History told by our collections

My mom's family has quite a few heirloom pieces that I hope to have in my home someday. Between my younger sisters and my cousins, I am sure many will be spoken for and quickly. For myself, it starts with the letters my mom's dad wrote to my grandma while they courted in the early 1940's. If I can ever master our English language and find a way to put words to paper, there is a book to be shared. What about the other things that are in various corners of my aunt's home? Late 1800's clothing, jewelry, not to mentioned an old top hat and china my grandma kept.

Our story of American history is not only passed through our families, it is passed along in the craziest of places; garage sales, antique stores and with a watchful eye, flea markets. Finding old pieces and learning the story behind them fascinate me.

I have tried several times to track down my grandma's family, once finding "new" relatives. If it weren't for the internet and such family tree websites, I may never have bridged that connection. I don't keep in contact, but my aunt exchanges emails now and again with my grandma's aunt's family. My great grandmother passed away shortly and giving birth to my grandma. It was my great-great grandmother who immigrated with her sister from Scotland to Canada and finally to America. While it continues to intrigue me, my youngest sister has since taken this searching by storm.

We share the same enthusiasm for our family history. Each of us spending hours upon hours searching, hoping to find a new connection. So far I have made the biggest find, but I hope we aren't done.

Questions remain and I hope to put the pieces together. Who owned a 40 room lodge in Saskatchewan? How exactly am I related to Thomas Dewey?

Throughout the Winter Olympics, I watched seldomly not paying much attention to medal counts or how any of the United States athletes were doing until I saw the men’s hockey team beat Canada. It caught my attention and instantly threw me in the mix, trying to catch each game with hopes of a gold medal. The men survived and advanced to the gold medal game, setting up a rematch with Canada.

They said the only way the American team could win would be to use a rope-a-dope game plan, which they used masterfully in the previous meeting. I sat on the edge of my seat watching the gold medal game in men’s hockey between the US and Canada. For about the first 10 minutes, I was impressed at how hard both sides were playing.

My heart started to sink just a little as the Americans trailed 0-1 halfway through the first period.

Trailing 2-1 late in the 3rd period, the American team pulled their goalie leaving the empty net. Skating 6 on 5 and running out of time, they tied the game at 2, with 24.4 seconds left. I jumped in excitement, feeling gold was once again possible.

It was for not as Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal for the Canadians. The same Sidney Crosby I cheered endlessly for not that long ago as a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins in their chase of the Stanley Cup.

Friendships are a bond for life just as our competitive sides remain inside us. Look at Lindsey Vonn and Maria Riesch, great friends and in the games competitive to the end. Respect is earned, won and paid. The “Night Train” went on to win gold in the men’s four-man bobsled. This was to be Steve Holcomb’s final chance to topple Andre Lange of Germany. Enemies in their sleds, Holcomb’s times proved winning of not only gold but also respect from the man he has chased for years. Each celebrated on the podium with great smiles towards each other.

As a fan of hockey and sports in general, something we can each take away from the games is a fierce competitive nature in all we do while recognizing our competitors as friends and neighbors. We as Americans, have a responsibility to reach out to one another, across the aisle and extend our hands to others in the world.

The Mystery of Vijontest

by: Mason

Howie Mandel. My parents remember him from St Elsewhere, and I remember him from reruns of Bobby's World. You might remember him from NBC's version of Deal or No Deal too. He also did some voice acting for Muppet Babies, which re-ran on Cartoon Network against stiff opposition from Rugrats. No offense Howie, but the production values on Muppet Babies were just too off-putting compared to Rugrats in all its lump-headed glory.

But that's not what I'm here to talk about. At 7:37 AM on February 6th, 2010, Mr. Mandel (via Twitter) gave us this description of America: Vijontest. Howie, what does this mean?
I've tried saying it repeatedly with different accents etc, like Mad Gab, spelling it backwards, tsetnojiv, even rearranging the letters (vest joint?). No luck. So I'm going into this blind.

Now I shall endeavor to find a definition of this word.

Possibility #1: A Canadian insult.
As we all know, via Wikipedia, Howie Mandel is Canadian. He currently lives in Los Angeles, but that's only because that's where the show business is. There are tons of Canadians who have made it big in America, and we love them! But I have a sneaking suspicion that they aren't as fond of us as we are of them.

Possibility #2: A Dutch insult.
As we all know, via Wikipedia, Howie Mandel hosted the American and Canadian versions of Deal or No Deal. And, according to Wikipedia, Deal or No Deal is of Dutch origin. The Netherlands is an extremely progressive area, and Vijontest is obviously a Dutch insult, criticizing us for being so conservative. Or at least slow on the uptake.

That's all I have. What do you think Vijontest means?