A continuation of events surrounding the drug war and related social issues of Baja California and Mexico. Keeping an eye on Seig Heil Trump. We are still trying to restore all blogs from 2006 which were hacked by Linton Robinson and his team, famous for supporting the Baja Trump Towers on one of his real estate sites. Highlights of Paris-Simone's favorite music !!
One subfloor accomplished, one more to go...the backlog here is crazy... and my knee is killing me.
After seven drowsy days on antihistamines, Paris is doing much better, she goes in tomorrow to get a Cytopoint shot, she had a spa treatment today and when she doesn't feel well, she is cranky. I had to turn on the A/C a couple of days back for her and hook up the vornados - it was a shocking 90 degrees here. Totsie has been sharing her gerbers baby food with her buddy Paris..we go through this every year with her allergies.
In between times, I have not been watching the Derek Chauvin trial due to not having the time and the intense emotionality of it - Mike thinks Chauvin will get off on manslaughter. However, the highlights are here and if you watch Don Lemon, Cornel West has been making guest appearances which is a real treat.
More mass shootings across the U.S.; after the Orange county shooting, CNN writes:
" T his is at least the 20th mass shooting since the Atlanta-area spa attacks two weeks ago that left eight people dead. CNN defines a mass shooting as a shooting incident that results in four or more casualties, dead or wounded, excluding the shooter."
"During the first quarter of 2021, homicides had an increase in Baja California of 22.5 percent, compared to the same period in 2020; All the municipalities presented ascending statistics, but the upsurge in violence was greater in Ensenada and Tecate.
According to official figures, obtained from the reports of the State Security and Investigation Guard (GESI), in January 2021 284 people were murdered in Baja California; in February 242, and 258 in March, giving the sum of 798.
In January 2020, 209 murders were committed in the State, in February 185, and 245 in March, a total of 639 in the first three months.
Tijuana continued to be the municipality with the highest number of homicides, from January to March 2021 486 were reported, while from January to March 2020 there were 482, which shows a minimal increase, which the authorities describe as stable.
However, in Ensenada, from January to March 2021 a total of 128 people were murdered, while in the same period, but in 2020, 65 homicides were registered. So the increase against last year is 54.1 percent. This does not include the 8 violent deaths in San Quintín, which are already counted as a new municipality.
Another city with a notable rise was Tecate, from January to March 2021 there were 97 murders and from January to March 2020 only 26 were committed, despite the fact that there is talk of double-digit figures, the increase is 300 percent .
In Playas de Rosarito, during the first three months of 2021, 26 homicides were reported and 26 in 2020; In Mexicali, during the past year, 40 murders were committed and the first three months of 2021 are already 49.
In an interview with ZETA, Hiram Sánchez Zamora, central prosecutor of the State Attorney General's Office (FGE), pointed out that 80 percent of the homicides have to do with the struggle between the drug cartels and recognized that the problem is Tecate and Ensenada.
“We have very identified the problem in Tecate and Ensenada, we have to do more actions in addition to those that the mayor of Ensenada is doing, for example, do more actions, the Prosecutor's Office -FGE- seeks to coordinate in a better way, constantly with all the authorities ”, stated the Central Prosecutor.
He added that criminal cells are related in all the municipalities of the State due to the roads and the proximity between them, so it is intended to create the Metropolitan Guard, which will have the power to enter all cities.
"The East Zone of Tijuana, Tecate, the entire Corridor 2000, Rosarito and Ensenada keep this relationship and use the criminals themselves, in a good number of cells they use to evade the authorities," concluded Sánchez Zamora."
~~~~~
It's pretty bad all around us, you can keep up to date by reading the Noticias Del Dia y Reportajez (don't miss the war between Sinaloa & CAF in the Valle de Guadalupe (Ruta de Vino)& The Cartels Take The Streets for starters, just keep scrolling through) and Ensenada for the details which are grim.
I have reports on AMLO and the increased COVID death count across the Nation and his latest attack on Article 19, these are week old stories now, but they are importante. Try to get back down here with those over the weekend...also a good chile recipe if you're into chile.
One subfloor accomplished, one more to go...the backlog here is crazy... and my knee is killing me.
After
seven drowsy days on antihistamines, Paris is doing much better, she
goes in tomorrow to get a Cytopoint shot, she had a spa treatment today
and when she doesn't feel well, she is cranky. I had to turn on the A/C
a couple of days back for her and hook up the vornados - it was a
shocking 90 degrees here. Totsie has been sharing her gerbers baby food
with her buddy Paris..we go through this every year with her allergies.
In
between times, I have not been watching the Derek Chauvin trial due to
not having the time and the intense emotionality of it - Mike thinks
Chauvin will get off on manslaughter. However, the highlights are here
and if you watch Don Lemon, Cornel West has been making guest appearances which is a real treat.
More mass shootings across the U.S.; after the Orange county shooting, CNN writes:
" T his is at least the 20th mass shooting since the Atlanta-area spa attacks
two weeks ago that left eight people dead. CNN defines a mass shooting
as a shooting incident that results in four or more casualties, dead or
wounded, excluding the shooter."
"During
the first quarter of 2021, homicides had an increase in Baja California
of 22.5 percent, compared to the same period in 2020; All the municipalities presented ascending statistics, but the upsurge in violence was greater in Ensenada and Tecate.
According
to official figures, obtained from the reports of the State Security
and Investigation Guard (GESI), in January 2021 284 people were murdered
in Baja California; in February 242, and 258 in March, giving the sum of 798.
In
January 2020, 209 murders were committed in the State, in February 185,
and 245 in March, a total of 639 in the first three months.
