It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

 I noticed the gum straightaway. Blue and pink and white and all of it the worse for wear. Gum doesn’t weather well when stuck to the underside of a desk. 

The next thing I noticed was that there were some bad words cryptically handwritten in #2 pencil: “Miss Davis is reelly meen”. You’ll have to excuse the spelling. Sixth graders are notoriously ahead of adults when it comes to slaughtering the English language. OOOH! I thought, someone’s going to be in reel truble if Miss Davis sees this. Of course that wasn’t about to happen. The undersides of these desks were only visited by tykes like me whenever the sirens went off announcing another drill. “Quickly Quickly! Under you desks children! Remember Hands over your heads!” 

This was the 1960’s which to today’s generation is the Age of the Dinosaurs. But back then even though I dearly loved Dinosaurs I wasn’t one yet. I was just a kid, one of thirty in my classroom, along with ten other classrooms in my school all staring intently out the window hoping not to see a bright flash. At least when I wasn’t mesmerized by the gum and secret messages above me.

The modern world has come such a long way. We’ve come from scaring the bejesus out of elementary school kids with the threat of nuclear annihilation to scaring the bejesus out of them as they hide huddled in dark corners with the lights out and doors blockaded during lockdown/lockout drills. The dinosaurs are still with us. 

Did you read the Denver Post today? Of course not, you say - who reads Newspapers anymore?!? Like really?!? Well, this old dinosaur for one. I love the look and feel of a real newspaper. Turning the pages on a Sunday morning is an indulgence in pure tactile pleasure. Of course, today being a Monday I read it online (I only get the Sunday paper thrown onto my porch anymore). Shame though, as today’s front page would have been a keeper for the ages. I know some folks who save old editions of newspapers, especially those featuring momentous occasions. Kudos to them - these relics of the past are true dinosaurs - not Tyrannosaurus but rather the cute cuddly ones we like to fondly remember. 

Online or in print the headline was equally startling: “NUCLEAR FORCES ON HIGH ALERT”. Didn’t take the editors long to come up with that one. Of course we’ve lived all these years since the age of the dinosaurs back in the 50’s and 60’s with the deeply repressed awareness that there were missiles with nuclear bombs aimed at us but who gave them much thought? The gum and secret messages of our lives took all of our attention and neither I or any of my classmates ever did see the flash through the window. 

Perhaps you’ve heard of the doomsday clock. The clock was created in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to convey how close humanity is to destroying itself. For the past two years its been set at 100 seconds to midnight (midnight being the point at which all the lights go out for us as Humankind). The 100 second mark is the closest to midnight that the clock has ever registered and reflects a world at risk not just from nuclear destruction but from conventional war, famine, climate change, and yes - COVID. Tell you what, wearing a mask compares not at all to hiding scared under a desk. They haven’t made the adjustment to the clock given today’s headline but if they do I picture a clock with the second hand twitching at a second ‘til like one of those modern wall clocks that needs a new battery. Twitch, twitch, twitch. 

So what happened to get us to this MAD place? If you’re young enough or just not hip with history you perhaps can be excused for not understanding the premise of Mutually Assured Destruction - that if both sides can destroy the other then neither side would dare use nuclear weapons. It assumes of course that both sides will act rationally realizing that nothing can be gained by unleashing their nuclear arsenals. That little black briefcase that is never more than a few feet away from a U.S. President has for all these years been an afterthought like a wallflower at the prom, always there but fading into the background. 

The conundrum occurs when one side no longer acts rationally. I saw a brief clip of Condoleezza Rice acknowledging that Vladimir Putin’s behavior is increasingly erratic and delusional which in my book qualifies as definitely NOT rational. The WHY of Mr. Putin’s irrational behavior will be left to historians to figure out. It could be anything from a tyrannical megalomaniac reaching the point of being convinced of his own omnipotence to something far simpler, but equally dire, in the form of a malady associated with  advancing age.

In our own country we have had Presidents struck with medical issues that were largely kept from the public - Woodrow Wilson is suspected of having a minor stroke that ultimately left him partially paralyzed and Ronald Reagan was dogged by rumors of dementia as early as his campaign and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s after leaving office. In our democracy we have safeguards to protect us should the malady become debilitating - there’s a reason we have Vice Presidents and rules of succession should a Chief Executive and Commander In Chief become too erratic and delusional. The Russian people (I wonder if Russian kids in the 60’s spent much time underneath their desks admiring bubblegum?) should feel much safer because of this. The converse does not seem to be true - who is there (anybody? ANYBODY?) to rein in a Russian leader run amok? 

