Amigos son Amigos en Cualquier Idioma

Gardenia Hung First Aid To Father and Mother in Lombard

2011-10-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

Lombard Caused Criminal Disaster and Personal Tragedy For The Hung Family

2011-08-07T17:01:00.000-05:00

Lombard Caused Criminal Disaster & Tragedy for the Hung Family from G. Hung Fong on Vimeo.
The Village of Lombard Caused Criminal Disaster & Tragedy for the Hung Family after Mr. Roberto Hung purchased a Lombard Historic Bungalow at 502 S. Westmore-Meyers Road & Washington Boulevard, near St. Pius X Catholic Church and School. Lombard Police and Fire Department trespassed and allowed unauthorized people to jump the surrounding picket fence and damage roofing and wooden structure at the Estate of Mr. Roberto Hung and Family members, to include business equipment and resources for Communications, Languages & Culture, Inc. in DuPage County, Illinois 60148, in the State of Illinois, near the Department of Drivers and Motor Vehicles, in the United States of America.

Lombard Police & Fire Department Caused All The Damages for Hung.wmv

2011-04-12T10:27:00.000-05:00

CubaNet: La Huella Masónica del Maestro Apóstol José Martí en Su Aniversario

2011-01-28T17:31:00.000-06:00

LA HABANA, Cuba, enero (www.cubanet.org) – En mayo de 1908, Fermín Valdés Domínguez publicó en el periódico El Triunfo, dos artículos bajo un título: Ofrenda de hermano, en uno de los cuales afirmaba que Martí había desempeñado el cargo de orador en una logia de España; testimonio que desató una polémica, centrada en la falta de pruebas documentales que avalaran el hecho.

Aunque los más importantes biógrafos e investigadores de la vida y la obra de Martí dieron por sentado que el Maestro fue masón, la Gran Logia de Cuba se dio a la tarea de investigar la existencia de indicios que confirmasen la militancia masónica del Apóstol. Estas gestiones se realizaron en España, México y los Estados Unidos, países donde Martí desarrolló sus más importantes actividades como exiliado.

Miguel Ángel Valdés, miembro de la sección de Historia de la Academia Cubana de Altos Estudios Masónicos, encontró datos de interés al respecto; los cuales publicó, en 1937, en el folleto “Martí masón”.

Los elementos más significativos son:

1. Aparece reflejada la visita de los masones cubanos Máximo Gómez, José Martí y Antonio Maceo a la logia Prince Hall No. 38, anteriormente Sol de Cuba. Maceo fue nombrado miembro honorario de la misma. Esta logia se encuentra bajo la jurisdicción de Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of de Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of F & A. Masons Prince Hall.

2. El testimonio de Juan Gómez Valdés, médico de la columna española que dirigía el coronel Ximénez de Sandoval, quien dejó una nota clavada en un árbol, con estas palabras: “Llevamos a Martí herido; si somos atacados le daremos muerte. Sandoval”, enlazando los nombres de Martí y Sandoval con una cruz y una rosa, símbolo del grado 18 de la Masonería.

Más recientemente, el licenciado Samuel Sánchez Gálvez, encontró en los archivos de la logia Fernandina de Jagua, de Cienfuegos, documentos firmados por Martí como secretario de la logia Caballeros Cruzados No. 62, radicada en Madrid. Este hallazgo corrobora la afirmación que en 1899 hizo el Dr. Francisco Solano Ramos, referente a que él había presentado a Martí “en una logia del Gran Oriente Lusitano Unido”.

Además, en el museo masónico apareció un diploma expedido por la logia Armonía No. 36, a nombre de Fermín Valdés Domínguez, en el cual consta que Fermín poseía en grado 18 del Rito Escocés Antiguo y Aceptado.

En las pesquisas efectuadas consta que:

Martí fue iniciado en la logia Caballeros Cruzados”, de Madrid, entre los meses de marzo y abril de 1871. Fue Secretario de dicha logia. En septiembre de 1872 es el orador de la logia Armonía #36. Visitó la logia Sol de Cuba, en New York, en compañía de Máximo Gómez y Antonio Maceo. El médico Juan Gómez Valdés reconocía a Martí como grado 18 del Rito Escocés Antiguo y Aceptado.

Aunque aún quedan hechos por precisar, puede afirmarse, sin ninguna duda, que Martí fue masón.

