A R C H I V E

The American embassy in Tehran was a massive, walled, impenetrable compound symbolizing America’s power in the Middle East. More secure than Fort Knox, it was completely inaccessible except for those granted entry by means of personal connection, bribery, or important official business.

Nonetheless, at the age of sixteen, with nothing to lose in the hellish environment in which I found myself, I walked alone into the American embassy and asked to see a counselor, with whom I spoke in Persian (since I spoke no English) and – alas! – walked out with a visa to America.

Ten years later, the Shah fell from power and the Ayatollah’s henchmen took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Meanwhile, having shown up to America with nary a friend, family, or command of the English language, I spent the loneliest and most difficult ten years of my life trying to become acclimated to the language and culture of my new country.

The hard lesson learned back then, to be repeated again and again throughout my life, is that once we commit, doors open, dormant forces awaken, connections are made, and an alchemical synchronicity blossoms, lighting up new and unforeseen pathways.

So it has been with both the launch of City Club in 2005 and Highland Institute less than two years ago i.e. two more examples of commitments marked by giant leaps, without clear plans or adequate resources, but with an underlying trust in and dedication to the vision. Think of it as Cortez “burning the boats.”

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After four decades of designing, building, and renovating Highland, our community consists of hundreds of Members. Although our current Membership represents half of what we ultimately envision for our Club, it is nonetheless a large enough base on which to build an ideal self-sustaining community of passionate and caring members.

They say “it takes decades of hard work to have overnight success.” It took Moses forty years of wandering in the desert before he found the promised land. Similarly, we have been striving to create our “ideal community” for forty years, and are still excited about the idea every day.

With our culture well established, Highland Institute successfully launched, and Dustin fully in charge of the Club’s operations, we are now focused on growing our membership without compromising our quality, aesthetics, or culture. Therefore, I am soliciting your help to reach out to potential new member candidates in your network, and invite them for a tour and lunch as a guest of the Club.

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De·tente /dāˈtänt/ noun.

the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries.

En·tente /änˈtänt/ noun.

a friendly understanding or informal alliance between states or factions.

During the post-WWII Cold War between America and the Soviet Union, the two sides played a game of chicken by targeting thousands of nuclear bombs at one another, thereby ensuring mutual destruction in case of war. During the ensuing detente, America helped defeat the Soviet Union, characterized by President Ronald Reagan as “An Evil Empire,” by outspending, outsmarting, and outlasting this adversary.

Adopting the old adage that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” the current entente between Putin’s Russia and Xi’s China is alarming in the short term and dangerous in the long term. Add Iran to the equation and the dynamics might finally compel us to abandon our internal bickering and reunite as a nation to confront this external threat.

While a lone wolf is unable to take down a bear, a pack of three wolves can. Given that the Russian army is amassed on the Ukraine border, that China continues to violate Taiwan’s airspace, and that Iran has repeatedly made clear its nuclear threat towards America's ally Israel, our country’s military attention is now split three-ways, representing a potential stretch that poses a growing threat to America’s 75-year hegemony as leader of the international order.

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As with most worthwhile endeavors, the May 2020 launch of the Highland Institute for the Advancement of Humanity, at the outset of a global pandemic, came about after significant effort and by overcoming many obstacles.

Just as proud parents behold a newborn baby with both hope and looming responsibility, we see Highland Institute’s future as bright, even though the manner and speed of its growth are naturally uncertain. However, we do believe we have a good start in the Institute’s descriptive name, its powerful Manifesto, and its beautiful home here at Highland. A major goal for next year is to establish and nurture an Advisory Board for Highland Institute.

While we hope and strive to position Highland Institute to make a small dent in the universe, we are also aware of countervailing forces, just as in our beloved Star Wars movie giving rise to an appreciation of the power of the Dark Force.

Since its inception, Highland Institute’s short but colorful history has attracted a certain amount of negative attention by being labeled as Racist, Sexist, and Elitist. In fact, as many of you know, Highland has been the target of vandals e.g. building egged, wires cut, and graffiti sprayed with “Racist,” “Eat the Rich,” and “Kill the Cops,” among other messages. Add to this a few personal anti-semitic and xenophobic labels, and all of a sudden, labels lose their force, leaving us with the overall message that Highland Institute is finally on the map!

