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.
1865: The House passed the 13th Amendment
On this day in 1865, the US House passed the 13th Amendment. It was sent to the states for ratification and approved in November.
It was a great movie!
We remember Jackie Robinson (1919-72)
We remember Jackie Robinson, who was born in Cairo, Georgia, on this day in 1919. He died October 24, 1972.
Robinson was one of the biggest sports stories of the 20th century, as we see in this biography from his Hall of Fame page:
He retired with a .311 career batting average plus 137 HR & 734 RBI in 1,382 games.At the end of his first season, Robinson was named the Rookie of the Year. He was named the NL MVP just two years later in 1949, when he led the league in hitting with a .342 average and steals with 37, while also notching a career-high 124 RBI. The Dodgers won six pennants in Robinson’s 10 seasons, but his contributions clearly extended far beyond the field.
A word about Ernie Banks (1931-2015)
The great Ernie Banks was born in Dallas, Texas, on this day in 1931. He died in 2014.
My guess is that most people don't know much about his younger days in Dallas, Texas.
Over the years, I've seen some great players in person and TV. Sadly, I never got to see Ernie Banks in person but do recall hearing #500 on WGN radio.
Happy # 78 Nolan Ryan
His numbers are unbelievable: 324 wins, 3.19 ERA, 5,714 K and 7 no-hitters.
Ryan was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.
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.
Happy # 84 to VP Dick Cheney
Happy # 82 Davey Johnson
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.
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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.
1962: Peter Paul & Mary signed their first contract
Did you love Peter, Paul & Mary's voices and their many wonderful songs?
We remember today that Peter Paul & Mary signed their first contract with Warner Bros.
Well....and the rest is musical history.
I love the music of Peter, Paul & Mary. I've collected their songs for years and a part of my personal soundtrack. They remind me of so many moments in my life.
Mary Travers died in 2009. We posted a couple of times about her death.
Peter & Paul rarely perform anymore. However, they left us a musical legacy of beautiful tunes.
P.S. Their music is now available in a digital format. And there is this wonderful songbook of guitar chords and lyrics!
1958: Campanella and the accident that ended his career
On this day in 1958, Roy Campanella was involved in a career ending car accident. And so ended Campy's career. He never played again.
The injury happened a few months after the Dodgers had played their last game in Brooklyn.
Campy was selected to The Hall of Fame in 1969. He died in 1993. Campanella was the catcher & 3-time NL MVP on the 1955 Brooklyn team that won the World Series.
1936: The first selections to the Baseball Hall of Fame
It started on this day in 1936. The first class selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame included Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson. Quite a class to say the least!
Cobb retired as the all time hits leaders (4,189) and a .366 lifetime batting average. Pete Rose broke his record in 1985.
Ruth hit 714 HRs, set the single season record with 60 HR in 1927 and retired with a .342 career BA. Henry Aaron and Barry Bonds passed him in 1974 and 2007 respectively. Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. Barry Bonds hit 71 in 2001!
Wagner had 3,420 hits and a .328 career BA.
Mattewson won 373 games.
Johnson won 424 games, pitched 110 shutouts and had a lifetime 2.17 ERA. How did he lose 279 games with an ERA like that? He also had 3,509 Ks!
Great selections!
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.
A terrible day, but the right man was in the Oval Office
We think of President Reagan as “the great communicator.” Indeed, he communicated conservative ideas better than anyone. Many of his speeches were memorable, from “the evil empire” to “tear down this wall.” His 1980 speech accepting the GOP nomination in Detroit was fabulous, especially now that you can watch it again and again.
However, his best speech wasn’t political at all. It happened on the day that he spoke to the nation about the terrible Challenger explosion on January 28, 1986 or 37 years ago today.
As you may remember, most of the country fell in love with Christa McAuliffe, a teacher going into space. Also watching that morning were her family and millions of students all over. It was one of those moments where everyone was cheering the same way. It was awesome. Happy moment. How often do you get those?
The story had a bad ending. The Challenger exploded 73 seconds after takeoff and a wonderful morning turned into a nightmare.
Around that time, I was driving to a lunch and listening to everything on the radio. I heard the takeoff and the first word of an explosion. I walked into the restaurant and everyone was watching the television. It was one of those moments when nothing else mattered, including lunch.
Later, President Reagan spoke to the nation about the tragedy, and especially to the children who had seen their teacher blown up in space. Suddenly, you realize why it matters to have a president who can speak from the heart:
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.
It was a wonderful speech and you should watch it in full. It was an awful day but we had a man in the Oval Office who could bring us together.
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)
Guest: Fernando Hernandez, Cuban American author....We remember the life and times of Jose Marti (1853-1895)...and other stories....
1959: The Packers hired Lombardi
Lombardi inherited a 1-10-1 team but he turned the organization around quickly."On January 28, 1959, the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) sign Vince Lombardi to a five-year contract as the team's coach and general manager."
Green Bay won 3 NFL titles and the first 2 Super Bowls. Without question, the Packers were the most successful team of the 1960's.
As a result, the Super Bowl Trophy is named after Coach Lombardi.
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....