Risk & Associates County Civil - June 2020

Risk & Associates County Civil - June 2020

COUNTYCIVIL.COM

JUNE 2020

Rocking Out Like It’s the ‘60s

RICK ON HIS EXPERIENCE PLAYING ROCK MUSIC

W ith World Music Day on June 21, I couldn’t let that slip by without talking about one of my favorite topics: classic rock ‘n’ roll. As a drummer who played actively in venues across the Michigan area as a kid, I adored the music scene and rock from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. I’m talking about the greats of rock ballads, like The Guess Who and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I still play all the music I played back then. From records and CDs to USBs, I’ve always taken great care to preserve these soundtracks to my life. I’ve always been an adventurous, ambitious guy. As a 12-year-old, I pretended to be much older than I actually was. I played in bars, concert venues, weddings, and more with a bunch of my friends. My parents knew, too! They even attended multiple times. As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, I was a bit of a teenage delinquent, and music was a more productive way to spend my time. My parents encouraged my music endeavors, and in the end, their support helped me a lot. For one, it helped me understand how important support and flexibility would be to my life. They attended my concerts, but of course, my parents were more into the ‘50s stuff, like Doo-wop genre songs. Back in those days, we had

records playing in our house all the time. You’d sit around and play records because there was nothing else to do! Some of my fondest memories as a kid were having conversations with my parents about how talented performers were. Many celebrities had to entertain in several different ways to get really big, like sing, dance, act, etc. We loved talking about that, and I always strive to keep learning in my fields. Second, music has always been soothing for me. It promotes emotional reflection, whether you’re a kid or an adult. Heavy metal didn’t exist in my day — not to knock it down — but the rock ballads and their stories heavily shaped my perspective of music. They didn’t repeat verses as often as modern songs do today, which gave space for longer, more developed narrative verses, which I like. You probably wouldn’t have guessed I was in a rock band by looking at me today, but if you saw me back then, you would’ve known right away. I was a total hippie kid back in the day: long hair, beard, the whole deal. When my kids see pictures, they barely see any resemblance to me. It’s funny because my journey into law enforcement from my hippie days was basically overnight. I remember it clearly: I cut my hair, cleaned my beard,

and signed up for law enforcement college all in one day. I picked up my then-girlfriend from school, and she walked right past me because she didn’t recognize me. Music got me through a lot of tough times, but I knew when to move on from the band life. I didn’t pursue it because I wasn’t good enough to do it for the rest of my life, but I still enjoy it enough to keep it as part of my life. I always keep classic rock radio blasting on my commutes to work, and I still play the drums occasionally! We have a set of drums, and while I’m not proficient, my sons all play guitar, and two of them even play drums. I hope you and yours celebrate June with some awesome music, or maybe some good old tunes you’ve forgotten about. The right song can transport you to any point in your life, no matter how old you are. But if you’re looking for something from my time, check out “These Eyes” by The Guess Who — my absolute favorite song by my favorite band. If you don’t know much about The Guess Who or want to brush up on your music knowledge, check out the inside of this newsletter for your next music trivia night. Have a lovely and safe June, friends. -Rick Risk

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History of the Pepsi Fleet

Coke or Pepsi?

Rubles, the Soviet currency, were worthless internationally. To get around this, the Soviets traded PepsiCo Stolichnaya vodka in exchange for the cola. This deal was great for both parties until the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the United States boycotted Soviet products, including vodka. If the USSR wanted to keep its supply of sweet cola, then they would need to give PepsiCo something else. That’s when the Soviets offered up part of their naval fleet. In exchange for $3 billion worth of Pepsi, the Soviet Union traded 17 submarines, a cruiser, a frigate, and a destroyer. This trade made PepsiCo the sixth most powerful naval military in the world. The deal was reported in a 1989 New York Times article, which included a quote from the CEO of PepsiCo to the United States’ national security advisor: “We’re disarming the Soviet Union faster than you are.” PepsiCo quickly sold the fleet to a Swedish company for scrap recycling, but for a few days, Pepsi had the potential to become the ultimate victor in the cola wars.

This is one of the oldest brand wars in the world, but

these days, most of us are willing to settle for whichever soda is available. But if you happened to be

in the Soviet Union during the 1980s, Pepsi was the soda of choice. The Soviets loved Pepsi so much that they were willing to make PepsiCo a naval superpower in order to get more of that refreshing, sugary beverage.

In 1972, PepsiCo secured a deal to sell Pepsi syrup to the USSR, where it would be bottled locally. Not only did this deal make Pepsi the first Western product to be sold in the USSR, but it also locked The Coca-Cola Company out of the market, giving PepsiCo a monopoly. But before the deal could be finalized, the Soviets needed to figure out how to pay for the cola syrup.

A Band by Any Other Name 62 Years With The Guess Who

“These eyes have seen a lot of loves But they’re never gonna see another one like I had with you.”

