Choy Guevarra outwits ‘em all

“You need to impress me, outwit me, compete with me? Go ahead, knock yourself out, I have no problem with that at all.”

—Daniel Craig

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

TWO months ago, I received a private message from a media colleague in the Philippines warning me “to beware of Choy Guevarra (not his real name).”

“I know you have a good heart, but be careful,” he warned. “Don’t trust him. Don’t give him assistance or you will regret it. He is a notorious person. You better believe me because I am once his victim.”

When people send disparaging messages against someone, I immediately ignore them if I can’t delete the messages immediately. I abscond from a Marites session when I smell one, and I don’t swallow hook, line, and sinker derogatory accusations against anyone by any punk unless my next meal is at stake.

And besides, Choy Guevarra, whatever crime he supposed to have committed against humanity and the animal kingdom, is not my enemy; I am not at odds with him.

And if by chance he will approach me for “assistance,” who am I to turn my back from him or ignore someone “in need” especially if he is a friend?

 

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According to the media colleague who alerted me, Choy Guevarra is the “enemy No. 1” not only in Iloilo City, but in the entire Philippines. I don’t know and I don’t care.

I don’t understand either, but I have no beef with Choy Guevarra and we never crossed paths in hostile circumstances when I was a media practitioner in Iloilo.

The media colleague further alleged that Choy Guevarra is considered as a “living dead” in the Philippines “because of the many lives that have been lost and many reputations that have been shattered as a result of his false imputations.”

Choy Guevarra’s enemies had supposedly alerted Canada “not to accommodate” him whatever that means.

What they didn’t know was Choy Guevarra, maybe a smart aleck, tricked and outwitted them by employing decoys, deception tactics like the US’s B-2 bomber strikes in Iran’s nuclear plants, making them hope and believe he was in Canada, but in truth and reality he is now actually allegedly in the United States “safe and sound.”

They barked at the wrong tree while Choy Guevarra was having the last laugh?

It’s my nature not to ask others for help since I never want to intrude on other people’s busy lives; I am the type of person who is always adamant and afraid of bothering others with my petty concerns.

 

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But, like any Tom, Dick, and Harry in our benighted society, I am sometimes quick to live my life, showing my stressed-out self to a trusted person who will listen.

Thus, if Choy Guevarra did approach me for whatever “help” I could provide, there’s a 99 percent chance I would lend a helping hand in whatever capacity and circumstance as a Christian.

It is okay to ask for help, it is okay to share our inmost feelings, and it is okay to accept help. In fact, if Jesus did it, then it is more than okay; it is the best way.

What is not okay is to kick someone who is already down on all four. It’s not okay to convince others to hate, ignore, or abandon someone who doesn’t even pose a clear, present, and real danger.

 

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The fentanyl crisis in the United States is unprecedented, with overdoses remaining the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 44, reported the US Department of State.

More than 40 percent of Americans reportedly know someone who has died from an opioid overdose, and in 2024 the United States averaged over 220 overdose deaths daily.

“Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy under section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act that will apply to family members and close personal and business associates of individuals sanctioned under Executive Order 14059 Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade (E.O. 14059),” State Secretary Marco Rubio announced.

The action reportedly expands upon existing tools, including sanctions pursuant to E.O. 14059 and visa ineligibilities pursuant to section 212(a)(2)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for controlled substance traffickers.

Imposing visa restrictions on drug traffickers, their family members, and close personal and business associates will not only prevent them from entering the United States, but it will serve as a deterrent for continued illicit activities.

The U.S. Department of State said it would use all necessary tools to deter and dismantle the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs from entering the United States and harming U.S. citizens.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

A David upset that’s hard to duplicate in the Philippines

“Nobody roots for Goliath.”

—Wilt Chamberlain

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE didn’t have to wake up Wednesday (June 25) morning to learn that a giant upset rocked the Democratic Party primary for New York City mayor.

Never mind the three-day deadly heat wave currently impacting the Eastern United States, with triple-digit temperatures and extreme heat warnings in place across major cities and surrounding areas in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. that experienced temperatures approaching or exceeding 100 degrees, with some breaking all-time June temperature records.

Tuesday night (June 24), news was all over the United States that Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a 33-year-old upstart born in Kampala, Uganda scored one of the biggest upsets in the history of New York City by toppling 67-year-old career politician, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo.

Mamdani’s conquest of Cuomo is hard to duplicate in the Philippines, where politics is based on personality, dynasty, machinery, moneyed political party.

But it happened in the Big Apple, the so-called “City that never sleeps.”

 

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Highly regarded Cuomo didn’t wait for the entire vote to be tabulated to concede even as a winner hasn’t been officially declared due to the city’s ranked choice ballot system.

The former governor told his supporters less than two hours aftr he polls closed that “tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night,” underscoring a seismic shift in American politics.

