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(My new American Thinker post)
Halloween was totally new when our family came to the U.S. The idea of kids wearing masks and asking for candy was totally new to us. I mean totally new. I don't remember watching a Disney cartoon about it, and we learned a lot about the U.S. in Cuba watching Disney cartoons.
So we went out on our first Halloween and could not help laughing whenever my mom said "trick or treat." She couldn't get the pronunciation down and said "tree ka tree." The three of us couldn't stop laughing at my mother's accent until she got mad and said that if we didn't like her accent, then we could eat breakfast somewhere else. We did not laugh anymore after that because we really didn't have another place to go for breakfast. I should add that the McDonald's across the park did not serve breakfast in 1964.
My kids have grown up, pursuing their careers, interests, and other things. Therefore, Halloween just doesn't mean as much as it used to. I still enjoy seeing the little kids in their costumes, but it's different. My grandkids are cute wearing their costumes, but they're still too young to get into the Halloween spirit. I'll wait a couple of years to take them trick-or-treating.
A few years ago, I had Dr. Ileana Johnson, author and native of Romania, on my podcast. We spoke about her book Echoes of Communism, her story about growing up in communist Romania. We found a lot in common about leaving communist countries and settling in the U.S. She is also a wonderful economist who has a lot to say about socialism and what's going on in our colleges.
Dr. Johnson wrote about Dracula and the castle during a recent trip to Romania:
Bram Stoker chose Transylvania, the western province of Romania, as the location of his 1897 gothic novel "Dracula" because of the dark, foreboding feel of the area even when it was bathed in sunshine. The myth of Dracula was so attached to Vlad Tepes and Bran Castle that the locals, when asked about it, shrugged their shoulders with amused looks, and went about their business.
The real Vlad Tepes, the inspiration source for Count Dracula, was known for his strong resistance and valiant battles against the advancement and occupation of the Ottoman Empire. "Voievode" Vlad was a real hero and founding father to the local population.
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (1431–1476), was named posthumously "Vlad the Impaler," for his habit of impaling his enemies and those condemned for capital punishment. Tepes was his Romanian moniker for "Impaler." He ruled mainly from 1456–1462, the incipient period of the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans. Of the house of Draculesti, Vlad III, son of Vlad II Dracul, was born in Sighisoara, Transylavania and died in Bucharest, Wallachia.
Dracula is Romanian for "the son of the Devil." Historians argue over the meaning of the Latin "draco" (dragon). Vlad was of the order of the dragon bestowed on his father to defend Christianity. However, the Romanian word for dragon is "balaur." "Dracul" is identified in modern parlance as the "devil." The Ambras Castle portrait of Vlad III, c. 1560, is reputedly a copy of an original made during his lifetime.
I catch this article every year and and enjoy it a lot. Who knew that Dracula and a castle could be so interesting? Well, it is, and I hope you read her full article about Dracula before the kids come to your door.
And then play "The Monster Mash" to make Halloween complete.
Happy Halloween, and don't forget to vote.
PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.
The results from Brazil show a deeply divided nation. The map was reminiscent of that Bush-Kerry map from 2004 where one region voted one way and the other the other way. This is from NPR:
In just three years, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has gone from prisoner to president-elect.
After being jailed on corruption charges, the left-wing da Silva engineered a stunning political resurrection on Sunday by winning Brazil's presidential runoff election -- in a nail-biter -- over right-wing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro.
With nearly all the ballots counted, official returns gave da Silva, who is a former two-term president, 50.8% of the vote compared to 49.2% for Bolsonaro. Da Silva will be sworn-in for a four-year term on Jan. 1.
On Sunday night, I spoke with a friend in Sao Paulo and he confirmed just how divided the nation is. He accepts the results but wonders what president-elect Lula is going to do next. He won, but has no mandate and the regional divide is astonishing. Bolsonaro won the states of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo or the two financial centers.
As expected from a candidate of the Left, Lula promised to increase the minimum wage and jump-start the economy. Well, I wonder how he is going to do that? The economy was hurt by the COVID pandemic. Of course, Lula pledged to protect the Amazon rainforest but no on is sure of how he will keep that promise and jump start the economy at the same time.
