Sound Off: Feb. 15, 2025
Stopping the production of pennies is actually a logical cost-saving move. Pennies will still be used as currency, and there's currently an over abundance of pennies already in circulation. This is one issue where I agree with 'President' Musk.
Democrats refuse to recognize why they lost the election. All they want to do is block President Trump from carrying out his campaign promises that a majority of the voters elected him to do. They do not want to reduce the size of government and they don't want to cut back on spending taxpayers' money.
Democratic Illinois Rep. Jane Schakowsky, during a Congressional committee hearing, said the word 'manufacturing' sounded like a guy to her. Presumably she's nosing around to find yet another plain English word that offends her or someone else so she can create another faux issue to be concerned about instead of real adult life concerns or problems that concern Americans in her district and the country at large. The word derives from Latin and means hand helping or working.
Do you realize that Temu and Schein are Chinese companies? By the way so is Quince, that is being advertised on TV. I try not to buy Chinese products. It's tough but can be done. Buy American, buy Vietnamese, buy Taiwanese. Quit helping China. Spend just a couple more bucks to help Americans.
If President Trump really wants to keep more jobs in America, he should make a proclamation that call centers for goods bought in the U.S. must be located in the U.S. I get very annoyed when trying to place an order by phone and get a person who barely speaks English and has no clue how to answer my questions without placing me on hold for sometimes hours. I'm tired of hearing 'thank you for patiently waiting.' I'm no longer patient and I'm fed up with foreigners reciting prepared scripts that do not answer my questions. Heaven forbid if I insist on speaking to someone in America or a supervisor. They place me on hold again, and the same person comes back on the call claiming they are a supervisor in America.
Apparently President Trump and Elon Musk are continuing their attack on fact-based journalism, replacing with it their partisan media takeover. Now they are trying to kill the fact-based Public Broadcasting Station so they can have unchecked corruption. The same reason they are getting rid of the EPA, Consumer Finance Protection Agency, Inspector Generals, and marginalizing the FBI and CIA. Billionaires win, regular citizens lose.
Because the Associated Press won't use President Trump's preferred pronouns for the Gulf, they have been barred from the Oval Office and Air Force One?
Send your Sound Offs to soundoff@sunherald.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Upturn
7 minutes ago
- Business Upturn
Sona BLW shares fall nearly 2% after Bernstein downgrades stock
By Aditya Bhagchandani Published on June 10, 2025, 09:24 IST Shares of Sona BLW Precision Forgings Ltd fell as much as 1.9% on Tuesday, trading at ₹514.35 as of 9:21 AM IST, down ₹7.00 from the previous close of ₹521.35. The decline follows a downgrade from brokerage firm Bernstein, which revised its rating on the stock to 'Market Perform' from 'Outperform'. The downgrade comes amid growing near-term risks that Bernstein highlighted, including tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, as well as ongoing trade issues between the U.S. and India. The brokerage also expressed concerns about the increasing competitiveness of Chinese OEMs in the global electric vehicle (EV) supply chain. Bernstein noted that Sona BLW has significant exposure to the U.S. market and a large portion of its order book is concentrated in EV components, making it vulnerable to geopolitical disruptions and sectoral headwinds. The stock's recent pressure comes despite its strong year-range performance between ₹380 and ₹768.65, with a market cap of ₹318.23 billion and a P/E ratio of 51.67. Sona BLW remains a key player in the EV component space, but analysts now suggest a cautious outlook amid global macro uncertainties. Disclaimer: The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice. Stock market investments are subject to market risks. Always conduct your own research or consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions. Author or Business Upturn is not liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Aditya Bhagchandani serves as the Senior Editor and Writer at Business Upturn, where he leads coverage across the Business, Finance, Corporate, and Stock Market segments. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to journalistic integrity, he not only contributes insightful articles but also oversees editorial direction for the reporting team.
