Salty foods like French fries or potato chips taste good, but these unhealthy snacks are bad for you because they’re high in sodium. According to a study, a salt-rich diet can harm your immune system.

Monitoring your salt intake is crucial for your overall well-being because too much salt can result in high blood pressure, a condition that increases your risk for heart attack and stroke.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has a standard recommendation of only five grams of salt per day. This is equal to about one level teaspoon, but sodium is often added to processed foods, along with the extra salt you may use when cooking at home.

According to the WHO, the average person likely consumes more than five grams of salt, with the average estimate of daily salt consumption amounting to at least nine to 12 grams. The organization added that reducing salt intake is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve health.

What happens when you consume too much salt?

The study is the first to prove that excessive salt consumption significantly weakens the immune system.

Katarzyna Jobin, lead author, explained that they had previously put some of the mice subjects on a high-salt diet. According to the results, the spleen and liver of these animals contained 100 to 1,000 times the number of disease-causing pathogens.

The scientists also observed that urinary tract infections (UTIs) in mice on a high-salt diet healed at a slower rate than in mice on a normal diet.

For the study, the research team examined the effects of a high-salt diet on both mice and humans. The mice fed a high-salt diet had “much more severe bacterial infections.”

Meanwhile, the human volunteers who consumed an extra six grams of salt every day developed “pronounced immune deficiencies.”

After only one week of extra salt, the human blood samples revealed that immune cells were faring much worse against bacteria compared to the pre-salt diet change. Findings also showed that consuming too much salt can trigger the kidneys and prompt the buildup of glucocorticoids, a hormone, in the body.

Glucocorticoids impair granulocytes, the most common type of immune cells in the blood. This makes it harder to protect your body from bacteria efficiently.

Like other kinds of food, it’s best to consume salt in moderation.

Prior to the study, the connection between salt consumption and immunity wasn’t fully understood. Follow the five-gram-per-day standard so you don’t compromise your heart and immune health.

10 Ways to reduce your salt intake

If you’re worried about your immune health and eating habits, follow the tips below to cut down your salt intake.

Breads and rolls

Bread is very salty and a slice contains about 100 to 200 mg of sodium. Worse, you also eat a lot of it.

Instead of having toast or a bagel for breakfast, have a bowl of oatmeal prepared with only a pinch of salt. Alternatively, you can serve nutritious whole grains like barley, brown rice, farro or quinoa.

Burritos and tacos

Burritos and tacos are popular Mexican dishes that often use several high-salt ingredients like white flour tortillas (an 8-inch diameter tortilla contains about 400 mg of sodium), cheese, seasoned, salty beans and meat.

Replace white flour tortillas with whole-grain corn tortillas, which only have five mg of sodium each. For fillings, use grilled chicken or a white fish.

Add low-sodium canned beans, then top burritos and tacos with chopped vegetables and salsa.

Cheese

The amount of sodium in cheese varies widely, even among the same varieties, so always check the labels. Blue cheese and feta cheese are among the saltiest varieties, while goat cheese and ricotta are on the lower end.

Try low-sodium cheese or substitute small amounts of finely grated, savory hard cheeses like Parmesan or Romano as a replacement for other cheeses.

Chicken

Chicken is a popular protein source but since it’s often prepared in commercial kitchens, it also contains added salt. Rotisserie or fried chicken from a grocery store or restaurant may contain up to four times the sodium content of plain chicken that you’ve prepared at home.

Instead of buying fried chicken, bake or saute plain chicken breasts seasoned with salt-free herb blends.

Cold cuts and cured meats

Cold cuts and cured meats like bacon, deli or luncheon meats, ham, hot dogs, salami and sausage are high in sodium chloride (salt) and sodium nitrate, a preservative, which further boosts the sodium count.

When making sandwiches at home, cook your own fresh chicken or turkey breast.

Eggs and omelets

An egg only contains 62 mg of sodium, but it’s included in the list because egg contains more salt when cooked with other ingredients and prepared using certain cooking methods. Most fast-food egg breakfast sandwiches are made with cheese and ham on an English muffin, while omelets often contain bacon, cheese and ham.

To reduce your salt intake, make your own poached or soft-cooked eggs at home.

Pizza

Essential pizza ingredients like the crust, sauce and cheese contain a lot of salt. Adding cured meats such as pepperoni or sausage adds even more sodium to your pizza.

To limit your salt intake, make pizza at home with a whole-wheat, pre-baked pizza crust with low-sodium pizza sauce and slivers of part-skim mozzarella or other light cheeses.

