Opinion

There’s been a real concern lately about China sending lethal weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine. It’s quite possible that will happen, although the United States is threatening sanctions against any government daring to supply such aid. One wonders, however, how rigorous such sanctions would be against a country supplying us with most of our medical supplies and a good chunk of our rare earth minerals. We are still far too dependent on China for a host of items to be rigorous in enforcing embargoes. There is another reason, however, why China might be hesitant to shower Russia with guns, ammo, and missiles. Although they are allied with Russia against the United States, their communist ideology does not bind them into an eternal friendship with one another. They have, in fact, fought wars against each other, and the reasons for those wars still exist.

Special to the Advance McALLEN — In McAllen, Cathey Middle School received the city’s first Tiny Forest, a miniature forest- planting method developed by the late Japanese botanist, Dr. Miyawaki. The City of McAllen partnered with M.I.S.D. and planted over 2,000 native plants representing 35 native species as a two-part initiative to improve the environment and educational opportunities for students.

Our backyard is turning into a pet cemetery. Well, actually, not a cemetery, per se, since I didn’t personally know the two recently departed wildlife, and so wouldn’t fork over the money for two proper funeral plots. Why pay for two headstones unless you know them on a personal level? Actually, I disposed of them – the bird and the frog -- in the garbage, wrapped in plastic, as opposed to calling in the undertaker or digging a grave myself, but I had to discard of their bodies, just the same.