tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70504547606273728122011-11-27T15:42:05.304-08:00Reflective writings on life in a postmodern, consumerist, blessed, and glorious nation.JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.comBlogger121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-59628741108276925342009-10-10T15:23:00.000-07:002009-10-10T16:51:00.611-07:00

...they said that a man leaves much when he leaves his own country. They saidthat it was no accident of circumstance that a man be born in a certain countryand not some other...-Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty HorsesI wonder sometimes how we look to everyone else. Maybe it's my sense of national self-consciousness. Maybe it's my experience travelling and being treated in different ways: well,

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-71305477869546212332009-10-05T08:15:00.000-07:002009-10-05T18:49:01.252-07:00

Indulge me for a moment while I revel.For I won a victory today over the system. If you don't have a sense of humor or feel you have never been cheated by the system, please stop reading now.As we continue our discussion about America with all its glory and gore, all its decorated difficulties, all its frustrating faults and creature comforts, I'd like to turn your attention to our "system."

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-53181947807261609112009-09-27T14:49:00.000-07:002009-09-27T16:07:39.628-07:00

My money's on Alger, only because Moore doesn't seem very spry in the ring. But seriously, where do we go if not on either side of the extreme? That's my own personal question, and I'd like to pose it to others as well. The answer will more than likely determine the next few decades in American History.In order to fully demonstrate what I mean, and for those unfamiliar with who I'm speaking of

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-55438000576070280442009-07-29T13:32:00.000-07:002009-07-29T14:26:29.202-07:00

By now, you'll understand my fascination with America, Americans, and where we're all headed in this 21st century. You'll also understand that I have a love of literature and reading. You might not understand, however, that I enjoy writing, and you'd overlook this passion of mine because you saw the interval between now and the last posting on this blog.However, my love of literature and reading

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-36124540462654388692009-05-06T06:15:00.001-07:002009-05-22T07:10:02.488-07:00

"The American really loves nothing but his automobile."-William Faulkner, 1948Well here we are, the American people, in uncharted territory. Many institutions are on their way out, including among them some symbols of American identity (a few time-honored newspapers come to mind). The last few posts have been about politics, a topic that deserves attention lately. But with the recent merger of

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-87377428483770316362009-05-04T13:50:00.000-07:002009-05-06T08:06:52.211-07:00

“Reuniting the Bush operation is like making a sequel to a very bad movie. House Republicans are better off staying home, watching soaps and coming up with new ideas for their out-of-touch party,”~Doug Thornell, spokesman for Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-54335698629847249962009-05-01T06:45:00.000-07:002009-05-01T09:53:07.749-07:00

Who will be the next to go?This is the question presumably on the minds of many Democrats and Republicans in the wake of Arlen Specter's recent switch over to the Democrats. The Pennsylvania senator's address included remarks of disillusionment with the Republican Party which has, in his mind, lost its "big tent" mentality since the golden Reagan days: "As the Republican Party has moved farther

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-79193012075690862232009-04-26T17:41:00.000-07:002009-04-28T13:49:24.776-07:00

The BBC recently printed an insightful article about Steinbeck's work as it related to the Great Depression. They made predictable comparisons with our "global economic crisis" of today and brought up the question are the arts flourishing or dying during this time? My interest lies more in Steinbeck's critical attitude toward the United States at the time of his writing The Grapes of Wrath. This

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-88052584182544076632009-04-22T13:54:00.000-07:002009-04-28T09:10:18.715-07:00

Have you ever been called un-American? What a horrible label to put on an American. You'd feel voided-like your faith, hope, and pride in your country was in question. When I was travelling overseas, I was the object of all kinds of criticism not because of what I did or said but because of my identity as an American, and what the leaders of my country were doing and saying at the time. And yet I

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-37416425519218760912009-04-20T04:44:00.000-07:002009-04-20T07:55:09.020-07:00

The White House has a vision for high speed rail. Depending on your political stance, you'll differ as to what you'll support from the new administration's ambitious portfolio of ideas. I'm no expert in transportation economics or engineering but I'd like to offer my support for this possibly revolutionizing innovation.All my best feelings about high speed rail come from travelling in Europe,

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-83319990671779638292009-04-15T19:29:00.000-07:002009-04-20T07:36:30.015-07:00

Have you ever been asked, "What does America mean to you?" Whether in a fourth grade writing assignment or in discussion form on the first day of class in History 101, this question pervades our culture. In some ways, as a nation, we are obssessed with what it means to be an American. I have often wondered whether other nations share the same obsession; if somewhere in Talinn, young students

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7050454760627372812.post-66718309743443713032009-04-15T19:00:00.000-07:002009-04-16T05:26:48.710-07:00

This "reflection collection" comes from a string of thoughts about living in a country which is often self-touted as "the greatest nation on earth." Without sounding precocious (how many blogs out there are about "what America means to me"), what follows is (the writer hopes) a genuine and authentic discussion about, well, living with perspective in our country, the United States. To say more

JMalutinokhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07007609345891610921noreply@blogger.com0