How to read Trump’s supporters?

Ever since he ran for office of president, Trump has had a remarkable hold on it’s supporters. Before coming with a strategy for demolishing the would-be dictator, it’s essential to study and identify the nature of that powerful glue. 

Is it just charisma, telling folks what they love to hear, believing in lies or improbable stuff, triumphing over people more intellectual than trumpists in general or what else? Here are some of my thoughts about that quandary: 

It’s true that when it comes to charisma and depending on one’s attraction or repulsion he inspires, you may not think that Donald Trump has much of it, but his hard-core supporters love his brash and bullying personality that empowers him to act and do things the way they’d never dare to. 

While unable to utter complete sentences Trump uses a few words that resonates with his crowd as they speak directly to their concerns and frustrations, and by making vague as well as outlandish promises to address some of the issues they care about.

Once again, he empowers them by making the seemingly impossible possible. Better than most politicians, he tells people exactly what they want to hear. This said, much of what he says are lies, but his base are willing to overlook or rationalize the ones Trump delivers daily, because they’re blinded by his simplistic, easy to understand message and his strong-man persona. 

Trump also knows how to create enemies his supporters love to hate, especially among the intellectual elites, including most of the press. His continued attacks on them strongly resonate with many who feel marginalized or disaffected by their low position on the totem pole. 

Finally, being part of a vocal, passionate and iconoclastic political movement, like MAGA – I should say a Cult - creates a sense of belonging and bestows a cool identity upon its members making it harder for them to even soften or renounce their allegiance to Trump. 

Tomorrow, we'll how we can influence Trump's supporters

When common sense takes a break…

An elaborate underground crossing is located near the Park City High School and features a long set of NeON 2 BiFacial solar panels that are vertical, double-sided solar cell structures, along with a transparent back sheet that enables light absorption and power generation from both sides. 

Unlike slanted panels, they shed snow in winter, but they’re also far less efficient. They could however complement rooftop panels in snowy climates. They’re quite visible from State Route 248 that runs parallel to the railing, and recently a vinyl banner was attached on them to announce a relay race that’s also a fund raiser for the local schools.

What the folks who hang the banner on didn’t notice is that they should have attached it to the standard guardrail on its left instead of blocking power generation. I guess we common sense still has some way to go...

Time to elect Utah’s Senator Gleich

In a theocratic and “red” state like Utah, our politicians are generally all but progressive, as the Democratic Party is generally nicknamed and known as the “Abortion Party”. 

This means that our politicians are Republicans thanks in parts to the dominating Mormon religion and to the well-chiseled voting districts designed to rob their political opponents of any chance of winning. That district limitation doesn’t apply of course to our US Senators, and this Fall, with Romney bowing out, there’s room for a fresh candidate to replace him.

Already, Republicans are fighting for their party nomination scheduled for June, but the Democratic Party just nominated Caroline Gleich, a 38 years old, with an established reputation for extreme skiing and environmental advocacy. Gleich was born in Minnesota and was 15 when she and her family moved to the state of Utah, both of her parents are physicians at the University of Utah. In college, Gleich became an activist and she’s now an advocate for environmental justice and climate reform. 

A recognized professional skier and mountaineer, she announced her candidacy earlier this year, hoping to leverage her platform to fight for climate action and social justice. Gleich's accomplishments in the world of extreme sports range from summiting Everest to becoming the first woman to conquer all the lines in Utah's Wasatch "Chuting Gallery." But her passion extends well beyond the slopes. 

She is quoted to have said, “I’ve been an underdog my whole life with skeptics questioning my height, strength, and bravery for scaling the world’s tallest mountains. Yet, I’ve summited Everest and Cho Oyu. I’ve broken records and defied limits. Running for the United States Senate to represent the people of Utah is undoubtedly an uphill climb, but I’m no stranger to overcoming challenges.” 

She goes on, “As I start this climb towards the US Senate, I carry with me the lessons learned from reaching mountain peaks and navigating life’s terrain, My commitment is unwavering—to empower, to protect, and to advocate for a brighter future.” 

I hope many Utahans will see through the blatant Republican’s hypocrisy, support her and make her our next US Senator. I plan to.

Let's keep something to look forward to…

How to make things and most importantly life interesting? 

Pepper the future with lots of things to look forward to. That may be not what I do, but that’s a strategy that I can believe in. In the early part of life, education, career and family take care of planting mileposts for us that are also guideposts as well and give us everyday that next big goal that we can keep in focus. 

I’ve done a bit of research on the topic and have found that it’s important to look for new ideas or things to do. This could be from learning or improving on a foreign language, learning about things we do everyday like cooking, gardening, computer science or fitness. 

Break the routine and go out to explore new places, like an unknown part of your town or even go farther out. Bring new challenges to your life, like a steeper hike, attending a local event, or volunteering for a cause you care about. Don’t forget to be grateful everyday or at any moment for big or small things. 

Make a point to stop to chat with neighbors or other folks, as strong social connections are essential for well-being. Put on your creative hat and develop something new by writing a short text, a card, trying a new recipe or painting an invisible door into a bright color. 

