The Comin’ Home Podcast with John Alan

How I See the USA (and how it sees me) - ep.203 with my guest Snoopy

How I see the USA... Does it match with how the USA sees me?
We returned from our family vacation a few days ago. I have lived here in Norway for 21 years now, and I don't get home to my home State of Ohio often enough. Every time I go back, I am made aware of how much things have changed in the USA. There is always a little more construction that has taken away some of the beautiful local nature, for example. The political landscape has changed and moved into an existence that is uglier, more paranoid, more aggressive, and more exclusionary. 
The other side of that coin, though, is this: I also saw many reminders of what is still beautiful about the people and places in America, and more specifically, all the beauty of the places and people back home in my area of rural and suburban Ohio. For example, I was often charmed by the laughter-filled, short conversations with strangers while shopping or while walking around. The wildlife was just as amazing as I remember it to have been during my childhood.
Of course, my family is still there back home. I enjoyed sitting back and watching my kids get to know family members with whom they previously had only known through telephone conversations.
Beautiful... 
In this episode, Snoopy and I talk about some of these experiences, both good and bad, from our (roughly) three-week vacation to Ohio.
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Watch the episode on YouTube HERE
Go check out my new comic strip "Loyal Oak" at https://johnalanpod.com/loyal-oak-the-comicstrip/
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Here are some sources for one or more of my comments on this episode: 
I messed up on the age of the child who was involved, but the essence of my presentation and opinion of this incident remain. https://pridepublishinggroup.com/2023/08/04/texas-police-mistakenly-hold-black-family-at-gunpoint-in-traffic-stop-mishap/
#CominHomeWithJohnAlan #Ohio #Vacation

Affirmative Action & Equal Education... GONE FOR GOOD? - episode 202

The Supreme Court has banned a policy that was enacted in order to partially right the wrong of hundreds of years of racism. Now what? What does the removal of affirmative action do to black students and their opportunity to get accepted to colleges and universities in the United States?
 
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Go check out my new comic strip "Loyal Oak" at https://johnalanpod.com/loyal-oak-the-comicstrip/
You can find my music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5F4Jgrwy2fMa54webx5yzk?si=TTCDdVjdQCSf4GsRM7UyZg
More info and my blog are here at https://johnalanpod.com/blog/
 
Here are some sources for some of my comments on this episode: 
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-affirmative-action-legacy-college-admissions-5d6f34a13045752c6a37db67c66c7d63
https://thegrio.com/2023/06/30/theres-no-such-thing-as-race-neutral/
https://www.nber.org/papers/w26316
https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/historical-foundations-race
https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2023-01-26/yale-study-shows-black-boys-are-more-likely-to-be-disciplined-than-their-white-classmates
https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-black-white-divide-in-suspensions-what-is-the-role-of-family
#CominHomeWithJohnAlan #AffirmativeAction #CivilRights

Your Guide to Better Health and Awareness - ep. 201 with Lena Kralicek

Lena Kralicek is the owner and General Manager of House of Mindful Movement in Mo I Rana in Norway. I have known Lena for close to fifteen years now. She was an instructor in a health coach class in which I participated many years ago, and she is instrumental in my awareness of the importance of incorporating the aspects of physical mobility with physical strength, which are then blended with a clear mental awareness and joy of movement. She showed all of us who participated in that class how those combined areas of focus play a unified role in health awareness and training.
I get a new and lasting dose of encouragement every time I speak with Lena. It’s who she is and what she does.
Follow Lena Kralicek at her Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/lena_kralicek/
 
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https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnalanpod
https://paypal.me/johnalanpod
 
Go check out my new comic strip "Loyal Oak" at https://johnalanpod.com/loyal-oak-the-comicstrip/
You can find my music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5F4Jgrwy2fMa54webx5yzk?si=TTCDdVjdQCSf4GsRM7UyZg
More info and my blog are here at https://johnalanpod.com/
#CominHomeWithJohnAlan #mentalhealth #coaching

