Thierry Convert, 1950-2024

Thierry is from Oyonnax, 25 miles west of Geneva, a region dubbed “Plastics Vallée”. His family’s business goes back to 1830, when it began manufacturing craft items, initially combs, then snuff boxes, pipes, etc. In 1951, the company "Établissements G. Convert" produced a variety plastic materials and until 1983, dolls and related toys.

Thierry Convert joined Look in Nevers, France, in 1977 to take over a product manager’s position left vacant when I joined the company's subsidiary in New York. 

As Look moved to Vermont in 1982, I decided to remain in New York, changed jobs, and was once more replaced by Thierry, who came to America with his wife Audrey. For a second time, he sat in my former office and picked up where I left off. 

In 1986, I left Lange ski boots (an entity owned by Rossignol’s founder) to create my own distribution business. Then, Thierry Convert took a related job with Rossignol-Lange’s new ski boot division, landing this time at the firm's headquarters near Grenoble. 

Quite a notable succession of events, even under such sad circumstances as my former colleague passed away last Friday after a long and hard battle against cancer. Audrey and Thierry came to visit us in Park City in 2012 and we both were able to reminisce our linked careers. 

Our most sincere condolences to Audrey, her four children and extended family.

Testing adaptive cruise control…

The Thanksgiving Holiday gave me another chance to drive my Tesla some long distance and get even more confident with its driving potential and the brand’s recharging system. Recharging was fast and never a problem and the increased number of charging stalls on our itinerary were never more than 90% full! I now feel confident that I can drive my Tesla anywhere in Canada or the United States and totally enjoy the experience.

This year’s Thanksgiving was a record breaking travel day in the air and of course, on the roads. No exception for us, the traffic was intense and was what’s called, “accordion-style”, alternatively accelerating and slowing down, making it extremely difficult for drivers to maintain a safe distance in such a busy traffic. 

Without sufficient distance, there’s a constant need for braking instead of coasting. Same thing for the cars behind you, all along the chain, except that for each car the effect is magnified. So when you tap the brakes to slow down a bit, 200 cars behind you, the cars come to a dead stop! This is where Tesla's Autopilot, and specifically, its Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC), shines for its advanced features and smooth operation compared to other manufacturers' adaptive cruise control systems. 

Here are some key differences that contribute to its superiority: Tesla’s system is more integrated than many other systems. It uses a combination of cameras, radar, and ultrasonic sensors to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the driving environment. This results in a smoother driving experience, with more gradual acceleration and braking. 

When the driver chooses to stay and keep the same lane, Tesla's Autopilot can automatically keep the car perfectly centered, reducing driver fatigue on long journeys like the one. The result of that experience going and returning was a relaxing, stress-less driving experience without any fatigue upon reaching the final destination! 

Sure, while Tesla's Autopilot is advanced, it's not fully autonomous and requires constant driver attention, but it’s also why it’s considered one of the most advanced systems on the market. That’s another great reason to love that car, not Elon Musk, of course!

A few days in the desert…

For Thanksgiving our small family, six of us, reunited in St. George a small town of southern Utah, to spend the entire weekend together, into something that has become a yearly tradition. 

Our daughter flew from from Washington while our son, his family plus my wife and I drove from the north in separate car an on very busy roads. 

We all made it okay and were blessed with a beautiful blue skies for the entire time, with the caveat that the temperatures were very low for that southern location ranging from 30 in the morning to 55 in the afternoon. 

Much better than Park City, but still colder than what we would have expected! 

This desert location is always beautiful, framed by red rocks all over and even some fresh snow on the higher elevations! 

We’ve stayed in St. George a few time and on these occasion we explored some areas known for their Anasazi petroglyphs, including some in a spectacular slot canyon and only accessible through some scrambling in a tortuous and very rugged terrain!

Michel Lascar, 1938-2024

The first time I met Michel was in October 1969 when I showed up at the Avoriaz ski school in the hope of getting a job there.

Since I wasn’t certified teaching skiing I was told to attend a week long clinic alongside him, in Chamrousse, near Grenoble, prior to the ski season. Michel wasn't certified either, as he had been hired initially to just be a ski-bike instructor. We then taught skiing together in Avoriaz through 1974 when I left. 

