A day late and a dollar short?

The expression "a day late and a dollar short" simply means that something is both late and insufficient or inadequate, in other words it’s a way to describe a situation where an action or an effort is not only delayed in time but also lacks the necessary resources or quality to be effective. In fact, it’s “Too little, too late” backwards! 

This popular phrase is believed to have roots in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and has gained popularity in the mid-20th century. Since the dollar had considerable purchasing power during that period in time, even a slight shortfall could have serious repercussions. 

The expression likely emerged as a poignant reflection of this era, emphasizing the importance of timely action and adequate resources. So, it’s better to write the important things you must do, down on yourr calendar, and be ready to offer something substantial enough when you feel compelled to do so. 

Anything past that prearranged time and its accompanying consideration, if it’s less than what’s expected, will make you look bad and will significantly aggravate your inexcusable time lag!

Turning imperfections or errors into gains!

Now and again, we unintentionally make mistakes and create imperfections, so is there a way we can turn these life blemishes into assets? I believe so, if we begin by recognizing that errors and imperfections are inevitable parts of life in general, and any process in particular. They’re in fact opportunities for learning and improvement. 

We just need to approach errors with curiosity rather than fear, identify their root causes, by digging a little deeper than usual, and asking questions like “What valuable insights did we learn from this experience and how can we prevent similar errors in the future?” 

That to me is the bare minimum of what we must do. We should also share these lessons with others to prevent them from reproducing the same mistakes and ask ourselves if there’s a way to turn them into innovations or product ideas. After all, many groundbreaking inventions and discoveries from Post-it notes to Penicillin have resulted from accidental errors or unexpected outcomes. 

We should also focus on solutions in using errors as feedback to refine our processes, products, or ideas. By changing our outlook and embracing imperfection instead of blaming ourselves or others, we’ll adopt a proactive approach to problems that will transform them from setbacks into powerful catalysts for growth and innovation. 

Let’s embrace "Happy Accidents" and let’s be open to serendipitous discoveries that may arise from our own mistakes!

When is the party over?

Sometimes, I wonder if there are stages in a man's life, let say between 60 and100 years where we observe critical degrading steps at specific intervals, or does it vary widely with individuals? It would be fun to know, wouldn’t it? 

Obviously, the trajectory of aging varies widely among individuals due to genetics, lifestyle, environment, and healthcare access play significant roles in determining the pace and nature of physical and cognitive changes as years go by. This said, some scientists have identified certain milestones of aging that are relatively typical. 

Around60-70 is a phase when visible signs of aging, like wrinkles, slower recovery times, reduced stamina, begin to increase. Muscle mass and bone density will decline if not actively countered through regular activity and proper nutrition. Some health issues, like heart disease or diabetes, may also become more pronounced. 

By the mid-70s, frailty becomes more common, and many begin to experience joint problems or mobility problems. Cognitive changes, such as mild memory lapses, can arise, without necessarily related to dementia. 

Age 80and beyond is when the risk of chronic illnesses and disabilities multiplies. Many of us require more support for daily activities. Cognitive decline begins showing up with some, and the risk of Alzheimer's or other dementia increases significantly. However, the luckiest of us remain cognitively and physically active. 

Again, there’s no universal rule. Some individuals in their 90s remain remarkably independent and active, while others may encounter significant challenges much earlier. Advances in medicine, technology, and an emphasis on preventive health measures are shifting these patterns, helping many of us maintain quality of life even into our later decades. 

So please, don’t despair, keep moving and hang in there!

Snow performance under sun and shade

For decades, I’ve been wondering how we can explain that, when alpine skiing in Utah during spring season, on days that are relatively warm (close to 50 F), the snow exposed to the sun becomes incredibly slow, but as soon as we traverses a shaded area, the acceleration is not just noticeable, it's impressive. This in comparison to similar dates and conditions in the Alps? 

As I just ran again into these conditions, I deepened my search and found a few more things. Do you really want to know what these are? Just read on… Sun angle and intensity seems to be the main reason. In central Rocky Mountain ski resorts like here, in Park City, Utah, the higher altitude and dryer air, compared to the Alps this means that the sun's rays are more intense, especially in the spring when the sun angle is higher. Latitude (lower in the Rockies 40 vs 46 degrees North in the Alps) also exacerbates that effect. 

There’s also less atmospheric filtering, as the drier Utah air allows more direct sunlight to reach the snow surface. In the Alps, there's often more humidity and cloud cover, which filters a great deal of the sun's energy. Utah's spring days often see large temperature swings. The sun heats the snow surface quickly, causing it to become wet and slushy. At night, or in shaded areas, the temperature drops, and the wet snow refreezes. 