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Members too young to have watched “The Network” can get the gist of the movie by watching this two minute clip as we ask ourselves whether it’s finally time to get mad as hell and agree “we are not going to take it anymore.”

“The only constant is change.” Change is cyclical. Clocks move. The pendulum swings, constantly oscillating between potential and kinetic energy. Our Founding fathers knew about cyclical rhythms, thus designing our political system to accommodate ongoing changes from liberal to conservative, from left to right.

The Great Depression, sandwiched between two bloody world wars, demonstrated how grueling life can be. But the past 75 years of relative global peace and prosperity have softened us, and distorted our perspective on the noble path.

When a nation spends more time arguing whether the cornerstone of our nation was laid in 1776 or 1619, as a tribute to liberty or slavery; when children are taught Critical Race Theory rather than lessons about our country’s Constitution; when our government engages in irresponsible spending even as it interferes with every aspect of our lives, we become inured to certain social pathologies e.g. each year more Americans die from drug overdose than the combination of suicide, homicide, and auto accidents.

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My dad was fortunate to get a high school education, and to build a small fortune with an abacus as his primary tool. In 1970 I enrolled in CU’s Engineering School, armed with the very slide rule technology that was used by NASA to calculate the trajectory of the rocket that landed a man on the moon.

Shortly thereafter, during my sophomore year, Intel launched the 4004 microprocessor, which was literally a computer carved onto silicon, with a processing speed of 92,000 calculations per second. I remember buying my HP35 calculator for $395, staying up all night to learn how to use it, and feeling empowered to be on the cutting edge of technology.

Fast forward 50 years, and my new Apple computer with the M1 Max processor has 57 billion transistors, and is capable of doing 10.4 trillion floating-point operations a second -- a billion-fold increase in computing power!

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During the decades-long history of owning Highland, we have strived to develop many aspects of this historic landmark, including our beautiful interiors, award winning gardens, nourishing food, eclectic art, and friendly service.

In addition to the above, in the past two decades we have tried to develop what we call an Idea Lab to house, grow and invest in entrepreneurs and the companies they launch. Although we have had our fair share of small success, none has been interesting and unique enough to share with our members, until now. So going forward, we plan to feature some of the companies housed at Highland, starting with Rasa this week.

Lopa van der Merch launched Rasa at Highland, and we have had the privilege of watching it take off like a rocketship. As you can see in her Member Bio elsewhere in this newsletter, Lopa is a Superwoman. In fact, other than Israeli actress Gal Gadot, Lopa would be my favorite candidate to play Wonder Woman.

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Even as our politicians strive to figure out creative and equitable ways to tax the rich, ensuring the wealthy pay their “fair share” of taxes, they have actually mastered the art of taxing the poor.

Inflation is a tax on the poor. The rich are often protected from inflation as they own so-called “hard assets'' like real estate and stocks, the price of which naturally increases to reflect the inflationary effect. But not so the poor who must constantly play catch-up just to ensure their wage increases keep up with inflation in order to even maintain their modest standard of living.

Every four decades or so the pendulum of power swings, often painfully, between Capital and Labor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ended the era of the Robber Barons and thereby empowered Labor through strengthening the Unions. Nearly 40 years later President Ronald Reagan strengthened the role of Capital by lowering taxes, while weakening the role of Labor by firing the unionized air traffic controllers. With the top 1% now owning more than 50% of the wealth in this country, the balance of power is likely shifting again to Labor, a transition that could once again be painful.

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Constitution of United States of America 1789 (rev. 1992)

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It took over ten years of research, debate and discussion amongst multiple groups of City Club members before we finally decided to launch Highland Institute for the Advancement of Humanity.

Although at the outset we had no clue what an institute is, let alone how to launch a successful one, we were in fact certain that the task at hand would be arduous, and the road ahead long and difficult.