Tijuana
continued to be the municipality with the highest number of homicides,
from January to March 2021 486 were reported, while from January to
March 2020 there were 482, which shows a minimal increase, which the
authorities describe as stable.
However,
in Ensenada, from January to March 2021 a total of 128 people were
murdered, while in the same period, but in 2020, 65 homicides were
registered. So the increase against last year is 54.1 percent. This does not include the 8 violent deaths in San Quintín, which are already counted as a new municipality.
Another
city with a notable rise was Tecate, from January to March 2021 there
were 97 murders and from January to March 2020 only 26 were committed,
despite the fact that there is talk of double-digit figures, the
increase is 300 percent .
In Playas de Rosarito, during the first three months of 2021, 26 homicides were reported and 26 in 2020; In Mexicali, during the past year, 40 murders were committed and the first three months of 2021 are already 49.
In
an interview with ZETA, Hiram Sánchez Zamora, central prosecutor of the
State Attorney General's Office (FGE), pointed out that 80 percent of
the homicides have to do with the struggle between the drug cartels and
recognized that the problem is Tecate and Ensenada.
“We
have very identified the problem in Tecate and Ensenada, we have to do
more actions in addition to those that the mayor of Ensenada is doing,
for example, do more actions, the Prosecutor's Office -FGE- seeks to
coordinate in a better way, constantly with all the authorities ”,
stated the Central Prosecutor.
He
added that criminal cells are related in all the municipalities of the
State due to the roads and the proximity between them, so it is intended
to create the Metropolitan Guard, which will have the power to enter
all cities.
"The
East Zone of Tijuana, Tecate, the entire Corridor 2000, Rosarito and
Ensenada keep this relationship and use the criminals themselves, in a
good number of cells they use to evade the authorities," concluded
Sánchez Zamora."
~~~~~
It's pretty bad all around us, you can keep up to date by reading the Noticias Del Dia y Reportajez (don't
miss the war between Sinaloa & CAF in the Valle de Guadalupe (Ruta
de Vino)& The Cartels Take The Streets for starters, just keep
scrolling through) and Ensenada for the details which are grim.
I
have reports on AMLO and the increased COVID death count across the
Nation and his latest attack on Article 19, these are week old stories
now, but they are importante. Try to get back down here with those over
the weekend...also a good chile recipe if you're into chile.
I am late, sorry. Paris had to go to VCA last Friday, Mike was there all day and didn't get back home until after 10:30 - Paris is on a really strong antihistamine so she does not feel well, and I popped my knee again trying to do things around here, it has been crazy. Well, the good news is that Paris does not have the nasal carcinoma like little Freidamuffin had, just a bad allergy.
If you don't read or watch anything else, please check this out - I have not checked to see if the Mexican or USA Corporate Media is covering this, I'll let you know. Look, I want to give Biden a chance...so I'm also including the recent PEW Report on what he has accomplished on the border, despite AMLO blaming him for the mess. I can't say anything about AMLO, other than what he said and another article from Zeta rubbed me wrong way. Here we go:
Well Joe, look...with friends like these (with the exception of PEW & Kamala)) you certainly do not need enemies. Hang tight. BTW, it is also crazy with executions everywhere in Baja, Christ.
I am late, sorry. Paris had to go to VCA last Friday, Mike was there all day and didn't get back home until after 10:30 - Paris is on a really strong antihistamine so she does not feel well, and I popped my knee again trying to do things around here, it has been crazy. Well, the good news is that Paris does not have the nasal carcinoma like little Freidamuffin had, just a bad allergy.
If you don't read or watch anything else, please check this out - I have not checked to see if the Mexican or USA Corporate Media is covering this, I'll let you know. Look, I want to give Biden a chance...so I'm also including the recent PEW Report on what he has accomplished on the border, despite AMLO blaming him for the mess. I can't say anything about AMLO, other than what he said and another article from Zeta rubbed me wrong way. Here we go:
Well Joe, look...with friends like these (with the exception of PEW & Kamala)) you certainly do not need enemies. Hang tight. BTW, it is also crazy with executions everywhere in Baja, Christ.
We are still here - I am up to my eyeballs in home improvement projects, trying to make up for lost time and an attempt to beat the heat when I just wilt. Notably and most important and not covered down here was Biden's super victorious American Rescue Plan, which truly was,"... for all its flaws, it remains a major achievement, and one hell of a good start."
But, for weeks and especially now, the Republicans (and others) are rubbing their greedy little hands together hoping and praying that Biden will fall into ruin due to the immigration dilemma. It is an act of pure schadenfreude if ever there was one. My question is, who spread the misinformation that the United States was now granting free access particularly during this pandemic with mulitple variants of concern?
