Comment to
http://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/opinion/sunday/why-is-this-hate-different-from-all-other-hate.html?comments#permid=22009533
Many Americans consider themselves to be Swedish or Italian or Polish because of where their grandparents or earlier were born, but are they really? I have four great-grandparents born in England and four who were born in Germany or in what is now Poland.
But I do not consider myself English, German, or Polish. I consider myself American. I grew up here, my parents grew up here, and my grandparents grew up here. Actually one grandmother was born in Schliesen, now part of Poland, but she went to American schools all her life.
When I went to England, I was not English, but a Yank. When I went to Germany I was not German, but ein Amerikaner.
We will continue to have people from elsewhere come to the U.S., settle, and adopt many American ways. Some will keep customs of their parents or grandparents; others will blend in. Some will keep their religious views; some will change. Consider the Amish. Although there may be hostility to them by some, they are accepted by most people. Can't we treat all newcomers with the same respect?
Oh, it gets more complicated. My extended family includes people whose ancestors were born in Japan, China, and Africa. I consider all of these as Americans first, and whatever as a matter of historic interest.
Showing posts with label germany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label germany. Show all posts
Sunday, April 02, 2017
Friday, July 25, 2014
When the big boys play, the little kids get hurt
I’m not talking about playgrounds but battle grounds. And too many big boys want to make everywhere a battle ground.
Does anyone really know what Vladimir Putin’s game is with Ukraine and other countries bordering Russia? Is he on a power trip or is he concerned that the West is encroaching on Russia and is a threat to the existence of Russia?
If it is strictly a power trip, then he is following in the steps of the Tsars and Stalin. The Tsars and Stalin used their populations as cannon fodder for their own ends. How many people are going to die before Putin’s goals are met. Will the shooting down of Malaysia Air 17 give him pause in his power trip.
If he is concerned with the West encroaching on Russia, maybe he should join the West in providing a parliamentary and economic framework for all of Europe. Major threats to Russia have all but disappeared. Napoleon is dead and today’s France has no interest in attacking Moscow. The Kaiser and Hitler are both dead and today’s Germany has no interest in attacking Leningrad or Stalingrad.
Whatever Putin’s game is with Ukraine, let’s hope that he takes to heart that his big boy play has really hurt lots of “little kids” who have nothing to do with his game.
Israel is a parliamentary state with many political parties. No party ever seems to gain a majority of seats. In order to govern, parties have to form coalitions. Too often these coalitions include some religious party that believes that God gave Israel to the Jews about 3,000 years ago. About 2,000 years ago the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and Jews fled to Europe and Africa. Others moved in and eventually became today’s Arabs.
About eighty years ago Hitler with his big boy games decided that Jews were not part of these games and started executing them in obscene numbers. Those Jews who could fled the areas Hitler controlled, some of them fleeing to Palestine.
To simplify history, all hell broke loose when the big boys of the European and American powers declared through the U.N. that a certain part of Palestine would become the new state of Israel. Now another set of big boys is playing various games that never seem to end. The latest games are kidnapping and killing teenagers for no other reason that they were of the “other”. Now that game has escalated with all the “little kids” in Gaza wondering where they can flee to escape the violence of the game..
Nicholas Kristoff wrote a good column on how the intransigence of both sides perpetuates the problem. See “Who’s Right and Wrong in the Middle East?”, New York Times Sunday Review, July 20, 2014.
Mosaddegh was the duly elected prime minister of Iran. He decided that Iran wasn’t getting enough marbles from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and nationalized it. The big boys in Whitehall and Foggy Bottom arranged to have Mosaddegh overthrown and have Reza Pahlavi reinstated as Shah. Among other things the Shah did was have his secret service, Savak, take out the little kids that didn’t play the Shah’s way.
Savak’s dirty tricks were no secret. In fact, a colleague who was supporting a Univac computer in Tehran asked me to join him. No way did I want to move from Sweden to a country like Iran. In fact, in the last year I was in Sweden (1974), Iranian students were demonstrating in Stockholm against the Shah.
By 1979 Ayotollah Khomeni had overthrown the Shah and set up a new set of big boy rules; many of these rules were not to the little kids’ benefit.
But the big boys in Washington were not happy with the overthrow of the Shah, especially when the U.S. Embassy was taken over and diplomats held prisoner.
And matters got worse. First, the U.S. supported Saddam Hussein in his war with Iran, even when he used poison gas on Iranian troops. Second when the U.S. decided Saddam was not to its liking and went to war against him, the U.S. shot down an Iranian airliner with over 200 “little kids” on board, few if any who were part of the big boy games.
And still the games go on, although in a more civilized manner than for the last two decades. Iran is negotiating with the U.S. and others about how much nuclear capability Iran should have. But the big boys like the U.S. and the U.K. aren’t offering to reduce their nuclear capability, a capability that some hawks wouldn’t hesitate using to flatten Iran, including all the “little kids” who have nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear capability or intentions.
Another big boy game going on is China’s assertion of sovereignty over offshore islands. I recently read an article by a Chinese or Vietnamese author who said that China really has more to gain by playing nice than by throwing its weight around. It is ironic that China is still holding a grudge about another nation that threw its weight around to gain supremacy in the Western Pacific: Japan.