This creates a very "sticky" snow surface in the sun. Snow moisture content, as I have claimed in the past, is very low in Utah. A drier snow-pack, while fantastic in the winter, means that when spring melt occurs, the snow suddenly turns very wet, heavy and sticky. That’s drastically different in the Alps, where the snow higher moisture keeps gliding okay and more consistently during spring time. Utah snow, when it melts, tends to hold onto water more than the wetter Alpine snow. 

This wetness creates a suction effect, slowing skis down considerably and creating that huge difference with skiing in the Alps. Apparently, a strong sun can also create a "sun crust" on the snow surface, which can be very slow when it's soft and sticky, but I’m not quite convinced. What I should do is wax for these warm and wet conditions, but that’s a whole different subject! 

One thing for certain is that “corn snow” in the central Rockies is never very good and doesn’t compare well with its Alpine equivalent! Then of course, there are the real conditions we all experience, like when skiing shaded areas where the snow remains colder and drier, or refrozen, retaining its faster glide. The slope orientation also plays a critical role in timing the process and that’s when savvy skiers know how to “follow the sun” during spring skiing. In summary, an intense sun on dry air, and rapid melt-freeze cycles in Colorado or Utah spring create unique snow conditions that can slow things to a crawl under sunny areas and dramatically faster in shaded sections. The Alps, with their higher moisture content and less intense sun, tend to have a more consistent snow behavior, even in the spring. 

As you can read, nothing new under an intense sun!

The extortionist

The definition of an extortionist is someone who practices extortion—the act of using violence, threats, intimidation, or pressure from one's authority to force someone to hand over money (or something else of value) or do something they don't want to do. The word extortioner means the same exact thing. 

Organized crime groups frequently employ extortion to control territories, businesses, or industries, and to extract money or other valuables from individuals or businesses. 

This can take the form of protection rackets, blackmail, and threats of violence or harm. It’s not uncommon for such organized crime groups to demand "protection" payments from businesses, extort individuals for money or property, or threaten to harm someone if they don't comply with demands. More specifically, the Mafia commonly uses extortion as a normal way of conducting its business. 

Now, let’s take a look at Trump’s style of doing business. Is he an outstanding businessman or just a “transactional” guy? Neither one to me, especially after menacing and cutting arms and intelligence support for a while to Ukraine or after launching his “Tariff Walz” with China, Canada, Mexico and Europe, not to mention the over-hanging “Primary” threat to congress people who don’t toe his line, he is the perfect extortionist I was describing previously.

Why does he take this path? Because it’s not necessary to have a valid or even a legal reason to ask someone to do as they’re told and there is no need to convince. It’s easy, fast and it works all the time! 

I guess his father’s and his own deep and varied experiences with the infamous New York City’s Mafia families are the reason for his defaulting to that mode of operation...

Do we have three lives?

We recently saw the recent biopic ” Joan Baez, I am a noise”, a very good documentary about the life and torments of the famous singer in which she’s heard introducing the concept of three distinct lives: Public, private and secret. 

This concept, often attributed to Gabriel García Márquez, was new to me as I knew about the two first lives, but thought that the “secrets” could fit in our private realm, when after thinking it over, it makes perfectly sense to be given a compartment of its own. This compelling idea reflects the complexities of our human existence. While it might not be a scientifically established fact, it can resonate with many people's experiences. 

Our public life is the image we show to the world. It's in fact how we interact with colleagues, acquaintances, and the broader community. It incorporates our professional activities, our social interactions, and the image we project, the whole being often shaped by social expectations and our desire to maintain a certain reputation. 

Our private life is the one shared with our loved ones, our family and to a certain extent, some of our friends. It’s the place where we’re seen as more authentic and vulnerable, and where we’ve got the opportunity to share our true thoughts and feelings. It’s in fact a reflection of our intimate relationships, personal values, and home life. 

As to our secret life, it is kept hidden from others, and sometimes even from ourselves. It’s a mixed bag of our deepest desires, fears, fantasies, and hidden aspects of our personality. It may involve thoughts, behaviors, or experiences that we might feel ashamed of or that we believe would be judged by others. This resonates with the different "masks" we can wear in different social situations to fit in or to protect ourselves.

We’re all complex and multifaceted, with different sides to our personalities, and we may not always express them all openly. In addition, a “secret life” gives us a sense of privacy and boundaries. We have a right to keep certain aspects of our lives, like certain thoughts, feelings, and fantasies that are a significant part of who we truly are, and can be kept private if we so desire. 

Sure, the boundaries between our "lives" are not always clear-cut. They can shift and change depending on the context and our relationships. Likewise, accepting all aspects of ourselves, including our "secret" selves, is essential for self-acceptance and personal growth as long as our “secret life” doesn’t involve harmful behavior. 

Without making a trite play on words, I certainly can “live” with my three lives to make enough room for the different aspects of my identity and figure out how we navigate our complicated social world!