Top with sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, or other vegetables, then bake at 450 F until the cheese melts.

Sandwiches

Like pizza, most sandwiches contain salty ingredients like bread, cheese, cold cuts and cured meats.

To make a healthy sandwich, use lots of veggies like avocado, lettuce and tomato. Skip the cheese and add hummus or pair peanut butter with sliced apple or banana.

Savory snacks

Savory snacks like chips, crackers, popcorn, pretzels and snack mixes are usually very salty. Cut down the salt by using low- or reduced-sodium versions of these snack foods.

Soups

Some varieties of canned soup contain as much as 940 mg of sodium per serving. Instead of buying regular canned soup, opt for low- and lower-sodium varieties.

Alternatively, you can make a large batch of homemade soup and add just enough salt to taste. Freeze homemade soup in individual serving containers for convenience.

Monitor your salt intake and replace salt with herbs and spices to maintain your overall well-being.

Sources:

Mindbodygreen.com

Health.Harvard.edu

The Matrix Revealed: The collective experiment on planet Earth

April 21, 2023

by Jon Rappoport

When all obsessive group-consciousness on Earth is finished, exhausted, when it admits defeat, then a different era will emerge. But for now, we are in the middle of the collective experiment.

High-flying cloying sentiment, profound dependence on others, covert repression—these are the order of the day.

How long until the collective age is over? A hundred years? A thousand years? The answer is, as long as it takes for every human to realize that the experiment has failed, and why.

The why is clear—the individual has been overlooked. He has been demeaned. He has been grabbed up and drafted into groups. His creative power has been compromised in order to fit in.

The majority of the world still believes in this approach, as if from good groups will flow the ultimate and final solutions we have all been seeking.

This is sheer mind control, because good groups morph into evil, and vice versa, in the ongoing stage play called reality.

Ideals are twisted, infiltrators subvert plans, lessons are ignored, and the whole sorry mess repeats itself again.

What constituted a triumph of good over evil at one moment is guided into yet another collective, whose aims are “a better kind of control.”

The most deluded among us believe we are always on the cusp of a final breakthrough.

But there is no “we” to make the breakthrough.

It comes to every person on his own. And it does not arrive as the thrust of an external force, but from one’s own struggle, accompanied by insights for which there is no outside agency to lend confirmation.

If indeed it will take a thousand years to bring this collective illusion to a close, that is no cause for despondent reaction.

On the contrary, it is simply an understanding that all experiments come to an end, as does the method of thought on which they are based.

One or ten or a hundred collapses of civilization, and the resultant rebuilding, are not enough.

The pattern endures.

It can only dissolve when overwhelming numbers of individuals, each in his own way, absent self-deception, sees its bankruptcy.

The “we” and the “us” are merely postponements and cover stories splashed on the front pages of the mind.

Fighting for what is right, here and now, is vital. But it does not preclude the knowledge that, as long as people are fixated on groups as the Answer, the underlying problem will persist.

Therefore, as part of my research over the last several decades, I have explored what is now commonly called the Matrix, from the point of view of freeing the individual from it.

The first step is understanding Matrix as an ongoing perverse “work of art” and viewing the nuts and bolts of it.

Jon Rappoport, the author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world.

Tito Puente Jr. in concert in Oakland

April 21, 2023

by Magdy Zara

Prince Tito Puente Jr., heir to the talent and charisma of Tito Puente (El Rey del Timbal) R.I.P., will perform in concert in the city of San Francisco and will give a masterful exhibition of his best hits, as well as those of his father’s.

Puente Jr. has recorded several albums in Spanish, one of which has been dedicated to his father, to publicize his origins in Latin music.

Yoshi’s, Oakland, is the place where you can enjoy El Príncipe Tito Puente Jr, next Thursday, April 27, starting at 7:30 p.m.; tickets start at $29.

Enjoy live music with Danilo and the Universal Orchestra

Roger “Danilo” Páiz, is an integral artist known as an exceptional musician, composer, producer, percussionist and singer, he makes his own compositions, standing out for his romantic and thoughtful lyrics, he will be performing live with the Universal Orchestra.

The show Danilo and the Universal Orchestra will be next April 29, starting at 6 p.m., at the Del Cielo Brewing Co, at 701 Escobar St., Suite A Martínez, CA.

Photo contest to celebrate Earth Day

The City Council of the City of Palo Alto in the state of California, organized a photography contest to celebrate Earth Day this year 2023.

This contest seeks to know what actions citizens take to protect the environment.

