An expensive trip to Salt Lake City

On December 30, 2024, our local Firefighter ambulance company came to my home as I wasn’t feeling good, misdiagnosed me as having a heart attack and took me to the cardiac center of one of the main hospitals in Salt Lake, 33 miles down valley. 

Fifteen minutes into the ride, I was back to being myself and feeling good, but it was too late, the two paramedics on board and the driver were committed to take me there. 

I had just fell on my butt and hit a muscle that triggered a painful reaction from my sciatica nerve, but no one, from the medical guys in the ambulance to the specialists that told me I didn’t have a heart problem weren’t able to tell me that my sciatica nerve was the problem. 

I investigated the cause and found it myself. At the Fire Brigade’s request, I was asked for my insurance information in early January, gave it to them and my insurance paid them on February 12. Well, a few days ago, I received a bill asking me for $3,886.74! A pretty expensive trip to the hospital! 

Fortunately my insurance paid $979.65 of that and I only had to fork another $290 to satisfy our Fire Department. This said, the negotiated cost was only one quarter of what someone without insurance would have to pay. 

Once more, talk about highway robbery!

A very old down jacket!

My old Moncler down jacket is more than 50 years old (52 to be exact) and this week, my daughter wore it, as she needed something warm to ward off winter’s return. The origins of that garment and its name is worth mentioning. 

Moncler is in fact the abbreviation of Monestier-de-Clermont, a mountain village near Grenoble. Here in 1952, René Ramillon and André Vincent founded the company that created the now iconic down jacket that offered then high resistance and protection against the harshest climates and was tested in a variety of mountain expeditions. 

In 1954, Moncler’s down jackets were chosen to equip the Italian expedition to K2, in which Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli summited the world’s second highest summit. 

Successful through the 1980s, the brand began to lose ground and was acquired in 2003 by the Italian Remo Ruffini who turned the jacket into a luxury garment that sells today in the US for around $1,500. 

I purchased this one when I was a ski instructor in Avoriaz in fall of 1973 for significantly less, and it’s still almost like new. Talk about quality, then!

Hey, taxi!

When the next Winter Olympics return to Salt Lake City in 2034, I’ll be just 86 years old and might need a quick and easy commute to watch all the venues, so if you’ve seen these science-fiction schemes in which air-taxis help people hop from one place to the next, by taking to the skies instead of using a self-driving car (which I hope, might work perfectly by then), then air taxi will be the perfect mean of transportation! 

This past Tuesday, an agreement was signed by BETA Technologies, an electric aircraft manufacturer, and 47G | Utah Aerospace & Defense, to bring air taxi technology and charging stations to Utah. These new electric air taxis would have the ability to fly up to five passengers — or up to 1,250 pounds of cargo. According to BETA Technologies website, the taxis can reach a full charge in just under an hour and can travel over 350 miles per charge, reaching speeds of about 155 miles per hour. 

On November 13, BETA Technologies completed the first flight of an electric aircraft built on its scaled production line. Within a year, BETA set up shop in its 200,000 square foot manufacturing facility in South Burlington, Vermont, and fully installed tooling, an organized supply chain, and manufactured propulsion systems — to rolling an aircraft off its production line, getting a certificate of airworthiness by the FAA, and flying it. 

The air taxis, which garnered support from the Utah Department of Transportation and the Governor himself, are expected to run statewide in time for the 2034 Winter Olympic Games. By early 2026, the plan is for Utah to be moving cargo in them before transitioning to people. 

A spokesperson for BETA said that “From early next year onward we start with cargo, medical logistics, and then we move into passenger flights over the next years. By the end of the decade here we’re flying cargo, medical passenger, both in… conventional takeoff — landing airport to airport — and vertical takeoff, landing going from vertiport to vertiport in quiet, clean electric airplanes.” 

We’ll see if the plan develop in time for my using it, if and when I should reach my mid-eighties! 

Am I the result of adversity?

In recent years I’ve always maintained that a good dose of adversity can be salutary when it’s well distributed over one’s lifetime. Before starting the discussion, I need to stress that we’re talking about adversity, not trauma. 

With this in mind, I’m convinced that challenge makes us stronger, teaches us everything we need and in the end, makes us much happier. In looking back at my own experience, adversity has forced me to adapt and overcome challenges.

In the process it has built my resilience, enabling me to handle future difficulties more easily and teaching me that I was stronger than I thought, fostering a healthier self-confidence. From a more personal standpoint, it has led me to self-discovery, a deeper understanding of my strengths and weaknesses, prompted me to re-evaluate my priorities and values and helped me grow even further. 

A healthy dose of challenges has also helped me fully appreciate the good times and strengthen my sense of gratitude and joy. If it were not for all the hurdles along my way, I wouldn’t have learned the valuable life lessons that I’ve experienced. It also taught me wisdom and empathy, making me in turn more compassionate towards others. 

For competitive folks like me, adversity also acted as a strong motivator as overcoming obstacles gave a strong sense of accomplishment. Many psychological and philosophical views support my belief that well-balanced adversity can be beneficial. Sure, going over obstacles sometimes doesn’t always work as people have different responses based on factors like personality, support systems, vulnerability or coping mechanisms. 

As I mentioned above, "well-distributed" adversity is crucial, if it’s poorly timed or applies constant pressure and is too overwhelming, it won’t work at all. Still, if well dosed, it will build resilience, foster personal growth, and enhance our appreciation for life.

Trump’s Hand

Just like there’s the "3 Rs" Trifecta in education that stands for Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic, given Trump’s celebrity status, he might want to be defined by the “3Ts”. But he'd want more than three, so instead of a “3Ts”, he would get a “5Ts” Quintet, or a Hand in poker, as in “Trump” standing for Truth-suppression, Treason, Terror, Tyranny and you’ve guessed it, Tariffs! 

Let’s talk about these… 

• Truth-suppression is a nice euphemism for Lying and with thousands of recorded lies since he entered politics less than 10 years ago, the New Yorker is unbeatable. All of his speeches are all stitched with lies of all kinds and sizes. Smart people usually don’t trust liars. 
• Treason is evident when Trump delivers Ukraine’s terms of surrender to Putin on a silver platter or instructs his UN Ambassador to vote with China, North Korea and Russia against the condemnation of Ukraine’s invasion. Also, the two instances when he swore on the Bible that he will enforce the US Constitution and does not. 
• Terror is for terrorizing people with maximum cruelty, from immigrants to government employees and anyone who opposes his schemes. America usually despises terrorists. 
• Tyranny is when as a head of state one only admires and associates with other tyrants, when one mocks and disregards rules and doesn’t think twice before he tramples them, unless prevented by the enforcement of the law he wants to disrespect. As a democracy, America has no room for Tyrants. 
• Tariffs is a magic wand that Trump believes can generate free money to pay for everything and as he recently claimed, to “Substitute for income tax” as he also believes that his proposed Gold Card revenues will soak up the US budget deficit. 

