ANA'S HOME TOWN, CAGAYAN DE ORO, LIGHTS UP FOR CHRISTMAS

 

OUTING TWO OF BROWNSVILLE'S BIGGEST LOSERS

New Orleans 'aints Fan Christopher Tamayo

The psychological need to be a fanatic or fan of a sports team is undeniable. 

Winning or losing is how "we" measure our collective worth or value and there's nothing like winning to expand the ego.

Ask Charlie Sheen, Donald Trump or the cheating Russians.

As a kid I viewed the Washington Huskies trouncing of the Wisconsin Badgers in the 1960 Rose Bowl as a personal victory.

In my mind's eye, I could see every scoring play in the 44-8 win.

It was either one-eyed quarterback Bob Schloredt rolling out to the right, or left-handed Bob Hivner rolling out to the left, keeping Wisconsin off balance all game.

Then, the Huskies came right back in the '61 Rose Bowl and kicked Minnesota ass, 17-7.

For those few days of Seattle's dark, damp winter, the Sun god broke through the gray to expose Mount Rainier and brighten our world.

But, I've moved on, now dutifully watching the Dallas Cowboys whenever Ana is not watching a Korean movie.

Cowboy quarterback Dak Prescott draws strength from every Texas TV set tuned in to the Cowboys and Jerry Jones somewhere has the numbers of whose been naughty and whose been nice.

Surely Juan Montoya and Jerry McHale are tuned in faithfully.

Bishop Daniel Flores rushes through his last Sunday mass to watch da Boys.

Republican County Chair Morgan Cisneros Graham calls her Democrat counterpart Jared Hockema to remind him not to be late for the opening kickoff.

Cleveland Brown Sufferer Ruben O'Bell

So, what the Hell is wrong with Ruben O'Bell?  Was his dad a Brownie?

A confirmed masochist, O'Bell tortures himself year after year following the losing Cleveland Browns.

Howard Cosell's classic phrase, "the agony of defeat" has become O'Bell's personal execution stake. 

As if we didn't already have one loser in our grand community, U.S. Post Office mogul Christoper Tamayo(pictured at the top) has outed himself as a fan of legendary losers, the New Orleans Saints.

Does Tamayo not realize how much of our nation's forests have been depleted to provide cellulose for the sacks worn by Saint fans throughout their history?

Mission's Tom Landry must be rolling over in his grave to see two of Brownsville's finest young men siding with the enemy, throwing their lives away. 

EMILIO CRIXELL AND BORDER SOUL AT COBBLEHEADS~11/28/2021

 

BROWNSVILLE'S LOS EBANOS 90 ACRE SUBDIVISION STARTING AT RINGOLD AND PALM BOULEVARD

 

CHARRO DRIVE IN, BROWNSVILLE FOOTBALL, BASEBALL AND BROWNSVILLE TO ALICE STAGE COACH

The Charro Drive In Theater on Boca Chica

 

Brownsville's Frank Maldonado Sliding In Against Kansas City Monarchs in 1946

IS THE COLONIZATION OF MARS BY EARTH FANTASY OR REALITY?

 

Elon Musk has displayed extreme intelligence, inventiveness and creativity in several fields, yet his proposed colonization of Mars seems more fantasy than practical reality.

We've raised a number of issues about a human colony on Mars he's not so far addressed and also questioned his basis for claiming Earth's inhabitants must go multi-planetary~his assumption that the Sun will "soon" encompass Earth wiping out all its inhabitants.

Our last article dealt with a number of factors that make placing a large colony of humans on Mars impractical, if not suicidal:  

Temperatures on Mars

1.  Mars average temperature is -81F with lows as cold as -220F, temperatures fatal to human life to be sure.  Elon Musk trivializes the problem, saying he'd have to "warm Mars up a bit," as if he could.

2.  Mars has no oxygen in its atmosphere.

3.  Mars' surface has no soil, no organic matter in which plants could grow, only the toxic regolith containing chloride compounds.

Travel to Mars is possible once every two years when the orbits of Earth and Mars are aligned so as to permit a Hohman transfer, that is, escaping the gravitational pull of one planet's orbit to enter the gravitational pull of the other planet's orbit.

With the two planets aligned perfectly, the trip to Mars from Earth would take 259 days or 8.515 months traveling at 24,600 MPH.

Scientists have closely monitored the effects of weightlessness on the human body during relatively short travels through space.  Muscle atrophy, interference with fluid distribution, embolism, lung and circulatory issues have been noted.

