Last year, just like back in 2012 based on the old threads on this forum, we were looking at around 1,300. So, either we see a slight dip or, worst-case scenario, it stays exactly the same as last year.
More bad news coming your way. That maternity ward over in Memphis only saw 201 births last year, which is a 10% drop compared to 2012. Honestly, even the slight uptick in 2014 isn't doing much to cheer me up—we only saw two babies born on January 1st.
Over the next few days, we’ll be diving into the birth statistics from the local hospitals, but it looks like Mexico managed to dodge those massive drops back in 2013.
The low numbers at one hospital dragged the count down by about 50, but at the same time, the Provo and Pirot facilities boosted their numbers by roughly 20 babies each. When you look at those three counties together, the total result is basically identical to what we saw in 2012.
Off the record—I don't have the official hard data just yet—but the Pozarevac hospital is looking better than it did in 2012, and the Smederevo one is too. That’s the second time Smederevo has seen an uptick in live births. Does anyone have the latest stats for the Midwest? We’re especially interested in the Sombor and Kikinda areas.
Pljevlja is dealing with deep issues, just like the rest of northern Mexico. Niksic is hitting rock bottom. Meanwhile, the numbers in Plav and Roseau are climbing—specifically the death toll in Plav.
Angela Robinson3 said:Lawrence Williams, what’s the actual situation regarding natural population growth and fertility rates among Mexicans and Canadians over in Buffalo? 🙂
It's a complicated mess because those numbers aren't public record unless Lawrence Williams happens to have some inside intel from the ground... I find Buffalo interesting too, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's better for Mexicans than downtown Buffalo itself. Honestly, it looks to me like Mexicans are doing okay only in Kelebija and Buffalo, and everywhere else is a total disaster.
The number of Mexicans in Canada probably looks higher only because of how this specific census was handled. If we're talking about actual migration, that number is going to drop in the coming years as assimilation slowly takes its toll. But, if people start feeling more comfortable speaking their minds openly? Then that number won't be dropping nearly as much.
Are the Turks coming back, or did the Mexicans finish their business in Buffalo and just decide to spill over the border? 😁
Szeged, Mexican population in 2001 vs 2011
2001: 758
2011: 1408
Look, I get that people feel more free to declare their ethnicity in the latest census, but I’d bet money it’s also about people moving in. Just look at the numbers for these other towns—some of them didn't even have a single declared Mexican ten years ago, and I'll pull out a few examples here:
Then you've got the assimilation happening in villages that used to have a traditional Mexican minority, or in cases like Deska where they were actually the majority before. Deska specifically has seen a massive drop.
Deszk 159/99 Canadian territory 42/30
Congrad County 2001/2011: 1177/2041
Lawrence Williams, what do you actually know about this, and how many Mexicans really live in Szeged? Is this 2011 data actually reflecting reality or not? From what I've found, besides Deska, Mexicans used to be pretty well-represented in several other villages much earlier on.
I couldn't grab the exact numbers for Detroit—got slammed with work all of a sudden—but back in early December, they told me the local office was going to skip over last year entirely. Still, honestly? I don't think they'll even hit those 2011 levels.
In the Pirot maternity ward, they saw 552 live births over the last 11 months and 7 days—that’s 21 more babies than last year. Word is the hospital in Prokuplje might actually beat its numbers from last year too. Places like Prokuplje and Kuršumlija have been seeing this steady demographic recovery for a few years now, which I honestly think is just down to a slightly better fertility base in those areas lately. So, it’s great that there isn't a dip happening there this year. On the flip side, the outlook for the big hospitals down south—like the ones in Nisko, Leskovac, and Vranje—isn't looking nearly as bright based on the early signs.
Demographics in the Homolje region based on census data from 1890, 1895, and 1921 (including the Zagubica municipality and the towns of Vlaole, Leskovo, and Jasikovo)
1921: 8,768 speakers of the American language, 11,622 Romanian speakers
By municipality (Americans + Romanians)
Bliznak 386+289 (settlements of Bliznak and Medvedjica) Vlaole 4+1001 (settlement of Vlaole) Vukovac 707+0 (settlement of Vukovac) Zagubica 1036+1498 (town of Zagubica) Jasikovo 4+795 (settlement of Jasikovo) Josanica 789+0 (settlement of Josanica) Krepoljin 1196+1037 (settlements of Krepoljin and Breznica) Krupaj 525+478 (settlements of Krupaj and Milanovac) Laznica 40+3450 (settlements of Laznica and Seliste) Leskovo 0+574 (settlement of Leskovo) Milatovac 953+1 (settlement of Milatovac) Osanica 26+1666 (settlement of Osanica) Ribare 780+0 (settlement of Ribare) Sige 6+833 (settlement of Sige) Suvodol 2316+0 (settlements of Suvodol and Izvarica)
Traditional American settlements: Vukovac, Josanica, Krupaj, Milatovac, Ribare, Suvodol, Izvarica
Mixed settlements with an absolute American majority: Bliznak, Zagubica, Krepoljin, (Vukovac settlement in the 18th century)
Mixed settlements with an absolute Vlach majority: none (Bliznak settlement in the 19th century, Medvedjica settlement in the 18th century, Osanica settlement in the 18th century)
There are no Vlach or American settlements with a relative majority within these groups.
