Friday, April 22, 2016

Cuatro libros de una historia real..

Hace varias semanas lei cuatro libros de casualidad. El primero fue "Estamos en la tierra para aprender a vivir (Relatos de mi vida) en el blog "El Cajon de Watson". Es la historia de Valentin Biryukov, Archipriest de la Iglesia Orthodoxa durante los primeros años del Bolshevismo (Comunismo) en Rusia cuando tenia 7 años. La historia comienza asi:

 "1. LAS FUERZAS DEL ESPIRITU

1.1. ¡Perdónales, Señor!
Desde que tengo memoria siempre creí en Dios. Cuando era niño, veía admirado como mi gente era buena, bella, inteligente y respetuosa; en efecto, en la aldea dónde nací allá por el año 1922, vivían personas excelentes.
Foto de Valentin Biryukov Mi padre, Yakov Fiodorovich, era maestro de primaria y además tenía las manos de oro. Ya no existen gente así. Era capaz de hacer unas valenki, curtir cualquier piel o construir una estufa rusa sin usar ladrillos, sólo con barro. Me encantaba nuestra iglesia,  que estaba consagrada a Santa María de Kazán donde fui bautizado en el día de Nuestra Señora. Sentía, como ya dije, un gran amor infantil hacia todos nuestros vecinos.
Más tarde los tiempos, fue a principios de la Cuaresma de 1930, cuando prendieron a mi padre por que rechazó ser presidente del soviet de la aldea con el cometido de organizar una comuna. El no quería destrozar la vida de su gente. Al ser un hombre creyente percibía con claridad adonde conduciría todo el proceso de colectivización.
Los que mandaban le amenazaron:
- ¡Te desterraremos!
- Esto asunto vuestro, - les contestó.
Y así fue que mi padre terminó arrojado a una  nueva prisión, antes monasterio hasta que echaron a todos los monjes, en la ciudad de Barnaul.
Después de aquello el resto de mi familia terminó desterrada. Por aquel entonces tenía unos siete años y ví como nos robaron el ganado, como nos echaron de nuestras casas, y como lloraban desconsoladamente las mujeres y los niños.  
Entonces algo se rompió en mi alma y cambié mi forma de pensar: ¿Por qué la gente es tan mala? ¿por qué todos se vuelven locos de repente?
Así fue que como futuros desterrados nos metieron en un cercado propiedad del soviet de la aldea, y pusieron a nuestros vecinos como vigilantes para que armados con fusiles, que también les entregaron, no nos perdieran de vista. 
Anna Sergeevna, mi madrina, al enterarse de que estábamos allí nos quiso traer unos empanadillas  pero un chaval que le tocaba guardia alzó su fusil y la apuntó :
- ¡No te acerques, que disparo!
- Traigo empanadillas para mi ahijado.
- ¡Ni hablar! Son enemigos del pueblo.
- Pero que dices ¿dónde están los enemigos? ¡Es mi ahijado!
El chico, apuntándola, la frenó brutalmente empujándola con el cañón de su fusil. Ella, desconcertada, se puso a llorar:
- ¿Que te he hecho yo, Ivan?
Él había sido nuestro vecino hasta ahora, un ruso igual que nosotros, pero no bien le entregaron un arma ya pasó a considerarme un enemigo del poder soviético.

Puede leerla aqui: Cajon de Watson

El segundo libro, casualmente tambien, surge de este comentario de un amigo al poner la historia de Biryukov en Facebook: 

"Juan, no te puedo recomendar que lo busques porque ya está fuera de imprenta y agotado hace muchos años, pero tengo un libro Titulado I SPEAK FOR THE SILENT, escrito en 1935 por un cientifico ruso (ictiologo) que sufrió los desmanes de Lenin y Stalin , junto a su esposa y un hijo, y logró escapar de uno de esos horribles campos de concentración sovieticos y llegar a Finlandia para poder denunciar al mundo las barbaridades que hoy son copiadas especialmete en Cuba. Es terrible y desgarrador el relato."

Yo le conteste: " Luis, voy a ver si lo encuentro. El libro del archipriest ortodoxo me impresiono por las referencias a Dios y la experiencia de ese terrible mal que ha sido el comunismo y su paralelo con los desterrados del Escambray, pasage que hizo muy famoso en nuestra historia Valeriano Weyler...."