The “little kids” sing, “When will they ever learn” and the big boys never do.
This was also published in the Reader Weekly of Duluth, July 24, 2014 at http://duluthreader.com/articles/2014/07/24/3781_when_the_big_boys_play_the_little_kids_get_hurt.
Does anyone really know what Vladimir Putin’s game is with Ukraine and other countries bordering Russia? Is he on a power trip or is he concerned that the West is encroaching on Russia and is a threat to the existence of Russia?
If it is strictly a power trip, then he is following in the steps of the Tsars and Stalin. The Tsars and Stalin used their populations as cannon fodder for their own ends. How many people are going to die before Putin’s goals are met. Will the shooting down of Malaysia Air 17 give him pause in his power trip.
If he is concerned with the West encroaching on Russia, maybe he should join the West in providing a parliamentary and economic framework for all of Europe. Major threats to Russia have all but disappeared. Napoleon is dead and today’s France has no interest in attacking Moscow. The Kaiser and Hitler are both dead and today’s Germany has no interest in attacking Leningrad or Stalingrad.
Whatever Putin’s game is with Ukraine, let’s hope that he takes to heart that his big boy play has really hurt lots of “little kids” who have nothing to do with his game.
Israel is a parliamentary state with many political parties. No party ever seems to gain a majority of seats. In order to govern, parties have to form coalitions. Too often these coalitions include some religious party that believes that God gave Israel to the Jews about 3,000 years ago. About 2,000 years ago the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem and Jews fled to Europe and Africa. Others moved in and eventually became today’s Arabs.
About eighty years ago Hitler with his big boy games decided that Jews were not part of these games and started executing them in obscene numbers. Those Jews who could fled the areas Hitler controlled, some of them fleeing to Palestine.
To simplify history, all hell broke loose when the big boys of the European and American powers declared through the U.N. that a certain part of Palestine would become the new state of Israel. Now another set of big boys is playing various games that never seem to end. The latest games are kidnapping and killing teenagers for no other reason that they were of the “other”. Now that game has escalated with all the “little kids” in Gaza wondering where they can flee to escape the violence of the game..
Nicholas Kristoff wrote a good column on how the intransigence of both sides perpetuates the problem. See “Who’s Right and Wrong in the Middle East?”, New York Times Sunday Review, July 20, 2014.
Mosaddegh was the duly elected prime minister of Iran. He decided that Iran wasn’t getting enough marbles from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and nationalized it. The big boys in Whitehall and Foggy Bottom arranged to have Mosaddegh overthrown and have Reza Pahlavi reinstated as Shah. Among other things the Shah did was have his secret service, Savak, take out the little kids that didn’t play the Shah’s way.
Savak’s dirty tricks were no secret. In fact, a colleague who was supporting a Univac computer in Tehran asked me to join him. No way did I want to move from Sweden to a country like Iran. In fact, in the last year I was in Sweden (1974), Iranian students were demonstrating in Stockholm against the Shah.
By 1979 Ayotollah Khomeni had overthrown the Shah and set up a new set of big boy rules; many of these rules were not to the little kids’ benefit.
But the big boys in Washington were not happy with the overthrow of the Shah, especially when the U.S. Embassy was taken over and diplomats held prisoner.
And matters got worse. First, the U.S. supported Saddam Hussein in his war with Iran, even when he used poison gas on Iranian troops. Second when the U.S. decided Saddam was not to its liking and went to war against him, the U.S. shot down an Iranian airliner with over 200 “little kids” on board, few if any who were part of the big boy games.
And still the games go on, although in a more civilized manner than for the last two decades. Iran is negotiating with the U.S. and others about how much nuclear capability Iran should have. But the big boys like the U.S. and the U.K. aren’t offering to reduce their nuclear capability, a capability that some hawks wouldn’t hesitate using to flatten Iran, including all the “little kids” who have nothing to do with Iran’s nuclear capability or intentions.
Another big boy game going on is China’s assertion of sovereignty over offshore islands. I recently read an article by a Chinese or Vietnamese author who said that China really has more to gain by playing nice than by throwing its weight around. It is ironic that China is still holding a grudge about another nation that threw its weight around to gain supremacy in the Western Pacific: Japan.
The “little kids” sing, “When will they ever learn” and the big boys never do.
This was also published in the Reader Weekly of Duluth, July 24, 2014 at http://duluthreader.com/articles/2014/07/24/3781_when_the_big_boys_play_the_little_kids_get_hurt.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Am I a descendant of illegal immigrants?
My great-grandfather, John J. R. Magree, was supposedly born in Brooklyn, New York, at least according to all the census records from 1870 on, his obituary, and other records. Brooklyn has no record of his birth.
Because John C. Magree was a mate in New York harbor in the 1850 census and master of the Ship Ivanhoe in Jan. 1851, I assumed that John C. Magree was his father. The Brooklyn city directories of the 1850s list a Margaret Magree, widow. Was she the abandoned wife of John C. Magree? John C. Magree was still alive during the Civil War.
However I did find records of the marriage in Liverpool, England, of John C. Magree and Margaret Pope, and then of the birth to this couple of John James Richard Magree. Given the rarity of the name Magree, isn't the probability rather strong that this is the John James Richard Magree who became known as John J. R. Magree as an adult?
