“Just say no,” is the prescription offered by moralists
“Don’t smoke,” that’s good advice, except . . .
When one encounters the essence of Cuba, in the rolled product of Cuba’s land
When one experiences the spiritual uplifting that comes with a deep draw
When one sets aside standard proscriptions and considers another path to nirvana
When one sits backs, lights up, accepts, as intimately as a lover, the engagement
When one infers from the burning leaf messages from the awesome

Then one receives and appreciates the fruit of the field
The blossom of plants destined by the gods to offer
The fullness of the high experienced by espirito santo
Shared, but thoughtfully, with seekers for higher truths

That’s when one slowly draws from the leaf its message
Receives from the burnt sacrifice what only a fine Cuban cigar can give

It is, in part, the touch of a fine product, craftfully rolled
The essence of fine tobacco harvested at just the exact time
The tactile experience of a work of art and craft
The subtle sound of tobacco whose time has arrived
The taste of mellow product—precisely moist and ready

You may need a bit of courage to rise above judgments
You’ll need determination to light up knowing that smoking “may be harmful . . .”
You’ll want a dash of hedonism to face adverse comment
But on discovering the essence of a fine Cuban cigar you will

Full of appreciation for the better things life offers
Aware of the spiritual dimensions of a free spirit
Open to the symphony of ecstasy
Launched, as a skydiver, into the excitement of a free fall
Buoyed upward by a timely parachute providing a gentle decent

Rise to higher highs
Experience a larger universe
Touch the edge of the heavens
Receive the confirmation that life is, indeed, good
And discover the essence of an enlightened life

You’ll be ready to slay dragons
Inspired to write poetry or
Prepared simply to cope with life’s stresses

You’ll appreciate this gift of Cuba and as you share, others will be able to
Reach for the best life can provide

or so it seems to me: jim sykes

 Travel Prep
The total cost of the trip we paid to Marazul, the travel agent was around $1,150. We originally authorized Marazul to charge up to $1,000 on our credit card for each person for the trip. We had to give 2 additional authorizations as charges were added that exceeded the $1,000.

• A plane ticket for the charter flight to Camaguey.
• A voucher for the hotel.
• A Cuban visa. The visa is a small piece of paper with a perforation across the middle. The immigration official tore it in half along the perforation, keeping half and returning half. The half of the visa that was returned had to be presented to Cuban officials when leaving the country.
• A letter from the Wisconsin Medical Project describing the license.
• A membership card for the Wisconsin Medical Project.

Luggage
Each person was assigned 2 large roller suitcases that were provided by the Wisconsin Medical Project. One suitcase was the “donation” bag and the second was the “personal” bag. The donation bag was entirely filled with medical equipment and supplies that went to the hospitals or clinics in Camaguey. The personal bag was partially filled with non-medical equipment and supplies that go to places/organizations like Project Hope and the school for the deaf. The remainder of the space in the personal bag was used for our personal items.

• Q: How long I was going to stay? A: 7 Days
• Q: Where I was going to stay? A: Hotel Puerto Principe.
• Q: What I was doing there? A: A Humanitarian trip bringing medical donations. (This was difficult to convey. The official had a hard time understanding this).
• Q: What was my profession? A: I work with computers.
• They also asked a lot of questions about Peru. My passport was recently renewed and the only stamp on my passport was from Peru immigration, so I don’t know what that was about.

The immigration agent took half my visa, stamped the other half, and did not stamp my passport.

We adopted a tactic for the return trip where all the WMP travelers lined up one after another for the same immigration official. After the first couple WMP travelers, the immigration official rubber-stamped the rest.

“Congressional Leaders Must Act on Cuba Travel”

…The Bush Administration’s effort to force change in Cuba through isolation has resulted only in painful barriers for families and the isolation of the US, not of Cuba, from world opinion. Two-thirds of Americans, including most Cuban Americans, want this policy changed. The inability of the Democratic led Congress to act contributes to an atmosphere of public frustration….