(drums, backing vocals). In 1958, the band was originally called Allan and the Silvertones. This was eventually changed to Chad Allan and the Reflections and later Chad Allan & the Expressions. By 1965, the band had yet to gain much international recognition — perhaps due to their ongoing identity crisis. To combat this, the group’s label Quality Records credited their single “Shakin’ All Over” to just “Guess Who?” This was a popular marketing strategy to build mystique around the record and imply the band was already a well-known group. Even after Quality Records revealed who the band was, radios across Canada and the United States would still introduce the group as Guess Who?, and the name stuck. Over the years, members of the band would come and go, but the group always created

and performed. Through the 1970s, The Guess Who released a number of Top 40 hits in Canada, many of which would become international hits. A few of their most well- known songs include “No Time,” “American Woman,” and “These Eyes,” a personal favorite of Rick’s. In 1987, The Guess Who was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The Guess Who is still performing music today. After a two-decade hiatus, The Guess Who released their latest album, “The Future IS What It Used To Be,” in 2018. Is their new stuff as good as the songs from the ‘70s? That’s a matter of opinion. But if you want to get a taste of The Guess Who, we recommend the album, “The Best of The Guess Who.” It includes many of their greatest hits, including “These Eyes.”

— “These Eyes” by The Guess Who

The ‘60s and ‘70s were full of great bands and musicians who redefined music. Bands like Pink Floyd, The Beatles, and Grateful Dead made their mark, but there’s one band from Winnipeg, Canada, that blended pop- rock and psychedelic rock to write some of the greatest love ballads of all time: The Guess Who. Founded by singer/guitarist Chad Allen in 1958, the original group was made up of musicians who, like Allen, were from Winnipeg: Bob Ashley (keyboards), Randy Bachman (guitars, backing vocals), Jim Kale (bass, backing vocals), and Garry Peterson

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Don’t Forget These Important Documents! ABOUT TO RENEW YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE?

As we enter June, we have high hopes that life will be returning to normal. You might need to spend time in a courthouse or DMV, once it’s safe to do so again. Perhaps your driver’s license expired or your vehicle registration lapsed during the pandemic. If this is the case, make sure you bring the right paperwork and documents with you in order to successfully renew your license or registration. DRIVER’S LICENSE RENEWAL You can renew your license online, by mail, or in person at the DMV. If you are renewing in person, you will need your current license or some other form of identification, and your Social Security number. Be prepared to take a vision exam, have your photo taken, and pay the Michigan driver’s license fee at the time of renewal. If your driver’s license has expired or been enhanced, suspended, lost, or stolen, you will need to bring additional documents in order to get a replacement. These include: • An acceptable form of ID (including U.S. Military ID card, a government-issued ID card, or a U.S. passport) • Proof of Social Security number (such as Social Security card or W-2 form) • Proof of address (such as utility bill or bank statement)

• Proof of presence (including a valid U.S. passport or certified birth certificate) PLATE RENEWAL

In order to renew the license plates on your vehicles, you must provide the following documentation:

• Renewal notice OR old registration • Proof of Michigan no- fault insurance • Your driver’s license You should also be prepared to pay any fees at the time of renewal. Keep in mind that if your license plate is 10 years old or older, you

will have to select a brand-new plate as a replacement.

SUMMER BARBECUE SUNSHINE GEMINI FATHER’S DAY BEACH

HOT PEARL ROSE SOLSTICE

GRILL PRIDE

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2383 Tamarack St., Lake Odessa, MI 48849 616-374-7170 | COUNTYCIVIL.COM R isk & A ssociates

Rick Risk is Founder and President of Risk & Associates, a legal support service provider in Michigan, and has assisted hundreds of attorneys, municipalities, courts, Sheriff Offices, businesses, and others with their strategic process needs.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Playing Rock Music in the ‘60s and ‘70s

Care for a Pepsi, Comrade? Guess Who? Going to the DMV? Bring These Documents! Have the Olympics Ever Been Postponed Before?

Times the Olympics Were Canceled AND THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE 2020 TOKYO GAMES

In late March, amid the global spread of COVID-19, the International Olympic Committee announced the

postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games. They were slated to take place in Tokyo, Japan, this summer, but they will now happen in the summer of 2021. While this is an unprecedented decision, it’s not the first time that major global events have affected the Olympic Games or which countries participated. Since the inception of the modern Olympic Games in 1896, they have been outright canceled three times — 1916, 1940, and 1944. The first cancellation of the Olympic Games happened during World War I. The German Empire was supposed to host the games in Berlin, but by the time 1916 rolled around, Europe was deep in the trenches of WWI. Many nations had sent their athletes to fight in the war, so the games were canceled. World War II caused the next two cancellations. The 1940 Olympics were initially scheduled to be held in Tokyo. It would have been the first time the games were hosted by a non-Western country, but Japan forfeited the right to host when they invaded China in 1937. The games were then rebooked for Helsinki, Finland, but after Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and started WWII, those games were scrapped as well. Since the fighting hadn’t ceased by the time

the games were supposed to happen in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in 1944, the Olympics were canceled again.

Though the Olympics have happened on schedule since the end of WWII, the United States has not always participated. In 1980, when the U.S. boycotted the Olympics that were

held in Moscow, Russia, in protest of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, 64 other nations followed suit. However, those games still went on as planned and 80 countries participated. The fact that major global conflicts are the only other events that have been catastrophic enough to affect the Olympics might be distressing and elevate anxiety about our current global health crisis. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the Olympics have only been postponed this time, not canceled. We’ll still get to cheer on our favorite Olympians next year.

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