Gallup’s happiness ranking (Part 2)

The study measured the following of seven categories: 

• GDP per capita is in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) adjusted to constant 2021 international dollars, taken from the World Development Indicators (WDI) by the World Bank 
• The time series for healthy life expectancy at birth are constructed based among others, on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) 
• Social support is the national average of the responses to the Gallup World Poll (GWP) question “If you were in trouble, do you have relatives or friends you can count on to help you whenever you need them, or not?” 
• Freedom to make life choices is the national average of responses to the GWP question “Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your freedom to choose what you do with your life?” 
• Generosity is the residual from regressing the national average of GWP responses to the donation question “Have you donated money to a charity in the past month?” on log GDP per capita. 
• Perceptions of corruption is the average of answers to two GWP questions: “Is corruption widespread throughout the government or not?” and “Is corruption widespread within businesses or not?” Where data for government corruption are missing, the perception of business corruption is used as the overall corruption-perception measure. 
• Dystopia is kind of confusing as it stands for a hypothetical country, so named because it has values equal to the world’s lowest national averages for 2022–2024 for each of the six key variables

Following most northern Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, what’s amazing is that the United States only ranked 24th, just after the UK, and this before the chaotic new Trump regime! 

France got a dismal 33rd spot, just before Singapore, while Spain and Italy got respectively 38th and 40th. Japan was just 55th. Russia is only 66th, Greece 81st, most African countries are at the end of the ranking that has Afghanistan dead last. 

 

You now have enough information to select your next country of residence, if you’re up for it!

Gallup’s happiness ranking...

The recent Gallup poll ranking world countries by their happiness level, reminded me about the Happiness Equation that goes as follows: “Happiness = Reality minus Expectations.” This would mean that the top ranking, or happiest nations on earth either manage their expectations very well or get much more than they expect out of their day-to-day lives. 

At any rate, the 2024 World Happiness Report, a partnership among Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the World Happiness Report's Editorial Board, has become a key resource for seeing how happiness in policy making are doing in the various world countries and how our politicians are true to what they represent. 

The report assesses the current state of happiness around the world and explores how happiness can vary on a global and national scale. The 2025 edition focuses on the effect that caring and sharing have on people's happiness, much more than the trite equation I was mentioning earlier, as caring and sharing are too often forgotten values in the crazy world we live in. 

Tomorrow, we ‘ll try to analyze the results, so for now, just be aware that Finland was #1 and Afghanistan, dead last.

Don’t miss “The taste of things!”

During her recent visit in Park City, our daughter suggested we watched “The Taste of Things” (La Passion de Dodin Bouffant, in French), based on the 1924 eponymous novel by Swiss author Marcel Rouff, a historical romantic drama movie written and directed by Trần Anh Hùng starring Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel. 

The story set in 1889, depicts a romance between a cook and the gourmet who employs her. The film premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, and was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in its main competition section, where Tran Anh Hung won the Best Director award. 

I loved the movie because of its cinematography, its composition and its positive tone, a wonderful break from the nefarious political chaos we’re currently served by Trump and his sycophants. If you haven’t seen this jewel of a film yet, stream it, rent it, but at any rate watch it now! 

Managing anger…

If current politics make you angry, you’re probably paying attention and please be reassured, you’re not alone. I, too, feel exactly the same. This said, how can we best manage that kind of anger and don’t let it poison our lives? Obviously, this kind of anger is a common and valid reaction, especially when we feel passionately about the issues at hand.

A proper way to manage anger, is to channel it into something constructive rather than letting it consume us. To begin, let’s take a moment to identify what’s triggering it. In the political realm, is it a particular policy, a leader's actions, the state of discourse or how it lines up with our values? If we can pinpoint the root cause of that anger that will go a long way in helping us focus our energy. 

Since I’m a fighter, I’m motivated to channel my frustration into action. I develop a creative, concise but impact-full message and use it to write or voice my position to my political representatives. More importantly, I ask my friends to do the same. When I do, I make sure to communicate assertively and respectfully rather than aggressively (my instinctual response). 

Since over-consuming political news will make my anger worse, I set limits for how much time I spend reading or watching political news. By all means, what’s critical is to learn how to identify all new sources that get to me! When I happen to share my thoughts with like-minded individuals or even those holding differing views, I try to aim for understanding rather than confronting. 

Constructive conversations and especially asking pointed questions can be enlightening, is what works best and is less emotionally draining. Finally, I focus on what I can control. Because so much is out of our hands, I concentrate on the areas where I can make a difference, whether it’s in my community or in my personal life.

Am I convincing you? (part 2)

Between factual correctness and emotional appeal, how can we hone our convincing skills? What can bridge these two? Perhaps focusing on blending the strength of ideas with an engaging style can do the trick? Let’s explore these options in order to effectively convince others. The most convincing traits in individuals often revolve around qualities that inspire trust, admiration, and respect. 

