On the Road...

First stop - New Jersey for a Cuban Puertorrican Nochebuena with all the trimmings...and a very pregnant best friend.

On Christmas day we hit the road, or more specifically I-95 South until we reach Miami. Yes it's long, about 19 hours from where we are leaving in Jersey, but it's time to see the friends and family.

We will be down in the Miamises for about 10 days, so blogging will be light dependant on whether I can find an internet connection, since Mami has decided to live in the pre-Internet era.

I wish all my readers and fellow bloggers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Playing God

I don't care who you are, what you are or who you think you are, I don't care what your reasons are either. No one, absolutely NO ONE has the right to play God.

Either way I'm against this.

Banning Harry Potter

The media was in an uproar when the Cuban exile community in Miami requested a ban on the controversial book "Vamos a Cuba". Even the ACLU got involved.

But have you heard about this?

Palestinians Killing their OWN children

I found this story and it broke my heart. For the life of me I cannot understand how someone can take out their hate on innocent children.

So many times have the news, the MSM and Arab groups depicted Israelis as murdering children yet they are capable of commiting this atrocity in cold blood. At least the deaths caused by the Israelis can be construed as collateral damage.

Purposely murdering innocent children of a politician you don't agree with is barbaric.

Tags: Palestine, Hamas, Fatah, Arabs

One Dictator Down...One To Go

Update II: Reader Roberto provides a link (lefty I know but at least the statistics are correct) that counters the argument of Pinochet's and "the Chicago Boyz" miracle economy. In Spanish here.

Update: It seems some of my readers are confused as to my stance regarding the Pinochet dictatorship. I will clarify with a comment I posted on a Babalu thread:

I'm sorry guys but excusing the bad - the tortures, deaths, persecution, lack of freedom of expression (mind you everything we fight AGAINST)- because of the good - economical development of the country - is NOT acceptable. Let me repeat that NOT ACCEPTABLE.

So if castro had maintained a capitalist economy and kept Cuba moving forward all his sins would be forgiven? The fusilados, persecuted, political prisoners, all of them "excused" because el hijo de puta did good on the economy? All forgiven if fidelito after 17 years had a referendum, lost and abided by it? Are you guys insane? Can you not see the hipocrisy in backing a right wing dictatorship but condemming a leftist one? The only difference between the two is economics; are we now placing a price on people's liberties?

Did any of you even live under the dictatorship as a dissident? NO, not communist, just dissident. Did any of you have to suffer persecution b/c someone who didn' like you told the government you were a communist when you and your family weren't? Did any of you had to withstand crimes against you b/c of different political ideology? b/c you were not privileged?

I think Gigi said it best: What saddens me the most is the refusal by my latin brethren in places like Chile, to admit that, Hey, Houston, we have a problem: we get fleeced by both the extreme right and the extreme left.

Tony44, sorry compadre..esto no es ser cabezona, es ser consecuente con mi ideologia y no ser hipocrita. No puedo condenar a fidel y avalar al pinocho solo porque adelanto la economia.

Pinochet and Castro are two sides of the same coin: one from the left, one from the right, both oppressive regimes where dissidents were summarily taken care of.

General Augusto Pinochet has finally met his maker at 91. Some are celebrating, others are crying his death. Me? I hope this will help Chile finally heal, reconcile and move forward.

May God have mercy on his soul.

Tags: Pinochet, Chile

No More Backpack

Update: Tomorroe I will have a CTScan done to see if surgery is needed.

Saturday was a beautiful day. Blue, not a cloud in the sky and a crisp 40 degrees. As is my routine every Saturday, I stopped at Dunkin on my walk to my office. Nothing better than hot coffee on such a beautiful morning.

Nearing my bulding, one full block away, I was taking in the natural beauty of the day when all of a sudden my chin was hitting the hard, cold, concrete pavement. Just like that. With the full force and speed of a 15lb backpack (laptop and papers) I was not only propelled forwards but I was also slammed into the pavement.

I didn't pass out, though I did nearly faint when I stood up. My breathing was shallow; I don't remember ever having been so scared. I checked my jaw and my teeth: all there. I felt my chin: blood. And my left hand was killing me. I stood up and flagged someone down to accompany me to the health center. A complete stranger. I had to swallow my pride and admit that I needed help. Once there I called my husband who left his English classes to come to my rescue - I was being sent to the hospital.

In the end I got a broken left hand and 4 stitches under my chin to celebrate our third wedding anniversary. Needless to say my husband took away my backpack and bought me one of those bags with wheels.

So as I type this with one hand, I'm counting the days for 2006 to be over and hoping 2007 will be much nicer. So, how was your weekend?