I’d like to encourage you to add your signature, too.  It’s free and takes
less than a minute of your time.

Thanks!

Ricardo Gonzalez

The contribution will have the tile factory, located in Camagüey province, increase its production rate, which is extremely necessary given the high number of roofs that were destroyed all over Cuba, especially on the western side of the territory.

The provincial enterprise also gathered over 80 tons of glass, which were allocated to the La Lisa glass plant in Havana for the elaboration of dinner sets and decoration items; and 65 tons of car batteries that will be sent to the FUNALCO foundry, also in Havana, to recycle the lead.

Odelaisy Fiol Rodríguez, the provincial director of Raw Material in Ciego de Ávila, informed that the sector retrieves 20 kinds of materials, among which the highest values correspond to scrap steel and cast iron. Those materials are provided to Laminados, an enterprise in The Tunas province devoted to the production of iron bars.

Other items recovered by the sector are aluminium, brass, copper, tires, wood and steel, besides plastic and electronic wastes originated by the substitution of old refrigerators and television sets for more efficient appliances.

The Association of Cuban Raw Material Enterprises enlarged the variety of recyclable products this year, in order to strengthen the economy of the country and minimize the convertible currency expenses.

The origination of those enterprises was the initiative of the Commander Ernesto Che Guevara in November 1961, which project he encouraged to help the substitution of imports. (acn)

Más de 600 instituciones educacionales de la provincia sufrieron los embates de ambos meteoros, algunas de ellas destruidas totalmente, mientras otras quedaron sin cubierta.

Ante la magnitud de los destrozos, 117 familias ofrecieron sus casas con el fin de acondicionarlas para recibir a los educandos.

Ángel López, director provincial de educación, destacó el gesto altruista de quienes convirtieron habitaciones de sus viviendas en aulas para la enseñanza primaria y secundaria.

Otra alternativa es el empleo de áreas pertenecientes a centros laborales para impartir las clases, hasta que se reconstruyan las edificaciones del sector de la educación.

El país envió 39 mil fibras de asbesto cemento y otros recursos con el objetivo de resarcir los perjuicios provocados por Gustav y Ike, para incorporar paulatinamente a otros planteles.

La totalidad de los locales fueron higienizados tras el paso de los ciclones para garantizar óptimas condiciones a los niños y adolescentes y prevenir la aparición de enfermedades.

López explicó que las escuelas que se reconstruyen en la actualidad, se incorporarán al curso progresivamente una vez finalizadas las labores de reparación.

Officials of the Ministry of Education in the territory, 690 kilometers to the east of Havana, asserted that although the attendance to the schools was relatively low, the opening of those centers helped to the self training of the teaching staff and to reorganize the educational process.

Gladys Vazquez Figueroa, director of Education in Las Tunas, told Tiempo21 that more than 56 percent of those 737 facilities of the General Teaching in the eight municipalities suffered damages, while thirty of them were completely destroyed.

As in the whole country, in this eastern territory, the classes will restart officially next Monday, but it is considered that several weeks will be needed to stabilize the school year, in dependence of the speed of recovery in each teritory.

Cuba was battered last day 30 by hurricane Gustav, which razed the province of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth, in the western region, and was strongly affected last weekend by Ike, another hurricane of huge intensity that caused serious affectations in the whole nation.
(Tiempo21.cu)

Cuban ministry of education described as urgent the situation of all Cuban children, teenagers and young students who need to continue their school activities, which might give peace and confidence to their families after the disaster.

The Ministry set the beginning of school activities for September 15 in the facilities ready to do so, regardless of the municipality or province.

Cuba was recently hit by three strong storms in a row that partially or completely damaged most of the schools throughout the country and made it impossible to begin 2008-2009 school-year in September 1.
Proeza de Cuba: tras huracanes se reinicia el curso escolar