Showing posts with label cuba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cuba. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Key West 1981

A few palm trees in sight Wavering in the Key West light. High noon on Key West Even in the shade The blinding brightness All horizons so close Key West.

No sailor fears the edge of the world I know no fear I stand on Key West. 95 miles from Cuba.

Swim out South from Straw Hat Beach A hundred yards. Still no fear Stop swimming My feet rest on sand. The sea chest-deep

My tread careful Not to awaken sea monsters Nor tread on a dead fish Nor the drowned bodies of coke pirates Nor sea monsters Are they there? Lurking beneath the waves Asleep beneath a azure sea.

America’s Godzilla A hundred feet of fire breathing monster. Waiting Awakening Burn Miami to ashes. Spare Key West The queers, The conchs, The snowbirds, Fishermen, Tourists, Drunks at Sloppy Joe's Bar and me. Saved from death From a monsters.

We are safe From Strange monsters at the end of US1. Forever asleep.

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Viva Che Fifty-Three Years Later

Like every other human born on this planet, Che Guevera began his life as a child. His bloodline was partially Irish and his last name was Lynch. His father laster stated that the blood of Irish rebels ran in his son's veins.

His youth devoted to education and according to Wikipedia the CIA considered the Argentinean a deep intellectual for a Latino.

Three separate tours of Latin America in 1948, 1950, and 1951 radicalized the young medical student and he vowed to fight oppression. The 1954 CIA-led coup d'etat against the Arbenz government in Guatemala convinced Che that only armed resistance could combat the power of the dictators and the USA. He fled with his name of a death list.

Mexico was a safe haven for revolutionaries.

He married and traveled without fear.

Che also met up with his old Cuban comrades.

Fidel Castro led the anti-Batista 26th of July Movement.

Their 1956 invasion of Cuba was a disaster. Most of the rebels were captured after landing and either killed or executed. The rest escaped into the mountains.

The Revolution didn't die.

Che and Fidel were a good team.

Fidel was a pitcher.

Che was not a sportsman.

He was a gun-carrying revolutionary.

Same as Fidel.

Dedicated to freedom.

On January 1, 1959 the bearded ones triumphed over the Batista regime and the dictator fled the island with over $300,000,000 from his corruption scams.

Over the next decade Cuba became of beacon of Marxist resistance against the Yankee empire. Che wanted to spread the revolution to other shores. He failed miserably in Africa and set his sights on Bolivia, the poorest nation in South America.

La Paz the capitol was 12,000 feet above sea level.

Only the Quechans lived higher than inhabitants of sky-hgh city.

Life was hell for the workers and poor.

Life was hand to mouth.

Children rarely lived past 10.

In November of 1966 Che said good-bye to his second wife and children.

His first loves had always been the people and 'la luta'.

His eleven months in Bolivia were a bigger failure than the Congo. The peasants informed on their 'saviour' and on the morning of October 8 the world's leadng revolutionary was captured by the Bolivian Army in the Yuro Ravine close to Sucre.

Twice wounded in a gun battle against overwhelming forces, he threw down his shattered weapon and declared,"Do not shoot! I am Che Guevara and I am worth more to you alive than dead."

The Bolivian Army had no respect for 'banditos'.

Che was taken to a small impoverished village, La Higuera, where Gary Prado, the Bolivian captain in command of the army company, ordered his execution.

When asked if he was thinking about his immortality, Che replied, ""No, I'm thinking about the immortality of the revolution."

In the late morning of October 9, 1967 a drunk sergeant shot the guerrilla leader three times.

Thus creating a legend.

And some think a saint.

October 9, 1967.

Fifty years ago.

La Revolucion siempre.

Sunday, December 11, 2016

A Les Etoiles Fidel Castro

The son of a wealthy landowner, Fidel Castro betrayed Cuba's ruling class to overthrow President Bastista and on January 1, 1959 the MR-26-7 entered Havana to oust the last vestiges of a corrupt regime allied the the USA. Angered by the expulsion of United Fruits, ITT, and various American interests Washington placed an embargo on the island, yet despite this onerous penalty the Communists built houses for the poor, distributed land the the landless, educate the masses, and offered free health to every Cuban. Castro squashed any threat to his rule and the prisons filled with dissenters.

"¡Patria o Muerte!" was his battle cry.

The USSR gained a foothold in the Western Hemisphere leading to the Missile Crisis of 1962 and the export of revolution to Latin America and Africa. Castro tightened his grip on all facets of life and the Cuban people suffered from his excesses until the 90s when Fidel relaxed state control on the economy.

Last week Fidel died at the age of 90.

Millions of Cubans mourned his passing.

Millions more rejoiced his departure.

Fidel banned any streets, bridges, or public buildings from bearing his name.

The man was long-winded. His speeches lasted hours. He loved the sound of the revolution.

The roar of his people.

"A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past." Viva Fidel.

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Black and White TV From Havana

Key West marks the southern terminus of US 1.

In 1980 I spend several weeks there and stayed in a small hotel off Duval Street. TV reception for the Miami stations was weak, however the signals from Havana came in crisp and clear. Most of the programming served Socialism in Spanish, however one station broadcasted sports, especially winter baseball and boxing.

Americans didn't watch Cuban TV.

We were at war with Fidel Castro.

One night I was sitting in Sloppy Joe's Bar and the bartender turned on the Cuban station. The drinkers hooted at his selection. The gnarled barman lifted a thick hand and said, "Teofilo Stevenson is fighting tonight. Three rounds against a Russian."