What will tomorrow’s headline be? Hopefully it will signal a step back from the abyss of nuclear armageddon. In the meantime this dinosaur is going to check on the internet to find a great old movie to take my mind off the madness that surrounds us all. Perhaps I’ll watch the old classic comedy from 1963 “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” where at least I can laugh at a world that no longer exists. Tomorrow I might not have the chance. 

Out of the frying pan...

Out of the frying pan,,, and into the fire. COVID is finally on the wane, at least regarding the Omicron variant and it feels like we are literally starting to breathe freely again sans masks, at least in my neck of the woods. But now we have moved from Pandemic to War. The World just can't seem to catch a break. 

What is it about the early part of the century that seems to sow the seeds for conflict? Only a hundred years ago one World War had just come to a close and another "War to end all Wars" would soon be on the horizon. We haven't even made it out of the 2020's and we're already repeating ourselves. 

What is it about us as a species that seems to cultivate and then tolerate thugs, despots, and tyrants? And what of Russia - no slouch on the tyrant front - Germany certainly had Hitler, but Russia seems to churn out tyrants in a staggeringly rapid succession. Lenin, Stalin, and now Putin stand front and center when it comes to defining tyranny. The Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle defined a Tyrant as a person who rules without, and unrestrained by, law. The fact that they needed to define the word at all tells us that even in their day humanity was already sadly struggling with leaders gone wild. 

There must be something innate in us as Humans that tends toward tyrannical behavior such as a thirst for power and control, indifference to conventional laws or morality, a penchant for lying and deceit, and an almost total lack of empathy for our fellow man. Perhaps it hearkens back to our early evolution, to our earliest fight for survival. Dr. Jean Kim, a psychiatrist writing in Pysychology Today ("Why do People Follow Tyrants? History repeats itself because of human nature") , points out that tyrants are not created in a vacuum, they come to power on the backs of the masses they ultimately disdain. She goes on to argue that its not so much the Tyrant we need to examine - their foibles are on full display for the World to see - as it is the people who ultimately follow and prop up these aberrant individuals and allow them to reach a critical point where they truly can exist outside the mores that govern, and define, civilized people. Its a fascinating read that ends up pointing the finger not only at the tyrant but at all of us for allowing such monsters to exist. 

Most of us have experienced tyrants from childhood on. From the schoolyard bully to abusive relationships in our personal and professional lives who among us hasn't been on the receiving end of some of this type of behavior? I spent much of my career working in Human Resources and in hindsight much of the work done by some of my peers revolved around reconciling such behavior within the needs of the organization. I'm not just mincing words here - Human Resources exists to protect the organization and sadly less enlightened H.R. shops often tolerate absolutely abysmal behavior by those in power under the guise of furthering the perceived interests of the company. I was often reminded that businesses are not democracies which is why long, long ago I concluded that business leadership was but a poor training ground for those aspiring to high government office and public service. Too many executives reach a point, sometimes abetted by their H.R. departments, of believing that they are indeed outside the laws, norms, and mores that govern the behavior of the rest of us.

Not all leaders are tyrants. I have worked for a handful who were the complete opposite of the word. However, Dr. Kim argues that a certain personality type - charismatic and charming but also calculating and cruel - often crops up in positions of power and I'd have to agree in so far as my observations over a 40+ year career saw far more of this type of leadership than the opposite. Extrapolate that to the global scale and I'd argue that there are far more nations leaning towards autocracy than those demonstrating true democratic traits. Folks far, far smarter than I actually study these things: one Washington Post article points out that "...only 15% of the world's population lives in countries where everyone, regardless of gender or socioeconomic status, has roughly equal access to political power." Another article published earlier this year in The Economist breaks the world's governments down this way:

• 23 countries have full democracies
• 52 have flawed democracies
• 35 are hybrid regimes
• 57 have authoritarian regimes

None of this answers the question of what to do about the Tyrant Du Jour: Vladimir Putin. His biography certainly gives strong hints at his ever-increasing belief that he is beyond the laws of men be they those of his own countrymen or those of other nations. We may not like what Mr. Putin is doing today, but none of it should come as a surprise. Still, the work of folks like Dr. Kim does give some insight into why he was allowed to get to this point both by his fellow Russians as well as the rest of the world. And in understanding Mr. Putin and his countrymen we may come away looking to our own shores with increased worry for our own future. And this is truly a deadly serious business.

