Carlos Rios Otero, a Cuban dissident participating in the non-cooperation campaign, has made a plea to be allowed to send a taped message to the Miami program "A Mano Limpia." Some interesting stuff surfaces in his letter.
Discussing how they are publicizing their resistance campaign against the phony upcoming elections, he points out they need our air and radio waves. Let's not forget that due to information restrictions, we in the United States know more about the dissidents than their fellow countrymen do. He states
por la radio estamos trasmitiendo cosas de ANN y la campana por el NO para toda Cuba. Ellos son la VOA, Radio Marti y Radio Mambí y la Poderosa.
over the radio we are conveying info [about the campaign]. They are the VOA, Radio Marti [You know the one we're wasting money on] and Radio Mambi and the Poderosa.
The most interesting thing is the feedback about the recent publicity. Apparently, the Real Cuba stuff has made it to the Real Cuba. He is so fired up to get the word out because
En estos dias vimos uno sobre la crisis de la salud en Cuba del que se han estado repartiendo copias y que se comenta en toda la Habanna.
These days we have one over the health crises in Cuba, copies of which have made the rounds and are the subject of commentary in all Havana
Ain't it something? Those enterprising Cubans seem to have found a circuitous route around the information embargo. Check it out here. There's a link to the actual text of the letter here also. Gracias, Rafael.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Some of My Favorite Books: Our House in the Last World
Recently in the excitement over Cane, someone mentioned in a discussion that the writer had written Mambo Kings. Of course, someone else immediately corrected that she might have written the screenplay, but the novel was written by Oscar Hijuelos. And so it was. Of more importance to me, much as I enjoyed both the movie and the book, is Hijuelos' first novel, Our House in the Last World, so much so that I reread it this week.
There are so many different worlds in this book that it is difficult to apply the title to any one locale at any one time. There is the world of Holguin, Cuba in the early half of the century, the world of immigrants on the upper side of Broadway in New York, a glimpse of 1960's Miami, the oblique reference to Castro's Cuba, even a dream world in Isabella and Ferdinand's Court. In fact, that is the hallmark of this moving novel, in which meaning is layered upon meaning.
Ostensibly, the novel traces the family history and love story of Mercedes and Alejo Santinio as they meet at the movies, fall in love, and marry. Paradoxically, despite the spare prose, there is richness here. Hijuelos evokes the Cuba of that generation using dreams to convey an idealized, yet realistic portrait. Later, as the young couple emigrates to NYC long before the revolution, he depicts faithfully the experience of those early Cubans, as well as other immigrants, who came to the bleak environs of New York's tenements, to jobs in factories and restaurants, and to a world where they didn't even speak the language. It is easy for those of us who lived through those times to see ourselves in that world.
As their marriage turns sour, Alejo turns into an abusive drunk who never misses a day of work in the hotel kitchen and the high-strung Mercedes becomes unhinged, the novel quickly becomes a story of familial dysfunction, much of it seen through the eyes of their two sons. But this is no facile depiction. Much as we resent Alejo's bullying, we pity him when his desperate love for his two sons is rejected as a result of his own actions. We pity him as life and his dreams and all those Cubans he helps pass him by. Our sympathies for Mercedes are qualified when we see the havoc she wreaks. Even as we feel for the sons, brought up in abuse and unpredictability, we share in their guilt. Again, anyone who has seen substance abuse close up will easily recognize the Santinios.
Then there is the revolution, only this time obliquely from the perspective of those who were already here. We see the excitement of many of the early immigrants, their support for Fidel, the famous visit, and later their disillusionment as word and exiles began to filter in from Cuba when the revolution is betrayed. A word- this is not a political story. Don't expect any condemnation or praise.
However, Our House in the Last World is rife with longing. As a novel, it is summarily painful, yet cathartic to read. You really do care, at least if you're Cuban, I think.
There are so many different worlds in this book that it is difficult to apply the title to any one locale at any one time. There is the world of Holguin, Cuba in the early half of the century, the world of immigrants on the upper side of Broadway in New York, a glimpse of 1960's Miami, the oblique reference to Castro's Cuba, even a dream world in Isabella and Ferdinand's Court. In fact, that is the hallmark of this moving novel, in which meaning is layered upon meaning.
Ostensibly, the novel traces the family history and love story of Mercedes and Alejo Santinio as they meet at the movies, fall in love, and marry. Paradoxically, despite the spare prose, there is richness here. Hijuelos evokes the Cuba of that generation using dreams to convey an idealized, yet realistic portrait. Later, as the young couple emigrates to NYC long before the revolution, he depicts faithfully the experience of those early Cubans, as well as other immigrants, who came to the bleak environs of New York's tenements, to jobs in factories and restaurants, and to a world where they didn't even speak the language. It is easy for those of us who lived through those times to see ourselves in that world.
As their marriage turns sour, Alejo turns into an abusive drunk who never misses a day of work in the hotel kitchen and the high-strung Mercedes becomes unhinged, the novel quickly becomes a story of familial dysfunction, much of it seen through the eyes of their two sons. But this is no facile depiction. Much as we resent Alejo's bullying, we pity him when his desperate love for his two sons is rejected as a result of his own actions. We pity him as life and his dreams and all those Cubans he helps pass him by. Our sympathies for Mercedes are qualified when we see the havoc she wreaks. Even as we feel for the sons, brought up in abuse and unpredictability, we share in their guilt. Again, anyone who has seen substance abuse close up will easily recognize the Santinios.
Then there is the revolution, only this time obliquely from the perspective of those who were already here. We see the excitement of many of the early immigrants, their support for Fidel, the famous visit, and later their disillusionment as word and exiles began to filter in from Cuba when the revolution is betrayed. A word- this is not a political story. Don't expect any condemnation or praise.