Taste of Cuba | free Cuban Food recipes | Restaurant Directory

2011-01-16T11:38:00.000-06:00

Taste of Cuba | free Cuban Food recipes | Restaurant Directory

U.S. President Barack Obama: Allows Travel To Cuba in 2011

2011-01-16T08:05:00.000-06:00

US President Barack Obama has said he will ease restrictions on US citizens travelling to Cuba.

The president said he had instructed the relevant government departments to allow religious groups and students to travel to the communist-run island.

President Obama said he believed the new, more relaxed, rules which also make it easier to send remittances to Cuba will support civil society there.

The changes will not end the decades-old US trade embargo.

The rules will be modified to, among other things:

Allow religious organisation to sponsor religious travel to Cuba under a general licence
Allow accredited institutions of higher education to sponsor travel to Cuba
Allow any US person to send remittances (up to $500 per quarter) to non-family members in Cuba to support private economic activity
Allow remittances to be sent to religious institutions in Cuba in support of religious activities
Allow US airports to apply to provide services to licensed charters

'Improved contact'

In a statement, President Obama said the changes were aimed at developing "people-to-people" contacts through more academic, cultural and religious exchanges.

The moves follows an easing of the trade embargo in April 2009, when the president ordered curbs on remittances and travel by Cuban-Americans visiting family members on the island to be relaxed.

But Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said the changes would not help improve the situation in Cuba.

"They will not make the Castro regime show respect for human rights, and they certainly won't help the Cuban people free themselves from the despotic tyranny which oppresses them," she said.

The changes are expected to come into force in approximately three weeks.

Bimbi y su trio - La Fruta Bomba

2011-01-12T07:31:00.000-06:00

Web Design Blog | Wix.com: Maravilloso! Showcase of Latin American Websites

2011-01-10T07:32:00.000-06:00

Web Design Blog | Wix.com: Maravilloso! Showcase of Latin American Websites

TRIO MATAMOROS - VIRGEN DE LA CARIDAD

2011-01-02T09:02:00.000-06:00

Felicidades a la Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso en su Onomástico

2010-12-22T19:34:00.000-06:00

Plena de felicidad Alicia Alonso en su cumpleaños 90

Idania Rodríguez Echevarría

La Habana, 21 dic (AIN) Plena de felicidad se mostró hoy la prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso, en el día de su cumpleaños 90 al recibir el homenaje de instituciones, organismos, familiares, amigos y de integrantes del Ballet Nacional de Cuba.

En la sede de la compañía, en el Vedado, la excelsa bailarina fue agasajada por la Federación Estudiantil Universitaria (FEU) y en nombre de sus miembros le fue entregado un diploma en el que ella aparece fotografiada al lado del Alma Mater.

También se lee “La FEU se honra en recordarla en este día tan especial por encontrar en nuestra organización esa pareja inseparable del ballet que vive desde José Antonio y que mantendremos por siempre’’.

Estaba presente Miguel Barnet, presidente de la Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba, y además de un hermoso ramo de flores le hizo llegar una pieza en cerámica por la obra de toda la vida, de la autoría de un creador de la filial de la UNEAC de Villa Clara.

De igual modo le llegó el mensaje de los estudiantes de la Escuela Nacional de Ballet el cual expresa la gratitud de los alumnos por el magisterio demostrado por la legendaria artista y el legado que deja a las nuevas generaciones de danzarines.

La oficina donde realiza su diario quehacer Alicia Alonso se colmó también este martes de amigos, familiares y de directivos de varias instituciones, todos en el empeño de saludar a la querida y admirada figura de la cultura cubana, símbolo de tenacidad y entrega a la danza.

Feliz se vio sobremanera cuando apagó su vela de cumpleaños y junto a los mariachis Los gavilanes interpretó Las mañanitas y el Rey, entre otras rancheras.

Este lunes Alicia Alonso fue homenajeada durante una gala en la sala García Lorca del Gran Teatro de la Habana y esta tarde y noche la televisión cubana le dedicará los espacios Mesa redonda y Con dos que se quieran.