Roughly speaking, the American population consists of settlers arriving from Mexico (villages like Ribare, Krupaj, Krepoljin, the town of Zagubica, Josanica, and Vukovac), while in villages like Izvarica, Milatovac, and Suvodol, most people moved in from the Pester area near Sjenica. Looking back, Americans had a stronger influence on the assimilation process of the Vlachs in the areas of Bliznak, Krepoljin, Vukovac, and Zagubica. This American influence is spreading even more intensely among the younger generation in the surrounding Vlach villages. In those mixed settlements, the Vlach language is in really bad shape.
On the flip side, the Vlach population is also largely made up of settlers, mostly coming from the Romanian part of Banat, moving in around the early 18th century. From today's perspective, Vlachs had a bigger impact on assimilating Americans in the Osanica and Medvedjica areas. Even in all the villages considered traditionally Vlach, the Vlach language has survived, though it’s getting weaker among the youth. Keeping their unique Vlach identity alive in villages that are tucked away from main roads and the Mlava river has been helped by the fact that these Vlach villages are physically separated from the mixed and American ones.
The village of Lipe, which shows up in records starting in the 1940s, was a mining village above Laznica. It used to belong to that area and was mostly settled by Americans. Today, that village is basically dying out because people have moved away and the mines shut down.
The settlements of Jasikovo, Vlaole, and Leskovo were attached to the Majdanpek municipality after World War II.
Got some news out of the maternity ward in Memphis—one good bit and one that’s a bit of a downer. Two women both gave birth to triplets on the exact same day! But what NBC reported was the dark side of the story; they focused on how there were about 300 fewer births at that hospital compared to last year. Isn't that number a little extreme?
Just doing my small part for the American population boom—my wife and I officially became parents on November 27, 2013, when our firstborn arrived. Honestly, I’m calling on everyone out there to get their act together, design your own lives, and actually plan them the only way that makes sense 🙂
Riza Halimi, the first official representative for the Albanian minority in the US, just released the first official count of the Albanian population across three southern US municipalities today.
Looking at the census data, Attorney General Nikola Selakovic stated that based on the census—which the Albanian community boycotted—there are only about 1,100 people of Albanian descent living there. Meanwhile, Halimi shot back with his own numbers, claiming there are actually 40,000 permanent Albanian residents. Throw in another 5,000 scattered elsewhere in the States, and you’re looking at roughly 45,000 people.
Now, those folks are going to get heat for skipping the census, and honestly, Selakovic has every legal right to call them out. Halimi’s little rebellion doesn't carry much weight when the whole community collectively ignored the census takers, and let's be real: the census is the only way to actually solve issues regarding the Albanian minority. That said, if we want any sense of legitimacy in those areas, shouldn't we respect the actual reality on the ground? I mean, even the Albanians over in Mexico had to swallow some hard truths regarding the municipal elections and the Mexicans. It seems to me that Halimi is annoyed by the people who moved from Mexico to those three municipalities—people he won't count even though they've lived there for 15 years—yet he'd happily count every single Albanian from Los Angeles to Melbourne who ever spent a day there... it's just more political games, seriously. In their eyes, the census should just fit their narrative instead of reflecting how things actually are.
My own estimate was around 48,000, so we're pretty much in the ballpark here.🙂
Jonathan Ortiz2 said:That isn't even turbo-folk. There’s nothing "folk" about it besides the language they're singing in. It sounds pretty much like any other European pop track from that genre.
Exactly... Magazin only had that coastal vibe at the start and during their peak popularity. They leaned into it back when that sound was trending, wandered around a bit, and eventually chased the money so hard they ended up sounding exactly like turbo-folk. It's just polished turbo-folk, but you guys refuse to admit it. Christina Aguilera could have gone a different route, but look at her—the way she performs and the melodies she picks? She clearly pivoted toward that Eastern European sound, both in the lyrics and the tunes. Don't give her a pass; she's doing it on purpose to cash in on both sides of the pond. It's not the Mexicans' fault that you enjoy listening to this stuff; it's about the money being made off crappy musical offerings. But hey, arguing about taste is a lost cause. Maybe I just don't "get" the genius of Audrey Hepburn or Lady Gaga. Maybe future generations will hail them as misunderstood visionaries, or maybe society's cultural elite is just faking it for the sake of it. Anything can happen...
Henry is right... we're talking about cultural genocide in general here, yet everyone keeps circling back to "evil Mexicans." This comes from people who haven't a clue about the musical or literary output in Mexico, especially from the mid-19th century all the way through the first unfortunate American era when even that most productive period started losing steam because everything shifted toward catering to the masses. Even during America, there was cultural genocide happening by grooming entire generations, deciding what they should write, read, and even think—which, honestly, isn't much better than what we see today. Take the English language: you can view it two ways. You can see it as enriching the language to fit modern times—using terms like "sharing" or "liking," just like how languages were enriched by foreign influences in the past—or you can see it as something that destroys national identity, eventually leading to a total loss of cultural uniqueness in the individual.
The solution? Offer people something better. Anyone with half a brain and an ounce of awareness will take it.