Tag Archives: history

Walking to Victory

U.S. President Donald Trump models himself after Hungary’s long time Prime Minister, Viktor Orban. He likes his tough, take-no-prisoners approach. He admires his control of the Hungarian judicial system and the press, and his authoritarian stands on immigration and homosexuality. Orban is the mafia boss Trump has always aspired to be.

But my recent trip to Hungary revealed there’s a little fly in the ointment, a Tinkle Bell of sorts pulling pranks in the Hungarian firmament. He’s Peter Magyar, and his name literally translates to Peter Hungary. Mr. Magyar, intending to upset Orban in the national election next April, laced up his shoes and walked over 200-miles from Budapest to northwestern Romania, Hungary’s neighbor, on what he called the “One million steps for peace and national unity initiative.”

Peter Magyar, 44, of Hungary’s opposition party, TISZA (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

According to Hungarians I spoke with, throughout his walk Magyar reached out to everyone he could, including traditional Orban supporters. He listened, answered questions, and was strikingly non-defensive. His approach was a significant departure from Orban’s defiant stands against the EU, non-traditional families, and immigrants. The average Hungarian increasingly wonders why their country is consistently near the bottom of European economic measures. They have witnessed for years now how successful Hungarian businesses have been squeezed out by Orban’s family and friends, the value of their enterprises finding its way into Orban’s coffers.

Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary. His leadership of Hungary’s economy is increasingly being questioned by many Hungarians (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Here in the States another political upstart, N.Y.C. mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic-Socialist, also decided to employ walking as a political strategy. Mamdani similarly walked the length of Manhattan meeting and greeting a diverse group of New Yorkers along the way. They apparently liked what they heard. He has walked and listened his way to victory, winning yesterday’s NYC mayoral election by a nearly 10-points.

Zohan Mamdani, 34, walked to victory as Mayor of the largest U.S. city (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

So too, Magyar in Hungary. Polls show Magyar and his opposition party running ahead of the entrenched Orban. His task is not a simple one. But it perhaps shows that many Hungarians have had enough of Orban and his raping and pillaging of Hungary under the guise of nationalism.

Both performances, that of Magyar in Hungary and Mamdani in New York City, offer hope for us here in the U.S. as we painfully watch Trump fray our Democracy and ignore the Constitution. Ridding America of Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) acolytes will require more than one or two newsworthy walks. Nevertheless, here’s hoping lovers of democracy everywhere can unite and force Trump, and like-minded thugs like Orban, masking as patriots, to take their own long walks along some very short piers. 

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Cruises: A First-World’s Awkward Pleasure, And Everyone’s Problem

“The food here is terrible, and the portions are so small.” Woody Allen

The MSC Line’s Cruise Ship Lirica

I know cruises personally. Not from a lengthy resume of cruise ship voyages, but because I live on an island, in a city, that “welcomes” dozens of them for parts of the year. The use of “welcomes” here is certainly a euphemism. Cruise ships, for most residents, are an annoyance. For starters, they bring crowds to the streets, long queues in shops, and increase congestion in all directions. In addition, there’s that conspicuous smoke that constantly emanates from the ships’ stacks and the ongoing controversy about the dumping of both gray and black water into nearby bays.

I lead bike tours during the summer months and many of my customers are cruise ship passengers who wisely choose to do something physical while in port. They seize the chance to visit local lighthouses that have historically protected the harbor. And let’s be honest, people embarking from cruise ships spend money at local shops, buying souvenirs and trinkets from resident artists and entrepreneurs, and services like bike tours.

So it was with complete ambivalence that I recently boarded a cruise ship in the Mediterranean as December ended and January welcomed in the New Year. Candidly, our stops were fascinating: the island of Majorca, then Valencia, Spain, the port of Cagliari in Sardinia, and finally several Ligurian Sea ports not far from Rome and Florence. Our journey both commenced and ended in the gritty, yet alluring seaport of Marseille, France.

On one hand, the food aboard the Swiss-Italian owned MSC Line can best be described as “camp food” –recalling my days as a kid at summer camp. I found myself hoping for a delicious meal and yet, was constantly disappointed. Paraphrasing Woody Allen’s comedic line, “and such small portions.” On the other hand, the on-board customer-service was excellent and we took great pleasure interfacing with the international crew.

Two members of the on-board staff, sisters Agnes and Mita from Indonesia

I understand that Cunard’s Queen Mary has figured out how to delight its passengers when it comes to its culinary offerings. Royal Caribbean is also known to do a good job in this area. But when the conversation turns to what cruise ships do to local communities like Venice, Italy and Bar Harbor, Maine, naming just two, those residents care not at all about on-board food quality. They do care about the environmental degradation cruise ships create in their harbors, their skies, and on their streets. That should increasingly be everyone’s concern, including mine.

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A Powerful Memorial Stands in a Quiet Forest in Eastern Latvia

One of the most precious gifts we receive as State Department English Language Fellows is the opportunity to visit off-the-beaten-path places that lie at the heart of a place’s history and culture…Such was my experience yesterday in a sparse forest just west of our little city of Daugavpils, Latvia. We were introduced to this Memorial to all the Jews killed in Europe, by Anatoly Fishil, 87, a respected local civic leader and member of the small Jewish community here. Each country is represented by an 18th-century headstone of a Jewish person, whose own grave had been bulldozed-over by the former authorities here. Our guide personally created this memorial in 1991, 33-years to the day of our visit. We stood here yesterday, cold, awe-struck and emotionally humbled. Anatoly has his own amazing story of origin, survival, and, as this Memorial implies, incomparable generosity.

Anatoly Fishil, 87, a Daugavpils civic leader and Jewish elder, guides us at the forest Memorial
17th Century Jewish headstones were saved from a demolished Jewish cemetery and given a new life here
Mr. Fishil, describes the history of the Memorial he created in 1991, by sharing one amazing story after another
A somber moment for me; this headstone reads “Hungary 450,000.” That’s the number of Hungarian Jews killed in slightly over 4-months, just before the end of World War II
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