Is a Recession coming? Maybe

When major companies start large employee layoffs you know a recession is coming. Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve are raising interest rates and the effect is obvious. Powell is not finished raising rates as proven by the continuing low Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report issued by U.S. Department of Labor.

Major US technology companies have collectively laid off more than 100,000 workers in January alone, with the majority of the firms citing a bleak economic outlook and recession fears as the core reason for the layoffs.

Amazon on March 20, 2023 announced that it will cut additional 9,000 jobs, after announcing 18,000 job cuts in January 2023. That included the closing of DP Review the camera advice web site.

Electronic Arts, the maker of video game franchises such as Battlefield, FIFA and Madden, announced layoffs affecting roughly 6% of its workforce in March 2023. That translates to 775 jobs.

Warner Music Group, the New York-based entertainment company announced job cuts affecting 270 positions.

Lucid Group, a San Francisco Bay area electric car maker, announced an 18% job cut of its more than 7,200 employees.

Disney announced earlier in March that it is planning to layoff 7,000 employees across divisions.

PayPal unveiled cut 2,000 employees, becoming the latest U.S. company to reduce its headcount, just hours after software company HubSpot announced it would lay off 500 positions in an effort to reduce costs.

Is Israel becoming a theocracy?

Israel is a thriving democracy that has been the source medical and computer technology. Israel’s primary exports are Cut diamonds, refined petroleum, pharmaceuticals, machinery and equipment, medical instruments, computer hardware and software, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel.

The ultraorthodox Jews in Israel want to impose their views of social behavior on the entire population. To achieve that goal they want to take control of the country’s judicial system. Large demonstrations against the take over have developed over the past week. However there have also been large demonstrations supporting the government’s plan to impose religious law on everyone.

In other words it is a battle between a secular society similar to the United States or a society similar to Iran. Iran’s formal name is Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel might then be titled the Jewish State of Israel.

CNN reports

Israel’s contentious judicial overhaul legislation will be put on hold until the next session of the Knesset, after the Passover recess in April, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday.
His statement followed a nationwide protest that brought Israel to a standstill. The strikes and mass protests were sparked by Netanyahu’s decision to fire his defense minister after he spoke out against the far-reaching legislation.
The nation’s largest labor union called an end to the strike after Netanyahu’s announcement, but warned there would be more if the “prime minister returns to aggressive legislation.”
Under the proposals, the government would have control over the appointment of judges, and parliament would gain the power to override Supreme Court decisions. Opponents say the plan threatens the foundations of Israeli democracy.

American Jews are becoming appalled over the impact that the ultraorthodox in Israel are having on how the country functions.

The best example of the orthodox interference with the lives of its citizens is marriage law. The issue of civil marriages is a major issue for secular and non-Orthodox Jews, as they are required to follow Orthodox practice to marry in Israel.

As an American Jew I am appalled but what ever the majority want that is what they will have.

DP Review is being closed

For those of you who are professional & amateur photographers the end of DP Review is a sad event. I have used this site repeatedly over the years to learn more about cameras and their abilities. I do not know of a site that does the job they perform. The site is owned by Amazon. Amazon is all about making money. Think about that.

YOUTUBE.COM

The end of DPReview

Sadly, the decision has been made to end DPReview.com and DPReview

We are just going to Mexico for some fun. What could possibly happen?

According to data from Mexico’s Tourism Secretary, 270-thousand students are set to visit Mexico during the spring break season. That number will translate to millions of dollars in income to the Mexican economy.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador knows how important that income is to his economy and so he comes out with a statement just before the spring break season “Mexico is safer than the United States. There is no problem in traveling safely in Mexico.”

Sadly the facts do not support the president’s contention. The Associated Press reports “Mexico’s nationwide homicide rate is about 28 per 100,000 inhabitants. By comparison, the U.S. homicide rate is barely one-quarter as high, at around 7 per 100,000.”

The Mexican president brushed off continued concern over violence. Currently, the U.S. State Department has “do not travel” advisories for six of Mexico’s 32 states plagued by drug cartel violence, and “reconsider travel” warnings for seven other states.

“This is a campaign against Mexico by these conservative politicians in the United States who do not want the transformation of our country to continue,” López Obrador said.

“This violence is not a reality,” he added. “It is pure, vile manipulation.”

Facts are hard to dispute. It is reported that late Saturday six men and two women at a club in the largely rural township of Apaseo El Grande, where rival cartels have been fighting for control for years.

How many students looking for a good time be dissuaded from changing their spring plans for a good time? Probably not many.

The United States Must Stop the flow of Drugs from Mexico

Fentanyl has been smuggled into the United States from Mexico for years. In case you thought that Mexico was an ally that the United States could rely on to combat the flow of fentanyl into the country, Mexico’s president is now outright lying about the issue.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has warned GOP lawmakers that Mexico will not allow foreign governments to intervene in its territory after some members of the party advocated for the U.S. to take military action against Mexico’s drug cartels.

GOP Representative Dan Crenshaw, who introduced legislation allowing American forces to act, responded by asking Mexican president López Obrador why he rejects U.S. aid. His response: “We are not going to permit any foreign government to intervene in our territory, much less that a government’s armed forces intervene.” Does that response make any sense?

Mexico is a country where gangs (cartels) operate with impunity. Their former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is now in the United States most secure US supermax prison after multiple escapes from Mexican prisons.

So what in the world is Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador talking about? I have always believed that the Mexican government is bribed by the cartels. Obrador’s denial that drugs are made in Mexico is a joke.

I agree with Representatives Dan Crenshaw, Lindsey Graham and other senators that if is time to send American troops into Mexico to bring the cartels to an end. If that means fighting with the Mexican government to bad for them.

American lives are at stake.

Tevye has died

Israeli actor Chaim Topol, known for his iconic role of Tevye in the film “Fiddler on the Roof,” has died at the age of 87.

A cause of death was not revealed, however his son told the Israeli press last year that his father was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Raised in Tel Aviv and revered as a top actor in his native land, Topol appeared in over 30 movies across Israel and the United States. He earned two Golden Globe Awards, one for the role of Tevye in the 1971 film production of “Fiddler on the Roof” – he originated the role on London’s West End in 1967. He was additionally nominated for a Tony Award when he revisited the part in the 1991 Broadway revival.

In 2015, Israel celebrated 67 years of independence, honoring Topol with the Israel Prize for his lifetime achievements.

One year earlier, the University of Haifa gave Topol an honorary degree, recognizing his cultural impact for more than 50 years.

Topol was also a musician, recording several singles and albums. He was featured on the “Fiddler on the Roof” movie album, as well as the London cast album from 1967. One of the songs his character Tevye sings is the notable “If I Was A Rich Man.”

Countless Israeli leaders shared their sorrow for the loss of Topol, acknowledging the legacy he left behind.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Topol’s “contribution to Israeli culture will continue to exist for generations.” .

Israel’s ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, said Topol was “one of the most outstanding Israeli actors,” who “filled the movie screens with his presence and above all entered deep into our hearts.”

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