However, Our House in the Last World is rife with longing. As a novel, it is summarily painful, yet cathartic to read. You really do care, at least if you're Cuban, I think.
By the time, I got to Woodstock...
..there was a museum. What was that I was saying about "self-important" and vacuous? First Gore gets the Nobel Peace Prize, and now we're gonna have the Rural Museum of Drug use, Debauchery, and Rock and roll. Get a load of this.
Republicans say presidential contender Hillary Clinton can forget about getting $1 million in taxpayer funds for a Woodstock museum.
Clinton and Charles Schumer, Democratic senators from New York, want to earmark the federal money for a museum that would commemorate the 1969 music festival in their state
Personally, I really got trashed at a Dave Bromberg concert at the old Academy of Music. I could really use a couple of thousand to enshrine the bathrooms there; they were memorable.
Can't make this stuff up, folks!
"Judge, judge, take me to the 'lectric chair." Ah, those halcyon days of youth!
Republicans say presidential contender Hillary Clinton can forget about getting $1 million in taxpayer funds for a Woodstock museum.
Clinton and Charles Schumer, Democratic senators from New York, want to earmark the federal money for a museum that would commemorate the 1969 music festival in their state
Personally, I really got trashed at a Dave Bromberg concert at the old Academy of Music. I could really use a couple of thousand to enshrine the bathrooms there; they were memorable.
Can't make this stuff up, folks!
"Judge, judge, take me to the 'lectric chair." Ah, those halcyon days of youth!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The Apple...
Here we are again. Published in the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly is an article by none other than Kruschev's son with two co-authors. According to this article about it, he advocates US hospitality industry involvement in Cuba.
“We see a historic opportunity for profitable investment in a ‘new Cuba,’” write the authors. “Not only can the U.S. hospitality industry participate in shaping that new Cuba, in partnership with locals, but we contend that now is the time to advance prescriptive, forward-thinking insight designed to shift the thinking of the U.S. business community about Cuba and, in so doing, shift the thinking of the Cuban government, businesses, and people about their neighbors to the north.”
Just an observation or two or three. Ah, "profitable investment," play to those already frothing at the mouth at the thought of the gazillions of dollars they're missing. Then there's "in partnership with the locals." Would that be the local totalitarian government, the local CDR's? We know it can't be anyone else, since all investment must be done in partnership with the regime. Sorry, but there are no locals in this case, just the monolithic, repressive dictatorship.
Finally, has "the forward-thinking insight" of collaborator countries like Spain "shift[ed] the thinking of the Cuban government" at all? I'll give them that they have managed to shift the thinking of some Cubans in so far as they have imbued them with the less-than-favorable European view of America, something the regime had failed to do in decades of anti-US propaganda. And so, it goes, and goes, and goes
Still working on getting the original article.
“We see a historic opportunity for profitable investment in a ‘new Cuba,’” write the authors. “Not only can the U.S. hospitality industry participate in shaping that new Cuba, in partnership with locals, but we contend that now is the time to advance prescriptive, forward-thinking insight designed to shift the thinking of the U.S. business community about Cuba and, in so doing, shift the thinking of the Cuban government, businesses, and people about their neighbors to the north.”
Just an observation or two or three. Ah, "profitable investment," play to those already frothing at the mouth at the thought of the gazillions of dollars they're missing. Then there's "in partnership with the locals." Would that be the local totalitarian government, the local CDR's? We know it can't be anyone else, since all investment must be done in partnership with the regime. Sorry, but there are no locals in this case, just the monolithic, repressive dictatorship.
Finally, has "the forward-thinking insight" of collaborator countries like Spain "shift[ed] the thinking of the Cuban government" at all? I'll give them that they have managed to shift the thinking of some Cubans in so far as they have imbued them with the less-than-favorable European view of America, something the regime had failed to do in decades of anti-US propaganda. And so, it goes, and goes, and goes
Still working on getting the original article.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Beware the Clowns
In the past year, our local hospice taking its cue from the cows in Chicago, the bulls in New York, even the pigs in neighboring Venice decided to raise funds by displaying and auctioning off statues. But as they scrambled for an animal for the campaign, someone had the seemingly felicitous idea of using clowns. Sarasota was once a circus town. So clowns in all sorts of artistic regalia began appearing on downtown street corners. Even as they appeared, the trouble began. They were vandalized: arms were broken off, an MP3 player was stolen, and a couple of visiting Coast Guard guys even kidnapped two, one of which has never been seen again, I think. Finally, they had to install cameras for clown protection in our normally law abiding city.
It seems that the clown is not such a benign figure, after all. The hostility the clowns were apparently evoking in some of my fellow citizens surprised me. My friend Jo explained, as she phrased it, clowns are "evil." Some reflection reminded me that John Wayne Gacy's alter ego was a clown. And "It" in the Stephen King novel by the same name was usually "Pennywise," a clown figure. It was striking, then, to read a quote from a Havana housewife who -on the condition of anonymity- described Chavez: "He looked like a clown, singing on stage."
It's a sentiment I've shared about fifo, having on occasion described him as as a laughable figure. And so he strikes me, as did Chavez making a total horse's hindquarter of himself at the UN calling Bush a "devil" last year. What I wonder is how they ever achieved power. Who are the people that found or find either of these two Chuckies admirable?
Yet the results of their gambols are not to be laughed at. These clowns are truly evil. And as I've said before, perhaps the greatest cruelty of what has befallen Cuba is that it has happened at the hands of a buffoon, as if some vile sentient force was having a laugh at the expense of a whole people.
It seems that the clown is not such a benign figure, after all. The hostility the clowns were apparently evoking in some of my fellow citizens surprised me. My friend Jo explained, as she phrased it, clowns are "evil." Some reflection reminded me that John Wayne Gacy's alter ego was a clown. And "It" in the Stephen King novel by the same name was usually "Pennywise," a clown figure. It was striking, then, to read a quote from a Havana housewife who -on the condition of anonymity- described Chavez: "He looked like a clown, singing on stage."