Mamdani made gains on Cuomo in recent weeks but still trailed in most polling against the former New York governor, who instantly entered the race in March as the clear favorite. But Mamdani rose rapidly as the primary approached, The Hill reported.

Mamdani’s rise is one of the most stunning in recent memory.

He entered the Democratic race to replace embattled Mayor Eric Adams (D) as a little-known state legislator who had only served in office since 2021.

He started out in single digits in polling, well behind Cuomo, and found himself in the middle of a pack of other, more established candidates trying to break through.

His momentum was apparent in recent weeks as he closed the gap behind Cuomo in the polls and gained several high-profile endorsements from top progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

The progressive Working Families Party also called on voters to rank Mamdani first on their ballots.

How much he closed the gap seemed up in the air, with polls varying significantly. While one independent poll showed Mamdani within range of Cuomo and prevailing in the final round, most of the polls consistently showed Cuomo ahead.

 

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But that apparent lead didn’t materialize as voters headed to the polls. Mamdani is currently on track to be ahead after the first round and won’t need as much support from other candidates’ voters to reach a majority.

The Hill reported that with 92 percent of the estimated vote in as of Tuesday night, the New York State Assembly member led the pack with close to 44 percent of the vote, while Cuomo had 36 percent of the vote and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander sat at 11 percent.

Ultimately, Mamdani’s victory is likely to go down as one of the most stunning upsets in recent history.

Cuomo’s concession of the Democratic primary on Tuesday may have added to the stunning effect of the night’s results, but New York City voters might not have seen the last of him.

Cuomo announced in May that he would also run in the general election under the banner of the Fight and Deliver Party, saying at the time that he wanted to secure the largest coalition possible and appeal to those disillusioned with the Democratic Party.

As long as he receives enough signatures to appear on the ballot, and assuming he decides to go forward, this would likely ensure him a spot facing off against Mamdani again.

But Cuomo seemed uncertain about whether he would go through with this general election campaign, saying he’ll take time to decide how to go forward.

“I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting,” he said in a statement. “I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

 

Meeting a Youtube superstar in Bronx

"My favorite animal is a polar bear. They're going extinct, and I really don't want that to happen." 

--Quvenzhane Wallis

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

MY meeting with Tundra in Bronx was accidental.

In the first place, I never knew Tundra was a superstar; I had no idea he was once a Youtube sensation.

Tundra made headlines in the past for having defied his species' median life expectancy. He was supposed to be dead at 20, but I learned he was 24 years old.

The respected conservation group Polar Bears International notes the lifespan of wild polar bears to be only 15-18 years.

Yes, fellas, Tundra is a wild polar bear living in the Bronx Zoo. It was my first time to see a wild polar bear. The three kids watching Tundra while the polar bear was coming out from the rock cliffs were chanting, "Tundra, Tundra, hello!"

I joined the chorus. With mixed emotions, I shouted, "Hello, Tundra" while taking some photos.

Tundra was moving gracefully, and it was not hard to notice a mammoth marine mammal going to a spacious pool because of its unique size and color.

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) estimates that there are between 20,000-25,000 polar bears in the world.

 

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Polar bears like Tundra are the largest land carnivores in the world, rivaled only by the Kodiak brown bears of southwestern Alaska.

They sit at the top of the food chain in the biologically rich Arctic. The most carnivorous of the bear species, polar bears feed primarily on the fat of ice-dependent seals.

The remains of these seals provide food for many other Arctic wildlife species, giving polar bears a vital role in their ecosystem, according to Defenders of Wildlife.

According to Jim Breheny, director of the Bronx Zoo, Tundra was born at the Bronx Zoo.

Tundra became the talk of the town after a recent online article stated that Tundra was suffering from exposure to extreme heat, thus it has heightened some people’s concerns.

Breheny assured the fans of Tundra that the bear "has experienced many New York summers and has never had any heat-related health issues. "

Tundra's exhibit is well shaded by rock cliffs and large pine trees as the sun moves from east to west over the course of the day, added Breheny.

 

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The polar bear exhibit has a large pool, where Tundra can swim and submerge or just sit and rest in the water on shallow shelves at the pool’s edge.

The pool’s temperature is kept cool with a constant flow of 55 °F water.

Tundra’s keepers record the pool’s temperature on a daily basis, and during the week that the recent article was published citing 91°F air temperatures, the pool ranged from 60-62 °F.

Breheny explained further: "The article has several images of Tundra sleeping beside his pool. Polar bears are intelligent and adaptable. The fact that he was photographed relaxed, choosing to sleep in the sun and not the shade, or not laying in shallow water or swimming in the pool is indicative that the sun and air temperature were not bothering Tundra as the article charged. 

