Japi Niulliar!

It’s December 31st and I’ll venture to guess that in just about every Cuban household the cry is going out, “Did you get the grapes?”

Because when the clock strikes twelve tonight and the ball drops in Times Square, Cuban families everywhere will begin the fabulous relajo that signals the end of the old year and the ringing in of the new.

Cuban New Year

Back to the grapes…

At midnight, we Cubans eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the past year.  If you’re really serious, you attempt to eat one with every stroke of the clock.

You must wash each grape down with a gulp of hard cider (sidra).

Earlier in the day, you would have mopped your floors and saved the dirty water. At midnight, you toss that old, dirty water out into the street. Out with the old! I think many people may even skip the mopping and just fill a bucket of water for this one. The point is to be tossing out the old year and any bad juju with it.

If you hope to be traveling in the new year, grab your suitcase and take it for a walk. This symbolizes that you will be going places. For the lazy among us, you can just put the suitcase outside. If you opt for the suitcase-outside-the-door, don’t blame me if the farthest you get to this year is North Hialeah.

If you go for the midnight walk with your suitcase, be sure to bring an egg and throw it over your right shoulder at the first intersection…..for good luck, of course. (?)

The question of prosperity is also answered in the busy midnight hilarity. You have a couple of options for this:

  1. Place money in your mailbox. Money attracts more money, so you should be getting more money, presumably from unexpected sources.
  2. Have someone give you 3 garbanzo beans to keep in your wallet all year. I personally have never tried this one. Most of my friends in the O.C. don’t carry garbanzos with them on New Year’s Eve, or really at any time of year.

Then there’s the matter of the underwear. I’m not sure if this applies to both men and women, but I’m just going to throw it out there. You would presumably wear red underwear for luck, yellow for prosperity, or black for passion. I suppose you could wear all three at once to cover all your bases. (<–That works on two levels.) 😉

Don’t forget to start soaking your lentils to make a big pot of lentil soup for New Year’s Day.

If I missed any more Cuban New Year Superstitions Traditions please feel free to add them here to the comments section of this post.

Yes, I’ll be wearing my lucky red underwear, but that’s not important right now. So, until next year, Prospero Año Nuevo!

And They Lived Happily Ever After

By Ernesto Morales Licea:

And They Lived Happily Ever After

It could pass for a joke in bad taste. It could pass for the invention of a playful spirit. Unfortunately, horribly unfortunately, it is neither: The place where the 34-year-old young man named Alexander Otero is standing in these photos is nothing more nor less than the ground that the People’s Housing Authority in Granma province gave him on which to build his home. Look closely. It’s worth analyzing this depressing and cruel image.

This is about the pater familias whose desperate action — planting a den of shame in the middle of the city of Bayamo to call attention to his case — was reported in his blog, in the previous entry. I promised to continue the story, as some readers requested, following the practice of serious journalism and its demanding readers.This is the required continuation.

Exact area where he is supposed to place his house

“The day after I spent the night in that makeshift hut with my wife and baby, the leaders of the government and the Housing Authority came to see me with the paper signed, sealed and delivered. They gave me the authorization to build on the land they assigned to me, with the condition that I immediately dismantle the shack which, they said, was creating political chaos among the population.”

For a man who spent 11 years waiting for a simple rectangular space, a fragment of ground to erect his poor dwelling, such a proposition was the light at the end of the tunnel.

“First they took my wife and baby, and took them to her father’s house, temporarily, they said, and they summoned me in the afternoon to officially show me the area where I could build a house for me and my family.”

When, hours later, an official followed orders to take him to the far outskirts of the city, in a semi-depopulated area of open fields, and showed him, “this was the place that had been assigned, Alexander Otero thought, essentially, that is was some kind of macabre joke.

“I felt an indignation that I can’t describe,” he told me in a voice filled with anger. “It was humiliation. Look what they gave me to build a house for my son: a place where there is no running water, no electricity. Look what they gave me to make me agree that I could no longer say they wouldn’t let me build a house in my city.”