Several years ago back in 2014 there was general agreement that the Drug Cartels themselves were encouraging the migration of thousands upon thousands of children to create a diversion - to confuse and humiliate U.S. law enforcement. These days, it's difficult to pin the blame on any one group - although several come to mind: Russia, Iran, the insane brother and sister act of North Korea...and jealousy and bitterness runs deep around the world as many countries that simply handled the COVID -19 virus poorly and are so far behind in vaccinations is incredible. Their dwindling societies remain suffering with lack of hope, stifled by the pandemic and economic disaster. Depending on how you feel, there have been obstructions for a smooth transition from the Trump Reign of Terror to the Biden Days:
I believe it is fair to say that San Diego detainment facilities are at capacity with unaccompanied migrant children as we speak. So, here are some highlights:
- Adding this link so you are up to date on the drug war carnage down here;scroll through "Noticias del Dia " - and also click "Ensenada". I need to note that Carlos Alvarez is covering the statements of General Glen David VanHerk. No es bueno amigos:
The island it is silent now But the ghosts still haunt the waves And the torch lights up a famished man Who fortune could not save Did you work upon the railroad Did you rid the streets of crime Were your dollars from the white house Were they from the five and dime Did the old songs taunt or cheer you And did they still make you cry Did you count the months and years Or did your teardrops quickly dry Ah, no, says he, 'twas not to be On a coffin ship I came here And I never even got so far That they could change my name Thousands are sailing Across the western ocean To a land of opportunity That some of them will never see Fortune prevailing Across the western ocean Their bellies full Their spirits free They'll break the chains of poverty And they'll dance In Manhattan's desert twilight In the death of afternoon We stepped hand in hand on Broadway Like the first man on the moon And "The Blackbird" broke the silence As you whistled it so sweet And in Brendan Behan's footsteps I danced up and down the street Then we said goodnight to Broadway Giving it our best regards Tipped our hats to Mister Cohen Dear old Times Square's favorite bard Then we raised a glass to JFK And a dozen more besides When I got back to my empty room I suppose I must have cried Thousands are sailing Again across the ocean Where the hand of opportunity Draws tickets in a lottery Postcards we're mailing Of sky-blue skies and oceans From rooms the daylight never sees Where lights don't glow on Christmas trees But we dance to the music And we dance Thousands are sailing Across the western ocean Where the hand of opportunity Draws tickets in a lottery Where e'er we go, we celebrate The land that makes us refugees From fear of Priests with empty plates From guilt and weeping effigies And we dance
https://www.letssingit.com/the-pogues-lyrics-thousands-are-sailing-1f8k9s8 LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database
"The island it is silent now But the ghosts still haunt the waves And the torch lights up a famished man Who fortune could not save
Did you work upon the railroad Did you rid the streets of crime Were your dollars from the white house Were they from the five and dime
Did the old songs taunt or cheer you And did they still make you cry Did you count the months and years Or did your teardrops quickly dry
Ah, no, says he, 'twas not to be On a coffin ship I came here And I never even got so far That they could change my name
Thousands are sailing Across the western ocean To a land of opportunity That some of them will never see Fortune prevailing Across the western ocean Their bellies full Their spirits free They'll break the chains of poverty And they'll dance
In Manhattan's desert twilight In the death of afternoon We stepped hand in hand on Broadway Like the first man on the moon
And "The Blackbird" broke the silence As you whistled it so sweet And in Brendan Behan's footsteps I danced up and down the street
Then we said goodnight to Broadway Giving it our best regards Tipped our hats to Mister Cohen Dear old Times Square's favorite bard
Then we raised a glass to JFK And a dozen more besides When I got back to my empty room I suppose I must have cried
Thousands are sailing Again across the ocean Where the hand of opportunity Draws tickets in a lottery Postcards we're mailing Of sky-blue skies and oceans From rooms the daylight never sees Where lights don't glow on Christmas trees But we dance to the music And we dance
Thousands are sailing Across the western ocean Where the hand of opportunity Draws tickets in a lottery Where e'er we go, we celebrate The land that makes us refugees From fear of Priests with empty plates From guilt and weeping effigies And we dance"
We are still here - I am up to my eyeballs in home improvement projects, trying to make up for lost time and an attempt to beat the heat when I just wilt. Notably and most important and not covered down here was Biden's super victorious American Rescue Plan, which truly was,"... for all its flaws, it remains a major achievement, and one hell of a good start."
But, for weeks and especially now, the Republicans (and others) are rubbing their greedy little hands together hoping and praying that Biden will fall into ruin due to the immigration dilemma. It is an act of pure schadenfreude if ever there was one. My question is, who spread the misinformation that the United States was now granting free access particularly during this pandemic with mulitple variants of concern?
Several years ago back in 2014 there was general agreement that the Drug Cartels themselves were encouraging the migration of thousands upon thousands of children to create a diversion - to confuse and humiliate U.S. law enforcement. These days, it's difficult to pin the blame on any one group - although several come to mind: Russia, Iran, the insane brother and sister act of North Korea...and jealousy and bitterness runs deep around the world as many countries that simply handled the COVID -19 virus poorly and are so far behind in vaccinations is incredible. Their dwindling societies remain suffering with lack of hope, stifled by the pandemic and economic disaster. Depending on how you feel, there have been obstructions for a smooth transition from the Trump Reign of Terror to the Biden Days:
I believe it is fair to say that San Diego detainment facilities are at capacity with unaccompanied migrant children as we speak. So, here are some highlights:
- Adding this link so you are up to date on the drug war carnage down here;scroll through "Noticias del Dia " - and also click "Ensenada". I need to note that Carlos Alvarez is covering the statements of General Glen David VanHerk. No es bueno amigos:
The island it is silent now
But the ghosts still haunt the waves
And the torch lights up a famished man
Who fortune could not save
Did you work upon the railroad
Did you rid the streets of crime
Were your dollars from the white house
Were they from the five and dime
Did the old songs taunt or cheer you
And did they still make you cry
Did you count the months and years
Or did your teardrops quickly dry
Ah, no, says he, 'twas not to be