But I can find no record of Margaret Magree and John J. R. Magree traveling on John C. Magree's ship or any other ship. Did John C. bring them as unlisted passengers? Did they not need to be on the manifest because they were the master's family? As far as I can tell, the same manifest did not list any of the crew, either.
So, do we follow the rule that Barack Obama, born in Hawaii of an American mother and a Kenyan father, is not born in America? Or do we follow the rule that Ted Cruz and John McCain, born in Canada and the Panama Canal Zone, respectively, of at least one parent who was a U.S. citizen, are born in America? I guess, sarcastically, since I am white we follow the Cruz/McCain rules.
However, if we follow the "Obama" rule, then I am the descendant of illegal immigrants. Not only was my great-great grandmother presumably born in England, but we have have no birth certificate to prove that John C. Magree was born in the United States. The only "proof " is that on his marriage application in England, John Cornelius Magree gave his father's name as Vinsent Magree. There was a Vincent Magree in the 1840 census with at least one male around 12 years old.
That's all rather slim evidence that my paternal line has been born of legal immigrants.
If that makes me an illegal immigrant too, where should I be deported to? England, Germany, Poland? I have traced ancestors to all three of those countries.
Because John C. Magree was a mate in New York harbor in the 1850 census and master of the Ship Ivanhoe in Jan. 1851, I assumed that John C. Magree was his father. The Brooklyn city directories of the 1850s list a Margaret Magree, widow. Was she the abandoned wife of John C. Magree? John C. Magree was still alive during the Civil War.
However I did find records of the marriage in Liverpool, England, of John C. Magree and Margaret Pope, and then of the birth to this couple of John James Richard Magree. Given the rarity of the name Magree, isn't the probability rather strong that this is the John James Richard Magree who became known as John J. R. Magree as an adult?
But I can find no record of Margaret Magree and John J. R. Magree traveling on John C. Magree's ship or any other ship. Did John C. bring them as unlisted passengers? Did they not need to be on the manifest because they were the master's family? As far as I can tell, the same manifest did not list any of the crew, either.
So, do we follow the rule that Barack Obama, born in Hawaii of an American mother and a Kenyan father, is not born in America? Or do we follow the rule that Ted Cruz and John McCain, born in Canada and the Panama Canal Zone, respectively, of at least one parent who was a U.S. citizen, are born in America? I guess, sarcastically, since I am white we follow the Cruz/McCain rules.
However, if we follow the "Obama" rule, then I am the descendant of illegal immigrants. Not only was my great-great grandmother presumably born in England, but we have have no birth certificate to prove that John C. Magree was born in the United States. The only "proof " is that on his marriage application in England, John Cornelius Magree gave his father's name as Vinsent Magree. There was a Vincent Magree in the 1840 census with at least one male around 12 years old.
That's all rather slim evidence that my paternal line has been born of legal immigrants.
If that makes me an illegal immigrant too, where should I be deported to? England, Germany, Poland? I have traced ancestors to all three of those countries.
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
Distortions in family history
If you are working on your family history, be careful of what you are told. What you are told could be made up or it could be misinterpreted. Document everything and then crosscheck it with other documents.
The most blatant tale that I can think of is what my mother told me around a St. Patrick's Day. She said, "We are Orange Irish." One, her ancestors were from England and Germany, not Ireland. Two, she didn't know any of her in-laws besides her U.S. born father-in-law and German-born mother-in-law.
So far, I have found only one Magree ancestor going back four generations that was not born in the United States. My great grandfather, John James Richard Magree, was born in Liverpool, England of an American father and an English mother. Given that her maiden name was Pope, she may or may not have had Irish ancestors. Many Irish immigrated to Liverpool. However, all of the other records that I have for him say he was born in the U.S. and more specifically in Brooklyn.
I do know that the name Magree is centered in Kilkenny, Ireland and some of those Magrees are buried in a Catholic Church cemetery. If my Magree ancestors were from there, they most likely would have been Catholic.
I was told that my grandfather was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. But his death certificate gives Brooklyn, his parents were in a Brooklyn city directory at the time of his birth, and one of his sister's birth certificates gives that same address. But somebody else on ancestry.com has that sister born in Poughkeepsie!
I read the death certificate of my paternal grandmother's father as his birthplace being "Schlossing"; the information was provided by one of his sons. Knowing my grandmother was born in Germany I kept looking for a town with that name. Then it dawned on me that it should be "Schlesien", German for Silesia. Silesia is now mostly in Poland. Somebody else on ancestry.com had his birth as "Schlassing". As part of checking if my grandmother may have been Catholic, I looked up Silesia. I learned that there is a Silesian German and the speakers call themselves Schlässinger. I have since found out that my grandmother's town of leaving was called Osseg; it is now Osiek in Polish.
I have learned so much family history in the last thirty years, but I will need another thirty years to even fill in details about the people whose names I know.
But, regardless of where my ancestors came from, I do not consider myself Orange Irish or Green Irish or German or Polish or even Brooklynite:) My nationality is American!
See also What nationality are you? An irrelevant question!
The most blatant tale that I can think of is what my mother told me around a St. Patrick's Day. She said, "We are Orange Irish." One, her ancestors were from England and Germany, not Ireland. Two, she didn't know any of her in-laws besides her U.S. born father-in-law and German-born mother-in-law.