It's a sentiment I've shared about fifo, having on occasion described him as as a laughable figure. And so he strikes me, as did Chavez making a total horse's hindquarter of himself at the UN calling Bush a "devil" last year. What I wonder is how they ever achieved power. Who are the people that found or find either of these two Chuckies admirable?
Yet the results of their gambols are not to be laughed at. These clowns are truly evil. And as I've said before, perhaps the greatest cruelty of what has befallen Cuba is that it has happened at the hands of a buffoon, as if some vile sentient force was having a laugh at the expense of a whole people.
Cuba-Venezuela Ties
For the last few days, the "increased cooperation" between Cuba and Venezuela has been the subject of innumerable articles. See here. Some, rightfully so, methinks, have seen it as a species of power grab by Chavez, a clumsy grasping for a bastardized Bolivarian ideal.
Well, it set me to thinking about the Monroe Doctrine. Written to keep European powers from establishing any more colonies in the new world, their existing colonies conveniently excepted, it nonetheless set forth important limits, namely that "we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety." Further on, it states that it would be "impossible" to believe that "our southern brethren, if left to themselves, would adopt it of their own accord."
It seems time for Mini-me to get his own private, geographically updated version of said doctrine. Will the increasingly gun-shy American government take him on? That's a question. Given the spreading virus in Latin America, it undoubtedly should.
Well, it set me to thinking about the Monroe Doctrine. Written to keep European powers from establishing any more colonies in the new world, their existing colonies conveniently excepted, it nonetheless set forth important limits, namely that "we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety." Further on, it states that it would be "impossible" to believe that "our southern brethren, if left to themselves, would adopt it of their own accord."
It seems time for Mini-me to get his own private, geographically updated version of said doctrine. Will the increasingly gun-shy American government take him on? That's a question. Given the spreading virus in Latin America, it undoubtedly should.
Around the Blogs
Ran into all sorts of good stuff and most excellent links this AM. Let's start with a bit of fun. On Cubanology, we have a link to Ideas Ocultas, a website I've missed somehow but is going on my list. Highlighted are some jokes.
Patriotismo en tierra cubana
El inspector de escuela le pregunta a Pepito:Pepito, ¿quién es tu madre?La Patria, inspector.Y tú padre?Fidel, inspector.Y tú ¿qué quisieras ser, Pepito?Huérfano, inspector.
my translation:
Patriotism on Cuban Soil
The school examiner asks Pepito: Pepito, who is your mother? My homeland, inspector. And your father? Fidel, inspector. And you, what would you like to be Pepito? An orphan, inspector.
Enough said. But while you're at the site, read the story about the unfortunate political prisoner whose attempts to escape led to losing both arms. Here.
On Blog for Cuba ran into a very good post on rationing and the supreme irony of sugar being rationed in Cuba. The bonus is a link to a longer article. Some have already raised quibbles about the historical dates, but the rationing is a reality. Check out Cuban Truth
The ever irreverent Gusano on La Contra Revolucion asks "Am I now a Venecuban exile or a Cubazuelan refugee?!?!?" Read it here.
Finally, Alberto "el americanito" de la Cruz marks his entry as one of the contributors to Babalublog with a post dealing with the longing he feels, never having been in Cuba. I've often remarked to my brother that we Cuban Americans have absorbed that sense of loss from our parents, almost imperceptibly. Read it here.
As Alberto says "I could have been born anywhere in the world, but I still would have been born a Cuban." How's that to go along with your morning coffee?
Patriotismo en tierra cubana
El inspector de escuela le pregunta a Pepito:Pepito, ¿quién es tu madre?La Patria, inspector.Y tú padre?Fidel, inspector.Y tú ¿qué quisieras ser, Pepito?Huérfano, inspector.
my translation:
Patriotism on Cuban Soil
The school examiner asks Pepito: Pepito, who is your mother? My homeland, inspector. And your father? Fidel, inspector. And you, what would you like to be Pepito? An orphan, inspector.
Enough said. But while you're at the site, read the story about the unfortunate political prisoner whose attempts to escape led to losing both arms. Here.
On Blog for Cuba ran into a very good post on rationing and the supreme irony of sugar being rationed in Cuba. The bonus is a link to a longer article. Some have already raised quibbles about the historical dates, but the rationing is a reality. Check out Cuban Truth
The ever irreverent Gusano on La Contra Revolucion asks "Am I now a Venecuban exile or a Cubazuelan refugee?!?!?" Read it here.
Finally, Alberto "el americanito" de la Cruz marks his entry as one of the contributors to Babalublog with a post dealing with the longing he feels, never having been in Cuba. I've often remarked to my brother that we Cuban Americans have absorbed that sense of loss from our parents, almost imperceptibly. Read it here.
As Alberto says "I could have been born anywhere in the world, but I still would have been born a Cuban." How's that to go along with your morning coffee?
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Technical Difficulties
I apologize for the irregular format, but Blogger is doing crazy things. It changes the size of the fonts and the spacing when I hit publish. Still working on it.
The Ringling Show At Last: ZZZZZZ
The Sacred Heart, 1995 Lazaro Saavedra GonzalezIf I have to provide one overall impression of the Cuba Avant-Garde exhibition it is that of disappointment. I'm afraid it was a little too avant my garde. I'm reminded of visiting the old MOMA. You started on the ground floor and by the top floor you were into performance art, if you know what I mean. Having established my lack of bona fides.....