The man may be a “legendary businessman” but he doesn’t know anything about “aRithmetic”, which brings me back to the opening statement of that blog...

Has Vail Resorts Destroyed Skiing?

For more than a decade, the way ski is “consumed” has change drastically in North America, with the development of a business model share by two behemoths, Vail Resorts and Alterra that have litterally “forced” consumers to purchase months ahead of time season passes and have reinforced that habit by overpricing their daily pass rate to the point that they’ve raised their cost by 263% in Park City alone since 2011. 

Most remarkably, they’ve also made their passes valid at a large number of ski areas, thus creating an itinerant form of skiing never seen in the past and exacerbating lodging costs already unaffordable and never seen before crowding, hence the accusation of destructing skiing as portrayed in that video. 

In fact, the real reason behind customer dissatisfaction is ski resorts' overcrowding caused by both company and woeful incompetency from Vail Resorts that makes most of its money through huge and systematic economies of scale, preventing local management to act in unison with the interest of the community. Alterra, more decentralized mode of operation, does a better job at that. The question is obviously can the toothpaste be put back inside the tube, and will it get worst before it gets better. 

With limited beach heads in Switzerland by Vail Resorts (Andermatt-Sedrun and Crans-Montana ) will the this nefarious epidemic reach the Alps? That is of course the $64 million question! As the video says, the Vail Resorts - Alterra duopoly now controls the entire sport of skiing with packed trails, pricey meals, an empty wallet and super wealthy executives! 

When I don’t feel 100 percent on skis...

There are days, even though I feel okay, when I go skiing that I feel I don't ski well, I'm afraid, feel awkward, and just don't perform well. How can we explain this? That’s right, this is what happened to me last Friday, one of these days when everything feels just a little "off," despite feeling okay otherwise.

This phenomenon isn't uncommon, and I think it can be explained it by a combination of factors—both physical and mental. Even if I feel fine, my muscles or motor coordination might need extra time to "wake up." I just don’t feel like entering in sync with what I want to do on my skis and my body struggles to get going effectively. I’m convinced that my performance is intimately linked to my mindset. 

Some tiny distractions, overthinking, or self-doubt (like worrying about falling or failing) will mess up my natural flow. It's almost as if I were skiing from my head, not my whole body! True, there can also be fatigue or stress in play that plays games with my physical coordination without my being conscious of it. Even if I’m not totally exhausted, these factors will interfere with my fluidity on skis. 

On that particular day, the new snow fell perfect, but visibility was kind of lacking, heightening in me a more intense sense of caution. This probably led to a smidgen of hesitation and, in turn, a general feeling of awkwardness. 

While I don’t want to openly admit it, I’m also concerned that my age (77) isn’t helping things either and this might signal at best a plateau or at worst, the beginning of an inexorable decline, telling my body that both intensity and speed might be dialed down to still ski smoothly like a love to. 

When these days happen, I’ll do my best to be kind to myself. I remember to focus on the basics, take it a bit slowly, and let my muscle memory take over. Above all, I do my best not to judge my performance too harshly. Off-days are part of the process in any sport!

“Ukraine GoFund me”

When Zelenskyy got cornered by the two American bullies at the White House, last week, the idea came to me “Why don’t we start a worldwide, giant GoFund me to benefit Ukraine, and step into what Trump refuses to do for fear of upsetting his buddy Putin?” I loved the concept, but wondered how it could get into motion. 

That’s when I was reminded that it would amount to restarting the “Stand With Ukraine” campaigns, that raised tens of millions of dollars to support humanitarian aid and relief efforts three years ago, but this time put on steroids, so to speak, in order to compensate for Trump’s traitorous support withdrawal. 

I’d like to see a stronger, better repeat of that, but don’t really know where to start so it takes global proportions. The original campaign showed the power of online fundraising during times of international crisis and that’s why it deserves a “re-boot”. 

It sure could be a very high-profile event and an opportunity for the world to speak loudly against Trump and Putin nefarious schemes. It would capture widespread public attention and emotion, evoke empathy and compassion, motivating people to donate by leveraging social media platforms to help amplifying the campaigns' reach. 

Any idea how we could revive the idea?

How can we see we’re lied to?

If you’re not an easy target for liars and lies, how can you help folks who fall for them, see the lie before they believe it. 

Well, we begin by helping them develop a healthy skepticism and question the information they get, especially when it originates from sources that may have a vested interest in misleading them. Show them different angles and a variety of viewpoints and sources of information to help them get a more balanced and nuanced understanding of issues. 

Most importantly though, have them verify all the information they receive before sharing it or acting on it, like passing it on to their buddies! Show them what fact-checking websites are, and how to navigate the news. Tell them about media bias; all media sources have some degree of bias, so teach them to identify different types of bias and how they can influence reporting. 

Show them how and where to find evidence-based reporting and avoid sources that rely on sensational headlines and emotional appeals. Instead, support investigative journalism that exposes corruption and dishonesty. Make sure they understand that it’s their right to demand transparency and accountability from leaders in government, business, and other institutions. 

Make them also understand that honesty and integrity is the only way to conduct one’s life and encourage them to speak up against lies and misinformation when they encounter them. For all of us, let’s not forget to spot persuasion techniques used in advertising, marketing, and political campaigns and let’s also establish clear boundaries in our relationships and interactions with others. 

Let’s not be afraid to say "no" or to question information that seems suspicious. Keep in mind that while people may sometimes prefer to be misled, it's ultimately harmful to them and society as a whole. By cultivating critical thinking skills, promoting media literacy, and fostering a culture of honesty, we can all create a more informed and truthful society.

Do we like to be lied to and misled?

This is both an interesting and a counter-intuitive question as I thought it should be for sure answered by a resounding “NO!”, but I only base it on my own thinking. 

My research has shown me – to my great surprise – that there are indeed instances where people appear to prefer being lied to or misled, and there are many reasons for these strange reactions. To start with, lies can provide a sense of comfort and security by shielding people from harsh realities or unpleasant truths, creating a false sense of safety and well-being.

When people hold conflicting beliefs or values, lies can help reduce those by providing simpler, more palatable justifications. Lies can also protect people from emotional pain, disappointment, or anxiety, offering a temporary escape from difficult emotions. Socially, “white lies” or social deception prove useful in maintaining social harmony, avoiding conflict, or protecting relationships. 