So far, I have found only one Magree ancestor going back four generations that was not born in the United States. My great grandfather, John James Richard Magree, was born in Liverpool, England of an American father and an English mother. Given that her maiden name was Pope, she may or may not have had Irish ancestors. Many Irish immigrated to Liverpool. However, all of the other records that I have for him say he was born in the U.S. and more specifically in Brooklyn.
I do know that the name Magree is centered in Kilkenny, Ireland and some of those Magrees are buried in a Catholic Church cemetery. If my Magree ancestors were from there, they most likely would have been Catholic.
I was told that my grandfather was born in Poughkeepsie, New York. But his death certificate gives Brooklyn, his parents were in a Brooklyn city directory at the time of his birth, and one of his sister's birth certificates gives that same address. But somebody else on ancestry.com has that sister born in Poughkeepsie!
I read the death certificate of my paternal grandmother's father as his birthplace being "Schlossing"; the information was provided by one of his sons. Knowing my grandmother was born in Germany I kept looking for a town with that name. Then it dawned on me that it should be "Schlesien", German for Silesia. Silesia is now mostly in Poland. Somebody else on ancestry.com had his birth as "Schlassing". As part of checking if my grandmother may have been Catholic, I looked up Silesia. I learned that there is a Silesian German and the speakers call themselves Schlässinger. I have since found out that my grandmother's town of leaving was called Osseg; it is now Osiek in Polish.
I have learned so much family history in the last thirty years, but I will need another thirty years to even fill in details about the people whose names I know.
But, regardless of where my ancestors came from, I do not consider myself Orange Irish or Green Irish or German or Polish or even Brooklynite:) My nationality is American!
See also What nationality are you? An irrelevant question!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Capitalism and socialism - let's get our definitions straight
A survey polled people on how they felt about capitalism and socialism - positive or negative. But did the pollsters give a definition of these two terms or ask respondents to give their own definitions? I think not.
See "Is Rush Limbaugh's Country Gone?", Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times, 2012-11-19.
Capitalism is gathering resources to do something, whether it's to start a neighborhood grocery or to start an airline. Capitalism is not the buying and selling of stocks and schemes based on the stock; that is finance. Finance can raise capital, but the secondary markets of that capital are not capitalism.
Socialism is the government providing all the resources to do something and controlling how those resources are used. I don't think there is a country in the world where that happens for all projects. Even China has private capital ventures. Social welfare is the government providing various safety nets or investments that help people with needs that "capitalism" doesn't provide to everyone. Most developed countries have capitalist economies supported by social welfare programs.
Think of LM Ericsson in Sweden, Nokia in Finland, Siemens in Germany, and FIAT in Italy. These large capitalist companies aren't going away. Well, maybe Nokia will go away but that's because of technology, not government interference.
And many of these social welfare programs depend on a large number of private organizations, large and small. Germany has hundreds of insurance companies underpinning its health care. England has thousands of physicians in private practice who provide government listed services.
What I find ironic is that proponents of "capitalism" don't understand how "socialism" makes "capitalism" work better. If there weren't government-provided roads, sewers, schools, and yes, regulation there would be chaos. Chaos is something capitalists do not need or want. If there wasn't government-sponsored research, many new ideas would never even reached the capitalists who would implement them into products. If there is a good public health care system, then corporations don't have to fund them directly at great inefficiency. Wasn't it G. Richard Wagoner of General Motors who said that he wasn't an auto executive but a health care executive? See "U.S. Firms Losing Health Care Battle, GM Chairman Says", Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, 2005-02-11.
Be careful how you define things. If you define things incorrectly or too narrowly, you may miss out on many opportunities for a better society.
See "Is Rush Limbaugh's Country Gone?", Thomas B. Edsall, New York Times, 2012-11-19.
Capitalism is gathering resources to do something, whether it's to start a neighborhood grocery or to start an airline. Capitalism is not the buying and selling of stocks and schemes based on the stock; that is finance. Finance can raise capital, but the secondary markets of that capital are not capitalism.
Socialism is the government providing all the resources to do something and controlling how those resources are used. I don't think there is a country in the world where that happens for all projects. Even China has private capital ventures. Social welfare is the government providing various safety nets or investments that help people with needs that "capitalism" doesn't provide to everyone. Most developed countries have capitalist economies supported by social welfare programs.
Think of LM Ericsson in Sweden, Nokia in Finland, Siemens in Germany, and FIAT in Italy. These large capitalist companies aren't going away. Well, maybe Nokia will go away but that's because of technology, not government interference.
And many of these social welfare programs depend on a large number of private organizations, large and small. Germany has hundreds of insurance companies underpinning its health care. England has thousands of physicians in private practice who provide government listed services.
What I find ironic is that proponents of "capitalism" don't understand how "socialism" makes "capitalism" work better. If there weren't government-provided roads, sewers, schools, and yes, regulation there would be chaos. Chaos is something capitalists do not need or want. If there wasn't government-sponsored research, many new ideas would never even reached the capitalists who would implement them into products. If there is a good public health care system, then corporations don't have to fund them directly at great inefficiency. Wasn't it G. Richard Wagoner of General Motors who said that he wasn't an auto executive but a health care executive? See "U.S. Firms Losing Health Care Battle, GM Chairman Says", Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, 2005-02-11.
