Happy New Year 2026

Thank you for your support in 2025 and look ahead to 2026.

It killed Cuba maybe NYC is next

History repeats itself, or so they say. We remember this time of the year when a young man leading a so-called revolution with alleged good intentions ended up destroying Cuba. This message coming from New York City will remind many Cubans of my parents' generation about similar speeches and promises they heard decades ago.

New York landlords will probably find their way to Miami or South Carolina soon.

click to read:

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/it_killed_cuba_maybe_nyc_is_next.html

History repeats itself, or so they say. We remember this time of the year when a young man leading a so-called revolution with alleged good intentions ended up destroying Cuba. This message coming from New York City will remind many Cubans of my parents' generation about similar speeches and promises they heard decades ago.

This is from New York City:

The New York City Council has passed what has been called the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) that will force private building owners to offer up their property to nonprofits and government entities before they make any private sale, effectively causing massive delays in property sales and other regulatory hurdles in the Big Apple’s housing industry.

In the scenario that it is passed, NYC will have the largest COPA program in the country. The act forces landlords to offer their property to the city as well as nonprofits before the building can be sold on the public market. The lawmaker who sponsored the law, Council Member Sandy Nurse, claims that it will be a win for New Yorkers.

“Corporate interests and big real estate tried their hardest to block the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act with a misinformation and fear-mongering campaign, and they failed,” Nurse said about the law’s passage, per Pix 11. “Today marks the beginning of a new social housing era in New York City… COPA levels the playing field and makes it possible to preserve and create thousands of permanently affordable homes across our city.”

The act dictates that landlords must first tip off the government entities and nonprofits that qualify, and “may not take any action that will result in the sale of such covered property to a person other than” those entities. Then the owner must sit on that property for 25 days as it is up for sale to the nonprofits, which can submit a statement of interest.

“Corporate interests and big real estate tried their hardest to block the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act with a misinformation and fear-mongering campaign, and they failed,” Nurse said about the law’s passage, per Pix 11. “Today marks the beginning of a new social housing era in New York City… COPA levels the playing field and makes it possible to preserve and create thousands of permanently affordable homes across our city.”    

The act dictates that landlords must first tip off the government entities and nonprofits that qualify, and “may not take any action that will result in the sale of such covered property to a person other than” those entities. Then the owner must sit on that property for 25 days as it is up for sale to the nonprofits, which can submit a statement of interest.

A big win for New Yorkers, someone said? Well, talk about lying to people.

Let me tell you what will happen by having you look at a current picture of Havana. It was, before Castro, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. 

Look at Havana today. Please look at the real Havana, not the sections available to tourists who pay dollars for everything.

What happened in Cuba? The landlords left their properties and moved to Miami. The once beautiful skyline of Havana now looks like crap with garbage on the streets and families sharing apartments. The lights go out constantly unless you are a staying in a tourist hotel or you dad has a prominent position in the party.

Our family lived in a residential portion of Havana with clean streets and garbage did not sit around for weeks. Batista may have been a jerk but he also understood that a clean city was good for tourists and to promote a business climate.

What happened in Cuba? The regime punished landlords and then suddenly everyone was poor, houses were literally falling apart, and small business owners, the backbone of Cuba's entrepreneurial economy, were on their way to Miami.

New York landlords will probably find their way to Miami or South Carolina soon. And then the mayor will blame it on Trump, just like Castro blamed everything on the embargo.

Watch out, New York City. Listen to the Cubans because we saw this movie before, the film of socialist good intentions, that ends up making everyone poor. As my late mother used to say: I didn't take economics in school but I have a PhD in communism. Trust me -- it doesn't work no matter how much you want to help the poor or tell people about affordable housing.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

Pop stars from before they called us Hispanics

It's common today to hear Hispanic performers on the radio. We have several Spanish radio stations in Dallas. Some artists sing in both languages.

What was it like years ago? What was it like before they called us "Hispanics"?

