Friday, January 31, 2025
How low can you go?
How low can you go? - American Thinker https://t.co/BIss8pptIA
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) January 31, 2025
As we debate the future of the Department of Education, we get news that U.S. children are not being educated. Something is wrong, because this department has a budget of $90 billion. How are we spending those billions? Not well as we see in this report:
America’s children have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math, according to the latest results of an exam known as the nation’s report card.
The findings are yet another setback for U.S. schools and reflect the myriad challenges that have upended education, from pandemic school closures to a youth mental health crisis and high rates of chronic absenteeism. The national exam results also show growing inequality: While the highest-performing students have started to regain lost ground, lower-performing students are falling further behind.
Given every two years to a sample of America’s children, the National Assessment of Educational Progress is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of the U.S. school system. The most recent exam was administered in early 2024 in every state, testing fourth- and eighth-grade students on math and reading.
“The news is not good,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees the assessment. “We are not seeing the progress we need to regain the ground our students lost during the pandemic.”
The news is not good. Don’t be surprised if more parents want to teach kids at home or call their state legislators to implement some form of school choice.
Honestly, every leader of the Education Department and Teachers unions should admit that they have failed miserably. Maybe too much indoctrination of our kids and not enough spelling and basic math exercises.
My guess is that the teachers unions will say today that they need more money. Yes, it’s always money with these people.
How are we helping these kids by graduating them not reading at their grade level? We are condemning them to a lousy future of bad jobs.
I remember when President Carter created the Department of Education. It made no sense to me because education is a local matter to be run by parents and school boards. However, I never thought that I’d be reading about educational failure of this type. Federal control over education has failed and it’s time to buy out these employees and shut down the building.
We cannot overlook two other issues. First, shutting down schools over COVID was a disaster. Second, the breakdown of the family unit or absence of fathers is hurting our young people immensely.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Thursday, January 30, 2025
It reminds me of my days in Cuba
It reminds me of my days in Cuba - American Thinker https://t.co/qdDeX4AHwy
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (
silvio_canto) January 30, 2025
Our family left Cuba in 1964, so we remember the tense period of the Bay of Pigs and the Missile Crisis. As I recall, the Castro regime kept putting the military on alert with anti-aircraft weapons in El Malecon, the famous avenue around Havana and the ocean. All of a sudden, as my parents said, the soldiers replaced the young couples who would take romantic walks under that Havana moon.
It was done back then to prepare the nation against “los yankis” or the invasion that the Castro regime kept talking about. He had the entire nation thinking that it was coming any day, any hour, any moment.
Anyway, the soldiers are back in the street many years later. This is a story about the latest mobilization:
Entrenched in their “Homeland or Death” chant and vowing to prevail against the “imperialist onslaught,” Cuba’s leader have paused the release of political prisoners and kicked off military exercises following President Donald Trump’s first-day decision to put the country back on the list of nations that sponsor terrorism.
Just a week earlier, former President Joe Biden had taken Cuba off the list after telling Congress the Cuban government did not provide “any support for international terrorism during the preceding six-month period.”
Trump also nullified Biden’s decision to eliminate a list of sanctioned Cuban military companies and hotels.
Biden’s measures were instrumental in a deal mediated by the Vatican, under which the Cuban government agreed to release 553 “prisoners.” While it was unclear whether some or all would be political prisoners, shortly after Biden’s announcement Cuban authorities started releasing political prisoners, as many as 170, according to a recount by an independent media coalition.
But that came to a halt after Trump reversed Biden’s actions on Monday evening shortly after his inauguration.
So the regime cancelled prisoner releases and put the soldiers on the streets again.
My parents are gone but those of their generation must be watching all this and wondering if this a rerun of those early days of “la revolucion.” I remember as a kid playing baseball on a sandlot about 250 feet from one of those anti-aircraft weapons. In retrospect, maybe one of us kids would have started a war by hitting a soldier with a fly ball. Who knows he could have mistaken the fly ball for a bomb and started shooting at the imaginary jet?
These actions confirm that the Cuban regime is a bit concerned with the Trump-Rubio team. In other words, they fear that the Trump administration will actually enforce the embargo and put an end to remittances flowing into Cuba. They need a soft embargo and those dollars flowing.
So time passes and nothing changes. Cuba does not change but it fears Trump a lot. And that’s the best news that the Cuban political prisoners can get.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
23 remember VP Diick Cheney (1941-2025)
We remember Davey Johnson (1943-2025)
We remember Johnson as a great second baseman and then as a manager.
