The Chinese lab and the media.....Biden vs Supreme Court over student loans....The lights going out in Cuba and South Africa.....Brian Jones (1942-69).....
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Tuesday's video: The Chinese lab and the media, Biden vs Supreme Court over student loans...
The Chinese lab and the media.....Biden vs Supreme Court over student loans....The lights going out in Cuba and South Africa.....Brian Jones (1942-69).....
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Mexicans see a strongman, AMLO sees a Mayan elf
(My new American Thinker post)
The day after the big march, Mexicans are divided as ever. I spoke with a good friend by phone on Monday morning and said that the turnout was huge but that the Lopez-Obrador administration wants to change the subject. To what? How about a Mayan elf legend? Fasten your seat belts and check out the story:
Mexico’s president posted a photo on his social media accounts on Saturday showing what he said appeared to be a mythological woodland spirit similar to an elf.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador did not seem to be joking when he posted the photo of an alux, a mischievous woodland spirit in Maya folklore.
López Obrador wrote that the photo “was taken three days ago by an engineer, it appears to be an alux”, adding: “everything is mystical”.
The night-time photo shows a tree with a branch forming what looks like a halo of hair, and what may be stars forming the figure’s eyes.
López Obrador has long expressed reverence for indigenous cultures and beliefs. Work is under way in in the Yucatán peninsula to construct a tourist train that is the president’s pet project.
According to traditional Maya belief, aluxes are small, mischievous creatures that inhabit forests and fields and are prone to playing tricks on people, such as hiding things. Some people leave small offerings to appease them.
The ancient Maya civilisation reached its height from AD300 to AD900 on the Yucatán peninsula and in adjacent parts of Central America, but the descendants of the Maya still live on the peninsula.
There you go. "El presidente" is into mystical things. Ironically, this elf is, as the article points out, a mischievous creature prone to playing tricks on people. "Dios mio," as my late mother used to say, doesn't that elf resemble AMLO? Who else but AMLO has been playing tricks on people with a worthless populist message and embracing Cuban dictators. Maybe the elf was a sign from God that Mexico is in bigger trouble than we think.
Who has time to worry about thousands protesting his policies? Or who cares about three fires in PEMEX facilities? The answer is AMLO who is posting about an elf as his countrymen, and many people around the world, are wondering about his state of mind or respect for the rule of law.
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Monday, February 27, 2023
Monday's podcast: The week in review with Bill Katz the editor of Urgent Agenda
Guest:.......Bill Katz the editor of Urgent Agenda........Ukraine and the politics back here.....Ohio and the Biden administration's reaction.....DeSantis and the crime tour.....Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011).......and other stories.....
click to listen:
Monday's video: Mexico march......Senator Fetterman.....COVID and the Chinese lab...
Mexico march......Senator Fetterman.....COVID and the Chinese lab....Auto insurance and inflation.....Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)....and other stories.....
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About that big march in Mexico
(My new American Thinker post)
My wife and I spent much of our lunch today checking videos and messages from friends in Mexico City. Many people marched south of the border rejecting President Lopez-Obrador's changes to the electoral process. This is one of those reports:
Huge crowds gathered across Mexico on Sunday to oppose a government drive to shrink the independent electoral authority, arguing the changes threaten democracy, in what appeared to be the largest protests yet against President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's administration.
Organizers said in Mexico City over 500,000 people attended, with video footage on social media showing a central Zocalo square filled with protesters. One police officer nearby said he had heard the half a million figure, while others gave lower estimates.
I don't have an estimate except that I saw videos of Mexicans marching, waving their flags, and singing their national anthem. The marches also happened in other Mexican cities as well as worldwide. I don't remember anything like this in Mexico before. At the same time, we have not seen the likes of AMLO before.
According to AMLO's critics, he wants to dismantle Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE), the federal electoral commission, and give AMLO's Morena party total control over the elections. In other words, the party in power counts the votes and runs the computers. What could possibly go wrong under that scenario?
The bad news is that the Mexican Senate approved the so-called "Plan B." The good news is that the Mexican Supreme Court may kill it. The judges have issued a temporary suspension.
How will AMLO take an opinion by the court that his baby "Plan B" is unconstitutional? Honestly, that's what a lot of those people in the streets are scared about.
Last, but not least, they are concerned about AMLO's "autocratic" ways at the Atlantic:
Mexico’s erratic and authoritarian president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is scheming to end the country’s quarter-century commitment to multiparty liberal democracy. He is subverting the institutions that have upheld Mexico’s democratic achievement -- above all, the country’s admired and independent elections system. On López Obrador’s present trajectory, the Mexican federal elections scheduled for the summer of 2024 may be less than free and far from fair.
AMLO has lost the liberal Atlantic and Mexicans are worried.
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Sunday, February 26, 2023
Sunday's podcast: A chat with George Rodriguez about Texas politics
Guest: George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative.....Austin chaos and defunding the police.....GOP presidential contest.....Marching in Mexico.........and other stories......
Sunday's video: A chat with George Rodriguez about Texas politics
Guest: George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative.....Austin chaos and defunding the police.....GOP presidential contest.....Marching in Mexico.........and other stories......