Hamilton Spectator
11 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Israel attacks Yemeni port city, Houthi rebels say
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel attacked docks in Yemen's port city of Hodeida on Tuesday, the Houthi rebels said, likely damaging facilities that are key to aid shipments to the hungry, war-wracked nation. Israel did not immediately acknowledge the attack and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. However, Tuesday's claimed attack comes as the Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones targeting Israel during its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis announced the attack via their al-Masirah satellite news channel. They said the attack targeted docks there, without elaborating. The Houthis have been launching persistent missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive in Gaza. From November 2023 until January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors . That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually. The Houthis paused attacks in a self-imposed ceasefire until the U.S. launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March. Trump paused those attacks just before his trip to the Mideast, saying the rebels had 'capitulated' to American demands. Early Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote on the social platform X that U.S. Navy ships had traveled through the Red Sea and its Bab el-Mandeb Strait 'multiple times in recent days' without facing Houthi attacks. 'These transits occurred without challenge and demonstrate the success of both Operation ROUGH RIDER and the President's Peace Through Strength agenda,' Hegseth wrote ahead of facing Congress for the first time since sharing sensitive military details of America's military campaign against the Houthis in a Signal chat. Meanwhile, a wider, decadelong war in Yemen between the Houthis and the country's exiled government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, remains in a stalemate. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
11 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Filipino forces and villagers struggle to live in China's shadow in disputed waters
WEST YORK ISLAND, South China Sea (AP) — Overwhelmed after setting foot for the first time on a far-flung but picturesque island in the disputed South China Sea, a Filipino army official knelt to kiss the shore. She held a small Philippine flag that fluttered in the breeze. 'This is just so beautiful,' Philippines military spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said of West York Island, one of nine islands, reefs and atolls occupied by Filipino forces in the long-contested waters. 'This solidifies our resolve to fight for this place whatever happens.' The 18.6-hectare (46-acre) droplet-shaped island, called Likas by Filipinos, could easily become an eco-tourism draw in tropical Asia with its powdery white-sand beaches, turquoise waters and giant sea turtle sanctuaries. Padilla expressed hope it could someday be opened to Filipino travelers and tourists from across the world. But that longstanding aspiration by Philippine officials has been stymied by a tangle of territorial conflicts involving a militarily superior China . Beijing claims virtually the entire South China Sea, a vital global trade route with rich undersea deposits of gas and oil. It has increasingly flexed its military might, including its navy — the largest in the world — to strengthen its grip on a strategic waterway it says it has owned since ancient times. The Philippines, Vietnam , Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan contest China's expansive claims with their own, and the territorial stand-offs have increasingly flared into cat-and-mouse confrontations at sea in recent years. The long-simmering disputes are also a delicate fault line in the regional rivalry between Beijing and Washington . Both former President Joe Biden and his successor, Donald Trump , have condemned China's growing aggression in the contested waters, including its coast guard's use of powerful water cannons, blinding military-grade lasers and dangerous sea maneuvers against the coast guard and navy of the Philippines, Washington's oldest treaty ally in Asia. Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. , who took office in mid-2022, the Philippines has intensified a campaign to expose China's increasingly assertive actions by capturing them in video and photographs. The images have then been made public in the hope that international pressure would prompt Beijing to back down to avoid damage to its reputation. The Philippine military invited a small group of journalists, including two from The Associated Press, in a dayslong naval patrol of the South China Sea territories claimed by Manila and on visits to navy and marine forces deployed to guard them. During the patrol, which ended over the weekend, the BRP Andres Bonifacio navy ship carrying the journalists warned a number of Chinese coast guard ships and suspected Chinese militia vessels by two-way radio to move away from Philippines-claimed waters. The Chinese ships responded by asserting their sovereignty in the offshore region without undertaking any provocative actions. On West York Island, two Filipino marines in camouflage uniforms stood guard with M4 assault rifles under a Philippine flag. One used binoculars to scan the surrounding waters for Chinese or Vietnamese ships passing by from a distance. One of the farthest islands in the disputed waters from the nearest Philippine province of Palawan, West York is a difficult and risky post, where Filipino forces see nothing beyond the small island but sea. Military personnel can occasionally call their loved ones during their two-month deployment, but the internet connection is spotty, especially during the typhoon season that starts in June, according to military personnel on the island. They grow eggplants, okra and chili peppers and raise goats and chickens to augment food provisions delivered by navy ships from Palawan. There is a makeshift basketball court to help while away off-duty time and ease the feeling of isolation. 'It's being away from your family,' Padilla said. 'At the end of the day, you go home to an empty room.' Marine Col. Joel Bonavente, who was among the visiting military officials, told AP that military personnel posted in the remote outpost get additional pay to compensate for the 'hazard and loneliness.' On Thitu, the largest Philippines-claimed island, which lies west of West York, civilians have thrived for decades in a small fishing village alongside the military forces. An AP journalist who visited Thitu several years ago saw an island with only a few low-slung wooden and concrete buildings and a gravel airstrip that was being eroded by the constant pounding of waves. There were a few shanties mainlanders had moved to from Palawan in exchange for a monthly government provision of groceries, rice and cash in a bid to grow a civilian community. Dramatic infrastructure improvements have occurred through the years on the 37.2-hectare (92-acre) island, which now has a concrete runway, a huge aircraft hangar, a wharf, a storm shelter and concrete roads running through the fishing village, military encampments and a three-story coast guard surveillance center. A high school building is nearly finished near a seawater desalination facility. 'I want to stay on this island because my blood pressure remains stable without the wide selection of fatty food you find in the city like hamburgers,' said Nenita Bania, a 59-year-old villager who has lived with her husband on Thitu for 12 years. 'Lonely? Not really. It's not the case if you're with family,' she told the AP aboard an air force C-130 aircraft, as she and other villagers hitched a ride back to Thitu from Palawan province. Living in China's shadow in the disputed waters, however, has been challenging, said Larry Hugo, 47, who leads a group of at least 114 fishermen. More than a decade ago, China transformed seven disputed South China Sea reefs into island bases, where Chinese coast guard and navy ships can now refuel and obtain supplies for longer periods far from the Chinese mainland. One of China's artificial islands, Subi, has a military-grade runway and lies just 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Thitu. 'There were no Chinese ships before but now it's a big problem because they are all around our island,' Hugo said. 'They're guarding the reefs where we used to fish, and they block us so we can't venture far.' 'It's very dangerous,' he said. 'We have small boats and we may be run over and that'll be a big problem because we're far from civilization.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
