Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, with Juan and Katia gaining steam. 8.1 earthquake in Mexico. Fierce, unusual winds and flooding. Mother Nature is picking on us, as though we’ve been bad kids. Why? What could we possibly have done to upset her?! Maybe something to think about?
Tag Archive for Mexico
A Truly American Celebration
Because Cinco de Mayo is a bigger celebration in the U.S. than in Mexico (no, it isn’t Mexican Independence Day), today’s Thursday Thought celebrates the meaning of this day:
“Cinco de Mayo has come to represent a celebration of the contributions that Mexican Americans and all Hispanics have made to America.” — Joe Baca
Great News for Monarch Lovers
I’ve missed those gorgeous orange-, black-, and white-winged visitors to my yard. There used to be many, but for years I’d be lucky to see one on their 3,400-mile yearly migration. That’s because the Monarch butterfly has been dying out, thanks, in large part, to logging and herbicides killing off the milkweed they need.
Efforts by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada are starting to reverse that loss of color in our world. We’re planting milkweed along 1000 miles of their migration path. And Mexico is successfully stopping illegal logging on the Monarch reserve, logging that has been destroying the forest that protects those butterflies in the winter.
The progress is encouraging. I look forward to their return to my yard, pollinating my plants and brightening my summer.
Fence out those Immigrants!
I live in California, a state that has a large population of immigrants coming in illegally. I should, I suppose, jump on the bandwagon of the Presidential candidates who insist on building a fence to keep them out. It’s expensive, they all agree, but worth it, say some, or will be paid for by Mexico, claims one.
I don’t understand. Aren’t those candidates aware that many people come in through Canada, too? Or overstay their visa or HB work permits? What about them? A fence won’t help. Also, haven’t they seen the statistics that show that 2009-2014 more Mexican immigrants have been choosing, on their own, to return to their families in Mexico than have come into the U.S.? In addition, those reports show that the theory that they’ve been returning because of our bad economy is false–it has always been better economically here than where they came from.
Come on, candidates, make that bandwagon actually count for something–like plans to solve poverty, under-education, discrimination, bigotry, and violence in our nation.
BP 3 Years–& a Trial–Later
Watch the Jodi Arias trial if you want; I’m keeping an eye on the BP Oil Spill (Gulf of Mexico) trial that started yesterday, almost three years after the incident. Will BP settle, which is the usual route, or go on with the trial? Will they win (probably not) or pay out a shipload of bucks? Will they mend their corporate ways?
I’ve read several articles on the topic. One that brought the situation into focus for me is by “Treehugger,” who does a blog on business and corporate responsibility. Click on http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/bp-oil-spill-trial-starts-today.html and check it out for yourself.