"An amateur bout." A tourist mumbled from his stool.

"Teofilo is only an amateur, because he refused to sell-out. The mob promotors offered him $5 million to fight Ali. Teofilo said, "What is one million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?"

"Especially those hot Havana chicas." An old fisherman reminisced about the lost paradise ninety miles to the south. "There was no place like Havana."

"Or Cuba." The bartender turned up the TV. "Now watch some real fighting."

Teofilo won the heavyweight match and I returned to my hotel, wondering how to get to Havana from Key West.

There were no ships.

Cuba was not a destination on the airport departure board.

Teofilo Stevenson amassed a record of 302 wins versus 22 losses.

When he departed the world on 11 June 2012 at the age of 60, according to Wikipedia the Cuban state media stated that "the Cuban sporting family was moved today by the passing of one of the greatest of all time."

"Veridad."

In living color or black and white.

To watch his knockouts, please go to this URL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAFvQUyA470

Ali Versus Stevenson

Fight promoters were dying to match Muhammad Ali versus the undefeated Cuban heavyweight Teofilo Stevenson. Many boxing pundits wrote that Stevenson could last fifteen rounds with Ali, but judging from his reach Teofilo wouldn't have needed fifteen rounds.

Longer arms.

Taller.

Better shape.

All action.

No talk.

But Ali had an edge,

Something no one can explain.

Other than being Ali.

Monday, August 17, 2015

Jesse Ventura For Ambassador to Cuba


Former governor of Minnesota and ex-WWF wrestler Jesse Ventura has retreated from public life and lives 'off the grid' on the Baja, devoted to losing weight through surfing. I last saw him on the Larry King Show promoting his new book and he responded to the TV commentator's query about Dick Cheney saying 'waterboarding wasn't torture' was quick.

“You give me a waterboard, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I’ll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders.”

Jesse Ventura had been subjected to 'waterboarding' as a Navy Seal trainee.

"Damned if it did any good."

Jesse also suggested the legalization of marijuana and normalization of relations with Cuba. The more he speaks, the more he makes sense. And this is coming from a man who wore boa feathers into the wrestling ring.

"Now the USA has opened an embassy in Havanna.

I nominated Jesse Ventura as 1st US ambassador to Cuba since Philip Bonsal.

Ambassador Ventura.

Has a nice ring to it.

To watch the full interview go to these URLs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9yfMdNC6cQ

And

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejahDWoYk2A&feature=related

Friday, February 27, 2015

Black and White TV From Havana

Key West marks the southern terminus of US 1.

I spend several weeks there in 1980 and stayed in a small hotel off Duval Street. TV reception for the Miami stations was weak, however the signals from Havana came in crisp and clear. Most of the programming served Socialism in Spanish, however one station broadcast sports, especially winter baseball and boxing. Americans didn't watch Cuban TV. We were at war with Fidel Castro.

One night I was sitting in Sloppy Joe's Bar and the bartender turned on the Cuban station. The drinkers hooted at his selection. The gnarled barman lifted a thick hand and said, "Teofilo Stevenson is fighting tonight. Three rounds against a Russian."

"An amateur bout." A tourist mumbled from his stool.

Teofilo is only an amateur, because he refused to sell-out. The mob promotors offered him $5 million to fight Ali. Teofilo said, "What is one million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?"

"Especially those hot Havana chicas." An old fisherman reminisced about the lost paradise ninety miles to the south. "There was no place like Havana."

"Or Cuba." The bartender turned up the TV. "Now watch some real fighting."

Teofilo won the heavyweight match and I returned to my hotel, wondering how to get to Havana from Key West.

There were no ships.

Cuba was not a destination on the airport departure board.

Teofilo Stevenson amassed a record of 302 wins versus 22 losses.

When he departed the world on 11 June 2012 at the age of 60, according to Wikipedia the Cuban state media stated that "the Cuban sporting family was moved today by the passing of one of the greatest of all time."

Veridad."

In living color or black and white.

To watch his knockouts, please go to this URL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAFvQUyA470

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Gong-gyeog, Gong-gyeog, Gong-gyeog

My mother loved the Pearl Harbor movie TORA TORA TORA. TORA TORA TORA meant 'attack attack attack' in Japanese. Gong-gyeog, Gong-gyeog, Gong-gyeog translates the same in Korean. This week North Korea has suggested to Russia and the UK that they abandon their diplomatic missions in Pyongyang before April 10, stating that the government will not be able to safeguard the embassy after that date. Nations neighboring the communist state are weighing the threat level to their countries. South Korea has sent two Aegis missile destroyers to sea, as the North Korea transported two mobile launchers to a secret site on the the eastern coast. Most rational minds understand that Kim Jong Un's strike capacity is strictly conventional, since the NK ICBMs cannot deliver a nuclear warhead. Most observers agree that the Supreme Leader's bellicose statements are designed at cementing the people behind his regime. China's patience with its long-time ally once "as close as lips and teeth" is wearing thin according to the Telegraph and states that North Korea no longer merits much respect among ordinary Chinese, who have taken to insulting Kim Jong-un as "Fatty Kim" or "Fatty the Third", in reference to his father and grandfather, on the Chinese internet. Fidel Castro has urged calm, although Beyonce and JayZ, America's # 1 pop couple are in Cuba this week. North Korea has no plans to attack the island 90 miles south of Key West. Maybe they are privy to something the rest of us don't know after speaking with Dennis Rodman, who was in North Korea talking basketball with Kim Jong Un. Didn't he go out with Madonna. See below for the range of North Korea's missiles