This week's topics include: Hungarian populism; the still-collapsing USSR; new role norms; a too large religious push; the new 115th Congress; the biggest stories of 2016 and health news.

Hungary, 2017. In 1968, as a student at San Diego State University, I heard the Czechoslovakian ambassador to the US, tearfully tell my afternoon class of graduate students that, like Hungary in 1956, his country had just been invaded by the USSR and that he would not be returning to his homeland, he had asked for political asylum. In that same, sad summer noted author James Michener wrote the non-fiction Bridge at Andau, a compilation of the thoughts/recollections of Czech refugees fleeing across the bridge and through adjacent swamp-land into Austria.     In this linked op-ed, "Miklos Haraszti... a Hungarian author and director of research on human rights at the Center for European Neighborhood Studies of Central European University" writes about Hungarian populism run amok. He writes, "Hungary, my country, has in the past half-decade morphed from an exemplary post-Cold War democracy into a populist autocracy. Here are a few eerie parallels that have made it easy for Hungarians to put Donald Trump on their political map..."
     Granted, recent Hungarian democracy only began in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, while ours began more than 200 years ago. The Hungarian Prime Minister has labeled his rule, "illiberal democracy," as he modeled Russia and Turkey. Nonetheless, a thought provoking article.

1991, The slow, continuing death of the USSR begins. This Foreign Policy article examines not only the quick collapse, but the much slower, tortured reformation of the USSR and its former Asiatic republics. 

Here are the unlearned lessons from the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union is still collapsing. – Serhii Plokhy
Abandonment has consequences. – Bill Browder
Ideology should not guide foreign policy. – Dmitri Trenin
Russia can’t lead through imperialism. – Nargis Kassenova
Globalization only enriched and empowered autocrats. – Alexander Cooley
Moscow is still sacrificing innovation for state security. – Andrei Soldatov

Old traditions, new roles. Traditionally, presidents-elect have waited quietly in the wings until they have taken the oath of office and, similarly, past presidents have been loath to criticize their successors. It appears there is a whole new ball game. The "tweeter-elect" is not waiting (his tweets related to Israel and the UN)  and, apparently, neither is President Obama (his remarks at the USS Arizona memorial ceremony).
     The view from the left. In his New Republic piece, Mr. Vyse says, "No one begrudges Obama some R&R after eight taxing years...[but until] the opposition [Democratic party] finds a new, dynamic leader, it should be able to count on the great one it’s already got."
     Personally, I am most fearful of the president-elect's tenancy towards spontaneous, off-the cuff- "diplomacy-by-tweet." I fear Mr. Trump is not destined to be remembered as a diplomatic chess player, no Metternich or Churchill or Kissinger. Impromptu Tweeter Extraordinaire, most certainly.

Christianity and women's roles. In this piece, former president Jimmy Carter explains why he is severing his ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, surely an unsettling decision for the deeply religious gentleman from Georgia. The Convention had taken a step too far.
     He wrote, that his   decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service....This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women's equal rights across the world for centuries.

Dave Berry, 2016 in review. I am certain that, as always, some will find parts of Berry's yearly review unsettling, but others will bring a smile and acknowledging head-nod.

The 115th Congress. January 3: the newly elected/re-elected members of the US House and Senate took the oath of office. When the past 114th Congress arrived on Jan 3, 2014, the self-professed goal of congressional Republicans was, in the words of Senate Majority leader, Mitch McConnell (R, KY), to block "everything Obama." Hardly a propitious beginning and, indeed, this seemed to be the continuing Republican goal, as they awaited the election in November 2016.
     Now the professed goals for the 115th are "dismantle, reform and/or replace" as many of President Obama's directives/programs as possible. As Monday's PBS commentators noted, there is much agreement on dismantle, but varying levels of confusion on reform/dismantle. Then, too, much the Senate's time later in January and February will be given over to confirmation hearings on then-President Trump's  cabinet nominees.
     The opening days/weeks of a new congress are always eventful, 2017 promises to be even more so. In fact, the first controversial dust-up occurred on Monday, Jan 1, when the yet-unsworn Republican members of the House gathered behind closed doors and voted to revamp (even re-name) their own oversight system.

Some of  2016's biggest stories. Summations from several publications.

High Country News: (A western US publication) 1. A Sagebrush Rebellion reignited with the occupation at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. 2. The “orange sludge” spill into the Animas River attracted national attention after gold mining tailings spilled in southwestern Colorado...3. Donald Trump’s surprise win for president...4. Protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline ...at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota.  5. A High Country News investigation uncovered a decades-long problem of sexual harassment and gender discrimination within the National Park Service and among women firefighters in the Forest Service.

Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post. A long list of good news on the health front.

Healthy food news. Those who follow and/or seek to tailor consumer grocery shopping habits have noted changes toward more healthy choices. This article makes clear it remains a complicated task to predict and track eating habits. "Food purchases are less driven these days by what’s written on the front of the box than what’s listed as ingredients, said Andrew Mandzy, director of strategic insights at Nielsen [ratings]."

Yours truly has three prominent resolutions for 2017: spend more money in my supermarket's produce and fruit isles, religiously avoid products with high fructose corn syrup, and read less political news.

Thank you for reading. May your new year begin smoothly!  :-)))