On a coffin ship I came here
And I never even got so far
That they could change my name
Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
To a land of opportunity
That some of them will never see
Fortune prevailing
Across the western ocean
Their bellies full
Their spirits free
They'll break the chains of poverty
And they'll dance
In Manhattan's desert twilight
In the death of afternoon
We stepped hand in hand on Broadway
Like the first man on the moon
And "The Blackbird" broke the silence
As you whistled it so sweet
And in Brendan Behan's footsteps
I danced up and down the street
Then we said goodnight to Broadway
Giving it our best regards
Tipped our hats to Mister Cohen
Dear old Times Square's favorite bard
Then we raised a glass to JFK
And a dozen more besides
When I got back to my empty room
I suppose I must have cried
Thousands are sailing
Again across the ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Postcards we're mailing
Of sky-blue skies and oceans
From rooms the daylight never sees
Where lights don't glow on Christmas trees
But we dance to the music
And we dance
Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Where e'er we go, we celebrate
The land that makes us refugees
From fear of Priests with empty plates
From guilt and weeping effigies
And we dance
https://www.letssingit.com/the-pogues-lyrics-thousands-are-sailing-1f8k9s8 LetsSingIt - The Internet Lyrics Database
"The island it is silent now
But the ghosts still haunt the waves
And the torch lights up a famished man
Who fortune could not save
Did you work upon the railroad
Did you rid the streets of crime
Were your dollars from the white house
Were they from the five and dime
Did the old songs taunt or cheer you
And did they still make you cry
Did you count the months and years
Or did your teardrops quickly dry
Ah, no, says he, 'twas not to be
On a coffin ship I came here
And I never even got so far
That they could change my name
Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
To a land of opportunity
That some of them will never see
Fortune prevailing
Across the western ocean
Their bellies full
Their spirits free
They'll break the chains of poverty
And they'll dance
In Manhattan's desert twilight
In the death of afternoon
We stepped hand in hand on Broadway
Like the first man on the moon
And "The Blackbird" broke the silence
As you whistled it so sweet
And in Brendan Behan's footsteps
I danced up and down the street
Then we said goodnight to Broadway
Giving it our best regards
Tipped our hats to Mister Cohen
Dear old Times Square's favorite bard
Then we raised a glass to JFK
And a dozen more besides
When I got back to my empty room
I suppose I must have cried
Thousands are sailing
Again across the ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Postcards we're mailing
Of sky-blue skies and oceans
From rooms the daylight never sees
Where lights don't glow on Christmas trees
But we dance to the music
And we dance
Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Where e'er we go, we celebrate
The land that makes us refugees
From fear of Priests with empty plates
From guilt and weeping effigies
And we dance"
Or should I have said the Republicans are acting out like spoiled brats and there seems to be trend to return to Jim Crowism ? In case you might have missed them (and we do miss Mark Shields who retired) here is tonight's Brooks & Capehart hitting the highlights:
" To “step on a rake” is a euphemism for inflicting pain and damage upon yourself. The imagery is straightforward: You’re walking through a yard, accidentally step on the head of a rake, and the handle whips up and smacks you on the bean. Sideshow Bob of The Simpsonsperfected the art.
This week, a number of Republican officials across the country abruptly decided COVID was done, in defiance of all present evidence, and set about tap-dancing on a whole pile of rakes. It would be funny in a sad clown kind of way, but for this: When people like that step on rakes like these, COVID swoops in and kills thousands. It has happened already this year, and if these fellows get their way, it is about to happen again.
“I just announced Texas is OPEN 100%,” Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott tweeted out of the clear blue sky of Tuesday afternoon. “EVERYTHING. I also ended the statewide mask mandate.”
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, the Costello to Abbott’s Abbott, immediately followed suit. “Starting tomorrow, we are lifting all of our county mask mandates and businesses will be able to operate at full capacity without any state-imposed rules,” Reeves tweeted. “Our hospitalizations and case numbers have plummeted, and the vaccine is being rapidly distributed. It is time!”
This folly is not simply a regional affair. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, whose state was one of the first and worst COVID hotspots at the outset of the pandemic, is looking to step on his own chowdah-flavored rake. Starting on Monday, Massachusetts will allow significant capacity increases in restaurants and bars, theaters, indoor concert halls and stadiums.
Baker’s decision is not being greeted with the resounding cheers he was hoping for. “I’d say, ‘Charlie, you’re making a big mistake,’” Robert Horsburgh, a Boston University professor of epidemiology, toldThe Boston Globe. “Opening up these restaurants is going to prolong the epidemic, and increase the number of Massachusetts residents that die.”
The timing of this sudden outburst of COVID tommyrot could not be worse. A robust national vaccination program is well underway, but is only a fraction completed, and is currently in a footrace with several COVID variants that have proven far more infective than the original. The longer this virus is allowed to fester and spread, the more likely new variants will rise that could weaken the effectiveness of the vaccines. Any actions taken that might cause this must be avoided at all costs.
While the nation has certainly moved past the gruesome winter explosion of new cases that saw the death toll surpass half a million people, we are far from being free and clear. The U.S. saw 65,000 cases a day each day last week, a still-horrific number that shows the pandemic is nowhere near under control.
Last week, new cases in Texas rose 27 percent. New cases in Mississippi rose by 62 percent in the same time frame. The daily average of new cases increased in eight other states last week besides Texas and Mississippi. In Europe, a six-week decline in new cases came to an abrupt end with a 9 percent increase, and World Health Organization (WHO) officials fear another spike may be underway.
Back in April 2020, Governor Abbott got out over his skis and announced a lethally early reopening of Texas. “Every recommendation, every action by the governor will be informed and based on hard data and the expertise of our chief medical advisers,” Abbott adviser James Huffines told the press at the time. Thousands upon thousands of Texans died.
This time, Abbott isn’t even bothering: Three of his four official COVID experts were not consulted before this reopening decision was made.
“I don’t think this is the right time,” said Abbott COVID adviser Mark McClellan, one of the three who was not consulted. “Texas has been making some real progress, but it’s too soon for full reopening and to stop masking around others.”