As a player, he hit .261 with 136 HR & 609 RBI over 1,435 games. He played in 4 World Series with Baltimore and won several Gold Gloves.
As a manager, he won 1,372 games with an excellent .562 winning pct. He led the New York Mets to the 1986 World Series title. Johnson also won division titles with Baltimore in 1997 and Washington in 2012.
Great player & manager.
Sandy Amoros: The Cuban who lives in the hearts of old Brooklyn Dodgers fans
On Sunday, I always say hello at church to a couple of old-time Brooklyn Dodgers fans. Like many others, they moved to Texas years ago but cannot stop talking about their old team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. They know that I was born in Cuba and can't help to remind me of that Cuban who made one of the greatest postseason catches in baseball history.
Edmundo (Isasi) Amoros was born in La Habana on this day in 1930. He died in Miami in 1992.
Sandy Amoros, as he was known in the majors, broke with the Dodgers in 1952. He was a part-time outfielder, a platoon hitter facing primarily right-handed pitchers. Amoros was also a late-inning defensive replacement.
Amoros also played in the Cuban winter league. I remember my father speaking about him.
His biggest moment was Game 7 in the 1955 World Series. Amoros made a running catch and then threw back to shortstop Pee Wee Reese, who then doubled off a Yankee runner at first base. It killed the rally and preserved the eventual 2-0 shutout and the only Brooklyn Dodgers World Series victory.
It turned the Cuban outfielder into one of the biggest heroes in Brooklyn baseball history.
This is how they recall the play at The Society of Baseball Research:
On October 4, 1955, outfielder Edmundo Amorós helped "Next Year" arrive at last for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His racing catch off Yogi Berra near the left-field line at Yankee Stadium saved the Bums' 2-0 lead in Game Seven of the World Series. Johnny Podres held on for the remaining three innings to bring Brooklyn its only title. The grab by Amorós still stands as one of the greatest in Series history, and it was the defining moment of the Cuban's career.
Amoros played seven years and retired with a .255 career batting and did hit 16 HR in 114 games in 1956. Nevertheless, he was King Kong one afternoon in Yankee Stadium, and the Dodgers finally won the World Series.
Hey, Sandy — they don't stop talking about you whenever old Dodgers fans recall their legendary history.
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.
1964: The Beatles in France and getting ready for The Ed Sullivan Show
Two weeks later, the guys were introduced on The Ed Sullivan Show and Beatlemania was off and running.
P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). If you like our posts, drop a dime here.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Trump in, Jorge and Jim out
Trump in, Jorge and Jim out - American Thinker https://t.co/7uFeK2lfuL
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) January 29, 2025
Who would have believed this a few years ago? First, President Trump is back in the White House and more popular than ever. Jim Acosta and Jorge Ramos, a couple of his most severe critics, are looking for work.
A bit ago, we learned that Jorge Ramos left Univision:
Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos, best known as a longtime co-host of "Noticiero Univision," is leaving the network after a 40-year tenure.
Ramos and Univision’s parent company TelevisaUnivision announced the newscaster’s exit, set for after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, in a press release Monday.
"This is not a farewell. I will continue anchoring 'Noticiero Univision' until December, and afterwards I will share my professional plan," Ramos, 66, said in a statement. "I am deeply grateful for these four decades at Univision and very proud to be part of a team that has established strong leadership over the years."
While Ramos did not disclose the reason for his exit, the TV journalist and Univision "mutually agreed" to not renew his contract.
Okay. Good luck to Jorge. I hear that it was about money. Could it also be that Univision wants a different face reading the news after changing voting patterns among Hispanics?
And now Jim Acosta is looking for work too. This is the story:
CNN anchor Jim Acosta is reportedly leaving the network after he was officially pulled from its programming schedule The Status newsletter reported Monday that Acosta was expected to leave CNN after it was announced last week that his 10 a.m. ET program was being replaced with "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown" in the network’s latest reshuffling. The newsletter previously reported that Acosta was pitched by CNN CEO Mark Thompson to move him from his one-hour slot at 10 a.m. ET to a two-hour slot beginning at midnight, a far less distinguished place in the lineup.
No midnight special for Jim? Doesn't he know that the midnight shift is prime time in Hawaii and the islands in the middle of the Pacific?
Honestly, I wish these two men well and I hope that they can find whatever they are looking for. At the same time, they are examples of how the media got so wrapped up with attacking Trump that they destroyed themselves.
The public saw through the media bias and eventually clicked off. In the case of Ramos, it was being an immigration activist dressed up a journalist. In the case of Acosta, it was thinking that people hated Trump as much as he does.
So goodbye, caballeros!