I would have voted for Bolsonaro but admit that his personality was often his biggest enemy. At the same time, maybe Brazilians will miss his personality when Lula starts governing.
We wish Brazilians the best but it will be rough down there as it is in most other Latin American countries, specially with the slowdown of the U.S. economy.
120 million people voted today in Brazil, and they had a winner by 7 p.m. central. Is there a lesson there for us?
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
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The parents are mad at public education. They don't like that their kids were at home during the pandemic but their Catholic or private school neighbors were going to school without any delays. They are angry that their kids were being taught about sexuality without their permission. They are angry and plan to take it out on the Democrats. Why Democrats? Because they cared more about the teachers union than the parents.
This is from Alia Wong:
Democrats have long been seen as the country’s “education party,” enjoying most voters’ trust on such issues. But public perceptions have shifted since the onset of the pandemic.
Last year, conservatives secured seats on dozens of school boards across the country on campaigns targeting critical race theory. More could soon join them, with their campaigns now targeting LGBTQ+ lessons, too. One poll this summer of likely voters in 62 congressional battleground districts suggests Republicans now have an advantage over Democrats on education.
The tide continues to turn in the GOP’s favor as Democrats struggle to mobilize and appeal to voters. And the implications could be vast, including greater privatization of public education, less federal involvement in schools and more restrictions on what students read and learn.
“Parents want a say in their kid’s education, and because Democrats don’t want that, (parents) are walking away,” said Jessica Anderson, the executive director of Heritage Action, a conservative lobbying organization. “There’s a new burst of energy and enthusiasm” for the Republican approach to education.
Yes, there's a lot of enthusiasm out there. The Republicans are benefiting from it because most "red states" opened up early and the kids were back in school. Also, "red" state legislatures stood up and defended the parents against CRT and other historical revisions. It's about parents who are angry with how their kids were treated and what they learned that Johnny and Mary were taught.
On election day, you will hear about the red wave but remember that the surfers are angry parents.
Let me add this note of caution to the GOP. Mom and dad will turn on you if you don't act once you have majorities. In other words, state legislatures should move quickly on school choice and making it clear to education bureaucrats that they work for the parents.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
As a Cuban American, I WILL NOT be offended if you dress up as Ricky Ricardo for Halloween…….we Cubans who grew up in the US think he’s hilarious and speaks funny too……enjoy it!— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) October 29, 2022
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Fifty years ago, a frail Jackie Robinson spoke before a 1972 World Series game. It was the 25th anniversary of his debut with the Dodgers in 1947. Jackie looked at the players lined up before the game and saw some of MLB's best black players, from Reggie Jackson to Vida Blue to Joe Morgan. He called on owners to hire a black manager. It happened two years later when Frank Robinson joined the Cleveland Indians.
On Friday, Houston and Philadelphia will meet in the Fall Classic. It should be a great series between the surprise Phillies and the Astros back for the 4th time in six years. It will be a World Series without a U.S.-born black player, if you can believe that. This is from SI:
Looking around Memorial Stadium before Game 1 of the 1983 World Series, Phillies star Gary Matthews saw a lot of Black talent.
Joe Morgan. Eddie Murray. Garry Maddox. Ken Singleton. Al Bumbry. Disco Dan Ford. And plenty more that night in Baltimore.
"There were quite a few of us,” Matthews recalled.
To be sure, Houston’s Jose Altuve and Philadelphia’s Jean Segura are among scores of Latin players helping keep big league rosters diverse.
But for the first time since 1950, shortly after Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier, there project to be no U.S.-born Black players in this World Series.
Zero. “That is eye opening,” said Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. “It is somewhat startling that two cities that have high African American populations, there’s not a single Black player.”
The Astros do have Dusty Baker, a black manager, and Gary Pettis, a black third base coach. I'm not sure about the Phillies.
What does it mean? First, a little bad luck because the Yankees and Padres, the two LCS losers have black stars, like Aaron Judge. Second, how much baseball is played in the inner city these days? I don't know but my guess is that there are other activities.