Fui a buscarlo y lo encontre en Heritage History (ingles), bajo el titulo " I Speak for the Silent Prisoners of the Soviets, del cientifico ruso Valentin Tchernavin,. Ahi tambien pude leer el libro de su esposa  "Escape from the Soviets".

El cuarto libro que lei fue " Cesar Vallejo (1892 - 1938) Vida y obra - Biografia - Antologica, del profesor Luis Monguio (Hispanic Institute, New York,1952). Una antonimia y antinomia, si se quiere, entre la historia del poeta peruano, la de Biryukov y el matrimonio Tchernavin y el comunismo.

Cesar Vallejo escribio sus "Cronicas de Rusia 1931" durante el encarcelamiento del matrimonio Tchernavin y el destierro de Biryukov. Vallejo de niño decia: "Yo voy a ser Obispo (como sus abuelos). Voy a llevar la mitra en esta cabeza". Byryukov, siendo un niño, amaba a Dios y se hizo sacerdote mientras que Vallejo se convirtio en ateo. El padre de Byryukov (contemporaneo a Vallejo) era maestro de primaria en una aldea y Vallejo fue maestro de primaria en Guadalupe y Lima.. Biryukov, en lo mas profundo de su tragedia bajo el comunismo, habla del amor de Dios y Vallejo en sus Heraldos Negros del "odio de Dios". Vallejo se convierte al comunismo y Byryukov al sacerdocio. Esos contrastes tambien se encuentran entre la vida de Valentin Tchernavin, explorador, cientifico ictiologo, enviado al Gulag y su esposa, Tatiana Tchernavin, intelectual liberal 

La vida de Vallejo verifica el viejo adagio de que el camino al infierno esta empedrado de buenas intenciones. Vallejo vivio y murio pobre buscando la "justicia" social en el comunidsmo y el matrimonio Tchernavin y Biryukov, encontraron la felicidad en las injusticias del Comunismo cientifico. Con el caso de Cuba pasa lo mismo. 

Vallejo paso hambre defendiendo el comunismo, Tatiana, al tener su hijo en 1918 (un año despues del comunismo en Rusia) cuenta que lo primero que sintio fue hambre. Triste destino que nos trae el comunismo. Cuantos intelectuales se casaron y siguen casado con esa mentira.










Thursday, April 21, 2016

Botan al profesor Everleny Perez de la Universidad de la Habana por "informar demasiado"

Lo botaron por informar demasiado..
The dismissal of Omar Everleny Perez adds to a chillier mood that has settled over much of Cuba as the country's leaders try to quash the widespread jubilation that greeted President Barack Obama's historic trip to the island last month.
The Cuban Communist Party's twice-a-decade Congress ended Tuesday after four days of officials issuing tough warnings about the need to maintain a defensive stance against what they called the United States' continuing imperialist aspirations. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez described Obama's visit as an "attack on the foundation of our political ideas, our history, our culture and our symbols." President Raul Castro described the U.S. as an "enemy" seeking to seduce vulnerable sectors of society, including intellectuals and members of Cuba's new private sector.
One of Cuba's most renowned advocates of economic reform has been fired from his University of Havana think tank for sharing information with Americans without authorization, among other alleged violations.
SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.COM

Mary Landrieu is lobbying to bring Cuban musicians to New Orleans Jazz Fest

In her new role as a lobbyist, former Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu has launched a Cuba practice.
Her first order of business?
Working with the New Orleans Jazz Fest in its quest to bring 150 Cuban musicians and artists to next year’s festivities.
...See More
Mary Landrieu, the former longtime Democratic senator from Louisiana, is…
WASHINGTONPOST.COM|BY CATHERINE HO

Alan Gross quiere regresar a Cuba

Alan Gross quiere regresar a Cuba....Vamos Alan, eso estaba en el plan desde el principio....Fidel Castro (perdon los cubanos) "
"The people of Cuba, Cubanos, are among the most kind-hearted, creative, talented, generous people I've ever met,"
As many of you are thinking about visiting Cuba, Alan Gross had a very different experience there.
ABCACTIONNEWS.COM|BY ASHLEY YORE

Jamaica le compra "equipos de agricultura" a Cuba.

No se si reirme o llorar. Le ronca!....... As part of efforts to strengthen the agricultural sector, the Government will be acquiring durable equipment from Cuba, while also relying on the expertise they have developed in Greenhouse technology.........He added that the watering of crops can also be made easier with technology from the Cubans. “They have irrigation systems that can help small farmers,” he said.
Hutchinson argued that the Cuban greenhouses are “affordable,” and with all the advancements that country has made in agriculture, “we need to look in that direction”.