To participate, submit photos inspired by the focus areas of the climate and sustainability action plan, climate action, energy, electric vehicles, mobility, water, climate adaptation and sea level rise, natural environment or zero waste.

The grand prize winner will receive a private tour of Green Waste with five of his friends and family to see exclusively where the waste goes in Palo Alto. The finalist will also receive a prize. In addition, winners will be selected for each category. All winners will be featured on social media and the City of Palo Alto website.

For the sending of photographs, they will only be accepted through Open Town Hall. Limit five entries per individual, photos must be taken within Palo Alto, contest open to Palo Alto residents only, filters and editing must be kept to a minimum.

Participants have until April 30 to submit their photos.

San Francisco Public Library celebrates Children’s Day

With an activity called “Children, Books and Literacy“, the San Francisco Public Library returns to the celebration of Children’s Day and Book Day, an event that they have been carrying out for 24 years.

For this occasion you can laugh with Big Top Bubbles, be inspired by the dance moves of Danza Azteca Xitlalli-Xolotl, listen to the sounds of DJ Pakípayá and La Familia Peña-Govea and take home free books and activities provided by the Library and our community partners.

On Saturday April 30 from 12 p.m. The whole family will be able to enjoy a different afternoon of laughter and joy, at Parque Niños Unidos, 3090 23rd St. and Folsom.

Once in Oaxaca: meet Australian artist and gallerist Jaime Levin

April 21, 2023

photo: Levin, an expat artist and architect, is making a name for himself in Oaxaca city with his gallery and café, Once in Oaxaca. (@Bucketlistbri/Instagram)

Jaime Levin is a 29-year-old expat artist and architect making a name for himself in Oaxaca city with his gallery and café, Once in Oaxaca. In this profile, Levin talks about why he swapped the Australian coast and an architecture career in Denmark for living the Mexican dream in Oaxaca

Shared from/by Gordon Cole-Schmidt

From murals adorning stone walls of several city hotspots, to hand-drawn city maps in bustling cafes and restaurants, Levin’s work is never far from the view of keen-eyed tourists and residents of the city.

In March, he celebrated one year since opening his own gallery, and he has exciting plans for expansion across Mexico.

On the table at his café where we meet to chat, there are two elegant carrot cupcakes from chef Miri Cole and an espresso from local coffee roasting company Nómada. Next to the coffee machine, I can see Levin’s famous city maps, his illustrated children’s book and custom-designed mezcal bottles.

We’re in Barrio de Jalatlaco — the second oldest, and arguably, the most trendy neighborhood in the city.

“When I first arrived in Oaxaca in 2019, I was delivering sandwiches for a coffee shop and had a rough plan to stay and learn Spanish. Then I discovered the architecture here, and it blew me away. The buildings, streets, ceramics, everything … I spent my free time drawing the city in my sketchbook,” Levin explains.

“I was meeting lots of different local people on my delivery runs and started speaking to them in broken Spanish about my drawings. I found the people of Oaxaca were really taken by my drawings of buildings they grew up with. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I felt there was a connection there.”

Running his own gallery and creating his artistic brand, which has garnered thousands of followers on Instagram, wasn’t a formal plan. It started when Levin decided to turn his sketches into postcards.

He stands up from our table to dash inside to bring me his first collection of pocket-sized drawings.

“I showed cafés these drawings of their buildings, and they were very happy to put them for sale next to the bread and pastries.”

Six months later, the onset of the pandemic caused Levin’s life — like most of ours — to take unexpected turns. With cafés and restaurants closing, the demand for his drawings fell and he needed to adapt quickly.

“For several long evenings, I talked for hours with friends who owned cafés — which were forced to close — about what we could do to keep their businesses alive,” he said. “The conversations all seemed to point to one avenue — growing a social media presence.”

This marked a turning point in Levin’s career in Mexico. Under the name “Once in Oaxaca,” he began uploading his illustrations on Instagram, growing a loyal following of local people, businesses and tourists. At the same time, he started an Etsy shop and began selling his art and accepting commissions for larger works.

“It was a crazy time, but it helped me realize [that] opening my own physical gallery had to be the project’s next step.”

During the summer of 2021, he found the ideal location for his first gallery.

“This space was a blank canvas. It was the first time I could design a commercial space in Oaxaca, and my architectural mind was going wild! I designed every detail in there, from the chairs [and] tables to individual shelves and wall hangings,” he said. “I loved meeting people who could help me realize the vision, and this really showed me the huge potential in collaborating with other creatives here.”