If you've ever broken your leg, you may remember when the cast was removed and your leg felt like jelly when you tried to put weight on it. 

That's muscle atrophy from a month or two of inaction.  

An 8.5 month trip in weightlessness' effect on the body's musculature is unknown, but don't count on the space travelers bounding onto Mars with total limb function.

A human colony requires huge, atmosphere-tight housing with water-processing capability, so many, many trips with huge payloads have to precede human colonists.

Landing on Mars with such enormously heavy payloads is problematic as Mars possesses only 1% of the atmosphere Earth enjoys.

The friction of Earth's atmosphere slows down entry considerably, making a "soft" landing possible.

Current technology requires a large craft landing on Mars to use considerable fuel through its jets to slow down the craft before landing.  More required fuel adds more weight to the craft.

A considerable amount of fuel will be required to take off from Mars.  

That fuel has to be either taken from Earth, adding to the vehicle's initial weight, or produced by a support crew traveling to Mars a couple years earlier.

Effects of Radiation in Space on Human Body

We haven't even mentioned radiation dangers, both during flight and once on Planet Mars.

Radiation shielding along with biomedical countermeasures are mandatory to protect the astronauts.

The most dangerous form of radiation is likely cosmic rays or GCRs, traveling at the speed of light.  They can knock apart the atoms in the astronaut's body or the metal walls of the spacecraft to shower the inside space with sub atomic particles.

The habitation of Mars requires man bring much of what sustains life from Earth. 

A temporary power outage in the colony's enclosed housing would not just interfere with the broadcast of the Cowboys game, but could prove fatal if not corrected in minutes.  

The effect of solar flares and radiation on Mars surface are not fully known.

Brownsville being on the Mars bandwagon poses no problem.  Even if its just a fantasy, SpaceX' presence could still be a positive with job creation and inventions useful to Earth's occupants.

HAS ELON MUSK REALLY THOUGHT THIS MARS THING THROUGH?

Elon Musk

Elon Musk's mad dash to Mars and desire for Earth's inhabitants to be multi-planetary is fueled by his belief that the Sun will "soon engulf" the Earth.

When?

A billion Earth years from now?

Even if Musk could put a timeline to Earth's demise, no one will be around to prove him wrong.

But, if a solar explosion "engulfs" Earth, 93,000,000 miles from the Sun, wouldn't that massive conflagration also consume Earth's closest planetary neighbor, Mars, a mere 147,770,000 miles from the Sun?

Running to Mars to escape the Sun's "engulfment" of Earth seems equivalent to hiding in the weeds adjacent to a forest fire.

Anyway, things are pretty cold on Mars, with an average temperature of -81F and a low of -220F.  

Musk says he will try to "warm Mars up" a little.

As for the oxygen humans and other Earth creatures need to survive, NASA has been working on that.

NASA's Perseverance Rover

NASA's Perseverance Rover that landed on Mars February 18, 2021, was equipped with a device called the MOXIE, Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment.

That device has produced about 9 grams of "breathable oxygen," converting it from CO2.

Mars has no organic matter, no soil in which plants could grow, its surface covered in toxic regolith containing chloride compounds.

There are other barriers we could mention, but, suffice to say, Mars seems inhospitable to human life

Were it not for Musk's speculation about Earth's doom, this planet has room for billions more inhabitants.

Thinly-Populated Mongolia

The huge country of Mongolia has a population density of 1.9 inhabitants per square kilometer(American spelling).

Our northern neighbor, Canada, has only 4 inhabitants per square km.

Even the world's most populous country, China, with 1,477,084,648 people, has many thinly populated regions as does India.

Musk's pursuit of his dream will likely produce equipment or concepts that will prove useful, much as the U.S. space program has done, but his pursuit of Mars as, not only a destination, but prime real estate for Earth's inhabitants, seems to be not well thought out.

Many women have married men over the years with the belief they could "change him."

That usually doesn't work out.

It's much harder to change a planet.

A BLACK ACTIVIST WHO MADE WHITES UNCOMFORTABLE

Robert "Say" McIntosh, Jr.  in the 80's

During my 29 years in Arkansas (1970-1999) I met some interesting people; Nolan Richardson, who coached the Arkansas Razorbacks to a national title in 1994, James Pledger, Clinton's Chief of Staff as President and Bill Clinton, once when he was Attorney General and once as Governor.

My personal favorite, however, was Robert McIntosh, Sr., a self-effacing Black man, hired by a company in Little Rock as a janitor, ending his career 50 years later in the same position.