Deaths attributed to:

COVID (worldwide) 5-6 million

Vladimir Lenin    3-4 million

Joseph Stalin       10-20 million (note that an additional 3-4 million Ukrainians were killed in the

                             Holodomor, a man-made famine engineered by the Soviet government of Joseph 

                             Stalin

Adolph Hitler       15-31 million

Mao Zedong         40-45 million

Vladimir Putin      To be determined

Of Slings and Arrows...

I saw Cupid flying around the other day and he didn't look too happy.

I was out shoveling snow yet again when I saw him and he was kinda cold and kinda shivering. You'd think by now he'd know better than to fly around in February in his skivvies. I mean, look at Santa - there's a dude that knows how to dress for winter. Of course his girth requires a sleigh and eight reindeer just to get him off the ground while ole' Cupid just has to flap his wings and hang onto his bow and arrow.

So tomorrow is the day for romance and roses. Apparently roses became a thing in the 1600's as people tried to emulate Venus - the Goddess of Love - who had a thing for flowers and roses in particular. She thought they stood for strong feelings and so people began to start giving roses to

show their love. From there its morphed into what it is today where Americans spend about $2 billion on valentines day flowers with 250 million roses produced just for this special day. 

Of course chocolate and candy are also important on this special day adding an additional $1.8 billion in the U.S. That's a whole lot of sweetie sweetness getting doled out. Interestingly, Americans also spend almost $900 million on Valentines gifts just for their pets. Anyway, you get the idea that this day of love translates to big business - in total, we'll rack up more than $20 billion in Cupid-related spending. I wonder if Mister Cupid is getting a cut of the action. I hope so - given his advanced age I hope he has a robust 401(K).

And what of the little guy himself? Cupido in Latin means passionate desire and mythology suggests

that Cupid is the offspring of our aforementioned love Goddess Venus and Mars, the God of war. Well, they do say opposites attract. Love and War, the proverbial Yin and Yang of human civilization. One of my dear friends perhaps puts it more succinctly - "happy wife, happy life" or perhaps to be more politically correct - "happy spouse, happy house". 

Here's a Cupid quiz - what kinds of arrows does Cupid carry? It is said that he carries two types of arrows - one with a sharp golden point and one with a tip made of lead. When struck by the golden arrow one is filled with 

uncontrollable desire whereas a strike with the leaden tip fills  one with aversion and a desire to flee. Way (way, way) back in the day Apollo, among other things the god of archery, taunted Cupid on his bow and arrow skills to which Cupid replied by promptly shooting Apollo with the golden arrow but then strikes the object of Apollo's newfound desire - Daphne - with the lead one leading Daphne to want to have nothing to do with the very handsome, but now rather bothersome Apollo. Unwilling to put up with Apollo's unwanted advances Daphne prays for relief from her father - the river god Peneus - who turns her into - what else (this is after all Greek mythology) - a tree. And from there it was all downhill for poor Apollo, at least as far as love is concerned. 

Here's hoping YOUR valentines holiday goes much smoother than poor Apollo's. Flowers and candy -

there are worse ways to enjoy a holiday. And hey, where would we all be save for romance? There are not a lot of flowers blooming in my neck of the woods this time of year but still, I do appreciate a beautiful blossom. Here's a special Valentine's Day wish from our garden to yours. May your days be merry and bright... oops, wrong holiday. Lets try that again with something I'll be sharing with my wife:

Roses are red

Violets are blue

The best day of my life

was when I met you

Ho Hum

Are you watching the Olympics? Yeah, me neither.

Well, that’s not quite correct. I have tuned in occasionally. Like last night I caught Mikaela skiing for five seconds and then sitting inconsolably on the side of the course for twenty five minutes after not finishing her slalom run on a slope made almost entirely of fake snow in a country intent on not allowing us to see anything other than what they want us to see. As sad as I feel for Mikaela’s heartache, that view of her sitting disconsolately head on knees must be sending the folks in the Chinese propaganda machine into spasms of glee. Contrast that image with the American-born Big Air skier Eileen Gu winning the Gold not for Team USA but for the People’s Republic of China. A study in contrasts and not to America’s benefit by any stretch. 