There were some notables, a tinker toy World Trade Center complete with embedded plane. There was a sizeable wooden zipper with little wooden people teeth, talk about your cogs in the machine. There was a big old car with many feet instead of tires. And there was the painting above, my favorite because it encapsulates so well the doble cara or two faces Cubans have
perfected. Actually, that's what struck me. About half of the works are by artists living and working in Cuba, yet there was no patria o muerte about it. Although the political informs many of the works, most are not overtly political in nature. Even the set of panels depicting the wedding of Fidel and the Virgin of Charity, La Virgen de la Caridad, lends itself to a variety of interpretations, although I would defy anyone to miss the mockery implicit in the work.
If as TS Elliot once said artists are the antennae of civilization, Radio Marti is not the
only thing being jammed. So would I go out of my way to see it? Nope. Would I go see the absolutely world class permanent collection of the Old Masters? In a heartbeat. And don't forget the Butcher photos and the Goya exhibit while you're there.
perfected. Actually, that's what struck me. About half of the works are by artists living and working in Cuba, yet there was no patria o muerte about it. Although the political informs many of the works, most are not overtly political in nature. Even the set of panels depicting the wedding of Fidel and the Virgin of Charity, La Virgen de la Caridad, lends itself to a variety of interpretations, although I would defy anyone to miss the mockery implicit in the work.
If as TS Elliot once said artists are the antennae of civilization, Radio Marti is not the
only thing being jammed. So would I go out of my way to see it? Nope. Would I go see the absolutely world class permanent collection of the Old Masters? In a heartbeat. And don't forget the Butcher photos and the Goya exhibit while you're there.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Literary Interlude: La Nina de Guatemala
Courtesy Realia Project/ Photo Jeffrey Barnett
La Niña de Guatemala: A portrait of Maria Garcia Granados
whom Jose Marti immortalizes in his famous poem "La niña de guatemala"
In honor of this weeks's anniversary, let's make it a Marti poem. This my mother used to love to recite .
Quiero, a la sombra de un ala,
contar este cuento en flor:
la niña de Guatemala,
la que se murió de amor.
Eran de lirios los ramos;
y las orlas de reseda
y de jazmín; la enterramos
en una caja de seda;
Ella dio al desmemoriado
una almohadilla de olor;
él volvió, volvió casado;
ella se murió de amor.
Iban cargándola en andas
obispos y embajadores;
detrás iba el pueblo en tandas,
todo cargado de flores;
Ella, por volverlo a ver,
salió a verlo al mirador;
él volvió con su mujer,
ella se murió de amor.
Como de bronce candente,
al beso de despedida,
era su frente -¡la frente
que más he amado en mi vida!
Se entró de tarde en el río,
la sacó muerta el doctor;
dicen que murió de frío,
yo sé que murió de amor.
Allí, en la bóveda helada,
la pusieron en dos bancos:
besé su mano afilada,
besé sus zapatos blancos.
Callado, al oscurecer,
me llamó el enterrador;
nunca más he vuelto a ver
a la que murió de amor.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Odds & Ends of Things
I've posted on Lone Survivor before. Today comes word that one of the fallen Navy Seals, Lt. Michael P Murphy, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for combat, a well-deserved honor. Read it here.
Gusano at La Contra Revolucion has gathered together the various stories, some posted here, of musicians standing up to the regime. Don't miss it. While you're there, read about the fritas. Click here. Doesn't it seem that the discontent is being brought in the open by Doctors and Musicians?
The day after I posted about generacíon Y, there was a Reuters article about Cuban bloggers which featured Yoani Sanchez. In one of her articles, quoted below, she points out that Cubans learn to read between the lines. Today, I'm reading a link to Cubanet from Penultimos Dias when I come across this first line in article.
Para intentar enterarse de algo en la prensa oficial cubana lo principal es saber leer entre líneas.
or In order to find out anything in the official Cuban press, the most important skill is to know how to read between the lines.
Gusano at La Contra Revolucion has gathered together the various stories, some posted here, of musicians standing up to the regime. Don't miss it. While you're there, read about the fritas. Click here. Doesn't it seem that the discontent is being brought in the open by Doctors and Musicians?
The day after I posted about generacíon Y, there was a Reuters article about Cuban bloggers which featured Yoani Sanchez. In one of her articles, quoted below, she points out that Cubans learn to read between the lines. Today, I'm reading a link to Cubanet from Penultimos Dias when I come across this first line in article.
Para intentar enterarse de algo en la prensa oficial cubana lo principal es saber leer entre líneas.
or In order to find out anything in the official Cuban press, the most important skill is to know how to read between the lines.
The author, Luis Cino, points out that an Oct. 5 article about a well-attended march in support of the revolution by students and professors from the University of Oriente to the initiated means something altogether different happened there. By means of Radio Bemba, the truth emerges about recent upheaval in that educational institution, which is now reportedly quiet.
Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize and the Triumph of the Boomer Generation
As a late boomer myself or perhaps because of it, I have very little respect for the generation. A more self-serving, self-important, sanctimonious, and vacuous lot, there has never been. From their youth, they have sought to instruct the rest of us on how to live, all the while plucking the fruits of the system they so abhorred.
This a generation that came of age at an opportune- excepting Vietnam- moment. They graduated from colleges, which they attended without having to mortgage their futures, with their liberal arts degrees into a wide open marketplace at a time when homeownership did not require the pledging of parts of one's anatomy. For this they were not grateful. It was only their due.
This sense of their own superiority, coupled with an unfortunate tendency to mindlessly hop on the nearest bandwagon, led them to take a country which functioned on principle-religious, civic, and moral- into the morass of relativism where anything goes except traditional values.