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
1861: Kansas entered the Union as the 28th state
Today, Kansas is a prosperous state and reliably Republican vote. It has a population of 3 million people and a strong economy.
Let’s talk with Max Glauben
Max Glauben was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1928 and grew up surrounded by a proud Jewish community before the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. By the time he was 15 years old, Glauben had lost most of his immediate family, witnessed the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and lived in multiple concentration camps. In 1945, American forces liberated Glauben and countless others from the Nazi death camps. (Dallas Morning News)
We recorded this with Max in 2010.
Listen to "Let's talk with Max Glauben" on Spreaker.P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Ruy's big three
Ruy's big three - American Thinker https://t.co/BBXKW3Cxuy
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) January 28, 2025
We've posted about Ruy Teixiera often. He once predicted an "Emerging Democrat" majority and now he is telling them how to stay relevant. In fact, Ruy has three specific recommendations for the Democrats:
1. Immigration/border security/deportations. Outside of the economy, no issue hurt the Democrats more in 2024 than immigration. And the laxness on border security and quasi-open borders policy that resulted in massive waves of illegal immigration was very much a priority and product of the Left. You’d think they’d be rushing to correct that mistake. Nah.
2. Identity politics/equity/”trans rights.” The contemporary Left is deeply invested in these issues and shows little sign of backing down or compromising on any of them.
3. Climate catastrophism/renewables uber alles/net zero. Trump has thrown down the gauntlet to the Left on climate and energy issues. In his speech and in his executive orders he has made clear his intention to untether domestic energy production from regulatory and permitting obstacles and de-emphasize Biden administration policies centered around renewables and electric vehicles. He promises energy abundance and low energy prices. The Left hates this but the fact of the matter is that such an approach is far closer to what the public wants -- especially what the working class wants -- than the Left’s quasi-religious commitment to a rapid renewables-based clean energy transition.
So let's see. Enforce immigration laws and drop the nonsense about open borders. The "trans" meme ain't working no matter how many times you call us "transphobic." And last, don't force us to pay higher gasoline prices or drive an electric car that we can't afford in the name of some religion called "climate change" that no one can explain.
Perhaps Ruy had Starr County in Texas in mind when he wrote this. The predominantly Mexican American county voted 57.7% for Trump. Talk about the "flip of flips," because that had not happened in a long time. In fact, it was so long ago that you need to check your mom's encyclopedia, the one that she bought collecting points at the grocery store. (By the way, my late Cuban mom was so impressed that you could buy an encyclopedia that way that she kept telling the world about it)
So who lives in Starr County? Normal people who don't want chaotic borders, don't want men stealing their daughters' athletic trophies, and like that fossil fuels employ a lot of people down there.
Will Democrats learn their lesson? Time will tell. The Laken Riley Act is a good start. The fact that ICE is operating without much challenge is another good sign.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
1986: The Challenger and President Reagan’s greatest speech
And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle’s takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It’s all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.
We remember the life and times of Jose Marti (1853-1895)
Jorge Ponce, contributor to Babalu Blog; and Victor Triay,author of various books about Cuba. Click and listen to the show....
January 28, 1853: We remember Jose Marti was born on this day
Jose Marti was born in Cuba on this day in 1853. His parents were Spanish and settled on the island. At the time, Cuba was a Spanish colony and Marti's generation played a major role in the long and very costly Cuban War of Independence. My father's grandfather was part of that generation and stood up to Spain in the second half of the 19th century. My grandmother’s cousin actually fought in that conflict.
Marti was more of an intellectual than a warrior. His poetry and books are read in every university all over the world. In 1966, one of his poems or "versos sencillos" became the lyrics for "Guantanamera" the pop song recorded by The Sandpipers. ("Yo soy un hombre sincero de donde crece la palma" or "I am a truthfull man from the land of palm trees")
Marti was killed in 1895 in a confrontation with Spanish troops. It happened a couple of years before the Maine exploded in Havana's harbor and the U.S. intervened.
From our early days in the U.S., my father had a picture of Jose Marti on the wall of his home office where he'd play chess. It was next to a pre-Castro "peso bill" with Marti's picture framed on the wall. It was nostalgia and a reminder that the pre-Castro peso actually had the same value as a dollar. My father was a banker in Cuba, so he knew a thing or two about the exchange rates.
Marti's picture was a part of our family pictures on the wall. It was there between our First Communion photos, my parents' wedding, the grandparents and other souvenirs from Cuba. My guess is that most Cuban families have a picture of Marti on their walls too.
My parents also had a Marti quote on their wall:
"Nunca son más bellas las playas del destierro que cuando se les dice adiós."