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
Another bad day for the Inflation Reduction Act
(My new American Thinker post)
We are not sure about Senator Manchin's 2024 U.S. Senate plans. We did hear that Senator Tester of Montana is running for re-election. In fact, Senator Tester said that he is running because "Montanans need a fighter holding Washington accountable and I'm running to defend our Montana values."
Well, I hope someone will ask both men about the Inflation Reduction Act in light of the new inflation concerns. This is from The Wall Street Journal:
This measure of inflation, a favorite of the Federal Reserve, accelerated in January at the fastest monthly pace since June. The PCE index is worth following because it offers a view of price changes from business sources and takes into account the substitution of goods and services in a way the consumer-price index doesn't.
PCE inflation overall rose 0.6% for the month, up from 0.2% in each of November and December.
The PCE index over the last 12 months is up 5.4%, which was up slightly from December after several months of decline. Inflation in services drove much of the increase and is up 5.7% since January 2022.
The story here is that inflation is proving stickier than many expected.
Don't you hate it when things prove stickier than expected? I think consumers shopping for food can relate to that. The Biden administration keeps telling you that inflation is dropping, but the prices of food and lots of other things are not.
The new report means that Chairman Powell may have to tinker with those interest rates again. The new inflation concerns mean that Mr. Manchin and Mr. Tester will get questions about their votes that made the infamous Inflation Reduction Act possible. I think a lot of good people in Montana and West Virginia will ask these gentlemen why they voted with Senator Schumer.
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Happy # 76 Sandie Shaw
We remember her for a hits on the radio back in the 1960's, specially "Girl don't come" from the early days of Beatlemania. Her songs were part of The British invasion!
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Saturday, February 25, 2023
A word about February 25th
We remember some birthdays and events on this date.
1)) We remember that Ron Santo was born on this day in 1940.
He began his career with the Cubs in 1960 at age 20. From that debut to his retirement in 1974, he put together some great numbers: .277 career batting average, 342 HR, 2,254 hits & 1,331 RBI. From 1963 to 1970, Santo averaged 29 HR and 106 RBI. He also led the NL in walks 4 times and won 5 Gold Gloves for his defensive work at third base. Sadly, he died in 2010 and did not live to see his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2012.
2) We remember George Harrison (1943-2001).
George Harrison was born in Liverpool on this day in 1943 and died on November 29, 2001. He had been battling cancer for a few years. George was part of The Beatles from the early days. He added a few songs to the group’s repertoire over the years but his biggest contribution was playing a great lead guitar and singing background vocals. He did sing or write some tunes, such as “Something” and “Here comes the sun“.
3) Happy # 81 to Karen Grassle.
We say happy birthday to Karen Grassle who was born in California on this day in 1942. She played the role of Mrs. Caroline Ingalls and became one of our very favorite TV mothers. “Little House” was based on a series of books written by Laura Ingalls-Wilder. Laura was born in the late 1800’s and published the books in the 1930’s. It was her family’s story. The stories were about Pa, Ma, sister Mary and Almanzo, the young man she eventually married.
I have never read the books but the TV series was fabulous. The shows were extremely well written, serious and touched on real family issues. It was a great show.
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Joy knows derailments
(My new American Thinker post)
Trump Derangement Syndrome affects people in different ways. Sometimes it drives a news network so far into the anti-Trump corner that they lose their viewers -- say, CNN. Often it is reflected in the lunatic things that people say, such as Joy Behar and her sidekick Asuncion.
This is how Joy described the derailment in Ohio:
Joy Behar shocked audience members of “The View” on Thursday when she implied that Donald Trump-voting residents of East Palestine, Ohio, have nobody to blame but themselves for the toxic train derailment that’s rocked the small town.
Gasps could be heard from the crowd after the comment by Behar, who also insinuated that the devastating Feb. 3 derailment was a result of the former president’s actions in the White House.
“I don’t know why they would ever vote for him, for somebody who, by the way, he placed someone with deep ties to the chemical industry in charge of the EPA’s chemical safety office,” said Behar, 80.
What an irresponsible person.
Derailments are a part of life, just like airplanes crashing. They've happened before and will happen again. To connect this derailment with a Trump policy or campaign contribution is beyond irresponsible. Does everything have to be about Trump? I guess yes, if you are infected with Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Another woman, National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy, responded to the politics and told everyone to calm down. She added this:
“There’s a lot of misinformation on what would have prevented this,” she said. “Everyone is guessing. I saw it all over media, which was driving me nuts. Those solutions, all of the ones I heard of, are not the solutions.”
She hinted at an article that circulated soon after the derailment blaming it on a rule that would have mandated faster brakes on some trains, which was withdrawn in 2017. She said those brakes would not have prevented this derailment or even have significantly reduced its severity.
Last, but not least, “Scranton Joe” was in Kiev handing out dollars. I'm not against supporting Ukraine against Putin. However, Air Force One could have made a quick stop in Ohio and put the President in touch with people hurting from the derailment. The First Lady could have visited the area before going on her Africa mission.