McClellan is not alone in his concerns. “Some of Texas’ top doctors warned Wednesday that Gov. Greg Abbott’s sudden decision to ditch the mask mandate and lift coronavirus restrictions could result in a new surge of Covid-19 infections and deaths,” reportsNBC News. “And while they now have enough masks, ventilators and emergency room space to treat a new wave of patients, they say there is an acute shortage of staffers who aren’t already stressed out and exhausted from battling the pandemic for more than a year.”
The problem, of course, is that what happens in Texas doesn’t stay in Texas. Neighboring New Mexico, a favorite vacation destination for many Texans, has spent months struggling to deal with Texas tourists who flout COVID safety rules because freedom, or something. Now, with pandemic matters finally beginning to come under some semblance of control, the idea of pulling back on COVID restrictions is terrifyingly irresponsible.
The editorial board of The Santa Fe New Mexican made a particularly barbed point on Tuesday: “Texas still is digging out of the crisis that erupted when the state’s energy grid crashed during a spell of frigid weather. Some cities still are having problems with their water supplies — news website Vox reported Monday that 390,000 Texans still lack drinking water. Surely, Texas doesn’t need another coronavirus outbreak on top of what state residents have named ‘SNOVID.’ One crisis at a time, please.”
At the federal level of government, “concerns” are being raised by Republicans about the size of President Biden’s latest stimulus package. Things aren’t that bad anymore, they argue, so let’s give the people less. As with all things COVID, however, the formula holds true: If you think you have a lid on this thing, wait a week.
Only when a significant majority of the population has been vaccinated will there be any kind of true daylight, and we may wind up having to endure one more winter of masks and social distancing before that happy moment comes to pass. The stimulus is merely adequate to the task, and much more remains to be done.
The United States has handled COVID about as poorly as anything could be handled over the last year, and more than half a million people are dead because of it. With the final scourging of Trumpism from the White House, an effective fight against the pandemic is finally underway. Now, reckless governors are lobbing a hand grenade into that clockwork.
I pray the good people of Texas, Mississippi, Massachusetts and, well, everywhere take stock of what they have sacrificed over this long year, and choose to ignore their state and local leaders when they are invited to fling themselves off a cliff.
We are not out of this yet, and every greedy capitalism-driven push to pretend otherwise only serves to extend the timeline and prolong the agony. It sucks. The alternative is worse."
So these acting out antics by Republican sore losers got me to thinking of that old song you might remember ...'what's a matter with you...shutupa your face !' which I considered trying to find and put up, but it was too nice and too funny; there is nothing funny about any of this.
Someone really needs to ask these lame brain neanderthals..."What's A Matter With You ?"
The chicken soup to die for recipe is coming up ...stay safe everyone.
~~~~~
Killer Chicken Soup
Sorry I'm late on this. This is the original recipe so you will need to double it to make it last two nights, it's even better the second night. I buy the boneless breast at Sprouts, so they are large. The original recipe calls for you to cut the chicken breast(s) into small squares prior to frying it in the olive oil. I do it a bit different, I cook the entire breast(s) about 15 minutes a side in the olive oil, take it out and let it cool then I cut it, but my pieces aren't little squares, they are larger. Also, for the spices, do heaping teaspoons full but don't OD. Serve with a nice crisp salad if you want and warmed up Ciabatta bread loaf for sure- you can also get those at Sprouts & warm them in the oven. I use all organic veggies. The garbanzo beans are optional, if you use them make sure you drain and rinse them first.
3 heaping tablespoons of olive oil
1# boneless chicken breast, cut into large-ish cubes
2-3 carrots chunky sliced and quartered
1 very large onion, diced
3-4 celery stalks, diced
1 -2 zuccini squash, thick cut and quartered don't peel it
2 heaping teaspoons of minced garlic, more if you like
1/2 heaping teaspoon dried basil
1/4 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 heaping teaspoon thyme
6 cups chicken broth (48 oz.)
2 largest cans of petite diced tomatoes with juice ( 1 large can = 28 ounces)
1 can drained and rinsed garbanzo beans actually you can buy organic garbanzo beans at Walmart- again, more if you want.
1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini - more if you want
2 cups baby spinach leaves - more if you want
garnish with grated parmesan cheese & parsley
1. Heat olive oil in fry pan, season chicken with salt & pepper, saute until brownish (5-10 minutes) remove chicken from pan.
2. To pan oils add carrots, onion & celery saute 10 minutes.
3. To large pot, put in chicken chunks, carrots, celery & onion, the zuccini, canned petite tomatoes,
garlic, oregano, thyme, basil and the chicken broth and drained garbanzo beans if you want them. Bring to a boil.
4. Add the tortellini, reduce the heat and simmer about 15 minutes. Add the spinach leaves, simmer about 10 minutes more.
5. Season with salt & pepper - I use the pink Himalayan salt and coarse pepper.
6. Voila ! Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and parsley
Or should I have said the Republicans are acting out like spoiled brats and there seems to be trend to return to Jim Crowism ? In case you might have missed them (and we do miss Mark Shields who retired) here is tonight's Brooks & Capehart hitting the highlights:
" To “step on a rake” is a euphemism for inflicting pain and damage
upon yourself. The imagery is straightforward: You’re walking through a
yard, accidentally step on the head of a rake, and the handle whips up
and smacks you on the bean. Sideshow Bob of The Simpsonsperfected the art.
This week, a number of Republican officials across the country abruptly decided COVID was done,
in defiance of all present evidence, and set about tap-dancing on a
whole pile of rakes. It would be funny in a sad clown kind of way, but
for this: When people like that step on rakes like these, COVID swoops
in and kills thousands. It has happened already this year, and if these
fellows get their way, it is about to happen again.
