Pandora's Other Box

I thought it would be better to try and finish off this entry today. There is no way to have a final answer nor a solution in 10 parragraphs. Yet, these are issues which affect us in our every day lives. There is no easy answer to this issue. We need to respect, and stay within, the boundaries the existing laws allow. If these need change, this has to be done through due process, not executive order. This last is nothing but a devise used by a president incapable of negotiating an agreement on a given topic, and wanting to press his own agenda forward. Borders have to be closely guarded while the system is revamped. Immigration is a privilege, not a right. Every country in the world chooses whom to allow into their borders and based on a quota basis. Why should this country be different? Yes, we offer hope as a society, but this hope has to be founded on a real possibility; when the system is broken down, that possibility begins to disappear. For those who come in as well as t...

This entry has been a while in the making. Perhaps not consciously, but definitely subconsciously. Yet, it has grown in content so this is the first part, of two parts... will try to finish it soon... We live in a society which demands that thoughts and ideas be brought out, be heard. Especially when we witness issues and trends that can be considered harmful to that society or this, the country where it is harbored. My allegiance is to this wonderful country where we have all received not just a second chance to make a life, but a third, fourth and oftentimes many more chances. There is no other country in the world, I believe, where this could have come to pass. And I have worked and/or lived in some 50 of these countries. In that allegiance, however, one cannot be totally blind or deaf to the fact that there are areas where improvements can, and should be made. I come to the core of this posting. A heartfelt core which brings out a duality of feelings that are not easily ma...

For a list of reasons, Latin America’s political climate has long favored populist governments. Now this tide may be finally turning . I went to bed last night, but was unable to fall asleep. Yes, I watched some TV, and read some. But, what was keeping me awake were the constant “beeps” coming from the telephone, letting me know that a new tweet had come through. And being the late hour it was on a Sunday night –when these beeps usually quiet down to silence- this meant an update from the twitting community in Venezuela, regarding elections. I am not Venezuelan. But I had the opportunity to visit –repeatedly- this beautiful country and came to care for it and for a people who openly received me as one of their own. Later, when Chavez won, I knew they were in for a rude awakening. With the help from the Castro govt., a new tyranny was born. And worse yet, a tyranny that had tons of petro-funds available for propagating and controlling. Thus, the systematic destruction of a countr...

There are moments in life when a certain –sometimes direct, other times subtle- realization comes to your mind T he understanding that a good deal of your allotted time on this Earth has already been utilized, is present in everyday activities. In fact, it is fully accepted. This is ever present in many ways, in many expressions. There is no question that father (mother?) time does pass on and takes no prisoners… But, despite this last factoid, the truth is that today’s medicine, care, diet knowledge and general exercise activities do have a great deal to do in extending one’s enjoyable time on this planet. So, I have lost weight this year, done some exercise, limited severely the intake of red meat (Oh Lord… my Argentinian friends would expel me from their ranks for that one!!) have NOT eliminated my intake of red wine ( well… I follow those researchers who tell me that red wine is good for whatever ails me… and it is!!) , increased my dancing time ( great cardio exercise, you...

(This is a piece -with very minor changes- which first appeared on this blog 4 years ago. Not much has changed, or will change)  In this great country of ours, sometimes we overlook those rights and freedoms we so adamantly exercise… forgetting these came by at a price, a very steep one for many. Those of us who have come to this grand country looking for a place to live and to have a life ( not always the same, you know!! ) actually tend to appreciate those liberties found here, sometimes even more than those men and women who have been born and raised within them. I am not an advocate of war; have seen up close the damages it causes. Not only to the places where they are waged but also, and foremost, to the people involved in them. In several instances, a service death might have been a more charitable consequence than having lived and survived the horrors many service men and women have experienced. There are many lifetime scars that are not visible to the naked eye. ...

“Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You…” Thus ended one of the most celebrated political speeches in modern American history. Maybe it is time to bring back the vision it created at the time in which it was said. It was the beginning of the first non WASP president of the United States, J F Kennedy, and it was part of his inaugural speech. Viet Nam had started, the Cold War was very warm and international disagreements were at our doorstep, about 90 miles south of Key West. This was an era when “entitlements” were actually earned and not used as political weapons or tools to purchase voters… and votes. I had just come from Cuba and was adapting to a new everything and those words meant a lot to me. The first time I began to listen to and understand this speech, was during an American History class, where we had to study it and explain it in our own words. This exercise gave me an insight as to what I could find in my new country. Ironically, and sadly, it was during the s...