Let's start with Richie Valens. His story was popularized in "La Bamba", a great movie from the late 1980s.

Richie Valens was born Richard Steven Valenzuela in LA. He was only 18 when he was killed in 1959 along with the legendary Buddy Holly. His career was very short but significant. His hits included "La Bamba", "Donna" and "We belong together".

Second, Trini Lopez was born Trinidad López III in Dallas. He hit the top of the charts with "Lemon tree", "Michael" and "If I had a hammer".

Third, it took me a while to learn about Vikki Carr. She was born Florencia Bisenta de Casillas Martinez Cardona in El Paso, TX. I heard a lot of her songs before learning of her Hispanic roots. She was a bilingual singer before Gloria Estefan made it cool to do so. One of her biggest English hits was "It must be him":

Fourth, ? and the Mysterians had a few hits. The group's name promoted mystery, almost like a cult around lead singer (?) a.k.a Question Mark.

They were Mexican American kids from Flint, Michigan. They were Larry Borjas on guitar, Robert Balderrama, and Robert Martinez on guitars and bongos. The lead singer was the mysterious "?".   Their biggest hit was "96 tears":

And last, but not least, Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs was headed by Sam, who was born Domingo “Sam” Samudio in Dallas. They recorded "Wooly Bully", one of the greatest party songs of the rock era.

They did not make as much money as today's performers. In fact, some of these artists are out of music today. Yet, we should remember their unique contributions to the Hispanic experience.

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Memory video: "The Ice Bowl"

Dec 31, 1967:  The Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers met in the NFL title game....legendary game now known as The Ice Bowl.....Green Bay scored with seconds to go........

click to watch:

1967 Dallas vs Green Bay: A great game known as The Ice Bowl

It was as cold back in 1967 as it is today.   Yet, nothing stopped those Packers' fans from showing up and watching a great finish to a great championship game.      I guess that the highlight of the game was Green Bay scoring in that last drive.

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December 31, 1972: The day we lost Roberto Clemente

(My new American Thinker post)

It was 50 years ago today, but I recall it quite well.  I welcomed 1973 with my parents.  My mother had made some amazing Cuban food, my father had some new Cuban music L.P.s, and it was a blast.  We watched the famous ball from New York, then spoke with my brother, who was visiting my uncle in Puerto Rico.  I hit the pillow around 2 A.M.  No one knew that my uncle's house was a few miles from the tragedy.

Then I woke up smelling my mother's Cuban coffee, and she broke the overnight news that Roberto Clemente had been killed in a plane crash.  It was stunning:

Clemente was on his way to deliver relief supplies to Nicaragua following a devastating earthquake there a week earlier.

At the end of September, Clemente had gotten his 3,000th hit in the final game of the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a hero in his native Puerto Rico, where he spent much of the off-season doing charity work. Some of his charitable work had taken him to Nicaragua, so Clemente was particularly distressed when he learned that very little aid was getting to victims of a devastating December 23 earthquake near Managua. 

The plane took off at 9 p.m. and the sounds of engine failure were heard as it went down the runway. It reached an altitude of only 200 feet before exploding and plunging into the ocean. Rescue workers were sent out immediately, but the task was next to impossible in the darkness. The bodies were never found. The news hit Puerto Rico hard–one friend of Clemente described it as the “night that happiness died.”

A subsequent investigation into the crash revealed that the plane never should have been put in the air and that the pilot had erred by over-boosting the engines.

To say the least, I was shocked to hear the news and to talk to my brother, who gave us a report about how the island was reacting.  We had grown up following Clemente's career.  Clemente hit .317 and got #3,000 on his last at-bat of the 1972 season.  He was the MVP of the 1971 World Series and hit .318 in that postseason.

It was a rough way to start the new year.  A few months later, Clemente was inducted to The Hall of Fame.

PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.

We remember Trini Lopez & Ritchie Valens

Mexican Americans have made a huge impact in the US.  We remember two who put a bunch of hits on the radio.