Mañana 22 de diciembre Día del Educador de igual modo será realzada la vida y obra de la artista por destacarse en la formación de varias generaciones de bailarines, durante un acto en el Memorial José Martí.

http://www.ain.cubaweb.cu/2010/diciembre/21eg-alicia.htm

Rick Bayless on America's Test Kitchen Season 11

2010-12-13T19:03:00.000-06:00

Family Wedding: Dr. Santiago Mock and Family

2010-11-20T14:12:00.002-06:00

American Ballet Theatre in Cuba and the International Book Fair in Istanbul, Turkey

2010-11-05T11:32:00.000-05:00

Memorable actuación del American Ballet Theatre en Cuba

Idania Rodríguez Echevarría

La Habana, 3 nov (AIN) Memorable actuación regaló hoy a Cuba el American Ballet Theatre (ABT), compañía de Estados Unidos que asiste como invitada especial al XXII Festival Internacional de Ballet de La Habana, edición dedicada a la prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso en su 90 cumpleaños.

En las palabras de apertura, en el teatro Karl Marx, Kevin McKenzie, director artístico del ABT, junto al primer bailarín José Manuel Carreño, reseñó la llegada de Alicia a la compañía en 1940, su debut en Giselle en el 43 y las huellas de la artista cubana en el corazón de los bailarines de entonces y los que les sucedieron.

El programa de la noche lo abrió Tema y Variaciones, de George Balanchine, creada por él para la legendaria bailarina, con música de Piotr Ilich Chaikovski y que esta noche contó en los roles protagónicos con Michele Wiles y Cory Stearns.

La argentina Paloma Herrera y el cubano José Manuel Carreño, estrellas integrantes de ese conjunto danzario, arrancaron prolongados aplausos del público con la interpretación del pas de deux El Corsario.

Una gran acogida tuvo también el estreno en la Isla de Siete Sonatas, del coreógrafo principal de la compañía, Alexei Ratmanski y música de Domenico Scarlatti, ovacionado por los asistentes al teatro Karl Marx, que resultó pequeño para recibir al ABT 50 años después de su presentación en Cuba en 1960 a propósito del Primer Festival Internacional de Ballet de La Habana.

Para el cierre reservaron la obra Fancy Free, de Jerome Robbins, con música de Leonard Berstein, cuyo estreno mundial ocurrió en 1944 en la Metropolitan Opera House.

Durante la función se proyectaron fragmentos del material fílmico del ABT que se adentra en la obra de Alicia, su acercamiento a la danza y su pasión por el baile al cual describe como un viaje por sobre las cosas y las gentes que a la vez la hace ser parte de todo ese entorno.

Al decir de la propia excelsa intérprete nunca desde su corazón ha dejado de ser del American Ballet Theatre, y confía en que esta visita contribuya a fortalecer el entendimiento entre los pueblos cubano y norteamericano

La reverencia de la directora del Ballet Nacional de Cuba, del brazo del bailarín José Manuel Carreño y el director artístico del ABT, Kevin McKenzie, puso punto final a una función inolvidable que volverá este jueves al mismo escenario.

Exhibe Cuba novedades en Feria del Libro en Turquía

La Habana, 1 nov (AIN) La traducción al turco de una selección de poemas del libro Tardos soles que miro, del bardo cubano Alpidio Alonso, resultó hoy una de las novedades de la XXIX Feria Internacional del Libro de Estambul.

Alonso, director de la revista de poesía Amnios -recientemente fundada en Cuba-, se mostró emocionado al conocer sobre la publicación de sus versos en Turquía, informa la agencia de noticias Prensa Latina.

Invitado por los organizadores a la presente edición de la feria, confesó que le gustaría poder contar con traducciones de poetas turcos, ya que estas no abundan en la Isla.

Al referirse a sus próximas actividades en Turquía, Alonso señaló que ofrecerá este martes una conferencia en el Centro Cultural Nazim Hikmet, sobre las nuevas generaciones y las últimas tendencias de la poesía en la Mayor de las Antillas.

Expresó que la Isla vive un movimiento intelectual fecundo, en el cual los artistas alcanzan altas cotas de creatividad, gracias a su autonomía con respecto a los criterios comerciales o de mercado.

Indicó que los jóvenes creadores se han abierto a nuevos lenguajes, indagando en la realidad profunda y compleja, y enriqueciendo el gran cauce de la poesía.