Without the underpinnings of guiding principles, such as respect for authority, our society has devolved into one characterized by cynicism and arbitrary judgement. The President of the United States, whether Republican or Democrat, is not to be believed and fair game for personal attacks. The propaganda of some totalitarian regimes, however, is swallowed, hook, line and sinker. Despite unheard of amounts of money, still not enough for some, thrown into schools, only 22% of students in Michigan graduate high school. The figures for other metropolitan areas are equally as dismal. A teacher complains and Junior doesn't get the beating he deserves; Mom hires a lawyer. A student with over a hundred stitches in her face from a razor blade attack sits in a biology class down the hall from her attacker whose rights cannot be violated.
The contradictions and absurdities abound.
This a generation that came of age at an opportune- excepting Vietnam- moment. They graduated from colleges, which they attended without having to mortgage their futures, with their liberal arts degrees into a wide open marketplace at a time when homeownership did not require the pledging of parts of one's anatomy. For this they were not grateful. It was only their due.
This sense of their own superiority, coupled with an unfortunate tendency to mindlessly hop on the nearest bandwagon, led them to take a country which functioned on principle-religious, civic, and moral- into the morass of relativism where anything goes except traditional values.
Without the underpinnings of guiding principles, such as respect for authority, our society has devolved into one characterized by cynicism and arbitrary judgement. The President of the United States, whether Republican or Democrat, is not to be believed and fair game for personal attacks. The propaganda of some totalitarian regimes, however, is swallowed, hook, line and sinker. Despite unheard of amounts of money, still not enough for some, thrown into schools, only 22% of students in Michigan graduate high school. The figures for other metropolitan areas are equally as dismal. A teacher complains and Junior doesn't get the beating he deserves; Mom hires a lawyer. A student with over a hundred stitches in her face from a razor blade attack sits in a biology class down the hall from her attacker whose rights cannot be violated.
The contradictions and absurdities abound.
These founders of the environmental movement have overseen the explosion of the McMansion and the rise of the even more eco friendly SUV. They have presided over the death of factual reporting and the emergence of mainstream tabloid journalism. They have made a religion of conspicuous consumption and a consumer staple of consumer debt. They have birthed the infant nanny state: telling us what food to put in our bodies, what not to smoke, what to wear in our cars, what kind of windows we can put in our homes, and what values we should teach our children.
I am the first to know that the world of my childhood contained much injustice, but as I look around at the fruits of the boomer generation, I am not impressed. As far as I can tell, their only significant achievement was in combating racism. And now it looks like Hilary, who never worked up a sweat in her life unless it was cutting sugar cane for Fidel Castro, is going to be President and Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize for bruiting science that may or may not hold up to the test of time. Vanity, all is vanity. Or is it dada?
Literary Notes: Updated
Update: I knew I had seen an article on New Short Fiction from Cuba, but I couldn't find it. It's at El Tono de la Voz where you can find excerpts from the introduction here.
Two new collections of Cuban fiction on the market-
The first is an extension of the Cuban Noir I've written about. Entitled Havana Noir and put together by Achy Obeja's, it consists of crime stories written by Cuban authors set in Havana. And true to form, the political makes up a central fact of Cuban life. Of Ena Lucia Porteles' contribution
Her disturbing story "The Last Passenger" revolves around a woman infatuated with a serial killer, and portrays a class-divided Cuba where the nomenklatura enjoys vacations in the Bahamas and wears gold Rolexes.
"Cuba's upper class is invisible for most people," Portela, 34, said via e-mail from Havana. "Official propaganda insists that in communist countries all citizens live under the same economic conditions, which is a huge lie."
Read the complete article in The Daily News.
Another comes in the form of the more scholarly New Short Fiction From Cuba. Read the little information I could find here.
Two new collections of Cuban fiction on the market-
The first is an extension of the Cuban Noir I've written about. Entitled Havana Noir and put together by Achy Obeja's, it consists of crime stories written by Cuban authors set in Havana. And true to form, the political makes up a central fact of Cuban life. Of Ena Lucia Porteles' contribution
Her disturbing story "The Last Passenger" revolves around a woman infatuated with a serial killer, and portrays a class-divided Cuba where the nomenklatura enjoys vacations in the Bahamas and wears gold Rolexes.
"Cuba's upper class is invisible for most people," Portela, 34, said via e-mail from Havana. "Official propaganda insists that in communist countries all citizens live under the same economic conditions, which is a huge lie."
Read the complete article in The Daily News.
Another comes in the form of the more scholarly New Short Fiction From Cuba. Read the little information I could find here.
Good night.
The Ant Can't...
Congratulations are in order. Cuban bloggers in the United States have finally breached the great media wall of propaganda. Through the efforts of George at The Real Cuba, among others, and the courage of Dr. Darsi Ferrer the truth about Cuban health care has been seen nationally, not once but twice, first on ABC, then last night on Fox News. Read all about it on Babalublog, if you haven't already.
Watching the interview last night, I had a moment of epiphany. As I watched both Hannity and Colmes try to co-opt the Cuban truth by enmeshing it in the debate over nationalized health care, I was incredibly proud of George's dignity in staking out his own territory. He made it abundantly clear that his sole concern was to expose the truth about the Cuban healthcare system. On ABC, Stossel had also used the Cuban angle as a means of questioning Moore's whole thesis. Then at some point, it hit me. The plight of Cubans was irrelevant, except in so far as it could be used to fight over domestic policies. They just don't care.
So why am I optimistic? In a word: exposure. For too long now, it is the regime that has controlled the discussion, but maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of change. No longer can the MSM count on their bogus claims and shoddy reporting going unchallenged. And every time they are challenged, the discussion is slowly, tortuously being reframed and the consciousness of the American public raised. And while NBC has garnered criticism, rightfully so, for not using the footage Dr. Ferrer risked so much to get, it was the first network to question the healthcare shibboleth. Where are CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC? Well, if we look at the trajectory, it was Sanjay Gupta who first took on Sicko. Then Stossel picked it up with the teaser. Last night Fox presented a more complete report. Can they be that far behind? At what point does the pain of being scooped overcome the desperate need to not upset the apple cart? Only time will tell. And we'll be watching.