Read more

My Last Big Dig of 2010

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Just a few closing thoughts on 2010 as 1/1/11 waits impatiently in the wings …

2011 “Signs”: Groundhog Day and The State of The Union Address could be falling on the same day 2/2/11… Both will forecast the continued length and severity of the winter of our discontent.

Why the ‘Greatest Mind’ at CBS gets paid the biggest bucks: We sure could use a Muslim version of The Cosby Show

21st century Taqiyya: Why there really aren’t “moderate Muslims“, or any ‘gays’ in Iran, for that matter. Why the Taliban are worthless pieces of crap and must NOT be brought to a “peace treaty” agreement.

What’s in a phone call? If you’re the CinC of troops actively involved in a heated and deadly war, and the Ret.Lt.Col. father of a fallen soldier makes one simple request of his son’s top commander but the CinC is just too darned busy to pick up the telephone … Perhaps he has a limited call plan, eh? Pri”O”rities … BTW, it’s trusted and been verified … payback’s still a female doggie.

Global ‘whatting’? FYI, we are shelving ‘global warming’ and ‘climate change’ in favor of the one-size-fits-all “Climatic Variation”. Not to worry. At some point these people will run out of invented word-play and have to fall back on “weather“.

Trust but verify. I’m just sayin’ …

Trust but verify … Oh, never mind.

Makes perfect sense: People who hate other people pay big bucks to buy their books and make them best sellers. And we should just toss out those dusty old papers cluttering our collective psyche.

OH! I hope so!

Into the great unknown.

Anyone purchase Tyson Foods products? My ‘sources’ mention that the immigrant workers at the plant are not generally the South of The Border variety. Also, and this is just one of those ‘rumors’, but you can substitute the somewhat ‘cleansed’ word “Americans” with “infidels” … Not trusted or verified, of course. But what is these days?

TSA Phase 2?

Easy Bet: Can these people possibly top themselves in 2011???

While we still haven’t been shown the disputed bill for the Royal Family’s last big trek of just a couple months ago, this “Mele Kalikimaka Holiday” trip costs pretty close to the cost of this. Ain’t no thang.

This particular topic wouldn’t be complete without highlighting yet another torture device being inflicted on those important poor, poor prisoners being held wrongly in prison cells in Cuba, don`cha know. The horror … BTW, what could go wrong?

Happy New Year, Babalu Family!!!!

Can I propose a trade?

I would like to propose another trade between Cuba and Venezuela. Cuba can give Venezuela Cardinal Jaime Ortega in exchange for Venezuela’s Archbishop, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino.

I hate to deprive our Venezuelan brothers of this brave prelate, but right now we need him more than you do.

Venezuela: Church Warns of Chavez Dictatorship Grab

Hugo Chavez’s eighteen months of special ruling powers and the new package of laws that dramatically expand his rule in the country created a strong debate inside Venezuelan against the government. The Catholic Church has also expressed its fears, affirming that the new Enabling Law moves the country towards a dictatorship, similar to Cuba’s with Fidel Castro.

Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, Archbishop of Caracas, warned Chavez on TV to behave in a responsible way towards Venezuela, in case Chavez wants “to impose a totalitarian dictatorship that would certainly mean something terrible for Venezuela,”

This is not the first time that Cardinal Urosa courageously expressed his opinions: last summer, the Archbishop declared that Chavez and his government are disregarding the Constitution and “want to impose a Socialist-Marxist system in the country to control all sectors. This system is totalitarian and is leading to dictatorship; not to proletarian dictatorship but to dictatorship led by the elite who are ruling the country.”

El Gasolinazo

No matter what you call communist revolutions, whether it be “social justice” or “21st Century Socialism,” they all produces the same thing: violence and misery. From senseless economic policies, to repression, to the violation of human rights, socialism is a pox on humanity that only breeds fear, bloodshed, and misery.

We see it in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and here is the disease of socialism manifesting itself in Bolivia:

Protests intensify in Bolivia over gasoline prices

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Protests against a sharp increase in fuel prices intensified and turned violent in Bolivia on Thursday, as thousands of demonstrators demanded President Evo Morales’ government repeal the hike.

Demonstrators filled the streets in La Paz and other cities to protest the higher prices, which were announced suddenly on Sunday. Gasoline prices immediately soared by 73 percent and diesel prices went up by 83 percent, leading to a rapid increases in transport and food prices in the Andean country.