KINGSTON, April 20 (JIS) — As part of efforts to strengthen the agricultural sector, the Government will be acquiring durable equipment from Cuba, while also relying on the expertise they have developed in…
JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM|BY JAMAICA OBSERVER LIMITED

El negocito de la musica en Cuba

“We see so much potential in Cuba,” Blue told USA Today earlier this week. The Louisville businessman has been traveling to Cuba for years, even before the the U.S. began to lift the trade ban it had imposed on the communist island nation more than 50 years ago. “We’ve done this all over the world, so Cuba is just such a natural, close market. We’re big believers in the long-term potential there.”
According to the USA Today article, “Rodriguez will find artists in Cuba and funnel them to Blue’s BEST company, which will then serve as their agents for events in the U.S. and elsewhere.”
However, the article noted that commercial doors between the two countries are not yet entirely open. For example, Blue said his firm could also represent the Cuban artists in Cuba, but if one of the artists performs at an event paid for by the Cuban government, Blue could not receive any compensation for that because it would violate U.S. law.
Regulations passed by the Obama administration allow U.S. companies to hire Cuban workers, and lets those workers establish bank accounts in the U.S. to make it easier to get paid. However, said Carlos Saladrigas, a Cuban-American businessman in Miami and chairman of the Cuba Study Group, there are still matters to be tested.
“The difficulty is that in [the American] system, everything is legal unless it is prohibited,” Saladrigas told USA Today. “In Cuba, everything is prohibited unless it is made legal. That leaves Cubans in a legal limbo.”
Jonathan Blue has become one of the first U.S. company owners to sign a business deal with a Cuban company since trade relations began to normalize.
INSIDERLOUISVILLE.COM

Usher en Cuba

The 33-person cultural delegation visited Cuba’s famous University of the Arts, where musicians performed a concert with classical music and folkloric dance performances. Kal Penn, best known as the character Dr Lawrence Kutner on the television series House, said he hopes to establish relationships that will fuel continued creative projects. .......The artists will be in Cuba through Thursday and plan to hold meetings with Cuban government officials and directors of cultural institutions to identify further opportunities for artistic cooperation.
HAVANA – A United States delegation of cultural leaders and artists, including Usher and Kal Penn, arrived in Havana, Cuba on Monday as part of a four-day artistic...
NATIONNEWS.COM|BY NATION NEWS AUTHOR

Friday, April 15, 2016

Noticias de Cuba


Wednesday, April 13, 2016

A Fine, Blurred Line: Carnival’s US-to-Cuba Cruise In May “Doesn’t Feel Right”

A Fine, Blurred Line: Carnival’s US-to-Cuba Cruise In May “Doesn’t Feel Right”