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Psalm 137:5. If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

Considered holy by the three major Abrahamic religions, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and attacked 52 times. From Egyptians to Persians, from Romans to the British, it seems every empire has tried to conquer and rule Jerusalem, in vain.

As he sat in his box at Ford’s Theater waiting for the play to start, Abraham Lincoln reportedly said to his wife,”How I should like to visit Jerusalem sometime.”

So where is Jerusalim or, should we ask, what is Jerusalim and why is it that, thousands of years later, so many people are still not only drawn to it, but are willing to sacrifice their lives for it?

Two major factors are responsible for transition of power between empires: a major event like war, pandemic, economic collapse, and/or a natural disaster; and a major technological innovation. Major wars are fought over time and often include a defining battle that turns the tide.

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Humans strive for unity in a universe that is built on dualities.

We are divided as men and women, rich and poor, liberal and conservative. Some date America’s founding to 1776, others to 1619; a few are woke, many are not.

Division has been built into America’s fabric since the time of Jefferson and Hamilton, though its intensity varies over time, from truly divided during the Civil War, to generally united after Pearl Harbor. At times, certain events like foreign geopolitical wars and domestic political assassinations, or topics like abortion and race relations, further widen the divide.

What’s great about America is its ability to produce leaders who can define, articulate, educate and guide us through these transitions. Think Abraham Lincoln. Think Bob Dylan. Are we pro- or anti-slavery, for or against abortion? In short, our right to express is more important than the specifics of what we are expressing -- so let the sunshine through the cracks that divide us.

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One of the most widely known and quoted lines in modern English, "To be, or not to be" is the opening phrase of William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. In the speech, Hamlet contemplates death and suicide, bemoaning the pain and unfairness of life, but acknowledging that the alternative might be worse.

Almost every conscious human being may have at least thought about the subject of suicide. In fact, every year, nearly 45,000 Americans commit suicide; by comparison, the number of violent homicides is under 20,000 per year!

This brings up the existential question: what is the meaning of life?

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Approaching old age, I find so much to be thankful for, from good health to financial security, but most of all I am thankful for my son Dustin who finds his immigrant father’s plans and ideas worthy of his efforts to manage and grow.

This brings up the question of how to let go of power, which is the classic issue of all father and son relationships; so complex it is the subject of many Greek tragedies and Shakespearian plays. Adding to this complexity is the reality of our working together sixty hours a week during a pandemic; a dynamic that on its own can rapidly devolve into conflict.

After decades of study and preparation for a time like this, I have decided to invoke George Washington as a role model. Washington was immortalized, not because he was the best tactical fighter since Alexander the Great, Napoleon and Eisenhower were better fighting generals. No, what made Washington eternal was his willingness and ability to cede force and thereby gain even more power. We are past the tipping point.

Dustin is now in charge and, with our succession plan nearly complete, Highland will be in good hands for another 43 years.

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In a speech on June 19, 1886, the then 37-year-old Lord Randolph Churchill (father of Winston) addressed the ambition and “racist hate-speech” of his opponent with a warning to his audience to “be aware of gratifying the ambition of an old man in a hurry.”

Since January 6, 2021, violent attack on Congress, even many diehard Trump fans were heartened by the man’s pending departure as they anticipated president-elect Joe Biden would usher in a period of peace and civility to our country.

The many Americans who voted for Biden did so in the hope that Biden’s mandate-less victory would translate into a sort of caretaker presidency and thereby allow the country to heal from its greatest period of divisiveness since the Civil War.

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“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”

— Winston Churchill.

Although the greed, waste, rape and pillage of our planet and its environment is a stain on Capitalism, its productivity makes it the best among all the other flawed systems. Rising tides lift all boats, no matter how choppy the sea. So the question is, how do we improve Capitalism, instead of trying to replace it.

Since the end of WW1 and, in part, due to the Great Depression, Americans have toyed with the idea of Communism and Socialism, striving to find a possible alternative to our current flawed system.

As we envision the ideal of a Peaceable Kingdom, where the lion and the lamb lay together, and the fox and the chicken coexist, we must also recognize the reality that the human condition is fundamentally flawed, as well as all the systems invented to date to govern ourselves.