Almost an hour into our conversation, as he begins to tell me about his favorite collaboration — a children’s book illustrated and launched with speech therapist, Viri Pacheco to help young children overcome speech impediments — we’re interrupted by two friendly faces who congratulate Levin on his one-year anniversary.

A steady flow of locals and tourists have been arriving since the café opened an hour ago at 8 a.m. The place won’t close its doors for another 12 hours — a routine Levin keeps seven days per week, all year round.

“It’s hard work, but I love the process of growing, and my team is fantastic. I need to give my time to give it the best chance of success,” he said.

Following the rapid growth of Once in Oaxaca, Levin opened his second creative space — Micha — six months later in October 2022 with his girlfriend Ingrid Flores, a designer who is working on clothing and furniture design. He says that he hopes to expand nationally, into Mexico City and Mérida.

I ask what drives his obsessive work ethic and what motivates him.

“I’m not from here, but when Oaxacan people come by who know the buildings I’ve drawn and tell me they love the way I’ve captured it, in a way a photo can’t … to me, that’s the coolest thing ever,” he said.

“I don’t think the project would have been possible in Australia or in Denmark,” he added. “I feel so much more free to work creatively here, and the support and guidance has been fantastic.

“I feel like anything is possible!”

Once in Oaxaca is located at Curtidurias 121C, Barrio de Jalatlaco, 68080 Oaxaca de Juarez.

Gordon Cole-Schmidt is a public relations specialist and freelance journalist, advising and writing on companies and issues across multi-national communication programs.

USPS warns against using their blue mailboxes

April 21, 2023

Shared/by Dave Basner

When you have a stamped letter to send, you don’t always have to take it to the post office thanks to the thousands of blue mailboxes the United States Postal Service has installed on streets and corners across the country. However, even though the collection bins are incredibly convenient, it turns out they can also be a bit risky – so much so that the USPS has issued a warning to would-be mailers that the blue boxes might not be the best option.

The Postal Service explained in a press release that their blue bins have become hot spots for criminals looking to steal residents’ identities as well as their mailed checks. The crimes tend to happen at specific times and on specific days. The agency stated, “The biggest variable enticing these criminals to steal are customers depositing mail into blue collection boxes after the last collection of the day or during Sundays and federal holidays.”

So what should customers do? The USPS advises, “If customers simply used retail service or inside wall drop slots to send their U.S. Mail, instead of depositing it to sit outside overnight or through the weekend, blue collection boxes would not be as enticing after business hours to mail thieves for identity theft and check-washing schemes.”

In a list of tips, they also suggest, “The most secure way to send mail is through the local Post Office retail counter. If that is not feasible, the next safest way is to use the inside collection slots that deposit mail directly into the Post Office. If using the Postal Service’s outside blue collection boxes, never deposit mail after the last dispatch time. Each box has dispatch times printed on a label, and it will point you to the location for the latest pickup time in your area. Avoid depositing mail during the night, Sundays, and federal holidays.”

Since mail theft has become such a big issue, the Postal Service is hoping to incentivize customers to help put an end to it. They are offering rewards of up to $10,000 for anyone who submits a tip that helps them catch the bad guys. So stay alert and if you happen to see someone who doesn’t look like a postal employee rummaging through a collection bin, especially during non-postal work hours, report it to your local police or call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455.

Consumer Groups Question Bill to Regulate Car Sales, Repair

por Suzanne Potter

California News Service

Consumer groups are calling for changes to a proposed bill – needed to make sure drivers can continue to get free computer upgrades to repair serious car safety issues remotely. One of the provisions of Assembly Bill 473 would forbid car manufacturers from competing with car dealers regarding sales or service.

Rosemary Shahan, president, Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, said the measure could have unintended consequences.

“So it’s a concern that it could be construed to mean that consumers could no longer get over-the-air repairs from the manufacturer. They’d have to take their car into the dealership, ” she said.

Over-the-air fixes are software updates that can be done remotely by the manufacturer. Other sections of the bill prevent manufacturers from charging subscription fees for things such as heated seats that are built into the vehicle. The bill would not apply to entertainment subscriptions such as Sirius-XM radio service.

The bill was sponsored by the California New Car Dealers Association. The group’s president, Brian Maas, said he is open to amendments to make it clear that over-the-air safety fixes are allowed.

“If it has to do with safety, and the manufacturer is not charging the customer, no problem, update the software over the air. But if it’s a feature of the car, that isn’t related to safety and they want to charge for it, the consumer should pay for that upfront when they buy the car,” he said.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a manufacturers’ trade group, said in a statement that “By prohibiting manufacturers from offering consumers subscription services for vehicle features, this bill limits consumer choice, stifles innovation, increases costs to consumers, and negatively impacts used car buyers.”