"There was also reference to the fact that Tundra is alone in his exhibit, deprived of companionship. A basic knowledge of the biology and behavior of polar bears shows, with the exception of females with young cubs or during the breeding season, adult polar bears are solitary animals. This is especially true of adult males. It is quite normal for male polar bears to be alone. But this does not mean he has no interaction."

 

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HEAT WAVE. Extensive triple digit heat, broken temperature records and oppressive humidity piled up into a steaming mess as the heat dome crushing the Eastern half of the nation sizzled to what should be its worst Tuesday.

NBC New York reported that New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit a little after noon, the first time since 2013. More than 150 million people woke up to heat warnings and forecasters at the National Weather Service expected dozens of places to tie or set new daily high temperature records Tuesday.

“Every East Coast state today from Maine to Florida has a chance of 100 degree actual temperature,” said private meteorologist Ryan Maue, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist. “Getting Maine to 100 degrees is infrequent.”

If Central Park hits 100, it would be the earliest day in the year ever that the mercury hit that mark in the park.

Tuesday’s heat came on top of 39 new or tied heat records Monday. But just as dangerous as triple digit heat is the lack of cooling at night, driven by the humidity.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

I look up at New York skies for ‘missiles’ and there’s none

“Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

I’M not paranoid, but while writing this article inside the McDonalds branch at Manhattan’s glitzy Chelsea district June 23 evening, I nervously observed what was going on in the streets amid the scorching 92 degrees Fahrenheit, start of the week-long heat wave.

Leery of a possible ugly episode, I also peered at the skies like a seasoned astrologer from time to time.

There were fears Iran would retaliate after US launched an operation codenamed Midnight Hammer, which involved 125 US military aircraft and targeted three nuclear facilities: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan June 21 night. They were reportedly hit between 22:40 GMT and 23:05 GMT on Saturday (02:40-03:05 on Sunday Tehran time).

But wherever my naughty imagination had brought me in those fleeting moments, it defied reality. It was weird and eristic.

There was no way a wayward or time-controlled missile would fall from the New York skies like what the people in Tehran, Iran and in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Ashdod, Israel experienced these past 72 hours.

New York, or the entire United States for that matter, is, of course, “safe” from any air assault

 

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Even if it is touted as the “terror of the Middle East”, Iran is not yet capable of launching a missile that can reach the continental United States (I can see in the map Atlantic Ocean is too wide and long for any Middle East missile to cross and blast at the Big Apple's skyscrapers).

But we learned that Iran’s longest-range missiles are currently capable of reaching distances of up to about 1,240 miles, which covers the Middle East and parts of Europe, but not the United States. Thank God.

But we can’t lower our guards. At least not yet. There is still a possibility that Iran could develop this capability:

It was learned that potential ICBM development: Iran is believed to be seeking longer-range missiles and satellite launch vehicles. If they were to acquire technology from other nations, particularly related to the Taepo Dong-2 missile, they could potentially develop such a capability in the future.

Technological challenges: To develop an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US, Iran would need to overcome significant technological hurdles, including stage separation, powerful propulsion systems, advanced re-entry vehicles, and precise guidance systems.

 

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Meanwhile, several hours latter, we learned that U.S. President Donald Trump had announced on social media that “Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire” after more than a week of missile strikes on each other and a weekend attack on Iranian nuclear facilities by American bombers.

There was no immediate confirmation of a deal by Israel or Iran but Mr. Trump’s assertion came hours after Iran launched missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American military base in the Middle East, retaliating for U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites while taking steps to limit the damage, reported the New York Times.

Only hours after Iran unsuccessfully fired missiles at the U.S. base in Qatar, President Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that “a cease-fire has been reached between Israel and Iran, and that the war will be over.”

We are still trying to verify this from both the Iranian and Israeli sides and have no further details yet. This all comes one day after Mr. Trump called for regime change and two days after the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites. So this is all a fluid and unclear situation, Jonathan Swan reported from Washington.

According to Eric Schmitt, a Defense Department official had claimed that American air defenses in Qatar intercepted the 13 Iranian missiles that President Trump said were knocked down in Monday’s (June 23) attack.

 

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One other missile was allowed to land harmlessly. A U.S. official said that American troops in Iraq and Syria remained on alert for attacks by Iran-backed militias there.

Swan added that President Trump’s first public comments since Iran’s missile attack on a U.S. base in Qatar indicated that he does not plan to retaliate.

Instead, in a series of posts on Truth Social, the president framed the Iranian barrage as “a very weak response” and a gesture toward peace. In all-caps he posted “CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT’S TIME FOR PEACE!” He minimized the damage done and even thanked the Iranians for “giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured.”

“Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same,” he added. Taken together, his posts suggest that Mr. Trump currently has no interest in a more protracted war to topple Iran’s leadership, despite some of his recent statements.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)