There’s also all the wishful thinking that is widely used by religions, where untruths, or unproven statements may align with hopes, desires, or preexisting beliefs, even if there’s no hard evidence to support them. Finally, there is the even darker side of manipulation and exploitation in which some bad actors intentionally mislead others for personal gain, power, or control. 

Now, if we had to quantify what percentage of the population falls into the above situation, it’s very hard to answer, as it's difficult to precisely measure. Suffice to say that if we take a concept like the belief in “life after death”, we’re talking about a significant portion of the population, so it’s likely that other categories are also quite significant. When placed under this light, it’s hard not to be surprised or even shocked, isn’t it? 

Tomorrow we’ll explore what can be done about that...

US Politics, numbers and perspectives

In politics, statistics are elements that always get my full attention. I wish Democrats were more attached to these data and able to spin them to their advantage, instead they don’t, and let Republicans get away with all kinds of falsehoods and lies. 

Let's start first with the percentage of registered voters per party. Personally, my wife and I are registered “Independent” while in fact we almost always end up voting Democrat. In the US, as you know, numbers are always breaking down into “Republicans, Independents and Democrats”, each time no one knows which percent of these categories go into our eligible electorate. 

Intuitively, I always thought their numbers broke down respectively into 40%, 20% and 40%. As you’ll see on the table, it’s not at all the reality, as Independents are more than 50% than both of these two main parties. This means that when we’re told that 88% of Republicans approve of Trump, it’s in fact less than25% of the entire voting population!

Another huge misrepresentation is that Trump “got a mandate” in 2024. Wrong! The man got 77million votes while Joe Biden got 81 million four years before! In fact, in 2024, Harris got almost one million more votes than Trump did in 2020.Finally, participation was greater in 2020 than in 2024, with 66% of the eligible voters casting their votes versus only 64% in 2024. 

Democrats who supported Biden in the 2020 election didn’t bother to get out and vote or mail their ballots as they felt their candidate was just too old and his replacement (Harris) wasn’t up to the task and worth voting for. All this to say that only 31.9% of the eligible voters supported Trump in 2024, a far cry for “an overwhelming mandate” as opposed to 33.9% for Biden in the 2020 election, a much stronger mandate! 

Yes, numbers if not discussed and clearly explained can be very deceiving!

Ski collision courses

About 10 years ago, I wrote something about a ski collision I witnessed while skiing Deer Valley. This past Sunday, I happened to see another one in Park City Mountain, in the small waiting area of Super Condor Lift. 

This incident in which no one was hurt, was different from the one I reported in 2015, in that, instead of happening on concentric trajectories, it occurred on tangential paths. 

Let me explain: As shown (Fig. 1), when skiers are engaged in a turn they look into the inside of the radius, very rarely outside, which isn’t the direction they’re headed towards. So now, let’s picture two skiers positioned at similar levels on a slope and coming towards each other, but planning to turn each in opposite directions (Fig 2).

They could see each other, but where they are on the slope, they aren’t in danger of colliding, even less as each one intend to turn away from each other, but no one can guess what their respective intentions are. 

So they engaged their turn apparently away from each other and looked, as we’ve seen before, inside their respective turn. Depending on the size of their turning radius they could now be on a collision course, and that’s exactly what I witnessed that day. 

The male skier didn’t fall, but the lady did, without hurting herself. She was mad at the guy, but he remained the “adult in the room”, stayed composed, apologized and that was the end of the incident, but it stood as an illustration that given the complexities of everyone trajectories on a slope all can happen and sometimes, without being anybody’s fault!

Vail Resorts mid-season assessment

What follows is what I sent to the Park City Mountain management in response to their most recent questionnaire: “The disastrous handling of the Park City Ski Patrol strike remains definitely the low point of the season and both established and confirmed the incompetence of Vail Resorts’ (VR) top management. 

Positive things this season was the “shaving” of wipers and other bushes on Thaynes and between the Crescent chair and Silver King, with much more still untouched elsewhere to be cut. It was also good to see snow-making on “Another word”. 

Aside from that, it seems that VR is dangerously negligent when it comes to maintenance with Crescent currently idled and Pioneer “waiting for a part” since New Year or so, not to mention noisy sheaves on Super Condor for several days in January. 

VR needs to upgrade its antique fixed grip lifts to modern detachable ones. Kazakhstan buys used detachable from France or Austria; maybe the company should consider that if it doesn’t want to excessively deplete its deep cash reserves... 

As I've said many times, the Broomfield management of VR should learn a lot by working for at least 6 week at a Costco store to learn about customer service. Also, by paying its CEO $6.2 M a year, for a company its size, VR is insulting and demoralizing their lowest ranking employees. 

Costco takes great care of its lowly associates and everyone benefits. Treating the base staff well “lifts all boats”, including shareholders' returns. As far as the Epic app is concerned, stats tracking doesn't work reliably and reflects an obvious lack of interest, incompetence or staff availability at fixing the problems. 

The VR Board should seriously evaluate and reconsider its Broomfield upper management and leave more decision-making to each resort manager like Alterra does, instead of VR’s cookie-cutter approach that saves money but angers and disappoints its users.”

Trump’s “Mafia Culture”

Last Friday’s meeting between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy, reminded me of these mafia meetings that we see in movies, where a victim from organized crime is being intimidated and “shaken up” by two thugs. Based on Trump’s New York origins it’s easy to connect the dots and appreciate the staggering amount of experience he garnered from dealing with, and living alongside the mafia. 

That culture might have begun with Trump’s father or with Roy Cohn, the vicious attorney Trump employed to guide him through the rough-and-tumble world of New York real estate, and could explain why Trump took the plunge into gang culture. 

Several of Cohn's Mafia patrons commanded the building unions in New York, whose approval Trump needed to complete his projects. 

It is said that he used mobster owned companies to build Trump Tower and his Trump Plaza residential complex in Manhattan. This involved purchasing concrete from a business allegedly owned by Mafia bosses Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno and Paul Castellano at an exorbitant cost. He told a 2004 panel at the Museum of Television and Radio in L.A. "You know, mobsters don't like, as they are talking to me, having cameras all over the room. It would play well on television, but it doesn't play well with them." 

Roy Cohn had married into a Ukrainian family and frequented the ethnic Russian neighborhoods of Brooklyn as a teenager. He bragged to another guest at a friend's wedding that he belonged to the Russian mob. The friend didn't believe it, but Cohen was sent to negotiate a hotel deal for Trump in Moscow. He swung around unscrupulous people and offered Putin a penthouse on the top floor. 

However, he has consistently lied, contradicted himself, and made misleading statements when questioned about his ties to the mob. It appears he has lied about these affiliations outright. Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, a former under-boss for the Gambino family, even endorsed him, saying that America "doesn't need a bookworm as president, it needs a mob boss." 

