French extremism

For the most part, the french people I know are not too much into the internet. They don't create much, most just forward jokes, slide-shows or video via email, often with little or no comments. Many of the pieces that circulate are downright racists and are aimed at the French Muslim community and the undocumented folks that have ended up living in France.

They certainly are an expression of free speech, are often sent with a “tongue and cheek” tone, but are filled with so many innuendos, so much unfounded information and other bias that they won't help France deal with the situation and instead, will just keep on tearing the social fabric of the nation apart. They are toxic and I have yet to tell these people, some of whom are my friends, to stop sending those to me and find more constructive ways to deal with their frustrations and their fears...

Park City just voted with its heart...

...Certainly not with its head, as it should have in these uncertain economic times, but the people have spoken and all we can do now is hope that our current mayor presides over a term that's good for the community and that the two city council members can show what they really have under the “hood.” Now, this once more begs the question as to whether government is able or not to affect the economy, whether it's a the local or the national level? This time, my response is pretty clear: I hope not!

Starting a new business

For the past few days, I've been thinking on an idea a friend of mine shared with me in order to start a business together. Like any new business idea worth considering, it's original, has some potential and could be fun to tackle. The process of researching around it has re-awakened a subject that's always been dear to my heart but that I've never really could bring into my life. Most definitely because I lacked the right idea or that I was too far ahead of my time when I was tempted to make a move.

This brings me to say that we need to have a profound faith in an idea before investing one's personal time, energy and money. The concept has to be able to solve or improve something in appreciable ways. It should also be unique, new, original and it chances of success should be real, even if they represent a 50-50 wager. The entire project ought also to be very exciting to sustain all the work, doubt, disillusions and other pesky problems that will not fail to pop up along the way. Most importantly though, its first result or response at the time it's introduce should be a resounding success.

There isn't any room for early, dismal failures and for single or multiple “resurrections” with novel ideas. Last, but not least, the concept must be timely; as Jean-Claude Killy's famous Rolex ad said, “in sports like in business, timing's everything...” If all these ingredient are present, it doesn't really matter what the economic mood is at the moment and this might be a sufficient indication that it's time to jump in!

Off the record: Karzai and Obama

Here's what really happened yesterday; at any rate this is what should have happened...

Obama: Hello, Mr Karzai, I wanted to go on record to congratulate you on your second term...
Karzai: Thank you very much Mr President, but what do you mean “on record?”
Obama: Well, Hamid, that means that I'm now going to tell you a few things “off the record.”
Karzai: ? Silence
Obama: For the past five years, you haven't done anything but lined up your pockets and those of your entire family and I seriously hope that these next five years will be vastly different...
Karzai: It was really hard Mr Obama, none of the institutions I set up worked as they should have; it takes time, Afghanistan is not America, you know.
Obama: That I certainly know, but where I fault you is for not trying hard enough; instead of royally sporting your coat and your smart hat, you should have rolled up your sleeves, said no to pocketing bribes and refrain from siphoning most of our aid money for your own personal needs. You also have created a power vacuum for the Talibans to return with a vengeance and if that wasn't enough you had the guts to rig this last election so you'd enjoy another five years of absolute power...
Karzai: I beg your pardon, but the Talibans are a force to be reckoned with and their return is truly Pakistan's fault...
Obama: I don't care if it were Monaco's fault, you dropped the ball Hamid, and let me just tell you that if you don't clean up your act very soon you'll be left alone to deal with the Talibans and their thugs.
Karzai: What do you mean?
Obama: I mean that we're going to leave Afghanistan if you don't show resolve and start working on bringing order and rule of law to your country; as simple as that. I'm tired of seeing our young men and women die while you twiddle your thumbs and could certainly use the billions we're pouring into your country at home. Now, I won't give you specific goals, but if things haven't changed dramatically my the end of May, we're out of there! Got it? Have a good day, Mr Karzai!

Will the snow-gods be offended?

The latest installment in my home-improvement program is something I've been considering for a long time. It's a gauge, actually a measuring stick that will allow me every morning, after a new snowfall, to measure the precipitation and see the accumulated depth in real time instead of having to guess or exaggerate. This is a rather elaborate measuring tool that combine both low and high technology. Low tech, because I recycled a broken tape measure for the reading portion and high tech, because I used a television antenna stem for the stick. Now, the problematic part; the device can measure up to 6 foot of snow, which is unheard of in my backyard. I'm a bit concerned that I might get jinxed because of my inflated expectations and cause a freeze on snowfalls for the entire season. We'll see, but my intentions are good so I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Halloween: A downtrend...

It's always with great anticipation that we get ready for Halloween night. While some neighbors conspicuously make sure they're not home or out of town for the occasion, we always make a point to welcome all “trick or treaters.” This year we went so far as to proposing a choice of treats between a (processed) Cliff Bar and a (natural) banana. I also made the extra effort of sporting my trademark béret and at 6:56 pm the first group showed up. To our dismay, this year Halloween turnout was the lowest since we've lived in our new neighborhood and since we began to take records. This in spite of falling on a Saturday night when all parents had plenty of time to take their little ones out into the streets. At 9:00 pm, the visits stopped, we turned off all the lights, set aside the excess goodies and called it an evening. Let's just hope we'll see a rebound in 2010, along with the economy!

Too good to be true?

Our neighbors across the street are out of town, presumably on vacation. For the past few days, their youngest son who is about 19 has been busy filling their front yard with lumber that has been cut with the clear intent to turn it into firewood. My wife and I were a bit envious in watching the fuel accumulate on the lawn and were thinking “what a pleasant surprise the parents will have when they return from vacation; a ten-year supply of great firewood, their son's a real sweetheart!”

This afternoon, as we left for our walk, we talked to the apparently tireless young man and his buddy and congratulated him on how kind he was to work so hard at gathering all that timber for his parents' fireplace. He said they had cut these standing dead trees in the nearby Uintas mountains, 45 minutes away. Yes, it sure was a lot of hard work, but he and his friend were going to make some good money in selling everything... for their own account. So much for another random act of kindness...