Be careful how you define things. If you define things incorrectly or too narrowly, you may miss out on many opportunities for a better society.
Monday, November 19, 2012
The idiocy of race and nationality
Several weeks ago a Duluth Fox news director caused quite a stir when he put on Facebook a derogatory, racist remark about somebody that was near his house. I don't remember if he resigned or was fired. He then said that his great-grandfather's great-grandfather was Indian or some such chain, and he claims he is Indian too. He even was admitted into an Indian journalists' group.
Come on! Just because you had an ancestor of a certain origin doesn't make you one of the group the ancestor belonged to. Many people even one generation removed from some place have none of the language or culture of where their parents came from.
My surname is Irish, but I can find no ancestor that lived in Ireland. The best I can tell is that my great-great-great grandfather, Vincent Magree, was probably born in Maryland. I am assuming that Magree is Irish because several Australians named Magree trace their ancestry back to Kilkenny.
I have great-grandparents who were born in England and Germany. I consider myself neither English or German. When I was in England and Ireland, I was called a Yank. When I was in Germany, I was called Amerikaner. Some of my ancestors born in what was then Germany may have had Polish ancestors. I do not consider myself Polish.
I consider myself an American because I was born in the U.S., had almost all of my education in the U.S., and except for some trips to Canada, never went outside the U.S. until I was 30.
So, if some ancestor long, long ago was from a certain group and some of that person's descendants claim they belong to that group, shouldn't we consider President Barack Obama a white man. His mother was a white American and a long list of her ancestors were white. Given the reasoning for people to claim Indian inheritance, then we can also say that Obama is white.
We're born here; we're Americans. End of story.
Come on! Just because you had an ancestor of a certain origin doesn't make you one of the group the ancestor belonged to. Many people even one generation removed from some place have none of the language or culture of where their parents came from.
My surname is Irish, but I can find no ancestor that lived in Ireland. The best I can tell is that my great-great-great grandfather, Vincent Magree, was probably born in Maryland. I am assuming that Magree is Irish because several Australians named Magree trace their ancestry back to Kilkenny.
I have great-grandparents who were born in England and Germany. I consider myself neither English or German. When I was in England and Ireland, I was called a Yank. When I was in Germany, I was called Amerikaner. Some of my ancestors born in what was then Germany may have had Polish ancestors. I do not consider myself Polish.
I consider myself an American because I was born in the U.S., had almost all of my education in the U.S., and except for some trips to Canada, never went outside the U.S. until I was 30.
So, if some ancestor long, long ago was from a certain group and some of that person's descendants claim they belong to that group, shouldn't we consider President Barack Obama a white man. His mother was a white American and a long list of her ancestors were white. Given the reasoning for people to claim Indian inheritance, then we can also say that Obama is white.
We're born here; we're Americans. End of story.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
WWII in Russia, a meandering search for a book
I like to keep up what little foreign language skills I have by listening to podcasts and reading newspapers. For a Swedish paper I chose Svenska Dagbladet over Dagens Nyheter. I was reading the former on my iPhone when I came across an article about Soviet women in WWII.
This has a special interest because we are going to a book club meeting tomorrow about "City of Thieves" by David Benioff, a novel set in the siege of Leningrad. It is very grim tale of the deprivations and horrors as the hero goes on a quixotic quest for a dozen eggs.
The article in Svenska Dagbladet is "Kriget enligt kvinnorna (The war according to the women)". It is about the book "Kriget har inget kvinnligt ansikte. Utopins Röster (The war has no womanly face. Utopians Voices)" The author, Svetlana Alexievitch, interviewed hundreds of women about their experiences, including active combat.
I wanted to give an English reference to the other attendees of the "City of Thieves" discussion. I went round and round with various translations of the Swedish, having no Russian title. Finally by using a translation of the title of the series "Utopia's Voices", I found it. The English title is "War's Unwomanly Face" and is widely available.
I don't know if I could read it after "City of Thieves". Consider that the Germans began the siege of Leningrad before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Soviet Army and partisans didn't push them back until 1944, before the Allied landing at Normandy. Residents were starved and bombed and more. Getting supplies into the city took a lot of ingenuity, including Allied truck convoys over the frozen Lake Ladoga. We were in Leningrad in 1973 and saw the mass graves, dozens of furrows of mounded earth.
Is it any wonder the Soviets wanted a big, secure buffer between themselves and Germany? They weren't nice about it and made themselves quite unwanted. They only withdrew when their crumbling economy couldn't support the occupation any longer.
Are there any others who could learn from this lesson?
This has a special interest because we are going to a book club meeting tomorrow about "City of Thieves" by David Benioff, a novel set in the siege of Leningrad. It is very grim tale of the deprivations and horrors as the hero goes on a quixotic quest for a dozen eggs.
The article in Svenska Dagbladet is "Kriget enligt kvinnorna (The war according to the women)". It is about the book "Kriget har inget kvinnligt ansikte. Utopins Röster (The war has no womanly face. Utopians Voices)" The author, Svetlana Alexievitch, interviewed hundreds of women about their experiences, including active combat.
I wanted to give an English reference to the other attendees of the "City of Thieves" discussion. I went round and round with various translations of the Swedish, having no Russian title. Finally by using a translation of the title of the series "Utopia's Voices", I found it. The English title is "War's Unwomanly Face" and is widely available.