To be fair, Eileen’s motivations for representing the nation of her birth mother seem sincere and well-intentioned but still it was a tad jarring to see an American (she was born in San Francisco) lofting the Gold Medal wearing the uniform of Team China. She is still naive enough to believe that international sport can be divorced from politics but her situation drives home the opposite conclusion which is that sport at this level and in this venue is politics, at least in her circumstance. The reality is that the same Chinese propaganda machine which is tickled pink at Mikaela’s  stumbles on the snow will try to use Eileen’s triumph to their every advantage. I hazard a guess that the American part of Eileen’s persona will balk at that attempted control and I fear that her momentary glory (“they’re never going to know what it feels like to win an Olympic medal”) may be short lived as she tries to walk the tightrope of her dual allegiances.

So, did you wonder where the Sports Psychologist for the U.S. Ski team was as Mikaela spoke to the NBC commentator at the bottom of the course and questioned the last 15 years of her skiing career? Athletes egos are fragile things and when confidence is shaken its tough to get it back especially given the enormous pressure these world-class competitors are under. Mikaela doesn’t often fail which may make it more difficult for her to bounce back. Perhaps the ski racing world needs to take a lesson from the Big Air skiers. Spectacular falls are not uncommon in Big Air and the skiers are used to dusting themselves off, picking up their skis and heading back up the hill to do it all again. I know- its just that easy… and just that hard. Mikaela will rebound which is why we love her… not for never failing, nor just for winning, but for getting back into the starting gate and being brave enough to throw herself back down the hill. She may not win Gold at these Olympics, though she still has several more opportunities to do so, but that does not diminish the winner she has already proven herself to be. Eileen’s Olympic glory may be short lived but Mikaela’s time spent sitting and contemplating on the snow may ultimately reap benefits for her that will last for the next 15 years of her career. And that may be something worth watching.

February's chilly reception: Cupid needs a parka and mittens

For those not in the know,
Leadville is one of THE
places to watch Burro
racing in the summer

There's a chill in the air and its name is February. I firmly believe Denver gets its coldest temps in the second month of the year. I remember as a kid watching my dad repair frozen water pipes when the mercury hit 14 below in the month more typically celebrated for romance and love. This year again Cupid needs some mittens and a parka if he's coming to town. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow when they dragged the little fella out of his cozy warm burrow which apparently means six more weeks of winter so if I was a chubby cherub I wouldn't be scampering around in my undies that's for sure. 

February derives its name from the Roman festival of Februa during which people were ritually washed. My Polar Bear plunges into icy cold water are a long, long way behind me so I'll take a pass on any recreation of this month's namesake. Still, February is a busy month. Apart from Valentines there is also Presidents' Day and its also Black History month which this year got off to a less than auspicious start when apparently six juveniles (delinquents? domestic terrorists? what best fits nowadays?) made multiple bomb threats to several HBCU's (historically Black colleges and universities). Not exactly any way to show love to your fellow man. I like the way Karyn Parsons (writer, actor, and lead in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) phrased it back in 2014: "Black history isn't a separate history. This is all of our history, this is American history, and we need to understand that." Clearly we still have much to learn and as I get older I'm more and more convinced that the definition of wisdom is the appreciation of just how little we really know.

I like to learn new things. There's not much in this old world that doesn't pique my curiosity. Recently I was way, way out of my element as I took a tour of a doll house. Yup, a doll house. Not just any doll house mind you, but an effort (fittingly) of love and passion by a master craftswoman (there's a word you don't hear nearly enough) that was years in the making. Madeleine is this craftswoman's name and you can watch a video tour of her creation below. She's also an accomplished artist and I wish I had a small iota of the talent that she has. 

Speaking of learning, I'm also taking a pottery class (boy, if saying that doesn't make me feel my age I don't know what does) as well as learning to make stained glass. I mean, what else are you supposed to do when its 15-20 below? The great thing is I find myself around folks far more talented than I and I'm hoping some of that talent might rub off on me. I know, I know, wishful thinking... Still, it gets the creative juices flowing which is never a bad thing and its just plain fun to spend time with a bunch of people doing something they, yes - love. And just to stay current and hip with what's going on in the real world Adele's Vegas Show cancellation fiasco has motivated me to learn one of her songs on the guitar so when the snow is falling you'll find me Rolling in the Deep.

Like I said, February is a busy month. I'll let Punxsutawney Phil get back to his hibernation but I'm going to put those next six weeks of winter to good use. I mean, how else am I supposed to stay warm?

I was out in the frigid cold changing
the batteries on my weather station
and captured this pic of the
frost on the window of our
garden shed... BRRRRRRR....