

Closing up the yard for the season

We love to spend time in our yard between our rockscape, our flowers and veggie garden. This is at least a six month affair that’s now coming to a close.

Yesterday, I mowed our grass for the last time while my wife was cutting all the wilted plants in an effort to prepare the ground for blowing the leaves off in a couple of weeks.

Another season is awaiting and life goes on!

Have we become “Unbossable”?

The other day, as we were riding a taxi, the driver asked us a lot of questions, some of them quite personal, so I got irritated and when she asked me: “What did you do prior to being retired?”

I answered “This would take far too long to explain, suffice to say that we’re retired, we don’t need to stress about work any more and we certainly don’t miss our bosses. In fact, we’ve become ‘unbossable’. Right, we can no longer be bossed around”.

I thought my response was quite brilliant and I’m so proud that what to seem like an impossible dream to get rid of our bosses has finally arrived and that we’ve now become totally “unbossable”!

The absurd American healthcare system

On August 29, 2019, I visited my family doctor at the Park City Health Clinic, for my annual check up. Since I am a Medicare patient, I expected that preventive care visit to be at no cost to me.

Upon my return from vacation, I discovered bill for just $5.84 for settling the service, which appeared to be the excess amount my coverage refused to pay. Granted, this amount is peanuts, but that still pushed me to call the medical office to get some explanation, just for the principle.

When I did, I was told that this was the result of the network doctor asking me certain questions that were billed to Medicare and tipped the allowable amount above what Medicare was willing to pay.

This practice does sound like a patently idiotic excuse. I immediately asked the service provider to shed a light on this weird practice and explain how it justifies it, in ways a normal human being would understand it, that is based on good common sense.

I can’t wait to read their answer!

Do I still miss France?

Over the years and as time goes by, my attachment to France, the old country has been waning and today, after I left the hometown I grew up in, there is no longer the bittersweet feeling associated it with leaving a place that is dear to my heart.

It’s true that over the years, the Morzine region has undergone an insane rate of growth that takes away far too much of the old charm that once made that place so attaching.

It’s also true that after leaving more than 42 years in America and 34 in Park City alone, my hometown is slowly but surely fading away inside my heart...

The long road back home…

Going to Europe and to France is a lot of fun, but getting there and returning are always a grueling experience.

I prepare myself the best I can for the long, eleven hour flight between Paris and Salt Lake City, but watching the airline GPS is like watching grass grow.

Then, upon arrival, there are still the customs and emigration to clear, with all of their high tech and inconvenient tools, the bags to claim and the long ride home.

How could I have done 26 European round trips in the same year back in 1986?

The End of the World?

Have you ever traveled to the end of the world?

Not really, but I always thought I had gotten pretty close over all of my wandering years.

Well, there’s always something new to discover and our hosts, Chantal and Jean-François, were determined to take us there and show us a place I totally ignored even though I used to live 10 miles – as the crow flies – from an incredibly picturesque spot called “Le Bout du Monde” (the End of the World).

By the road, it takes about one hour to get there and then, there’s another one and a half hour hike to what would be our picnic spot with a fabulous vantage point.

An alternative to barbecuing?

Our friends showed us their “electric plancha grill” for lunch as they decided to grill some delicious sausages they had brought from their second home in the Lubéron, in sunny Provence.

We were impressed by this simple cooking utensil and thought that it would work perfectly for us in 85% of the cases when we normally use our barbecue.

Simpler to set up and adjust and super easy to clean.

There’s no question that we learn something everyday we’re on the road, traveling and discovering!

Lesson in courage

My brother has a terrible case of COPD.

Terrible, because he’s been under supplementary oxygen for the last 11 years, constantly under the spell of the degenerative progression of the disease to the point that he’s got no more energy left and that some of his vital functions like his eyesight is beginning to fail.

Now, he can hardly stand up, but still refuses to be moved around in a wheelchair.

He’s the one who, in spite of his terrible ailment, insisted that 16 members of his family joined him for lunch at a local restaurant in Morzine, France, in spite of his quasi-inability to move around and the huge efforts this demands and all the pain it creates for him, always hounded by the fear of the oxygen level in his portable bottles.

His determination, his appreciation for life and love for his 7 year old grand-daughter are what literally keep him going in spite of incredible odds to the contrary.

He stands as an inspiration to all of us when we all have trivial frustrations about material things that aren’t really worth getting all excited about.

He’s my hero and I love him.

Too many fun things to do, not enough time!

Today, we managed to sneak out of the mountains and went down by the south shore of Lake Geneva, to enjoy a delectable lunch of perch fillet, the specialty in most restaurants lining up the lake.

We then went to pay a visit to the medieval village of Yvoire and, at night, had a fun dinner at my sister’s place with her entire family.

A fun day, but with hardly enough time to accomplish all the things we wanted to…

Does it always seem to rain in Montriond?

I always boast that in Park City we’ve got 250 days of sunshine while in Morzine, France, that’s just the opposite with 250 days of precipitations.

While we were lucky during our entire trip, that charm ran out when we arrived in Montriond, my home village near Morzine, France the weather was bad, cold and rainy, a totally normal set of circumstances, confirming the above rule of thumb.

We managed to get organized as we were warmly welcomed by our friends and hosts, Chantal and Jean-François.

That day, we manage to pay a visit to my brother and his wife and at night were invited by my sister and brother-in-law for dinner. A long day filled with warmth, rekindled memories and good times!

Ultimate sightseeing before France

For our last morning in Budapest we visited the large Hungarian National Museum that stands in the center of town.

The place is huge and retraces the place often troubled and tumultuous history.

Among a million other pieces on display, I was struck by body armor displays there, including one made for a juvenile. Some kids have really been privileged over the years!

So many other artifacts to see and when we were done with the visit, we had no more energy left and were ready for our return trip on Easyjet, the European budget airline, that we were using for the first time.

Following a spectacular flight over the Alps, we landed in Geneva, were hassled (as usual) at the rental car place because of my non-embossed Costco Visa card I was using and after waiting far too long for our car to be ready, even without being washed and missing a full tank of gas, we were on our way to my former hometown in the mountains

Last full day in Budapest

Up until now, the weather has decidedly been on our side and we’ve appreciated.

Today our biggest goal was to get to the beautiful Parliament Building that stands right on the Danube river.

Unbeknownst to us was the fact that visitations must be purchased well in advance and since we were told at 11 am that we could only get on an English speaking tour at 4 pm, we decided to forgo the wait and walked back to our favorite lunch place and then to our hotel.

Budapest on our own terms…

As we’re staying on the “Pest” side of town, we decided that it’d be a good idea to jump to the other bank and visit the Castle District, over in Buda. Signage isn’t the Hungarian’s forte and makes it almost necessary to hire a private guide if you don’t want to work a tiny bit.

We decided to visit the Museum of Budapest History which was interesting but didn’t knock our socks off. We took a leisurely lunch that we “sandwiched” in between our visit and that was enough for the day.

At night we took it easy and stuck around our hotel, a German chain aimed at the younger crowd which by the way, we enjoyed a lot. A Vietnamese restaurant provided some refueling for the night.