I don't know if I could read it after "City of Thieves". Consider that the Germans began the siege of Leningrad before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Soviet Army and partisans didn't push them back until 1944, before the Allied landing at Normandy. Residents were starved and bombed and more. Getting supplies into the city took a lot of ingenuity, including Allied truck convoys over the frozen Lake Ladoga. We were in Leningrad in 1973 and saw the mass graves, dozens of furrows of mounded earth.
Is it any wonder the Soviets wanted a big, secure buffer between themselves and Germany? They weren't nice about it and made themselves quite unwanted. They only withdrew when their crumbling economy couldn't support the occupation any longer.
Are there any others who could learn from this lesson?
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The fallacy of Buy American
Once again the cry "Buy American" is heard from high and low places. One was Chip Cravaack, R-MN8, putting a statement into a transportation bill that the steel used in highways should be American-made.
A little aside I can't resist. Aren't the Republicans the one who are all for free markets and no government intervention? Shouldn't the free market decide the best quality for the lowest price? Not some government bureaucrat or politician?
I try to buy American and buy local, but in general this is only a preference, not an iron-clad rule. We buy local produce when it is available. I love my made-in-Minnesota Red Wing work boots and some of my made-in-America yard equipment. For decades I wore 36-30 Levis and then they suddenly became too long. It wasn't me that changed; I found the 30-inch inseam was actually over 31 inches! Could that have been because Levi Strauss outsourced the making of Levis and that somebody didn't make a proper conversion to metric?
On the other hand we own one American vehicle and one Japanese vehicle, each bought for specific reasons, not the country of manufacture. Can you find an American-made digital camera? Same for most computers and related stuff. The software might be made anywhere. I prefer a French music-composing program to a Minnesota program. Do you know anyplace in the U.S., other than Hawaii or greenhouses where bananas are grown? Would you rather have chicory than coffee?
On the other hand, we should be grateful that many other countries aren't pushing too strongly on Buy English or Buy German, and surprise, Buy Chinese.
Personally, I'm very glad that in the 60s and 70s European governments weren't pushing very hard to buy only European computers. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to live in Europe for six years maintaining software for Univac computers made in Minnesota. Our customers included Lufthansa, the French Army, and the Swedish Police.
Minnesota doesn't make many computers now-a-days, but many medical devices are designed and made in Minnesota. If we don't buy goods from other countries, should they buy our medical devices?
Farmers in the U.S. are glad that they have a big export market for all kinds of agricultural products, from grains to meat. Although India still has many import restrictions "Indian Consumers already buy almonds and grapes from California, and apples by the truckload from Washington." Adam Belz, "Minnesota looks for a bigger taste of India", Star Tribune, 2012-07-19
The military-industrial complex is probably very glad that military establishments around the world aren't restricted by Buy Nationally policies. Even the most militarily-oriented Congress couldn't raise enough taxes to buy all the weapons that the U.S. military-industrial complex could produce. So, those countries buying U.S. military hardware have to raise funds to purchase the hardware. To do that, they have to sell goods and services outside their own countries, for example, oil!
One of the most interesting news items is the direction of parts for wind turbines passing through the Duluth Harbor. Big blades are coming from Europe to U.S. destinations. Big blades are going out to many other countries, the latest being Brazil. Probably each set of blades had different features that met the requirements of the buyers.
And then there is the name game. Some years ago a U.S. city was considering buying a piece of heavy equipment. The city council favored Caterpillar over Kubota because the later was an American name. Surprise! The Caterpillar was made in Japan and the Kubota was made in the U.S.
It isn't easy being a free-marketer and a protectionist at the same time.
A little aside I can't resist. Aren't the Republicans the one who are all for free markets and no government intervention? Shouldn't the free market decide the best quality for the lowest price? Not some government bureaucrat or politician?
I try to buy American and buy local, but in general this is only a preference, not an iron-clad rule. We buy local produce when it is available. I love my made-in-Minnesota Red Wing work boots and some of my made-in-America yard equipment. For decades I wore 36-30 Levis and then they suddenly became too long. It wasn't me that changed; I found the 30-inch inseam was actually over 31 inches! Could that have been because Levi Strauss outsourced the making of Levis and that somebody didn't make a proper conversion to metric?
On the other hand we own one American vehicle and one Japanese vehicle, each bought for specific reasons, not the country of manufacture. Can you find an American-made digital camera? Same for most computers and related stuff. The software might be made anywhere. I prefer a French music-composing program to a Minnesota program. Do you know anyplace in the U.S., other than Hawaii or greenhouses where bananas are grown? Would you rather have chicory than coffee?
On the other hand, we should be grateful that many other countries aren't pushing too strongly on Buy English or Buy German, and surprise, Buy Chinese.
Personally, I'm very glad that in the 60s and 70s European governments weren't pushing very hard to buy only European computers. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to live in Europe for six years maintaining software for Univac computers made in Minnesota. Our customers included Lufthansa, the French Army, and the Swedish Police.
Minnesota doesn't make many computers now-a-days, but many medical devices are designed and made in Minnesota. If we don't buy goods from other countries, should they buy our medical devices?