Learn to start paying attention to the smallest details in your daily life, from birds to garden animals, flowers, and wind. Begin mixing things up, vary the daily routine, try a new route to work or take a new walking path, listen to a different genre of music. 

Make room for improvisation each day. Accept unexpected invitations as sometimes the best experiences are unplanned. Every day, set goals, even if they’re tiny, they’ll give your life a sense of purpose and accomplishment. 

Oh, yes, don't forget to take some time each day to reflect on what's working and adjust your routine accordingly to find what works best for you. Good luck!

The tyranny of ski’s vertical drop…

In recent years, and with the advent of ski resorts apps, vertical drop has become the new hot pursuit for many skiers. It’s no longer “Didn’t I ski the zipper on these moguls?” or “I had face-shots all morning long…”, but “I’ve just clocked 27,421 vertical feet today!” 

This is to the point that some skiers whom I know very, very well will take some serious risk to reach their daily dose of vertical thrill some days. Could be dangerous, right? Then, there are some huge differences between vertical and vertical. 

Yes, it all depends on what’s being skied. Terrain, snow quality, grooming or lack thereof, deep snow, etc. I surmise that skiing two runs on Thaynes non-stop, my favorite steep ski run at Park City (vertical 856 feet) in bumpy and irregular snow conditions, is worth at least 10 Apex (vertical 1,780 ft) at the resort’s Canyon side, non-stop too, but on a perfectly groomed slope. That’s more than 10 times the nominal, total vertical. 

This means that next time someone tells you “I skied 25,000 feet on such and such groomed run” you can easily divide that number by 10 to equate the work it represents to see the equivalent on much rougher and steeper terrain. 

Finally, there are the “Vertical Snobs”. Let me explain; one day, this winter I was stuck on a broken down chairlift for one hour with 5 other passengers. 

My neighbor was a 50 something lady who not only complained that she was stuck 25 feet up in the air, but that Park City was a terrible ski resort because it had just a 3,100 vertical drop to offer, compared to Whistler-Blackcomb (5,280’), Jackson Hole (4,139’), Snowmass at Aspen (4,406’) ot even Telluride (3,845’). 

I tried to tell her that there was much more to great skiing than an impressive number of vertical feet, but she wouldn’t have any of it. Sure, Whistler and its impressive drop often only offers rain at its base while the good snow can only be found at its very top, but that wouldn’t change her mind. That’s right, too much focus on vertical drop far away, always ends up spoiling the very best skiing available nearby...

My take on remote work...

During our daily morning walk we come across a young neighbor of ours, jogging and pushing her 6 month baby sitting on a stroller. We say hello, and she signals to us that she’s on a conference call. Wow! That’s multitasking at its best.

She makes me wonder: “How can she manage running, watching the traffic, making sure her baby is okay while at the same time paying close attention to what’s being said through her earbuds, and perhaps making a comment or asking a question?” 

That’s the epitome of multitasking, and beyond that of teleworking, this modern, flexible work arrangement under which an employee performs the duties and responsibilities of their position from an approved worksite, other than the location from where the employee would usually work. 

I see that all the time and especially in winter when remote workers conduct their daily duties sitting next to me on the chairlift. I then wonder, how many of these people are performing a really good job for their employer? Is it 100%, or 90%, even 25%? Do they make-up for their “partial” work by working longer hours? Don’t bet your life on it! 

I’ve been in their shoes during the early part of this century when I was working from my home office half of my working time. What I can say is that I was in my office, not in the kitchen, nor on my bike or my skis during my 10 hours working day. 

Sure, one can point out to the productivity gains made in the interval with new technology like teleconferencing and the like, but still work is work and I can’t prevent myself from thinking than these flexible working folks also must have a flexible sense of what work ethic is, and by so doing, are grossly overtaxing their employers without even thinking about it...

Why are folks tempted by conservatism?

In these days of lightning-fast social and technological changes, many of us cannot keep abreast of what’s going on, understand it, approve of it, and use it. 

It’s why so many curl back and are game for conservative’s discourses like Trump's and some others, who say they long for the “good old days” without really knowing what they’re talking about… True, there are many people that feel overwhelmed by the constant flux of society and technology. They simply can’t keep up with it. 

This leads to constant and fast change that can be unpredictable and sometimes bring unforeseen consequences that become a recurring target of conservatives. Conservatism can offer a sense of security by holding to established norms and prioritizing caution over experimentation. Many also find value in established ways of doing things. This is especially true for those who are attached to the past and fear losing cultural ties. 

This said, there are definitely horrible reasons for clinging to the past. I was raised poor and I love all the good things progressive thinking has brought to my life over the years. This alone explains my progressive disposition! Nostalgia for the past often conveniently erases downsides and problems that were the fabric of yesterday.

Just like for me, “the old days", weren't always pretty for the great majority of humanity. Besides, social and technological progress have improved our lives to such an extent that if conservative had their ways, we’d still all be hunters and gatherers…