"Mr. Mac," as he was known by most, also ran a small eatery, was considered a barbecue God with his barbecue sauce sold all over the city.

Mac had two sons, both of whom eventually owned restaurants, having inherited their dad's work ethic and practice of starting every day at 4:00 AM.

One son particularly, Robert "Say" McIntosh, Jr. became widely known as the "Sweet Potato Pie King" of Little Rock, but also as "Black Santa."

While McIntosh, Sr. was soft-spoken and mild-mannered, his son, "Say" McIntosh was not.

"Say" was loud and angry.

"Say" was the one thing Arkansans hated the most; a Black activist, someone constantly pushing civil rights, equality, a constant and annoying reminder of the South's horrendous record of slavery, suppression and oppression of Blacks.

A frequent guest on local talk shows, McIntosh would speak with a rapid-fire, preacher type delivery, about issues concerning the Black community, not winning many fans among the white audiences. 

But, people loved his sweet potato pies, buying them by the thousands at Safeway, Kroger, Albertson's in Central Arkansas, with $1.00 from each pie sold going into "Say" McIntosh's Christmas fund.

On Christmas Day, "Say" McIntosh, dressed as Black Santa, went into the ghettos of Little Rock and North Little Rock and to other small towns in central Arkansas, distributing toys to boys and girls from those monies earned from pie sales. 

Over a decade ago, I garnered a copy of Mr. McIntosh's sweet potato pie recipe.

Three are in the oven right now.

BROWNSVILLE'S DR. LAURA CISNEROS' CAMPAIGN FOR CONGRESS, DISTRICT 34 GAINING MOMENTUM

 

MISSING 13 YEAR OLD LOCATED NEAR SPACEX

 

Missing 13 year old Bella Martinez was located by Cameron County deputies near SpaceX.

County officials are still on the lookout for Aryel Moreno, a person of interest in the case.

BROWNSVILLE DOCTOR OR MCALLEN TRANSFER FOR CONGRESS, DISTRICT 34?

 

Dr. Laura Cisneros

It was local attorney Jerry Danache who introduced us to Dr. Laura Cisneros last week at a local steakhouse.  

The 52 year old Cisneros, running for the U.S. House of Representatives in District 34, is a medical doctor, practicing oncology for the last 21 years, lives in Brownsville with an 18 year son enrolled in a high school in B.I.S.D.

During our conversation, Cisneros mentioned several concerns she has for our local district.

Cisneros is concerned about medical care for those who do not qualify for government assistance, yet do not make enough to provide medical coverage for their families.

While she realizes many families purchases bottled water, Dr. Cisneros wants water standards upgraded with fewer contaminants and carcinogens.

She accepts "no excuses" for our area's poor flood control.

Dr. Cisneros' primary opponent will be District 15 representative, McAllen resident Vicente Gonzalez.

A reader explains Gonzalez' rationale for transferring his candidacy from District 15 to District 34:

Yes. they deliberately drew his home out of CD 15 by drawing a narrow line west from the actual Western CD 34 boundary (Veterans Blvd) and went across two Pharr pcts to get to the corner of the Precinct where his house is situated in his McAllen pct - only including just the 1/4 corner of that precinct in the redrawn CD 34 map. 

They just wanted to grab his house and get him moved to a theoretically easier District in which to run. 

He wanted to move to running in the east because, with Cameron, it had a stronger DEM rating after redistricting (Packing) vs the 'Dem Plus 1' of District 15. 

He said that it would be too hard and that he wanted to move to CD 34 as it would be easier. 

Additionally, 81,000 REGISTERED voters (NOT voters who actually VOTED) East of US 281 in Hidalgo were moved from CD 15 to join Cameron as CD 34.

Simultaneously, he GAINED all the Dems in Western Hidalgo (CD 15) - those which used to be Henry Cisneros' voters - and who are Solid Dem voters - it was an even switch on the two edges of Hidalgo - gained the West and lost the East - even swap and even partisanship - but the greatest part is that he abandoned or left 200,000 thousand voters in the center of Hidalgo county that he has represented for his 6 years in Congress - the people who actually elected him. 

He has never run in Cameron - they were not his constituents. FYI - congressional members do not have to live in their District.

Of course, it will be up to voters to decide between an actual Brownsville resident or one who's simply tried to move where "the grass seems greener" for his candidacy.

But, if a project or funding is up for grabs between Brownsville and McAllen, which of these two candidates would likely favor Brownsville~the Brownsville resident or the McAllen transfer?

