To my friends all over the world, I love you, I miss you, Happy New Year, les quiero mucho, les extaño muchisimo, Feliz Año 2007...
The Czechs and Slovaks get off to a good start with a traditional house cleaning at the beginning of December. This is not ordinary house cleaning, but a week long effort.
By ANTHONY DePALMAMario Llerena, a Cuban intellectual who was an early representative of Fidel Castro in the United States but who broke with him before he took power because of Mr. Castro’s shift toward Communism, died Sunday in Miami. He was 93.
His daughter, Stella Portada, said yesterday that he had died of natural causes at an assisted living center in Miami after recovering from a bout of pneumonia.
Mr. Llerena met Mr. Castro in Mexico in the mid-1950s as Mr. Castro was preparing for an invasion of Cuba to overthrow the military dictator Fulgencio Batista. At Mr. Castro’s request, Mr. Llerena put into writing the democratic ideals that underpinned the Castro movement in the early days of the uprising. The document, "Nuestra Razón" ("Our Reason"), was published in Mexico.
It was in 1957, a few months after Mr. Castro was widely believed to have been killed in the invasion, that Mr. Llerena played a pivotal role in skirting General Batista’s attempt to censor any news about it.
Read the rest here.
Photo (c) GrahamWatson.com, used with permission.
I recently had the pleasure of giving an exclusive interview to Secrets of the Peloton, home of Anthony Pope's Plastic Peloton People. I've been a fan of Anthony's wit and humor since I first noticed his work appearing in Pro Cycling Magazine and I appreciate having had the chance to speak with him.
On another note, I rode my bike today for the second time in four months. At first I thought that I was in even worse shape than I'd imagined, because my back and shoulders were so unfomfortable, but then I realized that Mike Fraysse had accidentally replaced my 12cm stem with a 13cm model after he'd loaned out my old Fuji while I was in Italy. Since Simone Biasci wanted 1800 euros for my 2006 Whistle team bike, a price I couldn't - and wouldn't pay - the only option after I came back across the pond was a 2 year-old Fuji team issue frame with Campag (and no Bora wheels). Thank god I didn't sell this Fuji during my liquidation sale.
I've been going to the gym regularly and getting back into good form, despite having two dinners on Thursday! Thanksgiving was nice, my brother David was in town with his girlfriend Jenn for a few days and we had some rare time together, and I also reconnected with the Bruns family in Mt. Lebanon. Dave is a great guy and I'm so proud of everything that he's achieved in his life, especially in light of all the grief he caught from me growing up. Ask him about playing Nerf football punt return in the backyard as kids...
Finally, I booked tickets to Mexico and points beyond. I'm leaving on December 1 and will be incommunicado for two weeks or so. Hopefully I won't turn up on CNN and can find some concrete answers to Yuliet's situation.
Though it may not seem so when you first encounter a serious blow, you can never lose two of the most important assets you have. These are the power of your mind and your freedom to use it. Once you have turned them to understanding what laid you low, you can begin forming new plans. You may not have the money you once had; you may lack the allies you had cultivated. But you still have the benefit of a universe that eventually rewards honest effort, as well as gaining the experience of mistakes you will never make again. Remember, no matter where you are now, whatever you can conceive and believe, you can achieve. Protect the most important thing you have.
YOUR REAL COURAGE SHOWS BEST IN THE HOUR OF ADVERSITY
Some setbacks are so severe that to give in to them means losing the whole ball game. When he assumed command of the Korean War, Gen. Matthew Ridgeway found his forces pushed far to the south, hard pressed by the invaders. Only a determined decision to hold the lines allowed the American forces to keep from being swept into the sea and to eventually regain all the territory they had lost. When a defeat strikes, you may not have the time to withdraw and contemplate your mistakes without risking further setbacks. Don’t succumb to paralysis. It is important to know at that moment what it is you truly desire and to act to preserve your resources and your hope. If you crumble utterly, you will take a blow to your self-esteem that will be hard to repair. Instead, stick to your principles, and you will know, at the very least, that you have protected the most important thing you have.
and this one:
Too funny. Anyway, I'm a bit melancholy to not be joining the boys in Asia this winter, though I'm sure that when Yuliet and I are finally reunited, December or January in USA won't seem so cold afterall. Still, I'll miss the chance to hang with Simon (Little Bear), Derek, Daniel (or whomever the Asian riders are this year), Louis and Scott, DS, JB and everyone else.