To fuel them, the person able to convince needs three key ingredients: Passion. Enthusiasm & Belief. These are also found in Charisma, that intangible charm or magnetism top salespeople (and persuaders exude).

It's often a blend of good communication, warmth, and energy. Being authentic also adds to that impression, as well as a touch of empathy and a display of self-confidence. Of course, if you’re the antithesis of Trump and his allies you want to add integrity to the package: Living by strong moral principles builds credibility. 

People who consistently act with honesty and fairness are hard not to trust. Then there are other traits that will further add to one’s ability to convince, like the strength to bounce back from adversity as well as the openness to new ideas and the ability to navigate change smoothly when the going gets rough and a never-ending eagerness to learn and understand, looking at the bright side of things however small, can be very motivating to others. 

Do any of these resonate with you and motivate you to sell others on your good ideas? If the answer is “Yes”, time to go for it!

Am I convincing you?

Often, I do my best to be convincing when I have to, and I place all of my focus into the subjects or the ideas I want to promote to others or defend when they’re being attacked. Yet, after thinking about it, convincing is more a matter of style and approach than it is about rightfulness of the element I’m promoting. 

In other words, I’m far too technical, when I should pay attention to the emotional angles of the issues. This raises a fascinating but counter-intuitive point, as being convincing often does rely more on how we present our ideas than on the inherent correctness or righteousness of them. This is because persuasion operates much more on emotional than logical levels.

While truth or rightness may appeal to logic, human connections, biases, and perceptions often respond more strongly to style, tone, and delivery. One way to explain this is to compare someone presenting an idea with confidence, empathy, and clarity that comes across as more credible, even with highly questionable arguments as we see it all the time with politicians. 

Conversely, a perfectly valid point might fall apart if it’s delivered in a hesitant or disorganized way. This doesn’t diminish the importance of promoting truthful, meaningful ideas—on the contrary, it shows how vital it is to pair substance with an attractive approach. 

Tomorrow, we’ll explore how we can achieve that…

How unique are we?

I sometime wonder what make us unique, and if that trait still can grow and get richer as we grow older? That’s a fair and fascinating question that touches on many aspects of our humanity. These days we all understand that it all begins with our DNA that maps out our physical traits and predispositions. Then, everyone’s journey is different, shaped by unique encounters, relationships, and events. 

These experiences form our perspectives, beliefs, and values. Even before that, my individual personality for example, has been shaped by my environment, my parents, my multiples occupations, travels experiences and evolving values which all influence how I’ve interact with the world. This I’ve also interpreted and understood based on my experiences and belief. 

Each time, I’ve changed job or tried to “re-invent” myself, I acquired new skills and talents that were developed through practice, learning, and my innate abilities. Over the years, my jobs and my moves, I’ve knit a network of relationships that has contributed to my sense of self and has shaped the way I’ve interacted with the world. 

Finally, aging and all the years I’ve been around the block have grown that capital of experiences, which further diversified my perspectives and enriched my understanding of the world. All the mistakes I’ve made have also gained me a deeper understanding of myself, my strengths, and of course, my weaknesses. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that aging as gained a more authentic and meaningful sense of self, greater wisdom and a more nuanced understanding of complex situations. Overall, while there may be some limitations, the potential for our uniqueness to grow and enrich as we age is significant. 

It's a process of ongoing development and self-discovery, so if we're interested in it, let’s all keep growing it!

Still having fun skiing!

As the ski season in Park City will be over over in less than a month, I’m already reflecting on it, and if this one won’t break any record in terms of day and vertical skied, it’s already been a wonderful one in terms of quality, in spite of a late start and an average snow cover. 

What I’m even more grateful for is that at the advanced age of 77 years, I still can ski fast, everywhere, in all kinds of snow conditions, and probably better and more efficiently than 51 years ago when I could have considered myself at the top of what I considered my heap. 

True, the equipment has evolved in the right direction, particularly with skis, but still, I remain dumbfounded and super-grateful about that reality. 

I’m so happy that 40 years ago, I set my mind to move to that paradise that Park City was, and in spite of too much growth, still is!

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional

I recently read in Haruki Murakami’s book "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" that "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional". It kind of made sense to me. Of course, I wondered, do we know if anyone, who said this? 

Well, I found that it was often attributed to the Buddhist tradition, though it's difficult to pinpoint a single originator. It echoes core Buddhist teachings, particularly those related to the Four Noble Truths and the nature of suffering. which emphasizes that while pain (physical or emotional) is a natural part of our lives, suffering is a choice that depends on how we process and react to that pain. 

For instance, someone might face hardship but choose to focus on growth and resilience, reducing the emotional toll. It's great a reminder that we can use our individual power of perspective and our human ability to find meaning or peace even in the most difficult circumstances. 

Something worth remembering when the going gets tough!

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!