So we are left with no presidential visit, more horrible comments from Joy Behar, and residents in Oho wondering why.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Friday, February 24, 2023
Friday's video: Bad inflation report.....Ohio and "The view"....and more stories
Bad inflation report.....Ohio and "The view"....4 Americans shot over the Florida Straits 1996......Happy # 67 Eddie Murray....and other stories......
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When Andrea met Ron
(My new American Thinker post)
They say that Governor Ron DeSantis is President Trump with more charm. I guess so. Let's check out this encounter between Andrea Mitchell and the governor's legislation. A few days ago, Miss Mitchell was interviewing VP Kamala Harris and said this:
“Let me ask you, what does Governor Ron DeSantis not know about black history and the black experience when he says that slavery and the aftermath of slavery should not be taught to Florida schoolchildren?”
Of course, that's FAKE NEWS with capital letters. What the governor is rejecting is that the revolution was fought to defend slavery. He is also objecting to having inappropriate material taught along with history.
To his credit, the governor went after NBC and demanded a correction or apology. His press secretary punched right back:
To all of the bookers and producers reaching out to our office from
@NBCNews
and
@MSNBC
for
@GovRonDeSantis
to join your shows, this will be the standard response from our office until
@mitchellreports
apologizes and your track record improves.
Super payback. Trust me, NBC needs to interview Governor DeSantis a heck of a lot more than he needs them.
The big picture is this. I remember taking history classes and learning about slavery and even the fact that George Washington had slaves. My history teachers did not avoid the subject. However, they put it in context or the times that these men walked the earth. They also gave us a full picture of the man and his numerous accomplishments, such as walking away from power after two terms.
In other words, my history teachers loved the country. Today, many want to teach you to hate the country and blame everything on the fact some white guys wrote the Declaration of Independence and created the Constitution.
Here is the best news: "Andrea Mitchell Reports is currently the 15th most popular show on MSNBC and 269th overall on TV..."
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We remember Joe Lieberman
We remember Senator Lieberman for several reasons:
1) In 1998, he stood up in the US Senate and called out President Clinton's Oval Office behavior. Unfortunately, most Democrats, and specially the party's women, stayed quiet;
2) In 2000, VP Gore selected Senator Lieberman to be the party's VP nominee. We recall that the Gore-Lieberman ticket lost that election. Unlike VP Gore, who became unhinged, Senator Lieberman accepted the verdict and moved on;
3) In 2003-04, it was Senator Lieberman who tried to persuade Democrats to adopt a more realistic view of the Iraq War;
4) In 2006, Senator Lieberman was defeated in the Democrat Senate primary but won the election as an independent anyway; and,
5) Mr. Lieberman became a Trump supporter in 2017.
We wish him a very happy birthday. We remember him as maybe the last of the old Democrats.
The Liebermans wrote a good book about their 2000 campaign memories.
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Thursday, February 23, 2023
Thursday's video: Ukraine and Taiwan, Money to Mexico. DeSantis vs NBC.....and more
Ukraine and Taiwan....Money to Mexico.....DeSantis vs NBC...Missouri AG vs prosecutor....Iwo Jima 1945....Lincoln 1861....and other stories.....
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
'Dolares' from here to there
(My new American Thinker post)
Imagine if Mexicans in the U.S. chose to stop sending money to their families south of the border. It would upset the families, to be sure, and rock the Mexican economy. "Remesas" or remittances to Mexico are now $50 billion dollars on a yearly basis. Let's go into the numbers:
Mexican families received a record high of US $48.3 billion from abroad during the period from January to October. The number represents an increase of 14.6% over the same period last year, data from the Mexican central bank showed on Thursday.
The figure also marks 30 months of sustained increase with highs recorded in May ($5.142 billion), June ($5.144 billion) and September ($5.3 billion). In October alone, the number of remittances was US $5.35 billion -- 11.25% more than the amount of US $4.81 billion registered in the same month of 2021.
In total, 124 million operations were registered between January and October, mostly electronic transfers.
Remittances, mainly from Mexican migrants in the United States, represent the country’s second-largest source of foreign revenue after automotive exports.
It also accounts for more than the Mexican agricultural sector, which contributes 3% to the gross domestic product.
Think about it: 3% of the GDP! According to the article, 94% of remittances come from California, Texas, and Minnesota. Am I the only one surprised that Minnesota made the top 3?
It's all about “son” in the U.S. sending "dolares" to "mami." It generally goes to food, clothing, and family health care. Honestly, it keeps a lot of families south of the border living from month to month.
The numbers are so vital that the Mexicans living in the U.S., and especially the ones sending money, are referred to as "heroes." Yes, that young man cutting your grass or cleaning your table at the restaurant is a hero back home.
How does this make Mexico more prosperous? I don't know, but it certainly provides a safety net that Mexico does not have to pay for.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Wednesday's video: Governor DeSantis on the road plus more stories
Governor DeSantis on the road talking crime....Social media before The Supreme Court......January 6 videos...President George Washington (1732-1799)...."Miracle on Ice" 1980....and other stories..
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.
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