It loosely translates to “The beaches of the exile are never more beautiful that when you wave good-bye to them.” It's a reminder that many Cubans came to the U.S. hoping for a return to a free Cuba. As my mother used to say, the quote took her back to a beautiful and lovely place called Cuba.
So we remember Jose Marti today and all of those conversations that I had with my late father about the man he called "The Apostle of Cuban independence."
Click for our chat with Professor Lopez, author.
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.
January 28: Remembering Jose Marti (1853-95)
Jose Marti was born on a day like this in 1853. He died in 1895 during a confrontation with Spanish troops in the long and very costly Cuban War of Independence.
Back in 2013, we chatted with Jorge Ponce, a Cuban American who left the island as a youngster with his parents, and Alfredo Cespero from Miami. They joined me for a discussion of Jose Marti's life and what it means for those of us who grew up in the US.
Jose Marti and "los versos sencillos"
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.
Remembering Jose Marti (1853-95)
Jose Marti was born in Cuba on this day in 1853. His parents were Spanish and settled on the island. At the time, Cuba was a Spanish colony and Marti's generation played a major role in the long and very costly Cuban War of Independence. My father's grandfather was part of that generation and stood up to Spain in the second half of the 19th century. My grandmother’s cousin actually fought in that conflict.
Marti was more of an intellectual than a warrior. His poetry and books are read in every university all over the world. In 1966, one of his poems or "versos sencillos" became the lyrics for "Guantanamera" the pop song recorded by The Sandpipers. ("Yo soy un hombre sincero de donde crece la palma" or "I am a truthfull man from the land of palm trees")
Marti was killed in 1895 in a confrontation with Spanish troops. It happened a couple of years before the Maine exploded in Havana's harbor and the U.S. intervened.
From our early days in the U.S., my father had a picture of Jose Marti on the wall of his home office where he'd play chess. It was next to a pre-Castro "peso bill" with Marti's picture framed on the wall. It was nostalgia and a reminder that the pre-Castro peso actually had the same value as a dollar. My father was a banker in Cuba, so he knew a thing or two about the exchange rates.
Marti's picture was a part of our family pictures on the wall. It was there between our First Communion photos, my parents' wedding, the grandparents and other souvenirs from Cuba. My guess is that most Cuban families have a picture of Marti on their walls too.
My parents also had a Marti quote on their wall:
"Nunca son más bellas las playas del destierro que cuando se les dice adiós."
It loosely translates to “The beaches of the exile are never more beautiful that when you wave good-bye to them.” It's a reminder that many Cubans came to the U.S. hoping for a return to a free Cuba. As my mother used to say, the quote took her back to a beautiful and lovely place called Cuba.
So we remember Jose Marti today and all of those conversations that I had with my late father about the man he called "The Apostle of Cuban independence."
The life and times of Jose Marti with Professor Alfred Lopez & Jorge Ponce
Monday, January 27, 2025
The week in review with Bill Katz, the editor of Urgent Agenda
Click to listen:
Maybe Elvis would have made Viva Havana instead
Maybe Elvis would have made Viva Havana instead - American Thinker https://t.co/lkC0kFH2gk
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) January 27, 202
By this time in 1956, my Uncle Jose, my father's youngest brother, was starting his career in Cuba. "Tio Pepe," as the kids called him, graduated as an architect, practiced a bit in Cuba, married Tia Carmen, a law student who caught his eye quickly walking around the university grounds. There were many pretty ladies in that campus but aunt had to be in the top 1% and I've got the photos to prove it. Eventually they ended up in Puerto Rico where he had a firm and two of their four children were born. He passed away in 2008 and she died in 2018. Over the years, my uncle was a huge source of Cuban stories, especially the non-political ones.
Back this week in 1956, my uncle and his friends started listening to Elvis and rock n’ roll. He told me that Elvis was very popular, along with Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, and some of the others.
Elvis Presley's international career began on this day in 1956 with the release of "Heartbreak Hotel" on RCA Records. Elvis had recorded for Sam Phillips and Sun Records in 1954-55.
"Heartbreak Hotel" became his first # 1 on Billboard USA and introduced the world to the man we call the "King of Rock n’ Roll." The B-side "I was the one" got some airplay, too.
Elvis never made it to Cuba because of the events of 1959. I'm sure that his manager probably told him that some sales were coming from the island but a political crisis got in the way. By the way, I've had other Cubans of that generation relate stories about listening and dancing to Elvis.