“I just announced Texas is OPEN 100%,” Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott tweeted out of the clear blue sky of Tuesday afternoon. “EVERYTHING. I also ended the statewide mask mandate.”
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, the Costello to Abbott’s Abbott,
immediately followed suit. “Starting tomorrow, we are lifting all of our
county mask mandates and businesses will be able to operate at full
capacity without any state-imposed rules,” Reeves tweeted. “Our hospitalizations and case numbers have plummeted, and the vaccine is being rapidly distributed. It is time!”
This folly is not simply a regional affair. Massachusetts Gov.
Charlie Baker, whose state was one of the first and worst COVID hotspots
at the outset of the pandemic, is looking to step on his own
chowdah-flavored rake. Starting on Monday, Massachusetts will allow significant capacity increases in restaurants and bars, theaters, indoor concert halls and stadiums.
Baker’s decision is not being greeted with the resounding cheers he was hoping for. “I’d say, ‘Charlie, you’re making a big mistake,’” Robert Horsburgh, a Boston University professor of epidemiology, toldThe Boston Globe. “Opening up these restaurants is going to prolong the epidemic, and increase the number of Massachusetts residents that die.”
The timing of this sudden outburst of COVID tommyrot could not be worse.
A robust national vaccination program is well underway, but is only a
fraction completed, and is currently in a footrace with several COVID
variants that have proven far more infective than the original. The
longer this virus is allowed to fester and spread, the more likely new
variants will rise that could weaken the effectiveness of the vaccines.
Any actions taken that might cause this must be avoided at all costs.
While the nation has certainly moved past the gruesome winter
explosion of new cases that saw the death toll surpass half a million
people, we are far from being free and clear. The U.S. saw 65,000 cases a
day each day last week, a still-horrific number that shows the pandemic
is nowhere near under control.
Last week, new cases in Texas rose 27 percent. New cases in
Mississippi rose by 62 percent in the same time frame. The daily average
of new cases increased in eight other states last week besides Texas
and Mississippi. In Europe, a six-week decline in new cases came to an
abrupt end with a 9 percent increase, and World Health Organization (WHO) officials fear another spike may be underway.
Back in April 2020, Governor Abbott got out over his skis and announced a lethally early reopening of Texas. “Every
recommendation, every action by the governor will be informed and based
on hard data and the expertise of our chief medical advisers,” Abbott
adviser James Huffines told the press at the time. Thousands upon thousands of Texans died.
This time, Abbott isn’t even bothering: Three of his four official
COVID experts were not consulted before this reopening decision was
made.
“I don’t think this is the right time,” said Abbott COVID adviser Mark McClellan,
one of the three who was not consulted. “Texas has been making some
real progress, but it’s too soon for full reopening and to stop masking
around others.”
McClellan is not alone in his concerns. “Some of Texas’ top doctors
warned Wednesday that Gov. Greg Abbott’s sudden decision to ditch the
mask mandate and lift coronavirus restrictions could result in a new
surge of Covid-19 infections and deaths,” reportsNBC News.
“And while they now have enough masks, ventilators and emergency room
space to treat a new wave of patients, they say there is an acute
shortage of staffers who aren’t already stressed out and exhausted from
battling the pandemic for more than a year.”
The problem, of course, is that what happens in Texas doesn’t stay in
Texas. Neighboring New Mexico, a favorite vacation destination for many
Texans, has spent months struggling to deal with Texas tourists who
flout COVID safety rules because freedom, or something. Now, with
pandemic matters finally beginning to come under some semblance of
control, the idea of pulling back on COVID restrictions is terrifyingly
irresponsible.
The editorial board of The Santa Fe New Mexican made a particularly barbed point
on Tuesday: “Texas still is digging out of the crisis that erupted when
the state’s energy grid crashed during a spell of frigid weather. Some
cities still are having problems with their water supplies — news
website Vox reported Monday that 390,000 Texans still lack
drinking water. Surely, Texas doesn’t need another coronavirus outbreak
on top of what state residents have named ‘SNOVID.’ One crisis at a
time, please.”
At the federal level of government, “concerns” are being raised by
Republicans about the size of President Biden’s latest stimulus package.
Things aren’t that bad anymore, they argue,
so let’s give the people less. As with all things COVID, however, the
formula holds true: If you think you have a lid on this thing, wait a
week.
Only when a significant majority of the population has been
vaccinated will there be any kind of true daylight, and we may wind up
having to endure one more winter
of masks and social distancing before that happy moment comes to pass.
The stimulus is merely adequate to the task, and much more remains to be
done.
The United States has handled COVID about as poorly as anything could
be handled over the last year, and more than half a million people are
dead because of it. With the final scourging of Trumpism from the White
House, an effective fight against the pandemic is finally underway. Now,
reckless governors are lobbing a hand grenade into that clockwork.
I pray the good people of Texas, Mississippi, Massachusetts and,
well, everywhere take stock of what they have sacrificed over this long
year, and choose to ignore their state and local leaders when they are
invited to fling themselves off a cliff.
We are not out of this yet, and every greedy capitalism-driven push
to pretend otherwise only serves to extend the timeline and prolong the
agony. It sucks. The alternative is worse."
So these acting out antics by Republican sore losers got me to thinking of that old song you might remember ...'what's a matter with you...shutupa your face !' which I considered trying to find and put up, but it was too nice and too funny; there is nothing funny about any of this.
Someone really needs to ask these lame brain neanderthals..."What's A Matter With You ?"
The chicken soup to die for recipe is coming up ...stay safe everyone.
