Category Archives: Cubanities

FLASHBACK: Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell vacationed in Apartheid South Africa?

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To be clear, that never happened. At least not that I know of. But imagine if it had.

Imagine if an American celebrity supercouple chose South Africa–of all the countries in the world–to vacation in the 1980s at the height of the Apartheid era during rampant human and civil rights abuses.

Imagine them staying at hotels reserved only for whites, dining at restaurants that only allow whites, dancing and partying in clubs where only whites are welcomed, and infusing thousands of American dollars into a regime that will only use that money to continue oppressing its people.

And if all that wasn’t enough, imagine the regime covering and touting these celebrities’ every move on state television, showing what a great time they had as a propaganda ploy to distract from its own oppression and undermine dissidents’ efforts to call international attention to their plight. Continue reading →

Castro’s med school used as indoctrination tool inside and outside Cuba

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When Florida state legislators Senator Rene(cito) García (R-Hialeah) and Represenatative Manny “El Bueno” Díaz (R-Miami Lakes) each filed legislation in their respective chambers that would prohibit graduates of Cuban medical schools from practicing medicine in Florida, my initial reaction was to commend them (I always encourage anything that kicks the Castro regime in the teeth).

That being said, I also decided to dig a little deeper to investigate where they were coming from.

But before I get into that, here is a summary of their proposed legislation: Continue reading →

FLASHBACK: Celia Cruz & greatest salsa band ever assembled

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I was recently tinkering with a new device I purchased that allows me to digitize old VHS cassettes and home movies.  My first project was to digitize the 1994 Concert of the Americas that I recorded on VHS when I was in 10th Grade.

The concert held at Miami’s James L. Knight Center was the culmination of that week’s Summit of the Americas where the United States played host to all of the western hemisphere’s democratically-elected heads of state.

The concert brought together the greatest talents of the Americas, and is probably the best I have ever seen.  I may eventually post it in its entirety on Youtube. In the meantime, I uploaded my favorite part, which is a rendition of Guantanamera performed by Celia Cruz and an all-star salsa band consisting of the greatest musicians of that genre, including Nestor Torres, Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Sheila E. and Luis Enrique, among others.

Interesting note: during the performance, Celia Cruz goes off-script and begs the heads of state gathered there: “Please, on behalf of my compatriots, I ask you not to help Fidel Castro any more so he can go away and leave us a Cuba free of communism.”

I personally asked her about this years later before she died.  She said that all the invited artists were asked to refrain from expressing political messages. Always the vocal opponent of communism and the Castro dictatorship, she just told me she didn’t care and did it anyway.

“¿Qué me van hacer?”  (“What could they do to me?”)

She was definitely a patriot and a lover of freedom up until her death in 2003.

Enjoy!

Continue reading →

Che Guevara kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month at Obama’s EPA

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The Miami Herald reported tonight that the Environmental Protection Agency blasted an e-mail out to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month.

The e-mail included a description of why Hispanic Heritage is celebrated beginning September 15 of every year.  It stated:

Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15, the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries—Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico declared its independence on September 16, and Chile on September 18.

What was odd is that instead of picturing an iconic landmark in one of the countries listed, or even a picture of a famous Hispanic-American, it sticks a snapshot of Stalinist Cuba, specifically a picture of a communist propaganda mural that depicts mass murdering Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara and a quote that says “unto victory, always!” Continue reading →

Cuban cafeteria in Tallahassee — Finally!

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One of the things I miss most about Miami is the ability to pull up to a Cuban cafeteria just about anywhere in town and leave the car running as I run up to the window and grab a colada and pastelito to go.

Or, if I have more time, just hang out at the coffee window or grab one of the bar stools inside, chat with one of the locals as I sip my coffee, and then wash it down with ice water out of one of those Gatorade water coolers with the disposable little paper cone cups.

Those of you who have ever been in Hialeah, Little Havana or Westchester know exactly what I’m talking about.

Tallahassee has a couple of decent Cuban restaurants, but I haven’t found a cafeteria like the one I describe above where I can grab a quick snack or a typical Cuban-style breakfast–until now. Continue reading →