What if or everyone's favorite game of playing alternative history? What if the Bay of Pigs had turned out differently or if the Kennedy administration had insisted that Fidel leave with the missiles in '62?
Wonder if Elvis would have made a movie called Viva Havana if things had turned out differently? My guess is yes, because the market was there and the hotels were enchanting! Can you imagine Ann Margaret doing "la conga" with the King in Havana?
It's worth a few minutes of imagination as we keep up posting about President Trump in week two.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Maybe Elvis would have made Viva Havana instead
Maybe Elvis would have made Viva Havana instead - American Thinker https://t.co/lkC0kFH2gk
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) January 27, 2025
By this time in 1956, my Uncle Jose, my father's youngest brother, was starting his career in Cuba. "Tio Pepe," as the kids called him, graduated as an architect, practiced a bit in Cuba, married Tia Carmen, a law student who caught his eye quickly walking around the university grounds. There were many pretty ladies in that campus but aunt had to be in the top 1% and I've got the photos to prove it. Eventually they ended up in Puerto Rico where he had a firm and two of their four children were born. He passed away in 2008 and she died in 2018. Over the years, my uncle was a huge source of Cuban stories, especially the non-political ones.
Back this week in 1956, my uncle and his friends started listening to Elvis and rock n’ roll. He told me that Elvis was very popular, along with Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, and some of the others.
Elvis Presley's international career began on this day in 1956 with the release of "Heartbreak Hotel" on RCA Records. Elvis had recorded for Sam Phillips and Sun Records in 1954-55.
"Heartbreak Hotel" became his first # 1 on Billboard USA and introduced the world to the man we call the "King of Rock n’ Roll." The B-side "I was the one" got some airplay, too.
Elvis never made it to Cuba because of the events of 1959. I'm sure that his manager probably told him that some sales were coming from the island but a political crisis got in the way. By the way, I've had other Cubans of that generation relate stories about listening and dancing to Elvis.
What if or everyone's favorite game of playing alternative history? What if the Bay of Pigs had turned out differently or if the Kennedy administration had insisted that Fidel leave with the missiles in '62?
Wonder if Elvis would have made a movie called Viva Havana if things had turned out differently? My guess is yes, because the market was there and the hotels were enchanting! Can you imagine Ann Margaret doing "la conga" with the King in Havana?
It's worth a few minutes of imagination as we keep up posting about President Trump in week two.
P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.
Sunday, January 26, 2025
We remember the guy who hit .200
We remember the guy who hit .200 - American Thinker https://t.co/AxPZmBk6RL
— Silvio Canto. Jr. (@silvio_canto) January 26, 2025
We remember Bob Uecker, who was born in Milwaukee on this day in 1934. He died a few days ago, just shy of 91.
Once upon a time, Bob Uecker played baseball. As a major league catcher (1962-67), Uecker hit .200 in 297 games (217 starts), 146 hits, 14 HR, and 74 RBI. He played with Milwaukee and then backed Tim McCarver in the 1964 World Series.
Over 10,000 men have played major league baseball, or so I heard former MLB commissioner Selig once say. It sounds right to me, so let’s go with that number.
How many have hit .200 for a career? Many, but nobody remembers their names. Who remembers the band that never had a hit, or the author who didn’t sell any books? Baseball is about winning, and .200 hitters usually sit on the bench, warm up pitchers in the bullpen, or catch when the regular catcher needs a night off. Or they get sent down to the minors!
Nevertheless, we remember Bob Uecker because of his humor and personality. Who else could get away with these quotes?
“The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up.”
—Uecker in If These Walls Could Talk
“If a guy hits .300 every year, what does he have to look forward to? I always tried to stay around .190, with three or four RBI. And I tried to get them all in September. That way I always had something to talk about during the winter.”
—Uecker in If These Walls Could Talk
“Juuuuuuuuuust a bit outside. Ball four. Ball eight!”
—Uecker in Major League.
“I led the league in go get ’em next time.”
—Uecker in If These Walls Could Talk
“I spent three of the best years of my life in 10th grade.”
—Uecker via A-Z Quotes
“I hope the fans have enjoyed listening as much as I’ve enjoyed doing the games. I don’t ever go to the park where I don’t have a good day. I don’t like losing. But I don’t think I ever go to the park where I have a bad day. I don’t think once.”
—Uecker via A-Z Quotes
In 1971, he came home to be the radio and TV voice of the Brewers. In that job, he hit the broadcasting equivalent of 60 home runs, because that’s over 50 years calling games for one organization. That’s Vince Scully territory!
So baseball heaven has a new member, and we are left with quotes and knowing that those games on the radio just won’t sound the same.
PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.