Monday's video: Biden college speech, Harrison Kutcker speech, Cuba 1902....

Monday's podcast: The week in review with Bill Katz the editor of Urgent Agenda

Monday's podcast:    

The week in review with Bill Katz the editor of Urgent Agenda....

Rough south of the border

Rough south of the border: Mexicans will be voting in a couple of weeks. It looks like Claudia Sheibaum of President Andres Lopez-Obrador’s party will win. She will make history as Mexico’s first woman president and then try to govern a country overwhelmed by….

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Rough south of the border - American Thinker https://t.co/6Pa2TUsKZC

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) May 20, 2024

Happy # 84 Jill Jackson (Paul & Paula)

"Hey Paula" was one of the greatest "teen love" pop songs ever recorded. 

They were Ray Hilderbrand and Jill Jackson who met in college in Brownwood, TX.    

Ray was born in Joshua, TX, on December 12, 1940 and died in 2023.   Jill was born in McCarney, TX, on May 20, 1940.

Eventually, they recorded the song and it was #1 in the US for the entire month of February 1963......a real pop classic! 

They broke up a few years later and went on their separate ways.  However, they do get together once in a while to sing "Hey Paula".

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

May 20, 1902 and Cuba's independence

On this day in 1902, Cuba became an independent country.   

I recall my grandmother's stories of celebrations, parties, Cuban flags hanging from windows and a general sense of happiness around the island.   I should add that she was 10 and born when Cuba was still a Spanish colony.

Of course, independence did not fix Cuba's problems.  The island went through several ups and downs, government changes and the communist takeover of 1959.

Cuba did enjoy a lot of success in the first half of  the 20th century.   The island nation achieved macro-economic success, from per capita income to literacy.   Unfortunately, Cuba's political problems made it difficult for country to enjoy a stable political climate.

Maybe Cuba will eventually celebrate another independence day as a democratic country.  We hope so!

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) .

1927 and "The Spirit of Louis took off

It was a rainy morning on May 20, 1927 but Charles Lindbergh took off to cross the Atlantic.

It  must have been one heck of a solo flight!  

By the way, I love the movie with Jimmy Stewart playing the role of Lindbergh.

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

We remember Bobby Murcer (1946-2008)

We remember Bobby Murcer who was born in Oklahoma on this day in 1946.  He died on July 12th 2008 after a long battle with cancer. 

In 1971, Murcer hit .331 with 25 HR, 94 RBI's and played a great CF.   He had other great years but 1971 was probably his best all around season. Murcer finished second to Tony Oliva in the batting race that year!

Bobby Murcer hit 252 career HRs with 1063 RBIs. He was a real fan favorite because of his personality and passion for the game. 

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

We remember James Stewart (1908-1997)

We remember James Maitland Stewart who was born in Indiana, PA, on this day in 1908.

Stewart became one of the greatest movie stars of the 20th, from "Winchester '73" to "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" to "The Spirit of St. Louis" and more.

He died in 1997.   My favorite is "It's a wonderful life" because it is such an inspirational movie and holiday classic:

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

1873: Levi Strauss, Jacob Davis and "blue jeans"

Another one of those 19th century American stories.

Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis joined forces in 1873 and created the work pants that we now call "blue jeans".

And so we have women wearing "blue jeans".       Thank you Levi & Jacob!

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

So Cher is 78 today?

She was born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, California in 1946.   We know her as Cher.    

In the 1960s, Cher and her husband Sonny, had a string of hits as Sonny & Cher.    

The couple moved to TV in the 1970s and then Cher followed that with a very successful solo career.

We hope that she is enjoying another birthday.   Frankly, a lot of us can not believe that time has flown by!

P.S.  You can listen to my show.  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Remembering how Robin Gibb & The Bee Gees sang for 50 years!

As we remember Robin Gibb's life, we are reminded of the brothers' contribution to pop music.

They started singing when they were kids.  They had hit records in Australia when Barry was 17 and Robin & Maurice were 14. 

They became international superstars in 1967 and dominated the charts with 6 consecutive # 1 songs, from "How deep is your love" in 1977 to "Love you inside out" in the summer of '79.  

They also wrote and produced albums for Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, Dionne Warwick & Diana Ross.

To my knowledge, The Bee Gees are the only group with a hit in 4 decades.  They charted on the international charts from 1966 to Maurice's death in 2003.  

Robin charted recently when he recorded a song remembering UK soldiers.  He had some solo efforts in the 1980s such as "Juliet".

His last recording was "The Titanic Requiem", a music score that he wrote about the 100th anniversary of the Titanic.  Robin was too ill to attend the premiere.

The brothers sold over 200 million records and the Gibb songbook is recognized all over the world.  They leave a pop musical legacy second only to Lennon-McCartney.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, drop a dime here.