PASO DEL NORTE-CENTRIC NEWS
DID YOU KNOW EL PASO HAS AN EXTREME WEATHER TASK FORCE? THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOME SORT OF HARDCORE SUPERHERO TEAM! – Summer is here and that means the Greater Mogollon region will now be bombarded by intense soul-scorching heat. Even though we are in the middle of a pandemic and social unrest, we should not forget that the harsh desert summers can be deadly and that some people need help keeping cool in the summer. Enter El Paso’s Extreme Weather Task Force (EWTF). The organization is limited in their distribution and fundraising because of current events, but they are still doing their best to distribute fans to those in need and providing information on how to keep cool in the summer. So if you need a fan this summer or want to help the community with a donation, contact thew EWTF. (elpasoheraldpost.com)
GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS REACH EL PASO – The protests that started in Minneapolis after the murder of George Floyd by police have now reached El Paso. Police reform is a very important topic and people in El Paso have come together to peacefully protest against police brutality and other related issues. There were some small skirmishes between police and protesters in Memorial Park after the event ended, but nothing major compared to other cities. The El Paso Police Department is nowhere near as bad as the New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Austin or Seattle police departments; but there is always room for improvement. Let’s keep these protests peaceful and push for meaningful change in El Paso and beyond. (cbs4local.com)
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP FOR THE EL PASO MEXICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY CENTER. I HOPE PEOPLE CAME IN WITH GREAT IDEAS LIKE ‘BUILDING A CHICO’S TACOS INSIDE THE CENTER’ AND ‘A STATUE CELEBRATING SELENA’S LUSCIOUS ASS’ – El Paso’s planned Mexican-American Cultural Center is still a thing and the city held a virtual workshop in early May to allow random people the opportunity to complain and make stupid suggestions via Zoom (it’s the El Paso way). All in all, the project will improve the downtown library and the surrounding area so it will be nice to see more daytime activity in that area – along with the children’s museum once that is completed as well. There are still some reservations about building a Mexican-American center in a city that is over 80% Hispanic – which is like building a white pride museum in the middle of Buttfuck, Alabama. But if they build a classy and well thought out center it should all be worth it. (ktsm.com)
HAPPY TRAILS TO OUR GREATER MOGOLLON FRIENDS LOST IN MAY – UTEP football legend Fred Wendt passed away this month at the age of 95. He is regarded as one of the best running backs to ever play at UTEP and his playing career in the ‘40s produced many records that still stand to this day. Rest in peace, Mr. Wendt. (elpasoheraldpost.com)
REST OF THE WORLD-CENTRIC NEWS
IF YOU THOUGHT 2020 COULDN’T GET ANY CRAZIER, WELL IT JUST GOT CRAZIER – George Floyd was murdered while being ‘restrained’ by Minneapolis police and the resulting protests grew into riots and looting after the Minneapolis government failed to act in a timely manner against the police. The situation reached a tipping point when rioters burned down a police precinct in the city and the protests spread throughout the country and the world. The protests have only grown in recent days and people of all colors and backgrounds have joined in calling for change. It feels like this has grown larger than just a protest against the Minneapolis police and has become a call to arms against racism, poverty and police brutality worldwide. This has all been exasperated by the current COVID-19 pandemic which has shut down sports, movies, concerts and other forms of ‘bread and circuses’ that normally distract people from what’s happening around them. Now the blinders are off and people are not distracted by trivial pursuits and can focus on what is really important. 2020 has been a crazy year but at least it can’t get any more wild, right? Wait, hurricane season just started. Of course it’s only going to get crazier. Rest in peace, George Floyd. Like Mohamed Bouazizi, George Floyd will go down in history as those whose abuse and death at the hands of corrupt authorities will not be in vain. (bbc.com)
OH RIGHT, CORONAVIRUS IS STILL AROUND. ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THAT FOR A SECOND – The COVID-19 pandemic is still going strong around the world and now America has passed the 100,000 death mark. The coronavirus has now spread around most of the world and places like Brazil and India are starting to feel the most dire effects of the virus. No matter how hard they try to frame this, this is only the beginning and it looks like the worst is yet to come. Add in millions of people protesting and a new spike in cases is almost assured in the coming weeks. But at least the bars get to open up again and the rich get richer after trillions are pumped into the stock market by the government. It’s almost as if the powers that be want us sedated while they fix the system so that only the rich come out unscathed. (bbc.com)
LOOK AT CHINA OVER THERE, SECRETLY TRYING TO MOVE THE CLOCK FORWARD TO 2047 WHILE EVERYONE IS DISTRACTED – The Chinese government has imposed national security laws on Hong Kong without their full consent and now there are complaints that Hong Kong is losing their sovereignty. The ‘One Country, Two Systems’ agreement that governs Hong Kong was set to expire in 2047 and now it seems like that deadline will be symbolic as China seeks to fast forward their obvious ‘unification’ plans. No matter how hard they protest, it seems like there will be no help for the Hong Kong protestors as the rest of the world struggles with their own issues. Hell, even the U.S. government wants to strip Hong Kong of its special trade status in order to hurt China economically. It seems like no one will fight for Hong Kong and that 2047 is just an eventuality that will come sooner rather than later. (reuters.com)
WE POUR ONE OUT TO THOSE WE LOST IN MAY – Little Richard is perhaps one of the most underappreciated rock stars in history. He was one of the first over-the-top pop music performers – when he started out in the ‘50s – who not only focused on the music but the visual elements of a live performance. His on-stage persona influenced many musicians for decades to come. He passed away in May at the age of 87 and his influence still lives on and will continue to exist as long as pop music lives on. Fred Willard had an impressive career in comedy that spanned decades and included several movies and TV shows including Best In Show and Modern Family. He passed away last month at the age of 86 and will be remembered as a comedy legend. Few actors are able to create a truly iconic character, but Ken Osmond did just that when he brought Eddie Haskell to life on Leave It To Beaver. In addition to creating such an iconic role, he continued acting on various projects afterwards and even became a police officer in Los Angeles. Ken died last month at the age of 76 but will live on forever as the manipulative-yet-likable Eddie Haskell. Rest in peace. (deadline.com)