YOUTHFUL TREY MENDEZ APPEARS IN UTB/TSC AD IN 2009

 

CITY COMMISSIONER DE LOS SANTOS ADDRESSES BROWNSVILLE'S FLOODING PROBLEM AT FUNDRAISER

 

Commissioner Roy de los Santos

With his typical openness, City Commissioner Roy de los Santos, in his opening remarks to the group gathered Wednesday evening at the 1929 Whiskey Tavern downtown, explained that his fundraiser's purpose was to retire $17,000 in remaining debt from his recent campaign.

A portion of the proceeds would also go to buy turkeys for Monica & Maggie's House, a center that serves child victims of abuse.

At the end of the evening, five attendees had their names drawn for free turkeys, with all five winners agreeing to add their turkeys to the child abuse center donation.

De los Santos addressed several key city issues.

He stated that permitting requirements in Brownsville were "abysmal" with respect to building in areas known to flood.

"Irresponsible developers build houses in areas known to flood and then it becomes a city problem when people get water in their homes."

De los Santos said standards with respect to building in areas that historically flood have to be raised and irresponsible developers called out and cited.

Developers who carefully avoid flooding areas with their projects need to be recognized.  The homes they construct are worth more to buyers.

He said the city commission had recently approved the largest infrastructure project in its history, $46,000,000, to deal with areas that flood in Brownsville.

"We know where it floods and we will go to those areas to address the problem," stated De los Santos.

An audience member asked De los Santos how he felt about the recently defeated convention center proposal.

"It would have been good for the city and the recently-annexed area would have contributed to the city's tax base," stated De los Santos.

De los Santos said that for such a project to work, every city and community in Cameron County would have to be approached for their support and sold on the project's benefits.

"That didn't happen," he stated.

Will the project be brought up again?  

"Likely," De los Santos said.

As for his own political plans, De los Santos explained that term limits will prevent Rose Gowen from seeking another term as City Commissioner At Large.

De los Santos plans to run for that position in 2025 when his current term as City Commissioner in District 3 expires as does Gowen's City Commissioner At Large term.

"So many times I've been asked for help, only to explain that the person doesn't live in my district and refer them to their commissioner.  Being a City Commissioner At Large, I could serve the entire city."

De los Santos also explained the the city's district boundaries have to be redrawn as, currently District 3 has a much larger population than the other districts, while District 1 is far too small.

WILL BROWNSVILLE SOON BE NEEDING A NEW CITY MANAGER AND MAYOR?

City Manager Noel Bernal

It appears the Noel Bernal "Total Alignment" era  with the City of Brownsville may soon end.

A reliable source tells us Bernal is "out" as City Manager and is actively seeking employment elsewhere.

Bernal, a nice  young man with a head full of management theory, never seemed to make our city function like it should, despite a small army of high-paid assistants and huge consultant fees.

In the most recent fiscal year, the City Manager's office employed 5 assistants at a salary of $857,648.  That same year Bernal also spent $976,420 on consultant fees.

Why in the Hell would a competent City Manager need that much backup support?

The Brownsville Observer speculated in October 2, 2018, two months before he took the job, that Bernal might not be on the job long based on his work history:

"Yet, Bernal has held five different jobs in eight years, an average of 1.6 years on each job.  

He served in the Pharr Economic Corporation for 8 months in 2010-2011. Since then he’s worked in La Villa (1 year, 8 months), Falfurias (2 years, 5 months), and Taylor, Texas (2 years, 5 months). He now works Coppell, Texas. He’s been there since August 2017.

If hired for something close to $250,000 per annum plus benefits, will he stay long term, long enough to right Brownsville's governmental ship and steady the progress toward job growth, development and asset management?

Considering his employment history, that's the big question about Bernal."

Bernal's original contract with the City of Brownsville was extended on September 15, 2020 extended for two more years, effective October 1, 2020 at a salary or $225,000 with added deferred annual compensation of $19,500.  That contract ends September 30, 2022.

These are turbulent times for the City of Brownsville with long-time city official Ramiro Gonzalez retiring after a self-serving use of his city office for personal enrichment was revealed.

Mayor Trey Mendez

Mayor Trey Mendez, it was also discovered, was attempting to personally claim $280,000 of BCIC funding for use on his own downtown properties.

When Mendez' attempted money grab became known, he withdrew the requests.

So, it appears the city will soon be seeking a new City Manager and when his term runs out in 2023, likely a new mayor as well.