Finally, on David Letterman's late-night show, Trump admitted to having met mobsters "on occasion." "They happen to be very nice people," he said. "You just don't want to owe them money." Now, you know what I’m talking about…

The “Ugly American” is back!

Most people have heard about the negative stereotype depicting the behavior of Americans, especially those traveling abroad. It originates from “The Ugly American”, a 1958 novel about American diplomacy in Southeast Asia. It depicted American citizens exhibiting loud, arrogant, self-absorbed, demeaning, thoughtless, ignorant, and ethnocentric behavior while abroad, but also at home. 

Although the term is usually associated with, or applied to travelers and tourists, it also applies to US corporate businesses in the international arena. 

Politics aren’t exempt either of this characterization, in May 2008, the US House sub-committee passed a bill that would allow more foreign fashion models to work in the United States, and was subsequently dubbed the "ugly American bill". 

Because George W. Bush was often referred to as "The Ugly American" because of his stance on foreign policies and his invasion of Iraq. Presidential hopeful John McCain outlined a series of measures to roll back Bush policies and counter the "ugly American" image. 

More recently, many opinion pieces in major newspapers have accused President Donald Trump of behaving in a way that fits the “Ugly American” stereotype. Things like wanting to annex Canada or Greenland, or control the Panama Canal or colonize Gaza, have contributed to reviving that pejorative name. 

Same thing for his VP, JD Vance excoriating the European Union leaders, showing his utmost ignorance in worldly etiquette and in diplomatic relationships or teaming up with Trump to humiliate president Zelensky. Trump’s transactional communication and negotiating style is further confirming that brazen modus operandi and earning him no new friend aside from totalitarian regime heads of state. 

Some folks really never learn!

Trump’s math and his Gold Card

At the end of February Donald Trump proposed a $5 million “gold card” for U.S. residency. It would also include a tax loophole in which gold-card holders would not be subject to taxes on their overseas income.“I think it’s going to sell like crazy,” said Trump at his first Cabinet news conference, It’s a bargain.”

 

Dominic Volek who caters to the global rich at Henley & Partners, says he’s already fielded calls from clients wanting to purchase a Trump gold card. He added, approximately 135,000 of the world’s millionaires (worth at least $1 million) are projected to migrate to a new country in 2025. The United Arab Emirates and the US typically top the list of destinations (but not all of them!). 

 

This said, there are just 8.5 million people worldwide who have a net worth over $5 million, obviously not sufficient to buy that $5 million gold card as they wouldn’t have one penny left. One would need, it seems, $10 million to practically do it and there are just 2.8 million of these people in the world. A more “comfortable” net worth threshold would be $20 million, but there are only 250,000 of these rich folks. 

 

That didn’t prevent Trump from gloating that his Gold Card idea could expunge the entire $36 trillion budget deficit, he simply forgot to mention that it would require selling 7.4 million such cards. Good luck!

The curse of technology?

Recently I was showered with technical problems at home as I was changing my personal computer, had a major internet breakdown (router) and then couldn’t get my printer to work with my computer. A whole host of interconnected issues that I wasn’t quite prepared for. 

So, I asked myself the question, has computer technology become too complex for regular people like us and what can we do about it? It’s true that technology evolves incredibly quickly. New devices, software, and updates are constantly being released, making it impossible to keep up.

This is exacerbated by our interconnected systems, between devices and software, that are creating complex ecosystems that become increasingly difficult to troubleshoot. To make matters worse, the tech world uses a lot of jargon and technical terms that are confusing for most folks and much software and hardware aren’t designed with user-friendliness in mind, leading to frustration and confusion. 

At the end of the day, a lot of time is wasted, wrong purchases are often made and useless monies spent. Yet, it seems that in spite of its flaws and frustration, technology is well worth all of this.! It's also important to recognize that technology is constantly evolving, and if we can’t eliminate complexity entirely, it’d be nice if we could make it more accessible and manageable for everyone.

Faith vs fear of death

Since I’m not religious anymore, I often wonder why religious people who believe in a wonderful after-life are still afraid of dying when their faith tells them that upon passing, everything will be much easier, better and as an extra bonus, will last forever. 

Example in point, are faithfuls in Rome looking distraught as Pope Francis is nearing the end of his earthly life. Everyone instead should be excited to see him ready to depart for a wonderful new and exciting destination, hence the glaring contradiction. My observation highlights this tension between spiritual belief and emotional experience.

I have done some research and there are still some reasons why religious people might fear death, even with a strong belief in some form of afterlife, still hampered by an overwhelming amount of doubt that negatively cancels out their certainty. Of course, even with a strong faith, an afterlife remains largely uncertain. 

Beliefs sure help but they can't eliminate the doubts, anxiety and fear of that black hole that death represents. At death, we know what we’re losing, but religious faith is never strong enough to turn things around. In fact, in most cases faith plays second fiddle to our instinctual survival drive and our emotional bonds to loved ones, family, and friends even if there's a belief in a future reunion. 

For all these many doubters, even with a belief in the afterlife can’t compete with the value and importance of one’s current life. Did I even mention a negative divine judgment after death? No, because I take it as transactional blackmail and a contradiction of what a good god should be. 

In conclusion, while religious beliefs can provide a tiny bit of comfort and hope for those who grieve the departed, they fail to eliminate the fundamental human fear of the unknown and the loss of the familiar.

T-Mobile, like in “Test My patience!"

Since June 2021, we have been using a cell phone company 5G tower router as our internet source. It’s been working great, provides us with fast internet speed and would be perfect if the tower didn’t die every two years. The first box made by Nokia was toast in February of 2023 and just last weekend its replacement also kicked the bucket. So after three consecutive router shut down I insisted on getting my device replaced.

My nearby T-mobile store had it in stock, so at 12:30 pm, I drove there and was apparently second in line, but failed to see a third customer floating around, and after waiting for 30 minutes, what seemed to be the store manager came around with his tablet and asked me the reason for my visit. Then I had to wait a total of 2 hours before being taken care of. I guess the focus of brick and mortar stores for these phone companies is to sell products, not customer care. 

The guy assigned to us had no clue what he was doing and his lack of knowledge and concern for his customers’ time suggested that T-Mobile doesn’t pay its people well enough to get good ones. Two days later, as I called support for setting up my phone app, I finally spoke to a competent technician, which shows the blatant lack of training received by store personnel. Routers must more easily break down that phone, hence the limited staffing needed at physical stores. My alternative would be Comcast, but I hate the outfit, so in spite of these problems I am sticking with T-Mobile. 

If it eats up some of my time, it must be good for training my patience! June 25, 2021

How to root out lying from society (Part 3)

It’s a lot easier to remove snow from my driveway than to eliminate lying from society. This endeavor is both complex and challenging, as that flaw is deeply ingrained in human behavior and social structures. There's no single solution, but we should instead consider a multi-pronged approach. 

