Tuesday, May 20, 2025

1902: Another anniversary of Cuba's Independence Day

Tomas Estrada Palma, Presidente de la Republica de Cuba', 1902 ...
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!




Monday, May 19, 2025

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


Guest:  Bill Katz the editor of Urgent Agenda...President Biden, the cover up and now prostrate cancer. Trump and Putin....US-Iran talks.....Ship hits Brooklyn Bridge.....plus other stories..


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

 


Taxing remittances?

Taxing remittances?: We've posted about remittances to Mexico in the past. It's a big number and the top source of cash for Mexico after oil and tourism revenues. It's US$ 63 billion, a lot of money, to say the least. It's also a lot of money leaving...
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A word about May 19





We remember May 19:

Music files:  Estela Raval was born May 19, 1935 in Argentina.   She was the lead vocalist for Los Cinco Latinos, a great Spanish pop group from the 1950's and 1960's.  She died on June 6, 2012.  

Cuban history:  Jose Marti was killed on May 19, 1895.   His death on the battlefield came after years of speeches, articles and contributions to the cause of Cuban independence from Spain.   

Rock history:   We say happy birthday to Pete Townshend, who was born in London on this day in 1945.    

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.


Sunday, May 18, 2025

The Texas Report with George Rodriguez


Guest: George Rodriguez, South Texas conservative. President Biden cover up. Tax on remittance. Mexican ship crashes against Brooklyn Bridge. Lincoln nominated by GOP in 1860. Plus other stories...

A confused man named Joe

A confused man named Joe: Bit by bit, we are learning that President Biden’s elevator didn’t always go to the top floor. It’s a sad thing to imagine because there was a nuclear button around this man. Well, we think that it was around him, but maybe….
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 Bit by bit, we are learning that President Biden’s elevator didn’t always go to the top floor. It’s a sad thing to imagine because there was a nuclear button around this man. Well, we think that it was around him, but maybe the famous “football” followed someone else.

The latest is this Biden-Hur audio tape. Some of us remember how Mr. Hur was ridiculed for revealing that President Biden wasn’t all there.

This is from James Lynch:

Newly released audio from then-President Joe Biden’s lengthy interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur captures Biden’s diminished mental acuity in his failure to recall the year his son Beau passed away, the year his vice presidency ended, the year President Donald Trump was first elected, and why he possessed certain classified documents.

Biden’s long pauses and incoherent ramblings in response to light questioning from Hur are apparent in over four minutes of audio first reported by Axios on Friday night. The partial release fulfills expectations that the Trump administration would finally disclose the long-anticipated interview tape after Biden’s administration obstructed its disclosure at every turn.

President Biden was so confused. He got the dates wrong, and his rambling was scary. Nevertheless, the real issue here is who ran the country. Who signed the pardons or told him to sign them? Or the executive orders? Who would have answered the dreaded 3 a.m. call and given the Secretary of Defense the orders to fire the missiles?

And where were the media? I can understand that some Democrats were just being loyal to the President. I get that. However, we expect the media to look beyond that.

Remember that line from Shakespeare’s Macbeth? It went something like this: “Confusion now hath made his masterpiece.” As my old English teacher in high school explained, it was a profound moment of realization and despair.

Yes, that sounds about right. Maybe today we would say that the you-know-what hit the fan.

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

A word about May 18







We remember May 18: 

Vatican history:   We remember that John Paul II was born on this day in 1920 and died in 2005.  He was born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice, Poland.


US history:    The GOP nominated Abraham Lincoln on this day in 1860,   He was selected in the 3rd ballot of what we would call today a very contested election.

Old Russia:    Nicholas II was born on this day in 1868.  He was the last Russian emperor (1894–1917). In 1918, he and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks.

Country music:    We say happy birthday to George Strait, the modern king of country. He's sold over 100 million records and hit the # 1 spot 60 times.

Mr. October:   We say happy birthday to Reggie Jackson, who was born in Pennsylvania on this day in 1946.    Jackson came up with the A's in 1967 and put together quite a career:   561 HR, 1,701 RBI, AL MVP 1973, 18 HR in 77 post-season games and 3 HR in game 6 of the 1977 World Series.   Jackson was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1993.

Orioles history:    We say happy birthday to Brooks Robinson, who was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on this day in 1937.   Overall, he hit .267 with 2,848 hits, 268 HR & 1,367 RBI.   Brooks had a reputation for being a great clutch hitter.     In his prime, he could hit a HR, a double or make a great play at third.   Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 and continues to be one of the most popular players of all time.  He died in 2024.

Super lefty:    On this day in 2004, Randy Johnson pitched a perfect game.    According to Robby Hammock, who caught the game, the whole team sensed it right away.    Great night for the future Hall of Famer.  

Music history:  We remember Pierino Como who was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, on this day in 1912.     We remember him as Perry Como, one of the most successful male vocalists ever.     

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.



Saturday, May 17, 2025

Supreme Court sends case back to 5th & that Hurr-Biden audio is bad


The Hurr-Biden audio explodes and lots of people need to resign or accept some responsibility.  The boys and girls who cried fascism.  Crisis in the media.  Supreme Court sends case back to the 5th.

A chat with George Rodriguez from South Texas