~~~~~
Killer Chicken Soup
Sorry I'm late on this. This is the original recipe so you will need to double it to make it last two nights, it's even better the second night. I buy the boneless breast at Sprouts, so they are large. The original recipe calls for you to cut the chicken breast(s) into small squares prior to frying it in the olive oil. I do it a bit different, I cook the entire breast(s) about 15 minutes a side in the olive oil, take it out and let it cool then I cut it, but my pieces aren't little squares, they are larger. Also, for the spices, do heaping teaspoons full but don't OD. Serve with a nice crisp salad if you want and warmed up Ciabatta bread loaf for sure- you can also get those at Sprouts & warm them in the oven. I use all organic veggies. The garbanzo beans are optional, if you use them make sure you drain and rinse them first.
3 heaping tablespoons of olive oil
1# boneless chicken breast, cut into large-ish cubes
2-3 carrots chunky sliced and quartered
1 very large onion, diced
3-4 celery stalks, diced
1 -2 zuccini squash, thick cut and quartered don't peel it
2 heaping teaspoons of minced garlic, more if you like
1/2 heaping teaspoon dried basil
1/4 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 heaping teaspoon thyme
6 cups chicken broth (48 oz.)
2 largest cans of petite diced tomatoes with juice ( 1 large can = 28 ounces)
1 can drained and rinsed garbanzo beans actually you can buy organic garbanzo beans at Walmart- again, more if you want.
1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini - more if you want
2 cups baby spinach leaves - more if you want
garnish with grated parmesan cheese & parsley
1. Heat olive oil in fry pan, season chicken with salt & pepper, saute until brownish (5-10 minutes) remove chicken from pan.
2. To pan oils add carrots, onion & celery saute 10 minutes.
3. To large pot, put in chicken chunks, carrots, celery & onion, the zuccini, canned petite tomatoes,
garlic, oregano, thyme, basil and the chicken broth and drained garbanzo beans if you want them. Bring to a boil.
4. Add the tortellini, reduce the heat and simmer about 15 minutes. Add the spinach leaves, simmer about 10 minutes more.
5. Season with salt & pepper - I use the pink Himalayan salt and coarse pepper.
6. Voila ! Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and parsley
Hooray ! We made it through the second Moderna shot; Mike experienced a headache , soreness, a slightly elevated temperature & tiredness. I was just wiped out tired for two days. I figured I better get over here, tomorrow heavy rains so the electricity will probably go out. Thursday, Paris will get a special baby bath at her "spa". Must be nice.
Have you been paying attention to CPAC ? Nobody says it better:
~ From Informed Comment: (with bonus video on the link)
"Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – That someone at the conservative political convention, CPAC, thought it a good idea to put up a gilded statue of the odious Trump says it all. Today’s conservatives are literally worshiping a gold calf, for all the world like straying children of Israel who lapsed from their devotion to God.
Contemporary conservatism has fallen into the seven deadly sins of pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. This listing of faults originated with Evagrius the Solitary, a fourth-century monk from what is now Turkey. His original list had eight sins, but both pride and vainglory were on it, and subsequent authors collapsed them into seven.
I have never found conservatism an interesting ideology, and it seems to me patently false. Its exponents seem to believe that the rich are rich because they are more capable than others and the poor are poor because they are lazy. They decry the role of government in the economy but no one manipulates the government for the benefit of their social class (typically the owners of businesses) more than they do. They believe that there are social hierarchies and that these are a good thing. I once heard William Buckley on the radio insisting that the lives of the blind are obviously less full than the lives of the sighted. The crass and embarrassingly glib argument seems to me to sum up the conservative obsession with some people being innately better than others.
Even Buckley, however, would be embarrassed by today’s conservatives, who have devolved into glassy-eyed cultists. They dance around denying reality, imputing the Capitol insurrection to “antifa” in contrast to FBI findings and the evidence of our own eyes. They insisted Joe Biden isn’t really the president. Making sure that the rich are not regulated or taxed in the interests of the public good, the old conservative objective personified by Mitch McConnell, is tame stuff by comparison.
Conservatism has become so prideful as to be narcissistic. Refusing to acknowledge that you lost an election fair and square is pride. This sin of pride led dozens of sitting congressmen to vote against certifying Joe Biden’s triumph. They were too full of pride to accept that they had been whupped. In fact, conservatism today cannot accept any criticism, any defeat on any issue at all. If they appear to lose, it is because of a conspiracy. Their increasing loss of touch with reality is driven by pride. They are constructing a fantasyland in which they always prove victorious. Their pride in being white Christians is also to the point of sin. They seem to have lost sight of that charity and humility business, and seem not to realize that the founders of Christianity were not “white” but brown Palestinian Jews.
The notion that people are rich because they are better than others also displays the sin of pride. Obviously, the rich are often capable people. Economist and former labor secretary Robert Reich points out, however, that most billionaires get to be that way through 5 techniques.
1. Exploit a monopoly 2. Insider trading 3. Buy off politicians 4. Extort investors into giving you a golden parachute 5. Inherit a sh*t-load of money
All five of these ways to get super-rich exhibit the sin of greed. Monopoly practices harm the public weal, and entrepreneurs who wield them are taking advantage of people while benefiting enormously themselves. Likewise, insider trading (which even some in Congress engage in) is a form of theft. Corrupting the political system the way Koch does, buying off politicians to lower his taxes, is also nothing but greedy. Greed is the desire to have and hoard a lot of something (in this case, money). The greedy don’t want to consume their gains, necessarily. Nor could they. Having a billion dollars is after all notional. You don’t actually have it. Most of it is directed by other people. The rich can only own so many appliances or eat so many meals. Most of their money is socked away in investments and does them no particular good as persons.