Watching the interview last night, I had a moment of epiphany. As I watched both Hannity and Colmes try to co-opt the Cuban truth by enmeshing it in the debate over nationalized health care, I was incredibly proud of George's dignity in staking out his own territory. He made it abundantly clear that his sole concern was to expose the truth about the Cuban healthcare system. On ABC, Stossel had also used the Cuban angle as a means of questioning Moore's whole thesis. Then at some point, it hit me. The plight of Cubans was irrelevant, except in so far as it could be used to fight over domestic policies. They just don't care.
So why am I optimistic? In a word: exposure. For too long now, it is the regime that has controlled the discussion, but maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of change. No longer can the MSM count on their bogus claims and shoddy reporting going unchallenged. And every time they are challenged, the discussion is slowly, tortuously being reframed and the consciousness of the American public raised. And while NBC has garnered criticism, rightfully so, for not using the footage Dr. Ferrer risked so much to get, it was the first network to question the healthcare shibboleth. Where are CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC? Well, if we look at the trajectory, it was Sanjay Gupta who first took on Sicko. Then Stossel picked it up with the teaser. Last night Fox presented a more complete report. Can they be that far behind? At what point does the pain of being scooped overcome the desperate need to not upset the apple cart? Only time will tell. And we'll be watching.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
A Week for Remembering
No sooner are we out of the Che daze than along comes October 10. On this date in 1868, I believe, the first of the Cuban wars of independence, the Ten Years War, commenced in what is known as El Grito de Yara. I can't seem to translate it poetically, so I'll leave it in Spanish. With limited knowledge of colonial history, I hit Google. There is a surprising amount of information to be had, some from doubtful sources, if you know what I mean.
One of the more interesting bits of knowledge I gleaned was about what surely has to be the first feminist by the name of Ana Betancourt. You can imagine how dismayed I was to see that this is another historical figure co-opted by the present regime. Still, it got me to thinking about "The Cuban Gender Paradox." With the whole mucho macho routine, which was big at my house at least, you would think that Cuban culture would be sexist, and it was.
Yet the typical Cuban woman of my acquaintance is quite capable of commanding armies, and generally does impose order on her world. Once, my husband and I, on vacation in Miami, stumbled upon two middle-aged couples on the boardwalk stretch. Having stopped in one of those gazebo structures, they were moving on. Apparently one of the husbands did not move quickly enough for his wife. She turned and demanded, "Y, tu, que estas? de referee? or "And you, what are you, the referee?" The exasperation and humor in her voice made me look at my husband, who in the interests of his own survival has made a study of all things Cuban and who was at that moment barely managing to stifle a laugh. With the secret understanding of the young and in love, we shared the thought. In that almost imperceptible moment was the whole
of the Cuban male/female relationships we knew.
Back to my researches, I'll leave you with the perfect holiday gift for that one Cuban American on your list who has everything. I couldn't find prices, but I suspect it follows the if-you-have-to-ask-you-can't-afford-it-rule. Check it out here.
One of the more interesting bits of knowledge I gleaned was about what surely has to be the first feminist by the name of Ana Betancourt. You can imagine how dismayed I was to see that this is another historical figure co-opted by the present regime. Still, it got me to thinking about "The Cuban Gender Paradox." With the whole mucho macho routine, which was big at my house at least, you would think that Cuban culture would be sexist, and it was.
Yet the typical Cuban woman of my acquaintance is quite capable of commanding armies, and generally does impose order on her world. Once, my husband and I, on vacation in Miami, stumbled upon two middle-aged couples on the boardwalk stretch. Having stopped in one of those gazebo structures, they were moving on. Apparently one of the husbands did not move quickly enough for his wife. She turned and demanded, "Y, tu, que estas? de referee? or "And you, what are you, the referee?" The exasperation and humor in her voice made me look at my husband, who in the interests of his own survival has made a study of all things Cuban and who was at that moment barely managing to stifle a laugh. With the secret understanding of the young and in love, we shared the thought. In that almost imperceptible moment was the whole
of the Cuban male/female relationships we knew.
Back to my researches, I'll leave you with the perfect holiday gift for that one Cuban American on your list who has everything. I couldn't find prices, but I suspect it follows the if-you-have-to-ask-you-can't-afford-it-rule. Check it out here.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Updates of a Sort
Chefest (Both sides celebrate)
I haven't posted on Che because others have done it better than I could. If you haven't already read Fontova's book, do it. I'm still harassing my library system to get it. With my reading habits, I can't afford to buy.
Anyway, I came across this on the Spanish language BBC Mundo. The interesting point is that, oh mi gosh, they actually had some negativity as they detailed Che, the man. In addition to describing him as arrogant, ill-tempered, and doctrinaire, but the big surprise comes when they quote Felix Rodriguez, former CIA operative and witness to Che's end.
"Hace 20 años una mujer se acercó a mí en Paris y me contó como cuando su hijo de 15 años fue condenado a muerte por escribir en contra del gobierno de Fidel Castro", cuenta Rodríguez.
Ella consiguió una audiencia con el Che y le rogó que lo dejara vivir. Era viernes y la ejecución estaba prevista para el lunes. Cuando el Che le preguntó el nombre del muchacho la madre creyó haber salvado la vida de su hijo. Él giró la cabeza y dirigiéndose a sus soldados gritó: 'Al hijo de esta señora fusílenlo hoy mismo para que su madre no tenga que esperar hasta el lunes', asegura el ex agente de la CIA.
"Twenty years ago, a woman came up to me in Paris and told me how her 15 year old son was condemned to death for writing against the government of Fidel Castro," Rodriguez states.