Some demanded the resignation of Morales, a close ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. It has been the most unpopular measure of Morales’ five-year presidency.

Taxi drivers held a strike that largely paralyzed La Paz on Thursday, and protests were also held in the cities of Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Potosi and Oruro.

The march in the capital began peacefully but clashes with police erupted when demonstrators tried to enter the main plaza where the government palace is located. Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, who hurled stones at officers, the vice presidential office, a union headquarters and two ministry buildings.

In El Alto, a city neighboring the capital, demonstrators set afire a car and toll booths. People lined a bridge while protesters raised fists demanding the measure be repealed.

Interior Minister Sacha Llorenti said disturbances in La Paz, El Alto and Cochabamba left 15 police officers injured, two seriously. A group of protesters burned a Venezuelan flag.

Diary of Aguica

By Pablo Pacheco:

Diary of Aguica

A hustle and bustle filled the air as the ringing of the “wake up” bells resonated throughout the prison.  The scene was similar to that of a rooster fight, right at the most exciting moment of the battle.  For a second, I could have sworn I was in a dream and that all of these events were figments of my imagination, but seconds later I realized that this was all real.

A tall mulatto soldier used the same large spoon designated for handing out water and sugar to the prisoners to bang on the bars of my cell.  Before he continued giving out breakfast, he left a piece of stiff bread in the only opening of my new home.

My appetite was far from being the same one I used to have.  I didn’t ingest a single thing.  I submerged myself in family memories, which served as the only shield I had against all the henchmen who surrounded me.  Suddenly, I heard a voice of authority:  “Stand ready to be counted!”  At the time, I didn’t understand such an order so I just opted to continue thinking about what had happened to me.   Minutes later, however, soldiers opened the doors to my dungeon and the official superior guard who had checked us in the night before said, “Pablo, why are you not preparing yourself for the count?  You don’t hear the command?”

Without hesitating, I responded, “I think you have made a mistake, Captain Emilio, for I am not a soldier, I do not take orders.”

That chief officer of order in Aguica did not expect to hear such an answer.  I could tell that his eyes were full of fire, hate, and arrogance.  I did not look away from his stare, and I think that attitude won me a few favorable points in the future.  Another one of the guards then stated, “Let’s go chief, we’ll eventually have enough time to re-locate this CR (with time, I figured out that these initials stood for ‘Counter-Revolutionary’). “

“Yes, you’re right,” Emilio assured as he turned around to exit my cell, sarcastically adding, “the slogan of this prison is:  ‘You’re in Aguica.  Get yourself straight or we’ll do it for you.’”

I continued to stare back at him, for it was the only response I could use.

The other prisoners who resided around me heard the entire conversation.  When all those prison guards walked away, the recluses started to ask, “Hey, new one, where are you from?”

“Ciego de Avila,” I replied.

“Be careful.  That guy is the most abusive within the entire prison.”  I told them that I’d keep that in mind.  The closest prisoner to my cell introduced himself as Raciel, and as a resident of the municipality of Matanzas known as Cardenas.

“Are you a political one?” he asked.

“Yes,” came my response.

A third prisoner then jumped into the conversation, exclaiming, “That’s why you spoke back to Emilio that way!”

That morning was filled with questions and answers with the common prisoners- a dialogue which is normal when we enter a new world that we are supposed to get used to.  The faster we integrate into the process, the least damage will be done to our immediate future.  Through my knew companions-in-misery I found out that Miguel Galban, also a member of the 75 and native of the municipality of Havana dubbed as Guines, was in the galley section known as “The Polish”, as was Roberto de Miranda, native of the capital.  The latter suffered from a weak state of health, so he was actually imprisoned in the hospital ward of the prison.

That day, I did not eat lunch and I only ate that small piece of insipid bread with mayonnaise, in addition to a glass of sugar and water.  I spent the remainder of most of my afternoon looking over old family photos and reading my Bible.  Truthfully, I could not find peace in anything else.  I showered when night fell and I filled two bottles of water given to me by Jesus, another prisoner who displayed his solidarity with me from the very beginning.  Fortunately, he warned me that the valuable liquid was only given twice a day and that we had to take full advantage of it.

