Traveling to the Past

By Madeleine Kando

If you are one of our faithful readers who might be wondering why I haven't posted for a while, rest assured: I haven’t expired or gotten sick, which would be a valid reason for not posting (and not such a far-fetched possibility at my age).

Granted, my regularity of posting has dwindled over the previous year: pressure of working seven days a week and so on. (That’s a lie, I am happily retired). It couldn’t be blogger’s block since writing is something I enjoy, (to the chagrin of some of you, who are more sensitive to the mediocrity of my writing).

The truth is, my silence is due to a side step into my past. A friend of mine (whose name will rename undisclosed) let me borrow his time machine and I landed in Hungary at the turn of the 20th century. This was not a random choice, mind you. I wanted to find out what the hell by grandparents were up to.

While I was away, I discovered that living in the present is not the only option we have. Despite the horrors of that time - a lot of wars and dead bodies floating in the Danube - taking a break from the present can be invigorating. Living in the past is a lot safer, since you don’t have to make choices of who to vote for, what to spend your money on or which college to send your kids to. It has already been decided for you. And it is much less stressful since you know what the outcome will be, good or bad.

Of course there is the ever-present looming shadow of regret, but regret is not the past. It is the present. Come to think of it, the present is an awfully stressful, high blood pressure raising demon. Think about it. Don’t we all try to find a break from the present? Even the chipmunks with their cheeks full of seeds and the birds fighting for a perch on my birdfeeders take a break from the ever present. It’s called sleeping.

So, if you are suffering from Trumpitis, Harrisitis, Tendonitis or Presentitis, take my advice. Go visit the past. Not only will it give you a well-deserved vacation, but you might actually come back with a suitcase full of stuff that you thought you had lost forever. leave comment here Read more...

Who Owns the American Flag?

Tom Kando

The MAGA people seem to claim a monopoly of our flag. The Trump rallies always host thousands of star-spangled banners. Maga people’s cars float Old Glory and display the flag in conspicuous bumper stickers. The Trump presidential campaign features innumerable US flags. And let’s not forget the dozens of Stars and Stripes in the hands of the insurrectionists on January 6 (along with several Confederate flags, by the way - something better called treason than patriotism). 

Obviously Trump and his supporters feel that they own patriotism. They claim to be the true Americans. They claim to be America’s true owners. They seem to view this as an entitlement. 

But I’m thinking: How come the Harris campaign doesn’t behave likewise? Why aren’t the multitudes at Kamala Harris’ and Tim Walz’s rallies also carrying thousands of US flags? MAGA doesn’t own America. Nor do Republicans love America more than do Democrats. 

I am a naturalized citizen. My wife and I are both Democrats and we honor the flag as much as Republicans do. My wife is an Air Force brat. Her father signed up with the Navy a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was seventeen. Later, he moved over to the Air Force. The family spent the next few decades moving from base to base. They spent several years at Offutt Air Force Base, SAC headquarters, outside Omaha. He was a B52 tail gunner, flying nuclear bombs. My brother-in-law was in the national guard. Several other relatives of ours had military careers. 

I myself did not serve in the military. Does that make me less patriotic? Trump didn’t serve either. And does the fact that I was not born in the US make me less patriotic? 

Most of the MAGA patriots were born in the US, and they claim to be more truly patriotic than immigrants such as myself. But you know what: Those MAGA patriots could be called “accidental Americans,” since their US birth was not their decision. My patriotism, on the other hand, is demonstrated by the fact that I CHOSE to become an American. leave comment here

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America and the Olympics. How the U.S. Does it

Tom Kando 

Once again we went through an Olympics dominated by the US. 

I am not writing this piece to engage in chauvinism. Nor do I need to rehash the various obvious explanations for America’s advantage, such as population size and wealth. In a previous post (see Olympics), I showed that in proportion to population, small countries do much better than large ones: In 2016, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Denmark and Slovenia were all in the top ten medal winners. The US ranked #39 in the world, and China ranked #77. 

Bu now, I want to suggest a factor which has not been focused upon very much, namely the uniquely American DUAL system of athletic achievement: 

In the US, athletic achievement is cultivated and rewarded (1) at the amateur level in schools, and (2) at the professional level. 

To my knowledge, no other country has such a dual reward system. Of course, many countries have vibrant amateur sports, and in many countries the government supports athletics. The most extreme form of this was the Soviet model. Throughout much of the twentieth century, the USSR and East Germany used to garner the highest number of medals because sports were supported so lavishly by their government. Today, China probably provides generous government support for sports, as do probably many other countries as well. 

Clearly, the more money is spent on sports and on athletic training by a given country - from whatever source - the more medals that country will garner. 

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