"She managed to get an audience with Che, and she ple d with him to let her son live. It was a Friday, and the execution was scheduled for Monday. When Che asked her for the name of her son, the mother thought she had saved his life. He turned his head and yelled out to his soldiers, 'This woman's son is to be executed today so that his mother does not have to wait 'til Monday...'"
Uh-huh, revolutionary "hero," uh-huh.
H/T Penultimos Dias
Cuban Health Study
A thought. I've posted about the John Hopkins study, the one with shades of Reich science about it. Well, since I'm in an anecdotal mood, I'd have to say that the study does not account for the perversity of the Cuban character. At least twenty years ago, I met an aunt of my grandmother's in Union City. She had just come from Cuba. She was about 96 and spent her days sitting in a rocking chair, smoking cigars and drinking rum, which habits she was said to have indulged in her whole life. Actually, every one of my relatives of that generation died well into their 80s. It is the American generations that are dropping well before that.
Cuban Food
Speaking of which, is there a more politically incorrect diet than the traditional Cuban one? Fat is one of the food groups, and everything is fried or stewed with a generous layer of oil. My very American daughter, brought up far from Miami by relatively Americanized me and her Cuban only by association father, was surprised that at college, no one fried their meat. Vegetables barely exist, unless it's the yuca you have with pork or the occasional root vegetable. I can honestly say that for the first twenty years of my life, a green bean was never served in my home. Until my teens I though salad consisted of papery iceberg lettuce, a couple of slices of tomatoes, and some foul tasting radishes. You served it as a species of prop when you laid out a big spread, but no one ate it. It's amazing we're all walking around. Good genes, as one commenter on another blog (my apologies, I seem to have developed CRS) pointed out.
I haven't posted on Che because others have done it better than I could. If you haven't already read Fontova's book, do it. I'm still harassing my library system to get it. With my reading habits, I can't afford to buy.
Anyway, I came across this on the Spanish language BBC Mundo. The interesting point is that, oh mi gosh, they actually had some negativity as they detailed Che, the man. In addition to describing him as arrogant, ill-tempered, and doctrinaire, but the big surprise comes when they quote Felix Rodriguez, former CIA operative and witness to Che's end.
"Hace 20 años una mujer se acercó a mí en Paris y me contó como cuando su hijo de 15 años fue condenado a muerte por escribir en contra del gobierno de Fidel Castro", cuenta Rodríguez.
Ella consiguió una audiencia con el Che y le rogó que lo dejara vivir. Era viernes y la ejecución estaba prevista para el lunes. Cuando el Che le preguntó el nombre del muchacho la madre creyó haber salvado la vida de su hijo. Él giró la cabeza y dirigiéndose a sus soldados gritó: 'Al hijo de esta señora fusílenlo hoy mismo para que su madre no tenga que esperar hasta el lunes', asegura el ex agente de la CIA.
"Twenty years ago, a woman came up to me in Paris and told me how her 15 year old son was condemned to death for writing against the government of Fidel Castro," Rodriguez states.
"She managed to get an audience with Che, and she ple d with him to let her son live. It was a Friday, and the execution was scheduled for Monday. When Che asked her for the name of her son, the mother thought she had saved his life. He turned his head and yelled out to his soldiers, 'This woman's son is to be executed today so that his mother does not have to wait 'til Monday...'"
Uh-huh, revolutionary "hero," uh-huh.
H/T Penultimos Dias
Cuban Health Study
A thought. I've posted about the John Hopkins study, the one with shades of Reich science about it. Well, since I'm in an anecdotal mood, I'd have to say that the study does not account for the perversity of the Cuban character. At least twenty years ago, I met an aunt of my grandmother's in Union City. She had just come from Cuba. She was about 96 and spent her days sitting in a rocking chair, smoking cigars and drinking rum, which habits she was said to have indulged in her whole life. Actually, every one of my relatives of that generation died well into their 80s. It is the American generations that are dropping well before that.
Cuban Food
Speaking of which, is there a more politically incorrect diet than the traditional Cuban one? Fat is one of the food groups, and everything is fried or stewed with a generous layer of oil. My very American daughter, brought up far from Miami by relatively Americanized me and her Cuban only by association father, was surprised that at college, no one fried their meat. Vegetables barely exist, unless it's the yuca you have with pork or the occasional root vegetable. I can honestly say that for the first twenty years of my life, a green bean was never served in my home. Until my teens I though salad consisted of papery iceberg lettuce, a couple of slices of tomatoes, and some foul tasting radishes. You served it as a species of prop when you laid out a big spread, but no one ate it. It's amazing we're all walking around. Good genes, as one commenter on another blog (my apologies, I seem to have developed CRS) pointed out.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Are We Looking at 4 More Years of This?
What would we do without modern technology. I can watch this clip over and over and over.
Straight from the Belly of the Beast
Of all the blogs I read, there is one which has new posts only sporadically, but which I follow religiously. The blog in question is the creation of a young woman, as she frames it from the "Y generation" in Cuba. Someone living "over there" once explained those names to me, the Yesleidys and Yusnavy's. Let's just say, they were the product of another time and pretourist perspective.
To read her blog is to be privy to the elaborate machinations needed to find internet access, to witness the very human desire to have one's voice heard. Most importantly, to read her blog is the hear the plaintive notes of the genuine Cuban experience.
To me, today's posts were heartwrenching.
About posting:
Mientras usted va al trepidante ritmo del ADSL y de la Internet por cable, yo me muevo a la velocidad de la guagua que conecta a la Víbora con Línea y G.
While you go with the awesinspiring rhythm of DSL or cable internet, I move with the speed of the bus which connects la Vibora with Linea and G."