The above saying, loosely translated from Spanish, means that singing (music) allows you to whittle away at life’s problems. Ever since I remember, when as a very small child I used to hide behind my grandmother’s skirts, I was a witness and a willing participant in a burgeoning love for music, in all its variants. Later, at the ripe old age of 8 or so, and in the arms of that same grandmother, I would learn to dance the common dances of the time… and of my grandmother’s youth. Boleros, danzones, cha-chas, as well as waltzes and pasodobles (this last from Spain) . Those were times during which I, in the midst of a very innocent period of my life, used to believe that musicians were all live somewhere in a giant radio studio, waiting for us to call in with our requests. They would then dutifully march to the microphone and start singing… whatever we had asked for. These were definitely much more innocent times, compared with today… when we relegate fairy tales, imagination, and...

It’s been a while since I sat here, my own imaginary pond, letting the cool, clear water cleanse my mind and the gentle breeze blow away the dark spots… I guess it is time to travel there and let the calmness of this place invade my mind and heart. It makes for better meandering than other, more harried corners I can think of… I need it and, really, had not allowed myself to be transported here in a quite a long time. This little respite –imaginary as it may be- becomes an all important escape. Sitting here, staring at the mirror like surface, I see images form; they parade by, claiming to be included in this reminiscence, avoiding a fall into a forgotten pile somewhere in the dusty archives of the mind. Early childhood black and white stills and short movies… the club, school, Sunday escapes with my cousins, riding bicycle on the city streets… Going with my grandfather to his office; going to the distillery to bug the employees … Christmas with all the family gathered around a ...

In a world which everyday becomes smaller and where very vocal minorities tend to have their way… …the concept of true freedom of expression is paying a very steep price. I am very open to discussions, regardless of what some people may think. My views are on the right side of center, though not on the far right. There is no room in my life for a fanatic view of any kind, except in the sports world. So yes, I am open to discuss most any idea and to respect the other side’s views, as long as they meet one small requirement… they must respect mine as well. This seems to present a road block to most of these discussions with folks who call themselves democrats and/or liberals. The “liberalization” of America is coming at a very steep price to the concept of intellectual freedom. Today it is becoming more and more difficult to openly express conservative ideas without being ridiculed by a number of people who are “liberals” but who have no concept as to what true liberty or de...

In my early travel years, one had to get somewhere in order to place a simple phone call to somewhere else… Never mind a call with an accompanying picture or –Gasp!!- a real time video of the interlocutor. This was Star Trek stuff, not meant for real life, only for Mr. Spock and the likes. And while I am not sure the technical advancements and embellishments accomplished since then are a real life enhancement bonus, they are here to stay and are evolving at a much faster pace than we ourselves can. Today, a cell phone ( and all its peripherals ) is a ubiquitous ( I had to dig in for that last one!! ) artifact which has become more important than the food we eat. In fact, it tells us which food we should and should not eat…Everywhere you look and everyone you see is hanging from one of those. We can’t seem to contemplate the consequences of being without it... Weather, mail, news flashes ( the ones we may want and the ones we want to do without ), junk, the latest gossip, p...

I have been called many things, including being an extremist of the right side … and a… (Gasp!!) Republican… And this is in my own house, mind you. Where my dear wife is a descendent of a long line of liberal democrats. I think by now more through tradition than conviction. Actually, I have been a registered independent for some 40 years who has actually voted on both sides of the aisle. Yes, I know this excludes me from primary voting, but it allows me to look and listen. To actually listen to what is being said and look at what has been done, or not. My swaying is encouraged by the latter, not the former. I am a conservative who is willing to talk, dialogue and to listen. As long as the other part is also willing to do the same. Now, I am not saying my mind will change easily, but if the arguments are coherent, I will listen. It is easy to lump me, along with many other Cubans into the “reactionary right” bag without giving any of the group a chance to be heard. ...

Yesterday morning I was almost late for my morning ESL class… It was a long night, one of those that refuses to allow sleep to come in and stay for any reasonable amount of time. Finally, at around 4:45 in the morning ( yep… one of those ) I gave up and being alone –seems like there has been a lot of this lately- turned on the television set. As in other occasions, I went down my usual channels – Discovery, History, American, Sports—and, finding out that at this time of the morning their primary interest lay in selling me pants, glasses, new hair( actually, this one I may take note of ) kitchen utensils, etc… it was time to go to the movie channels. Flipping furiously down the line, one offering caught my eye. I don’t really know why. Perhaps because it promised a light fare and perhaps because it promised to be boring enough to put me back to sleep. Julia Sweeney ( From SNL and “Pat” fame, among other accomplishments) talking about life. From her book “ God Said… HA!!” . Thi...