I have to say that my time with the Champion System team was the most harmonious racing experience of my life. Granted, it helped that we rode well, but we rode well and we had fun - because everyone involved with the program was nice, pleaseant and well-intentioned (even me!). I've got to make sure to write about that in my advice diary for cyclingnews.com...when you're united of purpose, success is all but guaranteed, and the trip is harmonious. Thanks Champion System, for a beautiful moment.
This stuff is too funny. Even in dark, dark moments, it is good to laugh. Check out noir-Virenque! It's all at NYVelocity.com.
All is not chaos or bleak, however. Yuliet and I have more contact, I'm benefitting from my work with futureDESIGNstudio, and I recently renewed a relationship with a long-lost friend. This last item is significant, as this person was very important to me and I welcome the chance to have him back in my life. Good friends are hard to find.
"Those truly linked don't need correspondence, When they meet again after many years apart, Their friendship is as true as ever." - Deng Ming-Dao
FYI: I'm still alive, Yuliet is still alive, she and I are not reunited, I have not traveled to Cuba and we are definitely in limbo, waiting for action by others before we can move forward. Hopefully in the next 36 hours Yuliet and I will have a better idea of what the current dynamic is within the Cuban government, and we can take that information to the press and to the US government in hopes of accelerating this process and finally being reunited. As I've said one million times before (but it never seems like enough), thanks to each and every single one of you who has called, emailed, inquired through friends or commented independently about what Yuliet and I are suffering through.
On the internet, I especially appreciate the unwavering support of the CB and KC, and Val. Between them they have two excellent blogs that approach coverage of Cuban affairs from very different perspectives and in very different styles. Alas, I'm not a partisan, and I could never choose between them if forced to do so, because for me they've all been the best of friends.
My brother David sent me a link yesterday from the Wall Street Journal concerning the Cuban military's involvement in economic development on the island. KC and CB comment on it here while Babalu writes it up here. Again, I just want to recognize both of these blogs as being on my daily reading list, and I am hugely indebted to all of the men and women who write about the reality of Cuba in 2006.
As I'm sure you can imagine, with a family member basically being held hostage by the Castro regime, and her status subject to the vagaries of the political climate in, and the relations between, Cuba and the USA, I tread far more lightly than I otherwise would be inclined to do.
For those of you who don't know what DTJ is, I'd like to take a moment to give you a brief explanation.
Ay amor
mirándote a los ojos sé
que eres diferente y sé
que te pareces mucho a lo que yo sueño.
Ay amor, lo que te digo es verdad
yo hablo por hablar
te pareces mucho a lo que yo sueño.
Esa risa que me aloca
tu mirada encantadora
y tu forma de ser me pone a pensar
mucho más en tí.
Y que me pasa
que últimamente pienso mucho en tí
Y que me pasa que a mis amigos les hablo de tí
que mis oidos buscan tus palabras
y en las mañanas cuando tengo frío
me acuerdo de tí.
Y que me pasa
que últimamente pienso mucho en tí
Y que me pasa que a mis amigos les hablo de tí
Y de pensar en tí yo me sonrío
Y en las mañanas cuando tengo frío
me acuerdo de tí.
Me acuerdo de tí,
Me acuerdo de tí...
Forget no-fly lists. If Uncle Sam gets its way, beginning on Jan. 14, 2007, we'll all be on no-fly lists, unless the government gives us permission to leave-or re-enter-the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSA) has proposed that all airlines, cruise lines-even fishing boats-be required to obtain clearance for each passenger they propose taking into or out of the United States.
It doesn't matter if you have a U.S. passport-a travel document that now, absent a court order to the contrary, gives you a virtually unqualified right to enter or leave the United States, any time you want. When the DHS system comes into effect next January, if the agency says no to a clearance request, or doesn't answer the request at all, you won't be permitted to enter-or leave-the United States.
Consider what might happen if you're a U.S. passport holder on assignment in a country like Saudi Arabia. Your visa is about to expire, so you board your flight back to the United States. But wait! You can't get on, because you don't have permission from the HSA. Saudi immigration officials are on hand to escort you to a squalid detention center, where you and others who are now effectively stateless persons are detained, potentially indefinitely, until their immigration status is sorted out.
