Uganda, Uruguay – oops, where was Ukraine? During Friday’s opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics, Russia state TV timed a commercial break to spare viewers the sight of Ukraine’s 155 athletes, marching behind the blue and gold banner. Undoubtedly, executives at Russia’s Channel One had carefully studied Chairman Putin’s dictum that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, separated only by perfidious European and American agents. Viewing Ukraine as a non-country, Putin seems to see Ukraine as an Eastern European Texas — a big border blob where people carry guns, have right wing politics and talk with funny accents. With Best Regards, Jim Brooke