Here's what most experts, including the excellent snow remover I think I am, would recommend. There must be an accepted culture of honesty, starting with teaching our children the importance of honesty and the consequences of lying. These days, all of us must be encouraged to think critically and to spot the difference between truth and falsehood. 

Everyone should be alerted about the dangers of misinformation and be shown how to evaluate sources. At the same time, everyone should be encouraged to speak up against lies and misinformation. Media platforms should have clear policies against dubious news, should be systematically fact-checked and ethical journalism should be promoted for accuracy and fairness. 

Showing example is key, and leaders in all sectors (parents, educators, government, business and media) must demonstrate integrity, transparency and honesty. It takes a whole community to showcase the value of truthfulness by creating an environment where honesty is valued and rewarded, and lying condemned.

At the same time, our institutions and systems must be strengthened by investigating and holding individuals and institutions accountable for dishonesty. Those who report wrongdoing should also be fully protected, and laws against perjury, fraud, and other forms of dishonesty should be strictly enforced. 

Obviously, there are many more important root causes to be addressed like education, social inequality, mental health, political climate, information overload and of course, good-old human nature! Ultimately, rooting out lying will require a collective effort from individuals, institutions, and society as a whole. 

It's a continuous process that requires vigilance, commitment, and a shared belief and appreciation in the importance of truth.

The destructive power of lying (Part 2)

Lying isn’t as trivial as some people would like you to believe. When it’s widespread or systemic, it will have damaging effects on society. Trump has used it widely since 2015 and here are some key ways this practice erodes the fabric of our society. 

Trust is the bedrock of any functioning community and when lying becomes dominant, it undermines our ability to rely on each other, on institutions, and on the information we get. This makes cooperation, collaboration, and even simple daily interactions very difficult. 

If we can't trust what we're being told, communication becomes distorted and ineffective, leading to misunderstandings, conflict, and an inability to solve problems collectively. Widespread lying also creates divisions and distrust between different groups within society. It can fuel prejudice, animosity, and even violence. 

Now, as it’s the case with Trump and his reformed Republican Party, when MAGA engages in lying and misinformation, it destabilizes the political process. It makes it difficult for citizens to make informed decisions and that’s what leads to political polarization and gridlock. 

Same consequences for the economy as when businesses and individuals can't rely on the truth, uncertainty rises, discouraging investment and leading to economic decline. Worse yet, lying erodes public confidence in institutions like the media, the government, and even the justice system, leading to social unrest and a breakdown of the rule of law. 

Living in a society where lying is rampant ends up having negative psychological effects on individuals, bringing cynicism, anxiety, and a sense of powerlessness. As we have seen under Trump in the past, and are witnessing again today, one of the most insidious effects of widespread lying is that it can normalize dishonesty. 

 When people see that lying is common and often goes unpunished, they’ll be more likely to engage in it themselves. Finally, a society where lying is prevalent is a society that is less cohesive, less trusting, and less functional. It's a society where individuals and communities are less able to cooperate, solve problems, and thrive. 

Tomorrow, we’ll see how we can root out the plague that is lying.

The (dubious) art of lying

If Trump has achieved something remarkable since he’s been president, it’s elevating lying to an acceptable and popular art form, that is now legal and widely accepted in all 50 states of America. 

Still would you accept any one of the following individual lying to you in the conduct of their day to day activity?

• Accountant 
• Air traffic controller 
• Airline pilot 
• Bartender 
• Car mechanic 
• Chef 
• Children 
• Doctor 
• Nurse 
• Priest, pastor, rabbi 
• Spouse 
• Surgeon 
• Teacher 
• Etc., etc… 

The answer would be a resounding “NO!”, so why in the world do we elect, tolerate and keep the leader of the greatest nation in the world in place, when he’s terrorizing every one who comes to his contact and too boot, is also a bona fide liar? 

Tomorrow, we’ll explore the devastating effects lying has on society...

What to do after a skiing incident

Every time I’ve had a serious accident or incident, I’ve never tried to “bury” it right away into my personal, repressed-memories vault, but instead I’ve always made a point of returning to very the spot it occurred as soon as humanly possible to “retrace” my steps, and while the impact and the reality of the incident was still very fresh on my mind. 

Part of it is superstition and the other part is just a form of sublimating or exorcising the incident. For instance, in the case of a ski accident, I will return to the spot where it happened and while I’m there focus intensely on the event while skiing my best. I believe this is a form of exposure therapy, a technique used in psychology to overcome fears and anxieties. 

Here's why I believe my method works and here’s the logic behind it: By returning to the spot where the accident occurred while the memory is still fresh, I’m directly confronting the fear and trauma associated with the event. Over time, this prevents my memory from becoming distorted or exaggerated by my imagination. 

It's like ripping off a band-aid quickly rather than slowly peeling it. It’s also my way of reclaiming control, as accidents often leave us feeling powerless. By returning to the site, I’m taking back control. I’m saying, "I won’t be defined by this event." I find this way of facing fear incredibly empowering. As I tried to say above, this process can feel like a form of sublimation or exorcism. 

I’m processing the negative energy associated with the accident and releasing it. It's a way of mentally and emotionally "cleansing" the experience. Sure, there are those who think that avoiding the site of the accident is a more logical way to cope, but it can actually reinforce fear and potentially lead to a phobia. 

While I don’t deny there might be a touch of superstition involved with my way of dealing with this kind of trauma, my approach is grounded in what I believe is solid common-sense and sound psychological principles. It's my way of processing trauma, reclaiming control, and preventing long-term fear or avoidance. 

If ever a serious incident affects you, just try it!

In skiing, seeing is… surviving!

If you are an Alpine skier, you know how crucial visibility can be. Okay, we all know that seeing clearly is paramount when we’re skiing, and if you don’t know it or aren’t so sure, here's why. It begins with one’s ability to assess the terrain, as skiing requires constant evaluation of what comes ahead. 

One must identify bumps, dips, obstacles of all kinds besides the moving targets that skiers are, and a reading of snow conditions at the time. Poor visibility hinders this, making it harder to adapt speed, technique and maintain control. It’s also true that picking the right line down the slope relies heavily on visual cues. 

A limited visibility makes it difficult to select the best path and can lead to inefficient or even dangerous skiing. Some conditions are worse than others, like skiing over the timberline in wide open snowfields under flat light or in fog makes it difficult to see all the elements we already discussed, not to mention other skiers, obstacles (like trees, stumps, cliffs or rocks), and changes in terrain. 