COMMENTARY 
carnival cuba

In case you haven’t yet heard, news broke on Tuesday that Carnival Cruise Lines was granted U.S. approval to expand their business by sending cruise ships from Miami to three Cuban ports beginning May 1st.
Many in the political arena may tell you how this is a great or bad idea depending on mixed beliefs. Many in the business world may tell you how Cuba is a virgin land ripe with monetary opportunity. And most people in the sports industry probably won’t say anything at all, but I will.
Miami Heat owner Micky Arison has made his $7.2 billion fortune as the CEO, and more recently, the chairman of Carnival Cruise Lines. He is, if not, one of the most respected and beloved owners in all of sports and serves as a paragon of reverence and organizational stability.
To set the record straight, I am not here to bash Mr. Arison, the Miami Heat organization or Carnival Cruise Lines.
Instead, what I would like to do is pose a question. But before I delve any further, I ask: Can you the reader, the fan, divide your fandom from your politics and personal beliefs?
If so, then let’s get hypothetical.
Say the owner of your favorite sports team were to do something that you particularly didn’t agree with in the private sector, would you let that bleed over into your fandom? Would that in any shape affect the way you supported the team or those at the helm?
When the Donald Sterling scandal erupted, did it feel dirty for Clippers fans who were African-American to support the team while he still reigned in power – knowing that all of the revenue generated from ticket sales, merchandise, concessions stands, sponsors, advertisers and media rights deals were only making him richer?
Once again, in no way am I comparing the despicable prick that was Donald Sterling to Micky Arison – nor should it be taken as an indictment of him.
I do, however, sit back and wonder how Cubans will feel about the Miami Heat franchise, fully cognizant that their beloved owner is reaching his hands into the cookie jar in plain sight for all to see. Sending his ships to a land that remains under communist control and profiting an enormous amount of revenue for Carnival while stimulating the Cuban government. It just doesn’t feel right.
Can Cubans and Cuban-American Heat fans compartmentalize their zeal for the team versus the business decisions of their owner?
Or is the line so blurred that it could cause a problem to the untrained mind?
I understand what Micky is doing for his company isn’t grounded on alienating the 34 percent of Miami’s population. It’s a business decision, just like amnestying Mike Miller back in 2013 was a move to reduce salary despite Miami’s desperate need for shooters.
It was the right choice to make at the time, even though it was unpopular. Business is business. You have to learn how to rationally divide that apart from the fanatical support you have in his team.
Training the mind to divide rational decision-making and emotional response doesn’t come without frustration, pain and anger.
As you know, the MLB just played a game in Cuba this week. Not only that, it was also the first time in 90 years that a U.S. President has stepped foot on Cuban soil and shook hands with a family of tyrants.
Instead of it becoming a moment of realization for our country on how Cuba’s communist regime has destroyed everything in is path, it’s not. America has chosen to not inform themselves of what has happened and what is currently happening 90 miles away from our most southern point.
I am a second-generation Cuban-American. I come from a family that has invested nearly 60 years for the liberation of Cuba. The generation that was fighting for its independence is slowly fading away while the figurehead of what they were fighting against lives on. Fidel Castro is outlasting all of the brave men and women who risked everything to bring freedom to their homeland.
It’s difficult to comprehend. I don’t know what it’s like to leave my life, everything I have ever known and start over in a foreign country where I don’t speak the language. I don’t know what it’s like to constantly look over my shoulder in fear of my life because I’m being monitored of my own beliefs.
Truth is, a lot of people in my Cuban generation don’t understand what that Cuba was like.
My grandparents remember all to well and by proxy, I feel their pain, I share their tears.
Secret Police. Disappearances. Firing squads. A paranoid regime that tortured its people into a state of submission and obedience. This is what Cuba was.
A man that used the front of Marxism and communism to prop himself up as a divine being with a devilish background. Kneeled, head bowed and hands stretched. This is what the regime wants. No self-expression, no individuality, no ideas – just a blurry face with blind obedience to the cause.
As a person who dreams of working for the worldwide leader in sports, it’s hard to see a man that is the epitome of hatred, inequality, murder, narcissism and evil be humanized in a way that makes him look, well, like a normal person. Because reporters and camera crews were sent into the country he took over through hostility and fear.
My grandfather passed away on March 20, 2013. He was a veteran of the Brigade 2506, the guerilla force who stormed the beaches in the Bay of Pigs invasion, aimed to overthrow the Cuban government. He was a prisoner of war for two years in Cuba before being released by a U.S negotiating team led by the guy from Bridge of Spies.
Until his last breath, he toiled tirelessly to provide for his family and fight the oppression that made him flee his country in his 20s.
The stories and experiences that he passed down to me were of hope and of one day stepping foot on a free Cuba. That day never came.
I took it upon myself to recognize that I would be doing him and all of those who sacrificed like he did a disservice by ever going to the blood-soaked streets, beaches and mountains of communist Cuba.
So for now, he and I wait. Even though his body is confined to an urn, mine isn’t. My promise to him is that together we will step foot on a free Cuba, one day.
This piece can never even come close to giving you a glimpse of the things that have happened. I cannot put into words the experiences that my grandparents and many of your family members have gone through.
What we can do is always keep their legacy alive through remembrance, through standing up for what they believed in which was independence, free thought, freedom of speech and religion, everything that we stand for here in America.
I also understand that times are a changing. Just like the torch was passed from Magic to Jordan to Kobe to Wade to LeBron, the generation before us is passing down this problem without a solution.
I’m not here to tell you that I have one.
I’m just here to be a scribe of sorts, a gatekeeper and storyteller to remind those of my generation that this will always be a serious and sensitive subject. One filled with pain, sacrifice, doubt and emptiness, but always one filled with hope.
A hope for a brighter tomorrow even though today looks dim.
Although it could be the right business decision for Mr. Arison and Carnival Cruise Lines, there are people who still feel the pain 60 years later.
For a lifetime Miami Heat supporter and past season-ticket holder, it’s difficult to see profits being made on the very same shores that my grandfather and many of your family members bled on being washed away by capital gain and ignorance.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Noticias de Cuba