Let's start with Richard Steven Valenzuela (Ritchie Valens) born on May 13, 1941 in Los Angeles.  He became one of the first Mexican-American rockers and the inspiration for "La Bamba", a great movie from the late 1980's.   

His story was also part of Don McClean's "American Pie", a song written in the early 1970's about the crash that killed Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper & Ritchie Valens.

He was 17 when he died on February 3, 1959.  Ritchie was not around too long but did record hits like "La Bamba", "Donna", "Come on let's go" and "We belong together".     

Another example is Trini Lopez who was born in Dallas on May 15, 1937. He became a very popular singer in the 1960’s. One of his best songs was “If I had a hammer”, a # 3 song from 1963.   His "Live at PJ's" album was # 2 in the Billboard Top 200 LP's in the summer of 1963.   

Sadly, Ritchie was killed before he turned 18.  Trini just turned 83 and enjoying his retirement.

We remember John Denver (1943-1997)

John Denver was born on this day in 1943.   He died in a plane crash in 1997.

In the 1970's, Denver dominated the pop charts with songs like "Rocky Mountain High" and "Annie's song".     Great songwriter and singer! His songs are HERE.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.

We remember General George Marshall (1880-1959)

We remember George Marshall, who was born on this day in Uniontown, PA, in 1880.  He died in 1959.

Marshall was a distinguished military man but we remember him for The Marshall Plan, an idea outlined in 1947.

Looking back, it was one of the greatest decisions of the 20th century. It probably saved Western Europe. (Postwar Challenges)  It gave France, Germany, Italy, and others a chance to rebuild their cities and industries.   This is a portion of the speech:

"Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist." (The Marshall Plan - George C. Marshall, Harvard University (June 5, 1947)

So we remember a great military man with a wonderful diplomatic achievement.

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1966: Eddie Matthews traded from the Braves to the Astros in the offseason

Eddie Matthews' long association with the Braves ended on this day in 1966.    He was traded to the Astros in the off-season and finished with the Tigers a year later.   He was the only man who played for the Braves in Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta.   Spahn played in Boston but not in Atlanta.  Aaron played in Milwaukee and Atlanta but not in Boston.

Matthews' greatest years came in Milwaukee where he hit over 450 HR.   He led the league in 1953 and 1959 and was a huge part of the Milwaukee teams who won the NL pennant in 1957 and 1958.   The Braves tied LA for the NL pennant in 1959 but lost a playoff.   

Overall, Matthews finished with 512 HR and 1,453 RBI.

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We remember Rick Nelson (1940-1985)

Rick Nelson died in a plane crash in Texas in 1985.   He was flying to Dallas for a concert.   Nelson recorded many songs, from "Traveling man" to "Hello Mary Lou" to "Young emotions".    My favorite is "Fools rush in", a tune from the 1940's that Nelson brought back in 1963.    

You can get his music HERE.

 

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Chicago weekends, NYCity housing plus happy # 90 Sandy Koufax

The tragedy of Chicago, NYCity vs landlords will not make housing more affordable plus happy # 90 Sandy Koufax

If it's Sunday in Chicago

We don't hear much about deadly weekends in Chicago. It happens so automatically that it's becoming an afterthought. The local politicians, especially Governor J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, want you to forget about it. What's another deadly weekend anyway? The national media does not like the story because they can’t blame it on President Trump. After all, they were shooting each other when Obama was president.  

click to read:

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/if_it_s_sunday_in_chicago.html

Happy # 90 Sandy Koufax

The great Sandy Koufax was born on this day in Brooklyn, NY and we wish him a very happy birthday.

Koufax is arguably the greatest lefty ever.   His numbers tell the story even taking account the arm injuries that forced him to retire early.   

No doubt, his stats from 1961 to 1966 are unique in modern baseball.    

In other words, he was the most dominant pitcher during those six seasons.