As skier collisions have become a widespread hazard, it’s good to be able to read the mind of the skiers below you that all have a full right of way, which often turns into a game of Russian-roulette and impossible to execute perfectly. 

The only ways are taking a chance, which is a dumb idea, or slowing down as well as moving away and freeing enough space between one’s and the other skiers. Never ski a terrain or a ski run that you have never skied on when visibility is poor and never forget the gold standard of low visibility conditions, which is drastically lower your speed.

Do I have to mention that skiing in low visibility can be nerve-wracking, extremely exhausting, and both a confidence and joy-killer. So with this in mind, don’t underestimate appropriate gear like high-quality goggles with the right set of lenses adapted for low-light conditions (yellow or rose-tinted lenses can enhance contrast). 

Now that you see what I mean by seeing well when skiing, see you on the slopes!

Europe misunderstands Trump

Ever since Trump people have been tearing apart the North Atlantic alliance, I’ve been watching the French reactions to it and, too often, my countrymen give far too much credit to Donald Trump himself, believing he’s a businessman with ultimate commercial goals and strategies, when in fact he’s solely interested in himself and is behaving without thinking much, just like a big, raging bull inside a china shop. 

He is a selfish, narcissistic man and a poor business person who has gotten rich by manipulating bankruptcy law and, by doing so, on the back of his creditor. 

He has some firm “principles” like never recognizing that he’s lost, that he’s wrong and that he isn’t number one. Besides that posturing he isn’t very smart. 

He’s in fact a terrible negotiator as through the comments of Pete Hegseth, his new Secretary of Defense, he’s giving away all of his room of maneuver to deliver Ukraine to Putin. 

His main skill is to spread fear around him, just like the worst terrorists do. The European leaders need to understand this and find a strategy to attack Trump on his worst and more vulnerable sides. 

Yes, Trump is a bull inside a china shop!

Switzerland and the Alpine ski championships

During the last FIS World Alpine Championships, at Saalbach, Austrial, the country of Switzerland won medals in all five men’s events and eight of 11 events overall to lead the medal table in an event marked by first-time champions and medal winners. 

American women did quite well too, nearly making it a medal in all five events for the first time, as four different athletes won medals across the women's events. This wasn’t the case of my French countrymen and women who failed to win one single medal. As the country with the most ski resorts after the US, 

France’s poor performance only comes even with the 2009 world championships in Val d’Isère, and both events are a far cry from Portillo’s and the 16 medals garnered by France in 1966! 

Already, team directors and coaches must be conducting a post-mortem of the event, trying to analyze ski technique, recruiting schemes and training regimen from all places and directions. Besides just plain bad luck, which always stands as a glaring possibility, I would submit in stark contrast with that dismal performance, the winning Swiss team as a good benchmark. 

Most particularly, I’m thinking of the cultural difference between the two alpine countries. I would surmise that the Swiss have got to be more inclusive and tolerant than the French as they must make room for German, French and sometimes Italian speaking athletes in their team, along with their specific idiosyncrasies if not distinct cultures attached to the linguistic differences. 

In addition, I would think that as a country, Swiss may have more common sens, are perhaps less influenced by “cool” things and much more humble than the French population altogether, and this shows in their team cohesion and performance. 

Do you agree with that view?

Solutions to Fear and Terror (Part 2)

In the face of the cruelty and terrorism that Trump is currently deploying to create what amounts to a “coup d’état,” most of us need to see the situation for what it is, to assess our own risks and at the same time connect with family, friends, and community members to find emotional support, to feel a sense of solidarity, and to see a light at the end of the dystopian tunnel we are being dragged into.

Beyond that, individual responses to fear and terrorism will also be shaped by personality, cultural context, and personal experiences. Given that those who terrorize others often use fear to create a climate of threat and division, it is essential to resist these attempts and maintain a healthy and balanced perspective. 

The strongest among us who are able to transform our fear into an aggressive response will need to become more involved and engage in organizations, political activism, or be creative enough to find ways, however small or covert, to find a way to erode the terror we are immersed in. 

Any response, however small in size or intensity, is better than moping and is the only hope of slowing down and hopefully stopping the bull in the china shop that is Trump. The choice before us is therefore absolutely ours and completely clear: finding positive and healthy ways to break out of the negative trap and to counter this form of terrorism or move things forward!

How to Respond to Fear and Terror (Part 1)

As Trump creates chaos, uncertainty, and fear across the planet, his actions and those of his cronies are seen as opportune and appropriate by his loyal base, while a growing number of us find them totally unbalanced and destabilizing. Whether we did not vote for this individual, or those who did vote for him were “just trying,” and are beginning to realize that the man is completely unstable, raises many questions. 

So what happens when Trump triggers fear and terror, he affects more than half of Americans who did not vote for him. In doing so, he creates feelings of anger and resentment toward himself and his administration, which are perceived as responsible for the chaos and disruption it is generating. This includes an erosion of trust in institutions, increased suspicion of his supporters, especially the most vocal and aggressive ones.

This is real terrorism that is forcing many of us into withdrawal and isolation. Trump’s fear-mongering and anti-immigration campaign is largely about security measures, such as surveillance, ubiquitous checks, and increased security at public events. 

Tomorrow, we’ll see how the majority of Americans who reject this tsunami of chaos and terror can survive and positively impact their future in the midst of this onslaught. Stay tuned…

Why am I on this earth?

This seems to be humanity’s existential question par excellence. I, for one, never had much time or inclination to wonder about the meaning of life, but we’re all different, aren’t we? 

If we look to many philosophical and religious angles, the reason we’re on Earth is to experience life, grow as an individual, connect with others, contribute to society, and ultimately find meaning and purpose through our actions, all of that while potentially pleasing some cosmic or spiritual power depending on our set of beliefs. 

In summary, we’re here to live a life that is meaningful to us and those around. When I observe my day-to-day life for over seven decades, I’d say that my purpose in life is to fix things, or to put it in other words, to find solutions to problems or to jump over obstacles. 

This obviously is a far less lofty accomplishment than the ones philosophers and religious leaders are admonishing us to follow. This said, I find plenty of satisfaction and fulfillment in solving problems, finding solutions or repairing deteriorating things or relationships, that this activity has become central to my life. 

Yes, I’ve established myself as a lowly repairman for whatever isn’t running right!

Embracing Trump’s insanity as a challenge

You’ll often hear me saying, “I get stronger by going through challenges!” Is this a form of masochism or is there true redemption to that practice? I do think so. 

For instance, when given a choice between riding an elevator and taking the stairs, my wife and I always settle for the former, except of course if there are 10 floors to climb or if we’re loaded like mules. 