I continued thinking before finally falling asleep.  I could not fathom that human beings lived in such deplorable conditions for so many years on end.  There was cruel treatment, poor diets, and horrid bathrooms which were just holes on the ground- and we were supposed to shower there, clean our utensils, and brush our teeth.  In addition, we had to somehow jam all our belongings in this tiny space of two meters by two.  I was far from accepting and understanding that the following 16 months will be marked by similar experiences as that of these other prisoners, and in some cases even worse.  Our allowed visits, which only lasted two hours, were planned by the guards every three months.  Priority was given to elderly family members and young children.  Conjugal encounters were only allowed every 5 months and only 30 pounds of food and goods were allowed in.  Nearly every aspect was twice the pain for us.

Today, I still ask myself how I was capable of living through such horror.  I would say that the inner strength which we all harbor deep inside, in addition to the justice of our own convictions, was what helped me to stand back up to face any sort of obstacle.  This also helped me to draw up an objective that would sustain me during my captivity.  I made the decision to describe the reality of the Cuban jail system to the world.  Perhaps my voice was just a small voice, but without it, truth would have been much more diminished.

Reuters Havana Bureau as obedient as ever

2008_12_03-PetTreat
“GOOD BOY!”

“The ration was begun three years after Fidel Castro took power in a 1959 revolution to assure Cubans food following the imposition of a trade embargo by the United States.

From here.

Ah!…So the accursed Yankees are to blame!…the ration card owes NOTHING, apparently, to Communist control.

And as pointed out by Ray, somehow during the UNSPEAKBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! era Cubans were not only among the best fed people on earth–but Cuba was a net EX-porter of food products!

details here.

But alas, Castro’s hand-outs and puppy-treats to Reuters and the rest don’t include much of the above.

Unreal.

Change is happening in Cuba

The “Cuba Experts” are telling us that change is really going on in Cuba. Here is a sample of that “change.”

Cubans stock up as reforms take toll on ration

(Reuters) – A steady stream of Cubans bought soap and toothpaste at subsidized prices on Thursday ahead of the latest cut in monthly rations that the communist state has provided since the 1960s but is phasing out in the name of economic reform.

Government stores around the capital stayed busy as customers handed over their ration cards, or “libretas,” paid a few Cuban pesos and walked out with a bagful of items that will cost many times more starting on Saturday.

“We Cubans are survivors. Nobody is going to stop bathing because they raise the price of soap,” said Rosa Martinez, 70, at the store La Copa in Havana.

The government said on Wednesday it would cut soap, toothpaste and detergent from the food and consumer products ration as it tries to save money and wean its citizens from handouts.

This “change” looks an awful lot like the same crap Cubans have had to put up with for the past 52 years. But then again, what the hell do we know? We’re just Cubans and very far away from ever comprehending the erudite observations of those “Cuba Experts.”

Cuban political prisoner released

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Photo courtesy of Uncommon Sense

Egberto Angel Escobedo Morales has been released after losing 15 years of his life in a Castro prison. The Catholic Church and Cardinal Ortega had nothing to do with his release. Neither did the benevolence of Prince Raul play any role in Escobedo Morales’ release.

He served the required time of the sentence imposed upon him unjustly by a brutal and totalitarian regime. 15 years of his life were lost in a hellhole, years he will never recover, and an experience that will forever haunt him.

The Cuban government released on parole political prisoner Egberto Angel Escobedo Morales, who was serving a 20-year sentence for espionage and engaging in enemy propaganda, the former prisoner told Efe.

Escobedo Morales said he was released on Wednesday after having served more than 15 years in prison, adding that the Cuban Catholic Church had nothing to do with his case.

The Archbishopric of Havana, which in recent months has been the spokesman for the releases of political prisoners on the island, did not make any announcement about this release and has not issued any statement about the case.

In the opinion of the spokesman for the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation, or CCDHRN, Elizardo Sanchez, there is no “relevance” or “significance” in this release, since it is a “routine release” granted after the prisoner had completed more than half his sentence.