Perhaps Danny Glover, Oliver Stone could raise the money and Jimmy Carter could do the repairs?

A sad situation.

I had no idea there were Cuban Masonic Lodges. None of the men in my family (to my knowledge) were members of the Lodge. Also, I am amazed that the regime in Cuba would allow them to continue to exist.

What a beautiful picture of the city of my birth to post (taken two years after that wonderful event, BTW). Val, the majority of the people of the US do not know the treasure they lost when they lost Cuba to that mass murderer...

Communist thugs don't know the value of anything because they don't believe in paying for anything. Hence, everything falls to dust, assuming the same value that they put on it in the first place. They are the scum of the earth.

Be sure and visit before all of that gets fixed up. The ruins are so...quaint. Just like the old cars and the old people. Oh, and the old quaint Commandante himself. A ruin. What great postcards those pictures would make. Reminds me of Pompeii.

The Masons need to due a better job searching the bolsa negra. Having recently bought several bags of cement for 50 pesos per bag, down from the usual black market source amount of 100 pesos per bag. Currently, 26 Moneda Nacional pesos per dollar.

It's a mixed bag on the historical significant architecture front. There is a ton of renovation that has happened and is happening in Habana Vieja. Mostly travel related. There is just so much work to do. It has been stated in an outstanding article about Havana's decay; that with a different regime in power, many of the buildings in subsequent decades (60's, 70's, 80's, 90's), would have seen the wrecking ball and replaced with sterile corporate office and apartment parks. Much of Centro Habana was scheduled to be flattened, to look more like a new and improved Vedado and Miramar, I imagine.

Falling down buildings have an upside, the old tenants are sent off to Alamar or Reparto Electrico, and gentrification-minded upstarts rebuild in the shell of the building, illegally. A good buddy of mine recently had an offer for a cherry red Chevrolet almendron as a trade for his studio apartment without running water. Poco a poco, he plans to build a second floor. Everything moves slowly, you don't want to move to fast, an envious and spiteful socio/a might want to pull the authority trigger on you.

Culturally, they can shove their, Havana is the best, que bonita Mulatta, and nothing compares to Cuba, lyric-ladened Salsa music, and any birthday party that plays the S nonstop. Que pena.

The ballet system is very good, though.

Salsa is never played at any of our parties. Bob Seger, Kid Rock, Led Zep, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lenny Kravitz, and Pink Floyd always are. Americana, Americana. That has historical significance for those who were screwed with by the cops for listening to the subversive music of the enemy.

Do not despair Val, When the fucker dies(on or about Aug. 14 2005, So i can collect my havannnas)the people who have the gumption in CVuba and in the U.S. will repair the wonders that are and will be agin.My boat will be in the salt and i and my wife shall be sailing to and from Cuba as we do the Carib run during winter and the Med in hurricane seasons.One request please.When you do write in spanish would you please translate as well for those of us that are trying to teach ourselves(ME) .Gracias.

Arafat is finally dead. Hopefully, Fidel will soon join him in Hell.

What Dave J. said.

What Rex said.

I, personally, hope that arafat has not yet made it to hell. I hope he boards the ferry across the River Styx, and part-way across, a terrorist bomb blows up the ferry. This happens over and over again until fidel joins him. Then it can get worse.