Saturday 12 September 2026

CLINTON

Good for Hillary Clinton, talking about the government lying about the air quality after 9/11. She’s on Morning Joe. Who was responsible for that? Giuliani? Good grief, what a pleasure it is to hear somebody talk who sounds like they know what they are talking about. She could have been president.

CUBA

The Washington Examiner (9/8/26) is advocating the “extraction method” (what the U.S. did to Maduro) for Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega. The reporter makes an absurd case to support the legality of a blatantly illegal and unconstitutional act. But, these people live in another world.

The U.S. has announced a new round of sanctions scheduled to take effect against Cuba, already suffering from a devastated economy due to U. S. action (Al Jazeera Staff, 9/4/26). Sec. of State Marco Rubio (read future Cubana Viceroy) criticizes Cuba’s “failed state” where “ordinary Cubans go hungry” after months of prior sanctions. He also accuses Cuba of seeking to “export subversive Marxist ideology” to the United States. There are probably not 100 people in the entire of the United States who could accurately tell you what Marxism is. This is after Cuba, in an attempt to blunt the effects of the sanctions passed the biggest free-market reforms in decades and also conducting prisoner releases as a “humanitarian and sovereign gesture.” The High Commissioner for human rights at the UN has called for the end of the U.S. sanctions. “This is unacceptable.” He said. “Children are dying because docto5s lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines.”

The Cuban government reports that the US. Embargo has cost the economy $8 billion between March 2025 and February 2026, “the highest figure yet recorded and seven percent more than in the previous reporting period” (Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters, 9/7/26). Foreign Minister Bruno Rodrigez described the embargo as “genocidal.” He discussed the hardships of citizens who had only a few hours of electricity a day. Rodriguez called the situation “collective punishment.”

SPAIN

After several years of going nowhere, we have booked a cruise along the coast of Spain and Portugal. Needless to say, we are excited. I have just finished Cambridge University Press’ “A Concise History of Spain,” which I must confess was a hard read. And, now, I have the Cambridge version of “A Concise History of Portugal” to go. I hope it is easier to get down.

Away from history and into current events, I just found a podcast called “Spain Today News 10” which was filled with interesting information about Spain’s criminal justice system (remember I’m a criminologist) and what seems to be a lot of high level corruption.

For an utterly delicious video about a road trip through Andalusia and southern Spain, try UTube’s “The Best of Andalusia: Epic 2 Week RoadTrip” by Eat See TV (9/10/26) Really, this video made my mouth water and made me want to simply eat my way through Spain.

Since our trip is planned, I’m going to add Spain and Portugal to my life of topics. I hope it is enjoyed.

LIFE AND NEWS NOTES