Shahan noted that car dealers are sponsoring similar legislation in multiple states. The bill’s author, Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar Curry, did not respond to a request for comment.

California approved $300 million in state-backed home loans. Who got the money?

April 21, 2023

por Alejandro Lazo and Ben Christopher

April 11, 2023 – California Democrats carved out the Dream for All money to help first-time buyers. The funds ran out after just 11 days with the average loan hitting $112,000.

California lawmakers marketed its new loan program for first-time home buyers as a “Dream For All.”

But just 11 days after applications opened, the initial pot of money is tapped out, sucked dry by eager house hunters. It turns out the dream was only for a lucky couple thousand borrowers — a disproportionate number of them white, non-Latino and living in the Sacramento area.

The Dream for All program was paused on April 6, less than two weeks after the California Housing Finance Agency said it would make the program available to lenders. About $288 million in initial funding will be provided to 2,564 homebuyers, according to an internal document obtained by CalMatters.

The complicated program involves the state paying some or all of the upfront costs for buying a home — namely, the down payment — in exchange for a share in the home’s value when it is sold, refinanced or transferred. If the home appreciates in value, those gains to the state would then be used to fund the next borrowers.

The program was meant, in part, to help address California’s ethnic and racial wealth gap, with Black and Latino families having fewer net assets than the national average. Participation in the program was limited to households earning less than 150 percent of median earnings in their county. According to the initial characteristics shown in the agency document obtained by CalMatters, roughly two-thirds of the beneficiaries went to those making less than $125,000. The average loan was a little more than $112,000.

But those figures also show that the program was disproportionately used by white homebuyers. Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins, of San Diego, said in a statement Monday that the program was intended to reach those historically shut out of the housing market.

“While this program has been immensely successful in getting new homebuyers into the market quickly and in places with low homeownership rates like the Central Valley, clearly more work needs to be done to make sure that there is statewide awareness, particularly in communities of color,” Atkins said.

The fact that the program ran out of cash in a two week spree speaks to just how voracious demand is for housing in California. It also suggests that some of the people who made use of the program were already well into the house hunting process.

That raises an important question: How many of the people who benefited from the loan program actually needed the help and how many would have purchased a home anyway?

“I would guess that 30 to 50 percent of the people who are using it could qualify or buy without it because I had plenty like that,” said Matt Gougé, a Sacramento loan officer, referring to his own clients.

California prohibits affirmative action, limiting the housing agency’s ability to direct the money to communities of color.

“We’d like to do something we’re not allowed to do in California, and this is not the fault of CalHFA or anybody else,” said Micah Weinberg, chief executive of California Forward, a nonprofit hired by the state treasurer to create an initial framework for the program. “When those of us outside of government talked about what the intention of the program is — it is to really, very specifically, target those demographic communities, African Americans and others — who have been locked out of the homebuyer marketplace for a variety of different reasons.”

“You actually can’t do that directly in California“

Who got California first-time homebuyer loans?

Demographic data in the document obtained by CalMatters showed that 65 percent of initial buyers identified as white, 18 percent as Asian, 4 percent as Black, 1 percent as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander and 1 percent American Indian or Alaska Native. Ethnically, 62 percent of homebuyers identified as not Hispanic or Latino while about 34 percent did. The document indicated that some of the data was preliminary and might change once all the transactions closed.

Eric Johnson, an agency spokesman, confirmed on Monday that the program would be paused until more funding could be allocated. He pointed to the fact that 25 percent of homeowners in California are of Hispanic or Latino origin, and said the fact that 34 percent of the loans were made to these groups meant the program was “outperforming in that category.” Asian families make up about 16 percent and Black families about 4 percent.

That means the program initially outperformed with white and Latino homebuyers and did a bit better than average with Asian families but only matched the average with Black buyers.

“The program is doing a pretty decent job of representing California,” Johnson said, though he agreed that there is “definitely a gigantic wealth and homeownership gap” and that the program is aimed at addressing that issue.

Sacramento leads the pack

Geographically, the funds weren’t spread out evenly across the state either.

Sacramento County, home to the state capital, received 11 percent of the program’s funds, despite making up just 4 percent of the state population. Los Angeles County, in contrast, received 9 percent of the money, despite being home to a quarter of all Californians. Johnson, of CalHFA, said Sacramento County consistently sees higher participation rates than other counties, and that the overrepresentation of loans from the county “tracks with our other loan programs.”