Farmers in the U.S. are glad that they have a big export market for all kinds of agricultural products, from grains to meat. Although India still has many import restrictions "Indian Consumers already buy almonds and grapes from California, and apples by the truckload from Washington." Adam Belz, "Minnesota looks for a bigger taste of India", Star Tribune, 2012-07-19
The military-industrial complex is probably very glad that military establishments around the world aren't restricted by Buy Nationally policies. Even the most militarily-oriented Congress couldn't raise enough taxes to buy all the weapons that the U.S. military-industrial complex could produce. So, those countries buying U.S. military hardware have to raise funds to purchase the hardware. To do that, they have to sell goods and services outside their own countries, for example, oil!
One of the most interesting news items is the direction of parts for wind turbines passing through the Duluth Harbor. Big blades are coming from Europe to U.S. destinations. Big blades are going out to many other countries, the latest being Brazil. Probably each set of blades had different features that met the requirements of the buyers.
And then there is the name game. Some years ago a U.S. city was considering buying a piece of heavy equipment. The city council favored Caterpillar over Kubota because the later was an American name. Surprise! The Caterpillar was made in Japan and the Kubota was made in the U.S.
It isn't easy being a free-marketer and a protectionist at the same time.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Nuclear plants and childhood leukemia, a tenuous link
A new French study has shown that incidents of childhood leukemia are twice as high within 5 km of nuclear plants. See "Child leukemia doubles near French nuclear plants", Reuters, 2012-01-12. Hoo boy! Maybe we can get the damn things shut down!
But, wait a minute! We're still talking about some very small number of cases. Fourteen! 14! Similar studies have found no significant radiation increases near nuclear plants. Could there be another explanation?
"German study finds nuclear energy causes leukemia… or maybe not…" suggests that nuclear plants are in industrial areas, some of which have had severe pollution from other sources, like munition plants. Second, poorer people tend to live near these areas and for a variety of reasons tend to have more health issues, for example, more parents who smoke.
I checked Google for "smoking leukemia" and was given over six million items. Here's one from an "unimpeachable" source - "Kids' Leukemia Risk Tied to Dad's Smoking", Fox News, 2011-12-15 (actually from Reuters). The risk is given as 15 percent higher if the father smokes. The sample size was 400 for children with leukemia and 800 for children without.
I think these cases show that people shouldn't leap to alarmist positions nor should they be quick to dismiss indications of a problem. Unfortunately, our political climate leads to uncritical acceptance of one position or the other.
But, wait a minute! We're still talking about some very small number of cases. Fourteen! 14! Similar studies have found no significant radiation increases near nuclear plants. Could there be another explanation?
"German study finds nuclear energy causes leukemia… or maybe not…" suggests that nuclear plants are in industrial areas, some of which have had severe pollution from other sources, like munition plants. Second, poorer people tend to live near these areas and for a variety of reasons tend to have more health issues, for example, more parents who smoke.
I checked Google for "smoking leukemia" and was given over six million items. Here's one from an "unimpeachable" source - "Kids' Leukemia Risk Tied to Dad's Smoking", Fox News, 2011-12-15 (actually from Reuters). The risk is given as 15 percent higher if the father smokes. The sample size was 400 for children with leukemia and 800 for children without.
I think these cases show that people shouldn't leap to alarmist positions nor should they be quick to dismiss indications of a problem. Unfortunately, our political climate leads to uncritical acceptance of one position or the other.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Seeking healthcare around the world
Abigail Zuger, M.D., wrote an interesting review of "The Healing of America" by T. R. Reid. He had a chronic shoulder problem for which he sought medical advice around the world. The advice ranged from thousands of dollars for shoulder replacement in the U.S., outright refusal in Britain because it was not serious enough, and relief in India for $42.85 out of pocket per night.
The book is on order at the Duluth Public Library and already has four reserves.
The book is on order at the Duluth Public Library and already has four reserves.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Reconstructing family history
Genealogy once upon a time seemed to be a search for illustrious ancestors. As it became more and more popular for people just to connect back to Europe, people came just as interested in the stories of their ancestors as in the connections of one generation to another. Besides, the stories often gave clues on how to find the connections.
I've been interested in the origins of the name Magree for years, but really didn't make much progress until the 1970s when I stumbled on a whole bunch in Australia. From some of them I found that they could trace their ancestors to Kilkenny, Ireland.
My own personal search stopped with my greatgrandfather, John J.R. Magree who was born in Brooklyn in 1851. I've gathered a few stories about him and his descendants, but I gave up on searching documents to go back further.
Meanwhile, I do a Google search on Magrees and turn up a few I never heard of before. I generally don't follow up because the letter exchange or telephone calls would just eat up time from all the other activities I want to do.
Every so often my curiosity gets the better of me and I attempt to contact someone. I did this recently through classmates.com and got a reply. She gave me some information about her ex-husband. I made the connection to one of my uncles, replied to her, and haven't heard from her since. I probably exhausted her interest in the subject.
However, this led me to reflect on some decades-old issues. My family is not very good on keeping connections up, possibly because of many divorces. I had not seen my paternal grandmother since I was about 7 or 9, but I sent her Christmas cards and maybe birthday cards for a long, long time.
The year after I was married, we drove through Chicago on our way home to Cleveland. I stopped at a phone booth, looked my grandmother up, called her, and she invited us to stop by.