Why might the HSA deny you permission to leave-or enter-the United States? No one knows, because the entire clearance procedure would be an administrative determination made secretly, with no right of appeal. Naturally, the decision would be made without a warrant, without probable cause and without even any particular degree of suspicion. Basically, if the HSA decides it doesn't like you, you're a prisoner-either outside, or inside, the United States, whether or not you hold a U.S. passport.
The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized there is a constitutional right to travel internationally. Indeed, it has declared that the right to travel is "a virtually unconditional personal right." The United States has also signed treaties guaranteeing freedom of travel. So if these regulations do go into effect, you can expect a lengthy court battle, both nationally and internationally.
Think this can't happen? Think againit's ALREADY happening. Earlier this year, HSA forbade airlines from transporting an 18-year-old native-born U.S. citizen, back to the United States. The prohibition lasted nearly six months until it was finally lifted a few weeks ago.
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union are two countries in recent history that didn't allow their citizens to travel abroad without permission. If these regulations go into effect, you can add the United States to this list.
For more information on this proposed regulation, see http://hasbrouck.org/IDP/IDP-APIS-comments.pdf.
-by Mark Nestmann, Wealth Preservation & Tax Consultant and President of The Nestmann Group
Sports agent accused of paying for smuggling of Cuban players into Florida
By Vanessa Blum
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A California sports agent known for representing Cuban baseball players paid to have five prospects from Cuba smuggled to the United States in 2004, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.Gustavo "Gus" Dominguez, of Chatsworth, is accused in a 52-count indictment of financing fast-boat trips across the Florida Straits so he could profit from representing the players.
The Cubans were apprehended on their first attempt to reach the United States. In August 2004, they made it to Florida and were driven to California, where Dominguez paid for their apartment, meals and clothing, prosecutors said.
Read the full story here.
I just want to say THANKS to the head of my fan club in Australia. He's a great guy, someone who has supported me through a difficult moment, and whose kindness and compassion I will forever cherish. Despite his own personal hardship, he takes the time to ring me from down under, and try to cheer me up. That's class, and it reinforces my belief in the kindheartedness of Aussie's in general.
Why is Uruguay Great? Because of its people...
IF YOU MUST LET SOMEONE DOWN, BE SURE IT ISN’T THE FRIEND WHO HELPED YOU UP WHEN YOU WERE DOWN.
"We all have short memories. We become preoccupied with our own interests and daily cares, and it’s easy to lose track of friends. There will always be times when you must choose between what you wish to do and what you must do. When you are faced with such decisions, make sure you always remember those true and loyal friends who were there when you needed them, and never, under any circumstances, abandon them. When you let down a friend who helped you when you needed it most, you will not only adversely affect the friendship; you will seriously damage your own self-respect. When you fail a friend, regardless of how heavy your own burdens may be, you also fail yourself. If you absolutely cannot do what good friends would like, find another way to make it up to them."
This is one that I'm going to remember with all of my heart as I move forward through this difficult moment. Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive during a time that can only be described as FUBAR... KC, CB, Dave, Jeb, Mom, Jenn, etc., etc., thanks.
Until last week, it was 17 years since I last went to church or thought about God in any manner other than to say, "God damn." However, with the horror and pain of Yuliet's disappearance, well, you can imagine that I'm thinking about God a lot right now. I wanted to share this compassionate prayer that was said on behalf of Yuliet and me by a concerned friend... "Father you are so strong and miraculous. You are the Creator of everything. You can do all Things, you are a Mountain mover. Father forgive us for our sins Lord. We all have sins that we are not proud of Lord just take all of our sins. Carry them for us Lord... Forgive us now. We thank you Jesus that you died for us so that we may be forgiven. We thank you Lord Jesus that you are always there, when we think you aren't. I thank you for listening to our prayer and forgiving us. Thank you for our life that we have. Thank you for the blessings of all we can do. Lord please be with Yuliet, please LORD bring her back to Joe safe and sound with open arms if it be your will. Please Lord give Yuliet and Joe your strength at this time Lord. I pray Lord that they know you as I do, a Loving Forgiving God that will always be there for us. Even in times like these. I pray all these things in your name... Amen"
So I really appreciated that prayer, and as I struggle to come to terms to what has happened to Yuliet and what it means for our futures, I will keep this close to my heart.
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