That geographic disparity is hard to explain. Ryan Lundquist, a Sacramento appraiser and real estate analyst, said the demographics and current price trends across the region make Sacramento County “a prime target for first time buyers” and therefore a natural beneficiary of the program.

Gougé, the local loan officer, said news of the program spread by word-of-mouth throughout the capital community in the days before the state officially launched the program on March 27. The regional rumor mill may have been churning especially quickly given how much more plugged-in locals are to matters of state bureaucracy.

“Sacramento and the surrounding area’s loan officers and Realtors probably got a jump start,” he said.

While the initial funding for the program might be tapped out, the size and scope of the Dream for All program will likely be a subject of negotiations between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the overwhelmingly Democratic Legislature. In January, Newsom proposed a significantly smaller version of the 10-year, $10 billion program originally envisioned by Sen. Atkins. The governor proposed spending an initial $300 million on the program, a cut from the $500 million compromise signed last year.

Atkins, in her statement, told CalMatters that she was seeking to get more funding for the program in upcoming budget negotiations. The governor is expected to offer a revised state spending plan and a new financial forecast in May. Lawmakers must pass a balanced budget by June 15 in order to get paid.

Alejandro joined CalMatters from The Wall Street Journal, where he covered the West Coast for eight years.

Ben covers housing policy and previously covered California politics and elections.

Number of Mexicans deported from US up 41 percent from 2022

April 21, 2023

photo: Migrants attempting to cross the Mexico-U.S. border in Ciudad Juárez. (Nacho Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

by the El Reportero‘s wire services

The number of Mexicans deported from the U.S. increased by 41 percent during the first two months of the year compared to the same period in 2022.

According to the Interior Ministry (Segob), 43,152 Mexicans were deported during January and February. Just over half of those deportations, or 23,860, occurred in February, up from 19,292 in January.

Segob data indicates that Chiapas was the top state of origin for people repatriated in the first two months of this year, at 5,110, followed by Guerrero, with 4,088; Oaxaca, with 3,665; Puebla, with 3,514; Veracruz, with 3,451; and Guanajuato, with 2,575.

Deported individuals are returned to Mexico’s northern border states. So far this year, the most common point of repatriation has been Baja California, where 17,216 were recorded. This is equal to nearly 40 percent of all repatriations.

Almost all of those Baja California repatriations, 14,882, occurred through the El Chaparral Tijuana-San Diego port of entry. Tamaulipas follows closely behind, with 13,036. The other border states of Sonora and Coahuila saw 7,336 and 4,003 repatriations respectively.

In total, there are 12 official repatriation points, with exceptions made if the deportee is a resident of certain border communities that are not an official point of return, in which case the return will occur there.

Over 85 percent of the individuals returned to Mexico were male, and nearly all (90 percent) were over 18 years of age.

Of the 4,298 repatriated minors, their ages broke down along the following lines:

– 3,656 were between the ages of 12 and 17. 423 of this group were not accompanied by an adult.

– 642 were children younger than 11, and 35 of them had traveled to the U.S. border alone.

The number of deported individuals under 18 increased 2.65 percent during the first two months of this year compared to the same period in 2022.

The repatriation of Mexicans from the United States has risen substantially in recent years, showing a 60.1 percent increase between 2021 and 2022.

With reports from El Economista and Infobae.

Nicaragua’s housing project with China: what it means for the country’s future

Share from/by Tico Times

April 17, 2023 – Nicaragua on Sunday began building thousands of subsidized housing units with Chinese aid in the first such major project since the countries established diplomatic relations in 2021.

The plan – launched with China’s International Development Cooperation Agency, whose director Luo Zhaohui arrived in Nicaragua Friday — calls for building just over 12,000 housing units around the country.

“This is a truly historic day. This is a program that is going to benefit thousands of Nicaraguan families,” Laureano Ortega Murillo, a presidential adviser on trade and investment and the son of Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega, said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Nicaragua and China established diplomatic relations in 2021 after Managua severed ties with Taiwan and switched its recognition to Beijing.

Since then the two sides have signed memoranda to promote Chinese investment in the impoverished Central American country.

In addition to the $60 million housing project, China has said it will also build power plants and has other plans in the areas of culture, health and education, among others.

Chinese diplomacy has made headway in Central America, most recently in March when Honduras switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

The move prompted Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to visit Guatemala and Belize, its only remaining allies in the region, two weeks ago.