It's been a while I've written and I apologize as some of my readers has been asking they haven't heard from me. Like most of all of you, I've been fighting I al lot of personal fires of survival. Life has been tough believe it of not. Yes, we we open the year with a high bar, high hopes with a new administration yet Covid-19 seem to proliferate our lives to the point that were all tired from it at this point,
I remember back then when it was Dr. King's special day I would write a blog remembering his fight on civil rights, remembering the march and his death. Well this year, right on the eve of this special holiday, I'm watching cable TV on a hostage situation in Texas on Jewish house of worship where the hostage taker took four (4) hostages. A law enforcement official earlier told the AP that the hostage-taker demanded the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida. The hostage-taker was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida, the officials said. He also said he wanted to be able to speak with her, according to the officials. Siddiqui is in federal prison in Texas. …Quoted from the Concho Valley News.. The event was livestream in Facebook initially so the worshippers was able to see it.
This story goes longer but in short, The Jewish community preys target in this case for this hostage taker as a reason and also as an exchange in is mind to release for this person stated above. January 6, is another story to tell that happen in regards to the republic and turn over of the new President.
I'm trying to remember the year but it's quite really hard to remember as there were so many things that happen. And much of them as I have mentioned at the start was mostly putting out fires which is one of the reasons I hardly had time myself to even write a blog. A lot of times is survival, stretching the wallet and time, fixing what needs to be fix as if there is always no time.
There were so many calamities this year, I know they say unemployment numbers looks good in spite of the inflation we have never seen in decades. They also say that Americans had been quitting jobs in droves to look for new ones. There are also a lot of un-vaccinated dying of Covid-19 but do we know if all all of them are really non believers or because they do not have insurance and are not informed? And if you are a real common lay person, you might agree you are just tired of fighting to survive everyday?
I know people sometimes get tired when I compare my destination visits but this is how I can see the changes that happen from time to time.
Last night, I decided to take the underground in San Francisco and explore the "Castro". I was hoping the grab a bite on a favorite Japanese restaurant I have not been to in about 7 months. The first thing I notice was on weekend the Castro looks like a Ghost Town even seeing some homeless by 18th St. Not only was favorite Japanese restaurant now closed so as some restaurant and shops that did not survive with this pandemic. From my qualified guess, either my favorite restaurant was not a recipient of the American Rescue Plan Package for Restaurants or they already exhausted it. I know for a fact that even though you have received any kind of help before for the pandemic, it would have been exhausted by now.
When the pandemic started for example in California, one can file for Unemployment if you have lost half or part of you income. For example, in San Francisco, it is a convention and tourism city. So one can have multiple sources of income and employers. Nowadays, they have eliminated that option as a reason that you lost part of your income. So if your wondering why the unemployment numbers are looking good now and those that are filing for unemployment have gone down, here's one good reason why. Likewise, for some it's just complicated in reporting and they feel they make a mistake so might as well so forget it on filing.
Let me also touch a little on Immigration. I can't help but start on this with Afghanistan. I respect the fact that it was a necessary undertaking and that we needed to bring the refugees for relocation. At the same I was reading an online article last night a US resident stuck either in Europe or UAE with a wife about to have birth in 23 days. Luckily, he has news coverage trying to appeal to the State Dept. as the US Embassy where he was was still on locked down and he cannot be scheduled for interview so he can travel back to the US. What's my point here? In the United States as we all know, Immigration Reform was on the list on the President's agenda when he took office. We now know that by now there is slim chances that this will pass through the US Senate. During the Covid-19 pandemic there are so many Approved I-130 Green Card Permanent Alien Petitions by US Citizens to their Immediate Families to be scheduled to US Embassies and Consulates Overseas that are on hold since 2019.
These petitions are from family members who have been waiting legally in the US to adjust their status as far 3o years. And since 2019 they still have to wait again due to covid-19 pandemic and all they get from the Dept. of State and USCIS are reminders that the interviews cannot be scheduled yet.
New York (CNN Business)The US Chamber of Commerce is calling for doubling the number of legal immigrants into America as a way to ease inflation and the worker shortage.
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