The Trumpist form of contemporary conservatism is all about wrath. Trump wants to punish those Republicans who voted to impeach him. He didn’t get animated at CPAC until he got to his enemies list. Conservatives are angry. Life isn’t fair to them (even though they are the richest and most privileged people on earth). They are angry at minorities for asking for equality under the law and eroding their white privilege. They are angry about polite requests that they help pay for the government services and infrastructure that allow their businesses to turn a profit.
Today’s conservatives are envious of the Civil Rights Movement and the New Left. These movements made it indelicate to express racist ideas publicly. They robbed conservatism of the racial epithets whereby they had kept some populations voiceless. That is why they keep crying reverse racism against whites. They have minority envy. They wish they could have the validation that comes with being oppressed. Hence, they imply, Jewish Americans are making a war on Christmas to the point where you have to say “Happy Holidays” instead of Merry Christmas. Christianity, the religion of 85% of the population, is being discriminated against. They don’t understand that activism on the part of the Establishment is not like activism on the part of the truly oppressed.
Conservatives don’t have a monopoly on lust. But the Trumpian brand that has taken over is ostentatious in its claims on white male privilege to sexually harass women. Trump himself is a notorious grabber of pudenda and a philanderer against whom many claims of sexual abuse have been filed. His brand of conservatism entails push-back against women’s desires to be treated like human beings instead of pleasurable objects. It seems clear from Rowan Farrow’s brave reporting that lust of this sort is common in corporate boardrooms, and its practitioners no doubt applaud Trump for parading it and trying to normalize it.
Gluttony is another sin of conservatism. It is the desire to consume as opposed to hoarding. Ted Cruz’s abandonment of Texas for Cancun was gluttony. He wanted to consume some nice weather and some leisure while the Texans he supposedly represents were shivering without heat or electricity in an ice storm. Trump is a notorious glutton, which can easily be seen in his girth. Many of the industries championed by conservatives involve gluttony. Flat top coal mining consumes the natural landscape, leaving only the husk behind. Likewise fracking. Promoting fossil fuels is a way of eating the earth right up. Belch.
The conservative approach to the pandemic last year was slothful. Trump and Republican governors just decided to let half a million people die rather than to take the needed actions. Indeed, Neoliberalism in general is slothful, consisting often in no more than a hope and a prayer that the market will swing into action and solve all problems. The market is, however, merely an artifact of social engineering and not a magic hand. Trump came into office promising to fix all those falling-down bridges and dilapidated airports. He never did. He was too lazy, as was his majority in Congress. They passed a tax cut on billionaires instead. The country is falling down around our ears because deregulating corporations and cutting their taxes are the primary goals of conservatives, not burnishing America’s assets."
~~~~~
To Share Or Not to Share, That Is The Question....
Up until I read this recent report from Reuters, I thought the answer to AMLO's request for vaccine from the U.S. was "no". Apparently not:
"In just over two weeks, the population in the context of mobility gathered at the El Chaparral checkpoint has doubled with the arrival of more people camping near the border port, hoping to cross into the United States now with Joe Biden. as president of that country.
According to representatives of different civil organizations, who are giving information to the migrant population in this place, they estimate that there are approximately 400 people camping in just over 150 tents on the outskirts of the pedestrian crossing between Tijuana and San Diego.
The growing uncertainty, misinformation and blind hope of hundreds of people who are in a context of mobility, added to the lack of support from the federal government and Baja California (which calls itself “Migrant Sanctuary State”) has generated mobilizations and illegal group crossings into the United States.
This Tuesday there was a mobilization of hundreds of people from Central America, Haiti, Africa and some Mexican entities such as Michoacán, Guerrero and Durango; They left Chaparral in the direction of San Ysidro, blocked the sentry box for almost 40 minutes and then returned to their camp.
The protesters wore T-shirts that read "BIDEN PLEASE LET US IN!" which translates into Spanish as “Biden ¡por favor déjanos entrar!”. Their small rally took place a few meters from the vehicle crossing booths to the US.
Personnel from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) implemented a lax operation to prevent migrants from crossing to the American side. Elements of the Tijuana municipal police also made a fence to prevent the passage and block the lanes of the sentry box.
But this is not the first attempt to cross into the United States with the mobilization of groups of migrants in some port of the state; Yesterday, Monday, March 1, 2021, around 30 people in a mobility context tried it for San Ysidro, but the CBP operation prevented it.
However, in the municipality of Tecate there was also a massive attempt to cross the border of that city. According to the report of the technical secretary of the Mesa de Seguridad in Baja California, Isaías Bertín Sandoval, around ten people tried to cross illegally into the United States through the Tecate checkpoint, during the early hours of this Tuesday, March 2 .
"They are feeding us with information, but we do have information that at least 10 people tried to enter or cross illegally into the neighboring country of the United States," reported the aspiring federal deputy for Morena during the program broadcast on social networks of the governor.
On the other hand, the Customs and Border Protection Office revealed that at approximately 6:00 a.m. this Tuesday an unauthorized group of people tried to enter the United States illegally, through the port of entry in Tecate, so that CBP personnel he suspended the activities of the sentry box while they secured the border crossing.
Due to the attempt to illegally enter the northern country, the land port temporarily suspended operations from 6:00 a.m. and reopened until 9:15 a.m., once the situation was controlled, they reported.
The United States border security agency reported that CBP officers detained the eight subjects who tried to enter illegally through the Tecate access and that they are being processed properly in the neighboring country."
~~~~~
But, Biden can't just let them in, there are no Judges everything has been shut down due to the pandemic, nothing has been set up yet to process them. Not to mention COVID testing. Yep, Trump left an insane mess.