How to Mentor Our Sons

How do you mentor your sons? There are many ways. I want to share one form of mentoring with you.
As I have experienced for over forty years, physical training is an excellent path to improved physical, emotional, and mental health.
The process of properly training my body has brought me
self-discipline
humility
an inspiration to erase limitations
awareness of how important it is to set realistic goals
Of course, all that gym time and all of the accomplishments while competing in bodybuilding and powerlifting have given me above-average physical strength.
More importantly, I have incorporated those physical accomplishments into mental and emotional strengthening that I readily apply to my day-to-day life.
The process has made me a better father, husband, artist, and friend, and I want a similar opportunity for my son as well.
He is ready, and so we have been training together for these past two weeks.
For my son, the lessons flow as his sweat flows. When we train, I facilitate the presentation of lessons about goals, limits, fortitude, expectations, humility, and much more.
Training with my son has put me on my game like I haven’t been in a while. I’m his example, and as I teach him in my gym, I am reinforcing things for myself.
 
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Go check out my new comic strip "Loyal Oak" at https://johnalanpod.com/loyal-oak-the-comicstrip/
You can find my music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5F4Jgrwy2fMa54webx5yzk?si=TTCDdVjdQCSf4GsRM7UyZg
More info and my blog are here at https://johnalanpod.com/
#CominHomeWithJohnAlan #mentoring #fathers

A Haitian American Writer in Norway (Happy or not?) - episode 199 with Arlynn Sinclair

Arlynn Sinclair is the author of CASTLE IN THE BIG CITY and THE SONG OF KOSELIG. Her family is from Haiti and she recently moved to Norway from her home in the United States. Find out more about Arlynn Sinclair at her website https://www.arlynninthearctic.com/.
 
* MY AUDIOBOOK SUBSCRIPTION IS NOW AVAILABLE! Get into it HERE
* If you'd like to support The Comin' Home Podcast With John Alan, you can do that at one of the links here: https://patron.podbean.com/JohnAlan
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnalanpod
https://paypal.me/johnalanpod
 
Go check out my new comic strip "Loyal Oak" at https://johnalanpod.com/loyal-oak-the-comicstrip/
You can find my music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5F4Jgrwy2fMa54webx5yzk?si=TTCDdVjdQCSf4GsRM7UyZg
More info and my blog are here at https://johnalanpod.com/
#CominHomeWithJohnAlan #writer #life
 
 

The American Way? U.S. Emigrants and Taxation part 2 - episode 198

Americans who live abroad are renouncing their United States citizenship in large numbers. What part does the current fairness or unfairness of the United States Tax code play in this? What do U. S. citizens need to consider regarding the renunciation of their citizenship? What are "accidental Americans" and how are they treated under the rules of taxation by the U.S. I talked with Keith Redmond and John Richardson to gain clarity on these issues, and I'm happy to share them with you! 
Get part 1 of my THE AMERICAN WAY? series here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-epb7d-1309179
or on any podcast platform or on my YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@cominhomewithjohnalan9103/videos
 
John Richardson and Keith Redmond are co-founders of https://seatnow.org/
John RICHARDSON can be contacted at www.citizenshipsolutions.ca and citizenshipsolutions@proton.me
Keith Redmond can be reached at https://www.facebook.com/groups/AmericanExpatriates and US_Overseas_Advocate@outlook.com
 
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* If you'd like to support The Comin' Home Podcast With John Alan, you can do that at one of the links here: https://patron.podbean.com/JohnAlan
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnalanpod
https://paypal.me/johnalanpod
Go check out my new comic strip "Loyal Oak" at https://johnalanpod.com/loyal-oak-the-comicstrip/
You can find my music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5F4Jgrwy2fMa54webx5yzk?si=TTCDdVjdQCSf4GsRM7UyZg
More info and my blog are here at https://johnalanpod.com/
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#Taxation
#AmericansAbroad