So, as Friedrich Nietzsche first stated in 1888, we do believe that what doesn’t kill us will make us much stronger. This said the second election of Trump was awful and while we’ve blamed Biden selfishness for it, Trump and his sycophants are now a reality. 

We could feel sorry for ourselves, move to British Columbia or France, or decidedly put our best foot forward to resist that unsavory reality. 

We'll do the latter, we’ll resist with all our might this insanity we’re served on a daily basis with an overflowing reserve of passion, courage, and imagination!

Happy anonymity!

A few nights ago, I finished reading “We all shine on, John, Yoko & me” by Elliot Mintz, a great account of an improbable long-term relationship and the high cost of being a celebrity. 

In his book, Mintz offers us a personal and revealing look at the last ten years of John Lennon’s life and his partnership with Yoko Ono. 

The author, a former Los Angeles radio and TV host, tells us how their unlikely friendship began and how it lasted over the years, with the ups and downs of a non-conformist relationship. 

Mintz takes readers inside John and Yoko’s home, New York’s fabled Dakota building, where Mintz became the Lennons' closest and most trusted confidant. Again, Mintz was with John and Yoko through thick and thin. 

He was also by Yoko’s side during the aftermath of John’s assassination, not just as a witness, but as a key figure in John and Yoko’s extraordinary lives. 

The book is a must-read for Beatles and Lennon fans like me, and also tells us how bad one’s status as a celebrity can be, day in, day out, making me feel happy to enjoy a good life in total privacy, instead of being a prisoner of fame and all of its trappings...

A Trumpian dream?

During his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump promised to lower grocery prices. He emphasized this frequently, saying that he’d bring down the cost of groceries like eggs, bacon, and apples, which had increased a lot under Biden. 

However, despite his promises, grocery prices have continued to rise and eggs are still creeping up with no end in sight! This is probably what prompted my dream last night when I saw Trump addressing a large group of hens inside a chicken coop and asking them to triple their daily egg production in order to bring enough supply of their protein-rich products, so it could drop down their stratospheric cost. 

As his head was, as usual, leaning over his lectern in his soft loving side, in front of already good productive hens, I was expecting him to be nice and to charm all of the birds assembled in front of him into laying many more eggs. 

 

Instead he said: “If you can’t triple your daily production I’ll have no choice but asking Vance (his VP) and Kennedy (his Health guy) to come and twist all your necks, and by doing so, teach you a memorable lesson in capitalistic productivity!” 

As I woke up, it was no longer a dream, but a scary nightmare with the same old terror-inducing, threatening tactics!

An expensive birthday present!

Recently, I gained access to the bill I generated following my 14 hour stay at the ICU of a major cardio-vascular unit in Salt Lake City, around New Year’s eve and my birthday. 

While my copay was just $360, the total bill amounted to $28,037 that was negotiated down to $8,704 by my insurance. 

This means that if I had no insurance, I would be liable for the full, non-negotiated amount just under $30,000, which seems to sound like highway robbery compared to an actual “street price” just 31% of that. 

So, I’m asking myself, “what gives?” and if everyone gets paid for the work they did, the hospital room and the drug or tests they performed on me, where would the remaining 70% go if I wasn’t insured? 

Just profit for the hospital, that would then sell the bill to a collection agency should the patient be unable to pay it? 

At any rate, the optics are bad as that huge amount doesn’t look any good on the paper my bill was printed on…

Old folks’ strategies to keep learning (Part 3)

Despite all the challenges we talked about previously, there are still many ways to encourage and facilitate lifelong learning. It all begins with having or creating a supportive environment, in which a culture that values lifelong learning and provides resources as well as opportunities for older adults, is openly promoted. 

Leveraging technology is another key tool in making learning more accessible and engaging for older adults. I have found this as I began to learn Spanish with new technology that makes it so easy and so motivating to do compared to what was available in my twenties! It’s also critical to tailor what we learn so it aligns with what we love and like as older adults to increase motivation.

Older folks like me should also encourage a growth mindset and never miss an opportunity to say that it's never too late to learn something new. Understanding these factors will help develop strategies to keep older adults engaged in learning, thereby enhancing their quality of life and cognitive health. 

Sure, many of us among the older people we’ve become are likely to be reluctant to make the jump and learn new things, due to a combination of factors including their declining memory, their fear of appearing stupid, the false belief that they know it all, anxiety about learning something that seem far too complicated, and sometimes even saying they’re "too old" and have passed the age to learn effectively, even though this is often not the case. 

So, let’s help each other, chase these false ideas and get started by finding a small, but manageable learning goal!

Old folks’ reluctance to learn (part 2)

Yesterday I was discussing how old age often molds us into changing individuals. 

Here are some serious reasons why this happens: Often, the decline in cognitive performance is caused by a loss of brain’s neuroplasticity, that means its ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections, making it harder for older adults to learn new skills or information as quickly as they did when they were younger. 

Adults also may find it more challenging to manage their cognitive load, which is the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. This also makes learning new, complex information more difficult and frustrating. Then there are the various routines and habits we all develop as we age. Learning something new frequently requires stepping out of these comfort zones, which can be destabilizing and intimidating. 

We’re also more risk-averse and less willing to take on the uncertainty and potential failure that comes with learning new things. 

This brings me to what’s left of the older adults’ motivation as they may perceive new information or skills as less relevant to their current lives in relation to their remaining lifespan. 

Unless they can be shown immediate practical benefits, they won’t be as motivated to invest the time and effort required to learn. Instead, younger people generally have higher levels of intrinsic motivation to explore and learn in order to grow and reach specific objectives. 

It’s also true that as we age, there’s clearly less social pressure or encouragement for older adults to learn new things compared to younger ones. 

There’s also less information and resources available for that, including physical limitations, financial constraints, or lack of availability. No one loves to fail either, and older adults may doubt their ability to succeed, which can deter them from even trying. This applies to fear of judgment too, as no one wants to be judged or seen as incompetent, especially in a world that adores youth and fast learning abilities. 

To close that list, I must mention two critical elements that are health and time. Age-related health issues, such as hearing loss, vision problems, or chronic pain, make it more difficult to learn. Same thing with issues like depression or anxiety, that can be more prevalent in older adults, and will negatively impact both motivation and ability to learn. 

Finally, when it comes to time, older adults may have a different perspective, focusing more on the present and less on long-term goals. This can lead to prioritizing immediate enjoyment or relaxation over investing time in learning new skills. 

Tomorrow we’ll see if we can remedy all these problems, so please, stay tuned

Old folks’ reluctance to learn

From my recent observations, it seems to me pretty obvious that, as we age, we’re more reluctant to learn. 

Currently, I’m up against setting up a new GoPro camera to replace the 12 year old one I had, and transferring nine years of work and data from an old Windows 10 computer to a newer Windows 11 version, and I find that work pretty tedious and very hard. 

