I don't want to be patriotic party pooper when it comes to US Olympic victories, but I do find the heightened sense of nationalism that invariably accompanies these games to be a bit unsettling. At a minimum, it's a reminder how easily citizens fall into the "us versus them" mentality. I'd rather see some obscure wrestler from Lichtenstein win, than a highly touted, media "favorite" from whatever nation.

On a somewhat related note, I think a small part of Russia's motives for invading Georgia is to recapture their past "glory". Is the self-esteem of Russia's people so low that they have have to exert themselves militarily in order to feel good again? Looks like it.

I've long felt that "pride" is best associated with one's own actions, or, in the case of a parent, with the actions of their offspring (as a parent had an enormous role in that child's development). I think "shame" works the same way.

Again, I don't mean to poop on the party.

Peter T.