About the blogger in chief:
Pura frivolidad política esa de estar reflexionando sobre jefes de estado, remitiéndose a correspondencia diplomática y bestseller escritos por exmandatarios. Nuestra realidad pide a gritos que se abran espacios para escuchar la opinión popular. ¿Hasta cuándo se gastarán las pocas páginas de la prensa nacional en satisfacer la vanidad personal de un político que no nos representa, que no se hace eco de nuestras exigencias y que ni siquiera nos menciona?
It's pure political frivolty to be reflecting on heads of state sending each other diplomatic correspondence and bestsellers written by former leaders. Our reality screams for the opening of spaces to listen to popular opinion. How long will the few pages of our national press be wasted in satisfying the personal vanity of a politician who doesn't echo our predicament and who doesn't even mention us.
About how they get their news:
¡Vaya forma que tenemos los cubanos de enterarnos de lo que pasa! Hemos aprendido a leer entre líneas, a sospechar de cada información y a dudar de lo que dicen esos señores de traje y corbata que hablan en los noticieros.
Some way we Cubans have of finding out what is going on! We've learned to read between the lines, to suspect each report and doubt what the men in jackets and ties say on the news reports.
and
Vimos como la delegación cubana ante la ONU se levantaba de sus asientos durante el discurso de Bush, pero las palabras de éste nunca fueron transmitidas.
We say how the Cuban delegation at the UN stood and left their chairs during Bush's address, but his words were never transmitted.
Although she describes herself as a coward, she is a brave woman. I fear for her as I fear for all the voices which manage to make it accross the great divide. If you can read Spanish, you can find her here. I usually find her through Penultimos Dias.
To read her blog is to be privy to the elaborate machinations needed to find internet access, to witness the very human desire to have one's voice heard. Most importantly, to read her blog is the hear the plaintive notes of the genuine Cuban experience.
To me, today's posts were heartwrenching.
About posting:
Mientras usted va al trepidante ritmo del ADSL y de la Internet por cable, yo me muevo a la velocidad de la guagua que conecta a la Víbora con Línea y G.
While you go with the awesinspiring rhythm of DSL or cable internet, I move with the speed of the bus which connects la Vibora with Linea and G."
About the blogger in chief:
Pura frivolidad política esa de estar reflexionando sobre jefes de estado, remitiéndose a correspondencia diplomática y bestseller escritos por exmandatarios. Nuestra realidad pide a gritos que se abran espacios para escuchar la opinión popular. ¿Hasta cuándo se gastarán las pocas páginas de la prensa nacional en satisfacer la vanidad personal de un político que no nos representa, que no se hace eco de nuestras exigencias y que ni siquiera nos menciona?
It's pure political frivolty to be reflecting on heads of state sending each other diplomatic correspondence and bestsellers written by former leaders. Our reality screams for the opening of spaces to listen to popular opinion. How long will the few pages of our national press be wasted in satisfying the personal vanity of a politician who doesn't echo our predicament and who doesn't even mention us.
About how they get their news:
¡Vaya forma que tenemos los cubanos de enterarnos de lo que pasa! Hemos aprendido a leer entre líneas, a sospechar de cada información y a dudar de lo que dicen esos señores de traje y corbata que hablan en los noticieros.
Some way we Cubans have of finding out what is going on! We've learned to read between the lines, to suspect each report and doubt what the men in jackets and ties say on the news reports.
and
Vimos como la delegación cubana ante la ONU se levantaba de sus asientos durante el discurso de Bush, pero las palabras de éste nunca fueron transmitidas.
We say how the Cuban delegation at the UN stood and left their chairs during Bush's address, but his words were never transmitted.
Although she describes herself as a coward, she is a brave woman. I fear for her as I fear for all the voices which manage to make it accross the great divide. If you can read Spanish, you can find her here. I usually find her through Penultimos Dias.
Monday, October 8, 2007
No, I Didn't Get to the Ringling Exhibit Today
but I did read another article, this one from The Bradenton Herald via Hispanic Business.com. You can read it here. If you don't have the time and inclination, the money quote from Stephen D. Borys, Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collection at the Ringling speaking about the special period is here-
"Cuban art was really a place for public discourse, a place where civic dialogue could take place," Smith said. "Because, of course, they don't have a free press. They don't have elections, and no right of free association. So this art was expressing cultural, historical tensions that people were undergoing."
Not quite what I would have wished, but tell me we're not making progress. The get in free planets won't align again until next Monday, so you'll just have to wait for the details.
"Cuban art was really a place for public discourse, a place where civic dialogue could take place," Smith said. "Because, of course, they don't have a free press. They don't have elections, and no right of free association. So this art was expressing cultural, historical tensions that people were undergoing."
Not quite what I would have wished, but tell me we're not making progress. The get in free planets won't align again until next Monday, so you'll just have to wait for the details.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Whass Up?
Interesting article (in Spanish) at Payo Libre concerning a Carlos Varela concert in Santa Clara at which the singer dedicated a song to a famed retired pitcher. Surprisingly he also included el Duque and another exiled player in the dedication. Talk about living dangerously. As one of the attendees, a university professor stated, "I almost fell out of my seat." Most striking, however,
was something he yelled out. I'll give you the Spanish first.
“La libertad de los seres humanos nunca puede ser a medias. La libertad es única, y se tiene o no se tiene. Porque si sólo es a media entonces no se tiene verdaderamente”.
was something he yelled out. I'll give you the Spanish first.
“La libertad de los seres humanos nunca puede ser a medias. La libertad es única, y se tiene o no se tiene. Porque si sólo es a media entonces no se tiene verdaderamente”.
Translation:
The liberty of human beings cannot be a halfway thing. Liberty is unique, and you either have it or you don't. Because if you only have it halfway, you do not truly have it.
Are you listening all you apologists for the revolution?
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