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For two years in a row, US News and World Report has declared Boulder the most livable city in America. In addition to its three hundred-plus days of sunshine and its proximity to an international airport, Boulder’s diversity in culture and education are major factors in this designation. Scientists and athletes, artists and businessmen, socialists and communists, revolutionaries and anarchists, Boulder has them all, and more.

Revolutionaries and anarchists share a common belief that the current system is inefficient, unjust, and/or corrupt, and thus must be changed or replaced. Revolutionaries often envision an alternative system, however idealistic, for a better world and thereby recruit allies in an attempt to change the system, either peacefully from within, or by force from without. The American Revolution and the Boston Tea Party come to mind.

Anarchists, however, are driven by a notion that the system is so irredeemably bad, it should be brought down and destroyed at any cost, in the belief any alternative would be better than the existing one. Think of the French Revolution and the Guillotine.

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If we are lucky, the patina of life slowly develops as we experience losses, big and small. Each loss, failure or setback leaves its distinct mark, a collective sheen that eventually develops into the patina called wisdom.

Youth has a propensity towards ideals, purity and perfection. The young envision the ideal world of eternal happiness, constant progress, the ever-blooming garden, and the ageless lover. It is the storybook world of the handsome prince on a white horse carrying the beautiful virgin to a happy-ever-after utopia.

In the midst of planning our ideal life, however, life has plans of its own for us, often hard, and at times brutal.

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City Club is no longer the best-kept secret in town. When potential new members ask me to describe City Club, and the profile of the ideal member, I tell them “City Club is a Securus Locus where black sheep can feel comfortable being who they are.” Black, white, rich, poor, old, young, gay, straight, Republicans and Democrats alike feel safe here.

Imagine this scenario: There you are dressed to the T, as you and your spouse attend an elegant social gathering, spending most of the night talking with two very different invited guests.

The first is an almost too good looking guest who proceeds to tell you how great life is, that he graduated Harvard law, made a small fortune at Goldman Sachs, and then, having started a tech company in his four-car garage, exited that venture with a nine-figure package, all on his way to an anticipated net worth of a billion dollars by age 50. He, with his wife, have a real estate portfolio including six houses, from Main to Hawaii, each worth over $10M. He adds that they vacation at Martha’s Vineyard every summer with their golden retriever and their 2.2 kids.

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Saigon 1975; Tehran 1979; Kabul 2021; Taiwan….

In July of 64 A.D., a great fire ravaged Rome for six days, destroying 70% of the city and leaving half its population homeless. Rome’s emperor at the time, the decadent and unpopular Nero, “fiddled while Rome burned,” forever acting as a poster child for all incompetent leaders in times of crisis.

The American Exceptionalism, gained by and paid for with much blood and treasure, is once again at great risk. At a time of great need for unity and Socratic discussions, our political, corporate and university leaders promote “Cancel Culture,” and “Critical Race Theory.” While Anarchists start deadly riots in our streets, some advocate defunding our police. While our economy struggles with inflation and labor shortages, our Government pays people not to work, continuing to pump Trillions of dollars into our economy, hoping to put out inflationary fires by throwing more money at it.

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All politics is local.

Charity starts at home.

Don’t get mad; get even, through your engagement.

Global warming is real, is here, and is hugely disruptive. We just saw a devastating thousand-year flood in Belgium and Germany. The Chinese are drowning in pollution, but China keeps adding one coal-burning power plant per week. Siberia’s current 190 wildfires are bigger than all the world’s other blazes combined, and the resulting pollution will soon affect Alaska. Last week, our own Colorado air was so toxic, it was hard to go outside, yet depressing to remain indoors.

The feeling of helplessness, anger, and victimization helps no one or solves anything. Personal action, however, regardless of its immediate effectiveness, is the key to empowerment. It makes us feel involved, in charge, and a player.

After months of planning and preparation, we are honored to host Congressman Joe Neguse to speak to us about Climate Change Induced Infernos: A Call To Action. This online-only live broadcast event will take place from 6 pm to 7 pm next Tuesday, August 31st, 2021.

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