Overall, he pitched 4 no hitters including a perfect game in 1965;

He won 165 games with a 2.76 ERA;

No one could touch him in the 1963 and 1965 World Series; 

Cy Young in 1963, 1965 & 1966; and last but not least,

NL MVP in 1963.

Sadly, arm injuries forced him to retire after 1966 or age 32.    

On a personal level, he broke my heart when he beat the Twins in game 7 of the 1965 World Series.    We ran home from school to watch that game and LA beat Minnesota behind Koufax's 2-0 performance.

A few years ago, I read this great book about Koufax.

 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.

We remember Skeeter Davis (1931-2004)

Skeeter Davis was born Mary Frances Penick in Kentucky on this day in 1931.  She died in 2004. According to her biography, she enjoyed success in pop and country radio.

Her signature song was the sad of sad songs "The End of the World":

"Why does the sun go on shining?

Why does the sea rush to shore?

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

'Cause you don't love me anymore

Why do the birds go on singing?

Why do the stars glow above?

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

It ended when I lost your love

I wake up in the morning and I wonder

Why everything's the same as it was

I can't understand, no, I can't understand

How life goes on the way it does

Why does my heart go on beating?

Why do these eyes of mine cry?

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

It ended when you said goodbye

Why does my heart go on beating?

Why do these eyes of mine cry?

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

It ended when you said goodbye"

Is this the saddest song ever recorded? I think so!

"The end of the world" continues to get a lot of airplay on country and pop stations. It also shows up in movie soundtracks.

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A word about Davy Jones (1945-2012)

We remember Davy Jones who was born in the UK on this day in 1945.   He died in 2012.

Davy Jones was one of The Monkees, the pop group that had a bunch of hits for a couple of years in the late 1960's. 

Davy was the girls' favorite.  I remember that my sister had Davy Jones posters on her wall.  She was a huge fan of the group's music and their weekly TV series.

The Monkees sold millions of records.   They were actually a pretty good group and I liked many of their songs, too.  However, their success faded as the TV show went off the air.

Davy was the lead vocalist on "Daydream Believer", a # 1 song in December 1967. 

He also sang lead on "A little bit me, a little bit you", another chart topper from March '67 and the second Neil Diamond tune recorded by the group.  (The other was "I'm a believer")

 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.

We remember Michael Nesmith (1942-2021)

We remember Michael Nesmith who was born in Houston in 1942.  He died in 2021.

Most of us remember Nesmith because he was one of The Monkees, the rock group that recorded several hits in the late 1960's.  

Nesmith wrote some of the group's hits, as well as "A different drum" recorded by The Stone Poneys.  After The Monkees, Nesmith had a few solo hits in the 1970's.

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Happy # 88 Paul Stookey of Peter Paul & Mary

We wish a very happy birthday to Paul Stookey of the legendary folk group, Peter, Paul & Mary:

"In 1961, Stookey was the emcee, comedian and occasional singer at Gaslight, a club in Greenwich Village. One night, he was approached by Albert Grossman, a manager, who asked him if he was interested in joining a new folk trio. He initially said that he wasn't, but afterMary Travers and Peter Yarrow went to his apartment and the three sang together, Peter, Paul and Mary was born."

And the rest is music history.

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Ukraine and President Trump plus Texas joined the Union 1845.

Ukraine and President Trump.  Another deadly weekend in Chicago.  It's the Democrats stupid and Texas joined the Union 1845.  

It’s the Democrats, stupid!

It’s the Democrats, stupid!: It will soon be 2026, and everyone will be posting about midterms. It happens every two years or something like that. As they keep telling us, midterms are always a disaster for the incumbent. And many have been. However, maybe that formula:

click to read:

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/it_s_the_democrats_stupid.html

Yes, an honest Carville would say these days: “It’s the Democrats, stupid”.

It’s the Democrats, stupid! - American Thinker https://t.co/1KnhNYSMFT

— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) December 29, 2025

We remember Marianne Faithfull (1946-2025)

We remember Marianne Faithfull who was born in London on this day in 1946 and died in January 2025.   