On the other hand, last July, I began learning Spanish and still persevere and love it, so things aren’t that black and white!

Sure, in a decade there have been lots of changes affecting myself and my environment, like cognitive changes, setting deeper in comfortable routines, not seeing a need for learning, changing priorities and a bunch of little details that have begun shaping my universe in many different ways that are not always as exciting as I would like. 

Tomorrow, we’ll try to explore these…

Is Trump acting like a terrorist ?

Ever since he entered the US political scene, Donald Trump has used a cocktail of lies and fear-mongering to get attention from people, but more so, to scare them, particularly illegal residents or black and brown people, and as he did, he always pushed the envelope of civility into unacceptable, sometime illegal, behavior in trying, by the same token, to normalize them.

When we look at a basic definition of what a terrorist behavior is, we find that a terrorist is “a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims”. 

It begun with his attacks on Obama’s US citizenship, culminated with fueling the January 6 coup attempt and goes on today with mentally torturing our Federal Employees. 

What is unique about Trump’s behavior is his resort to constant unsettling and unexpected declarations aimed at frightening the masses and creating an on-going atmosphere of fear and anguish that is spoiling the quality of life of more than half of the US population. 

I’m not even talking about capturing foreign lands or engineering some ethnic cleansing in Palestine. 

Based on all this, do you think Trump actions and those of his acolytes like Musk, are not a manifestation of widespread terrorism?

The high cost of American healthcare (part 2)

Yesterday, as I stumbled upon that study by the OECD “Our world in data – 2023” and featured it later in my blog, I was shocked at the disparities between healthcare costs and life expectancy per country. 

I was especially stunned at the high cost of healthcare in the US that stands out, for no good reason, with a lesser outcome, and appears to be a murky issue with multiple contributing factors. High administrative costs seem to excessively burden the US healthcare system, with its jungle of insurance companies, providers, and government agencies. 

This complexity leads to high administrative costs, including billing, claims processing, and paperwork. Further the US healthcare lacks cost transparency as prices are often opaque and vary significantly across providers and regions, making it difficult for patients and payers to understand and compare costs. Also, doctors often order unnecessary tests and procedures to protect themselves from malpractice lawsuits, driving up costs.

Then, there are the elevated doctors and surgeons salaries that are generally higher than in many other developed countries. This is due to factors such as high medical school debt, malpractice concerns, and the competitive nature of the healthcare market. The same is also true for nurses, technicians, and other healthcare professionals that also receive higher remunerations. 

Excessive pharmaceutical costs further burden the overall cost, as the US has some of the highest prescription drug prices in the world. Lack of price controls and the nefarious influence of pharmaceutical companies on politicians contribute to that situation. Unlike many other countries, the US government lacks the will to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies as they target and bribe members of congress. 

At his point the insurance middleman impacts the costs even further, with significant administrative costs associated in processing claims, managing networks, and marketing their products. Being for-profit businesses, insurance companies aim to generate more profits for their shareholders. This along with limited competition, lead to higher premiums for consumers. 

It's important to note that these are just some of the factors contributing to the high cost of healthcare in the US. The issue is complex and multifaceted, and there is no single solution, but that’s where Musk should start working to make a big dent in the US debt!

The outrageous cost of American healthcare

Is there a correlation between what a country spends per capita on healthcare and its population’s life expectancy? Quite evidently the answer should be “Yes,” as the more a country spends per capita on healthcare, its citizens’ life-span should increase. 

Of course, there are always exceptions, and in this case the United States shows the just opposite. Talk about another example of “American Exceptionalism!” True, the United States stands out as a notable outlier with high healthcare spending per capita ($10,827) but it does not translate to a high life expectancy (79.3 years) compared to other developed countries. 

• South Korea (spending $4,300), Japan and Switzerland ($7,250) lead the world with an average life expectancy over the 84 years mark. 
• Then Israel ($3,000), Italy ($3,200), Spain, France ($5,000), Canada and Norway ($6,200) follow in the over 82 to 84 years category. 
• Chili ($2,450), United Kingdom ($4,450) and Germany ($6,000) fill the 80 to 82 years slot. 
• Finally, in the 78 to 82 slot we find China (pretty cheap at $1,000), Poland at $2,650 just four times cheaper than the USA ($10,827) that cost 50% more than the next most expensive Switzerland that manages to stretch its citizens’ average life expectancy by 5 good extra years. 

Something is wrong with this picture, and in a next blog, I’ll attempt to explain why. To be continued…

 

What’s being “woke”?

These days, we hear the term “woke” all the time used with a variety of intents and, in many instances, it ends up being quite confusing. I remember how taken aback and shocked I was two years ago, when a new neighbor, dual American-Israeli citizen I encountered asked me if I was “woke”. 

Since that time this word has been used and abused, particularly in political circles. 

The “woke” terminology goes back to an early American Blues artist named Lead Belly. According to some, he coined the term "stay woke" in his music. Black people use it to mean "stay aware"...don't forget that you can be a victim of discrimination at any moment. Back in the 1920s, that meant blacks could be lynched at any moment. Today, they can be murdered by cops or people won't hire them because they have dreadlocks. In my view, this is not unreasonable. 

Then the white progressive Americans discovered and adopted that word during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and used it to mean "stay aware of systemic injustice and fight against it". In some instances, some got criticized because the use of the word was viewed as a cool way to express anti-racism, but by and large its use there was in line with the word’s original meaning. 

This said, the most common use today is the bastardized, co-opted version that right-wing conservatives use as a way to demean it. While they cannot define its true meaning, they feel that "woke" sounds pejorative, so they use it to dismiss anything that vaguely sounds like basic human right or decency. It's offensive and intellectually lazy, and it's been turned into a political dog-whistle for right wing extremists.

I hope I made that word a bit clearer.

Turning power transformer boxes into art!

These green metal boxes we often seen on the streets, are power transformers, specifically called "pad-mounted transformers", as they sit on a concrete pad and are typically used in areas with underground power lines; they take high voltage electricity and step it down to a usable voltage for homes and businesses, like in the rest of the world. 

In recent year, to beautify these rather drab, industrial-looking boxes, Park City has launched its “EmPOWERment” project meant to spruce up utility boxes throughout the city. Now in its third phase, the program invites artists to submit their works focusing on the natural environment, arts, culture, community and history of Park City. 

The program is run jointly with Rocky Mountain Power, including one of its representative and the Public Art Advisory Board members to select the artists. All utility box artists receive $400 for their designs. The art pieces are produced into “wraps” to cover the utility boxes and framed in the city office building. 

One of our favorite that we see everyday on our walk is the one featuring an iconic Park City moose!