Maybe it means nothing. At the same time, it makes you wonder what Jackie Robinson would say about this? He called for a black manager in his last public speech of 1972. Today, he'd be calling for players.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
World Series no US born black players & more stories
World Series no US born black players......Rep Flores & Hispanic Congressional Assembly....40% Hispanics & 21% black for GOP in USA Today poll..."Jesus Christ Superstar" 1970.....Rangers Game 6 2011 World Series......and other stories...
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On Tuesday night, we finally saw Lt. Governor John Fetterman debate GOP candidate Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania. It was painful to watch. By the end, I felt sorry for Fetterman and was angry at his family for allowing this to happen. How does a wife allow permit this? How badly does she want to be a senator's wife?
According to Reuters, Democrats are in massive damage control. Here is a bit of that:
"I don’t know anyone, even the most staunch Fetterman supporters, who think that went well last night," a senior Pennsylvania Democrat told Reuters on Wednesday.
Yes, that's a honest Democrat speaking anonymously.
Here is a bigger problem. Huge numbers of voters cast their ballots already:
Nearly half of all vote-by-mail ballots in Pennsylvania had already been cast before Tuesday night’s U.S. Senate debate, which was judged a disaster -- even by Democrats -- after Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D), recovering from a stroke, struggled to form coherent sentences.
Fetterman had sought to avoid a debate, and his campaign has restricted his public appearances.. When he finally agreed to one, Democrats sought to delay the debate until ballots were already being cast by mail, since Democrats are more likely to use that method and more of the party’s vote would already be cast.
We are taking about 48% of the votes are in. Are those Democrats who were encouraged to vote early? Or motivated GOP voters angry over inflation? We will learn soon.
Going forward, I hope that state legislatures stop this early voting. It does no one any good for people to cast ballots before the debates or even the campaign starts.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Fetterman vs Oz, The risk of early voting and Red noises in blue places...
Fetterman vs Oz.......The risk of early voting.......Red noises in blue places.....Shootout at OK Corral 1881....Shah of Iran (1919-1980)......and other stories...
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Once in a while, people wake up and say no more. My guess is that this why New York's governor race is suddenly closer than close. According to the RCP average, this contest is 49-43% or 6 points. I don't know of a single expert who predicted that.
What's going on? Just talk to anyone who lives in New York or check this out from the New York Times via DNYUZ:
In just the last few days, Ms. Hochul stood with Mayor Eric Adams to announce a new flood of police officers into New York City subways; she visited five Harlem churches to assure stalwart Black voters she was “laser-focused” on safety; and she highlighted new statistics showing that authorities were seizing more guns under her watch.
“We believe in justice, the justice that Jesus teaches us, but it’s also about safety,” Ms. Hochul said at one of her stops in Harlem. “We are laser-focused on keeping you, your children and your grandchildren safe.”
Her campaign has begun recalibrating its paid message, too, shifting the focus of millions of dollars in ad spending to highlight the governor’s efforts to stoke the economy and improve public safety, notably including a package of modest changes to the state’s bail laws that has divided her party. The spots trumpeting her record will run alongside a new ad tying Mr. Zeldin to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Anxious Democrats are hopeful that the changes can stabilize the governor’s campaign after weeks of increasingly shaky polls that show Ms. Hochul’s lead dwindling to single digits over Representative Lee Zeldin, the Republican.
The narrowing margin tracks closely with recent surveys showing that fears about public safety and inflation have eclipsed abortion and the former president as make-or-break issues for voters, eroding Democrats’ support even in liberal enclaves like New York City and its suburbs, while rewarding candidates like Mr. Zeldin who have made crime the visceral centerpiece of their campaign.
Is it too late? Let's hope so, because New Yorkers are angry.
As someone said, It's up to you, New York, New York. Yes it's up to you to take back your streets and support the men and women wearing blue. It's up to you to lock up criminals and get ready to fire some of those DAs putting you and your family at risk.
I don't know if Mr. Zelden will make it, because the entire New York City party machine will be busy getting the vote out. I will say that this race will be a key indicator of where we are going on election day. If this election is too close to call at 10 pm Eastern time then the red tsunami just hit the Eastern shores and is moving westward.
If the red tsunami can make it in New York it can make it anywhere.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