She was Mick Jagger's girlfriend many years ago.   Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones wrote "As tears go by".   It became Marianne's biggest hit a year before the band had their own hit.

 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.

We remember Ray Thomas (1941-2018)

We just heard that Ray Thomas, one of the founding members of The Moody Blues, passed away in 2018.   He was 76.   

Thomas was born on this day in 1941 and with the group when they recorded classics like "Nights in white satin" & "My lady".

 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.

Happy # 79 to Bill Lee

The eccentric but very good lefty Bill Lee was born in Burbank, CA, on this day in 1946.

As a pitcher, he was a rare left hander who could pitch in Fenway Park.   

He pitched most of his career with Boston and finished with Montreal:  119 wins, 3.72 ERA and 72 complete games.

Lee's pitching style was to kill you with a variety of "junk pitches" that had hitters speaking to themselves on the way back to the dugouts.

Off the field, Lee was also "The Spaceman" because of all his famous quotes.   He wasn't Yogi Berra but he had a few:  

"I would change policy, bring back natural grass and nickel beer. 
Baseball is the belly-button of our society. 
Straighten out baseball, and you straighten out the rest of the world."

My biggest memory is game 7 of the 1975 World Series.   He threw one of those junk pitches to Tony Perez and it was the 3-run HR that put Cincinnati back in the game.

He was fun to watch on and off the field.    A baseball character when it was just fun to be a character.

 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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We remember Mary Tyler Moore (1936-2017)

We remember  Mary Tyler Moore who was born on this day in 1936.   She died in 2017.

We remember her as the wonderful Laura Petrie in "The Dick Van Dyke" then Mary Richards in her own show and finally in the drama "Ordinary lives".

She was great and a big part of our lives.

 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.

 

Dec 29, 1845: Texas entered the Union

 

On this day in 1845, Texas became the 28th state to enter the Union.    Texas came in as a "slave state" and eventually fought with the South in The Civil War.

Over time, Texas became the second largest economy in the US and a huge political factor as well.     

Years ago, James Michener wrote a good novel about Texas.

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Habana vs Almendares: A little “beisbol” in Cuba

It was a lot of fun hearing my late parents tell stories of Cuban baseball. My mother, born in Ciego de Avila, followed La Habana. My father, born in Sagua La Grande, followed Almendares. They spent many nights in their hometowns writing each other letters and listening to the games on radio. I guess that I inherited their passion for “beisbol.”

We remember an important anniversary in Cuban baseball: 

“On December 29, 1878, the first game is played between two teams of the first professional baseball league in Cuba, later known as the Cuban League. Representing the city of Havana, the Habana club faced off against their greatest rivals, a club from the neighboring suburb of Almendares. Habana, coached by Esteban Bellán, the first Cuban to play professional baseball in the United States, won that inaugural game 21-20.” 

The first game eventually turned into the very successful Almendares-Habana rivalry, the Cuban version of the Yankees-Red Sox feud. Eventually, they added teams in Marianao and Cienfuegos.  

It all started today in 1878!

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1878: Pro baseball started in Cuba

On this day in 1878,  professional baseball started in Cuba.    

The first game was between Habana and Almendares, the two teams that would be great rivals until Castro dissolved the league after the 1960-61 season.    

The league had four teams in the 1950s:   Habana, Almendares, Marianao, and Cienfuegos.   

It was great and very passionate baseball.

Along the way, many major leaguers played winter ball in Cuba, from Willie Mays to Brooks Robinson.   

During the summer, Havana was also a AAA franchise, the Havana Sugar Kings in the Cincinnati organization.    Havana played in The International League with other teams in Montreal and Toronto.

For more on Cuban baseball history, check out "The pride of Havana".

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The origins and causes of World War I with Barry Jacobsen

In 2014, we looked at the 100th anniversary of World War I with Barry Jacobsen.   Here is the first part.....

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.

Listen to "The origins and causes of World War I with Barry Jacobsen" on Spreaker.