In fact, Michel Lascar was an important figure in French mountaineering in the 1960s. He distinguished himself with his daring and technical climbs, helping to push the boundaries of the discipline. He opened many routes in the Alps, particularly on north faces. 

He also took part in several expeditions outside of the Alps. One of his most famous climbs was the north face of the Eiger in 1966, with Patrice Bodin. 

This route, premiered a few years earlier, remained a mountaineering myth and the duo added their names to the list of mountaineers who have achieved this technical and physical feat. 

Michel Lascar was always calm, nice and easy. A mountain lover, his quiet demeanor embodied Lao-Tzu’s words: “He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know.” 

Heartfelt condolences to Michel’s entire family.

Is Biden a war criminal too ?

On 21 November 2024, the International Criminal Court unanimously issued two decisions rejecting challenges by the State of Israel. 

At the same time it also issued warrants of arrest for Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr. Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the applications for warrants of arrest were filed. 

After the Gaza and Lebanon carnage, it seems that it’s hard to argue with that decision. It’s also terrible for us, Americans, to see our tax money diverted to be used for committing these crimes. Now, the question I’m asking is what role did Joe Biden played in keeping on arming Israel for conducting these massacres?

Weren’t the Democrats Israel’s partners in that genocide? By offsetting support for Israel with hollow humanitarian gestures and empathy for Palestinians, Biden has diluted pressure to end the war. 

It now seems pretty clear to me that the Biden administration supported and perpetuated the same genocide under a veneer of legitimacy, by diffusing pressure with platitudes about peace while deepening America’s complicity…

My election take-away

As the month comes to a close, I really feel that we, the folks that have voted Democrats, have been taken for a ride by the Democratic National Committee that “rigged” the election so Trump couldn’t lose. 

Picking the old man like Biden to run against a monster like Trump, without serious opposition, was the original sin and the Clintons, Obamas, Pelosi, Biden and Harris should now fade into the sunset for an indefinite leave of absence! 

What’s needed to head the Democratic party is a 45 to 50 year old personality that is fierce and inspiring, that won’t let the opposition define who that person is and won’t turn the other cheek. Someone who will fight Fire by twice the amount of Fire! 

That’s the only way to communicate with a Trump-style opposition, not by an individual adopting a non-violence attitude expected by bullies the world over. 

That profile should be multiplied down ballot for all seats up for reelection. 

I guess it’s called raw courage, and if the Democrats fail to field such candidates, their party is doomed for good!

A la Carte life expectancy

Over the years, life expectancy has been climbing. Japan stands at the top of the heap with 85 years followed by Italy and Spain at 84. At the bottom are African countries like Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso at about 61 years. 

France is at 83, but the US, “the most prosperous country in the world” stands at just below 80 years! Sure, in every nation, life expectancy can vary substantially across places and populations, and the United States is no exception according to the Lancet’s recent study “Ten Americas: a systematic analysis of life expectancy disparities in the USA”. 

It shows that, as in most countries, male individuals generally have shorter lifespans than females. If one is rich life will be longer than if poor. Same thing with geographical location. In 2019, life expectancy varied by 7·1 years across the 50 states, from 74·7 years in Mississippi to 81·8 years in Hawaii. 

Across US counties, a smaller geographical scale, life expectancy in 2014 differed by up to 20 years! The study defined the 10 parts of the country as: 

1. Asian individuals 
2. Latino individuals in counties other than the Southwest 
3. White (majority), Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) individuals in other counties 
4. White individuals in non-metropolitan and low-income Northlands
5. Latino individuals in the Southwest 
6. Black individuals in other counties
7. Black individuals in highly segregated metropolitan areas
8. White individuals in low-income Appalachia and Lower Mississippi 
9. Black individuals in the non-metropolitan and low-income South
10. AIAN individuals in the West. 

Large disparities in life expectancy between American ethnic groups were apparent throughout the duration of study, but grew even more over time, particularly during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

So, once more, America still has some way to go before becoming the country of equality!