She was living upstairs in a duplex where her youngest son, his wife, and children lived downstairs. My wife and I remember her bitterly complaining about her daughter-in-law.
A couple of nights ago, during a sleepless period, several weeks after I received the message through classmates.com, two explanations about the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law conflict popped into my head.
Both were born in Germany.
My grandmother had come to the U.S. when she was about six, but as an adult she spoke probably only English. Her children would ask for German words but she had a harder and harder time remembering any.
My aunt was the widow of a German soldier and the mother of a young son. She met my uncle, a G.I., after the war and came to the U.S. with her son.
I wonder if there was friction between the two women because 1) my grandmother could no longer speak fluent German and was frustrated, or 2) my grandmother had antipathy towards Germans in general because of the two World Wars.
I may never know. All the principals are dead now except possibly my aunt's first son. I may never get sufficient curiosity to follow up with people who may be reluctant to get involved with distant relatives.
And this is how so many interesting stories get lost or garbled.
I've been interested in the origins of the name Magree for years, but really didn't make much progress until the 1970s when I stumbled on a whole bunch in Australia. From some of them I found that they could trace their ancestors to Kilkenny, Ireland.
My own personal search stopped with my greatgrandfather, John J.R. Magree who was born in Brooklyn in 1851. I've gathered a few stories about him and his descendants, but I gave up on searching documents to go back further.
Meanwhile, I do a Google search on Magrees and turn up a few I never heard of before. I generally don't follow up because the letter exchange or telephone calls would just eat up time from all the other activities I want to do.
Every so often my curiosity gets the better of me and I attempt to contact someone. I did this recently through classmates.com and got a reply. She gave me some information about her ex-husband. I made the connection to one of my uncles, replied to her, and haven't heard from her since. I probably exhausted her interest in the subject.
However, this led me to reflect on some decades-old issues. My family is not very good on keeping connections up, possibly because of many divorces. I had not seen my paternal grandmother since I was about 7 or 9, but I sent her Christmas cards and maybe birthday cards for a long, long time.
The year after I was married, we drove through Chicago on our way home to Cleveland. I stopped at a phone booth, looked my grandmother up, called her, and she invited us to stop by.
She was living upstairs in a duplex where her youngest son, his wife, and children lived downstairs. My wife and I remember her bitterly complaining about her daughter-in-law.
A couple of nights ago, during a sleepless period, several weeks after I received the message through classmates.com, two explanations about the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law conflict popped into my head.
Both were born in Germany.
My grandmother had come to the U.S. when she was about six, but as an adult she spoke probably only English. Her children would ask for German words but she had a harder and harder time remembering any.
My aunt was the widow of a German soldier and the mother of a young son. She met my uncle, a G.I., after the war and came to the U.S. with her son.
I wonder if there was friction between the two women because 1) my grandmother could no longer speak fluent German and was frustrated, or 2) my grandmother had antipathy towards Germans in general because of the two World Wars.
I may never know. All the principals are dead now except possibly my aunt's first son. I may never get sufficient curiosity to follow up with people who may be reluctant to get involved with distant relatives.
And this is how so many interesting stories get lost or garbled.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Cold War Revisited
Today was the first day of the University for Seniors class "Cold War Revisited" led by Neil Storch, a UMD Professor Emeritus. It was supposed to be the second day, but the "Cold War" was cancelled because of the cold (a blizzard).
I'm not a great note taker, but I do get some highlights.
What we know of history today may not be true tomorrow. New evidence seems to become available frequently, especially about recent history. Archives may be opened or other sources may be discovered. For example, the Soviet archives showed that Julius Rosenberg really was a spy.
Much of the Cold War was an attempt to contain the Soviet Union, especially in Europe. There was great concern in the West that Stalin would overrun Europe to expand the Soviet Empire. Stalin didn't want to invade Western Europe because it would reunite Germany, and even under Soviet control, Germany would be a threat to the Soviet Union.
I'm not a great note taker, but I do get some highlights.
What we know of history today may not be true tomorrow. New evidence seems to become available frequently, especially about recent history. Archives may be opened or other sources may be discovered. For example, the Soviet archives showed that Julius Rosenberg really was a spy.
Much of the Cold War was an attempt to contain the Soviet Union, especially in Europe. There was great concern in the West that Stalin would overrun Europe to expand the Soviet Empire. Stalin didn't want to invade Western Europe because it would reunite Germany, and even under Soviet control, Germany would be a threat to the Soviet Union.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
To Boycott or not to boycott, that is the question
Because of China's crackdown on Tibetan dissidents, some are calling for a boycott of the Olympics and others are saying that engagement is a better policy.
I think the decision should rest with the individual athletes and not governments. A boycott by hundreds of athletes would have a greater impact than a boycott by one or several governments. What purpose was served by the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics?
Suppose the U.S. had boycotted the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Then Jesse Owen winning a gold medal would not give lie to Hitler's Aryan supremacy.
I think the decision should rest with the individual athletes and not governments. A boycott by hundreds of athletes would have a greater impact than a boycott by one or several governments. What purpose was served by the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics?
Suppose the U.S. had boycotted the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Then Jesse Owen winning a gold medal would not give lie to Hitler's Aryan supremacy.
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