Otra de las novedades de la feria resultó la traducción del libro "100 preguntas y respuestas sobre Cuba", de la periodista Carmen R. Alfonso, obra que ofrece un sintético pero detallado informe sobre la economía, historia, geografía, política y población de la Ínsula.

Igualmente, lo constituyó el estudio del investigador Ilker Belek, profesor de Salud Pública en la Universidad de Akdeniz, que -bajo el título La Salud en Cuba- recoge la evolución de su sistema sanitario desde el periodo anterior a la Revolución hasta hoy.

El libro presenta un exhaustivo análisis que explica los aspectos organizativos del modelo médico cubano, detalla los indicadores de salud pública y resume los efectos en la salud pública del bloqueo de EE.UU. a la Isla.

Medio siglo en minutos: ¡señor reto!

Marcos Alfonso

A Tribute to Cuban Ballerina Alicia Alonso: American Ballet in La Habana, Cuba

2010-11-04T17:08:00.000-05:00

The American Ballet Theatre has staged its first performance in Cuba for 50 years, in a mark of cultural diplomacy between the two countries.

The dancers staged a tribute to 89-year-old Cuban ballet star Alicia Alonso, the company's lead dancer in the 1940s and 50s.

They stopped visiting Cuba when relations soured between the two countries after the 1959 revolution.

The communist country has welcomed a number of US cultural visits recently.

President Obama granted the ballet company permission to make the trip to Cuba.

Two of the ballet theatre's lead dancers, Jose Manuel Carreno and Xiomara Reyes, are originally from Cuba and performed in Wednesday night's gala at Havana's Karl Marx Theatre.

Alonso was in the audience and took to the stage to receive a standing ovation at the end of the show, which included a 1947 piece choreographed especially for her.

She returned to Cuba after Fidel Castro took power and formed the Cuban National Ballet, which has sent star dancers to many leading troupes around the world.

Carreno and Reyes were among her proteges.

A second show is due to take place on Thursday night and will feature performances from dancers of the Cuban National Ballet.

Both dates are part of Havana's International Ballet Festival.

While relations between the US and Cuba are showing signs of thawing, the US administration has yet to signal an end to their lengthy trade embargo of the island.

The urban gardens of Havana

2010-10-22T16:20:00.000-05:00

Christopher Columbus' Memorial Day Weekend

2010-10-08T14:09:00.002-05:00

Knights of Columbus: Christopher Columbus is Buried Here from Gardenia Hung on Vimeo.

According to history, the discoverer of the Americas, Christopher Columbus is buried at the Cathedral of Seville. At the entrance the Knights of Columbus, representing the kingdoms of Spain, Castile, Aragon, Navarra, and Leon, hold the casket of the famous explorer and navigator.

Hispanic Heritage Celebration

2010-09-20T13:11:00.002-05:00

Hispanic Heritage Celebration: "Música Aquí!" from Gardenia Hung on Vimeo.

The Latin American Studies Committee hosted an Open House Celebrating Hispanic Heritage with Music performed by Roberto Arce and his wife, arranged by G. Hung and coordinated with Zinta Conrad, Flora Breidenbach, and other faculty members at the College of DuPage Foreign Languages and Communications Department in Glen Ellyn. G. Hung contacted the Chicago Old Town School of Folk Music who referred Roberto Arce and his wife to perform Latin American popular and vintage music in the guitar with vocal accompaniment at the College of DuPage Center in Glen Ellyn, DuPage County, Illinois.

Primera semana de la Crítica Cinematográfica en Cuba

Danays Gálvez Salas

La Habana, 17 sep (AIN) La primera semana de la Crítica Cinematográfica se celebrará del 27 de septiembre al tres de octubre próximo, en el Pabellón Cuba, de esta capital.

El evento actualizará a los participantes en problemáticas contemporáneas del lenguaje audiovisual y sus nuevos formatos y medios de expresión, informó el Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC).

La cita también insistirá en el papel de los críticos, informadores y periodistas cinematográficos sobre su influencia en la formación de un espectador culto.

Durante siete días se exhibirán filmes seleccionados por la crítica nacional en los últimos 50 años y algunas cintas recientes importantes o de gran interés artístico.

Del jueves 30 al dos de octubre, de 9:30 a.m. a 12:30 p.m., se realizarán las sesiones teóricas y se presentarán varios libros de Ediciones ICAIC, entre otras actividades.

Los títulos, Tendencias en el lenguaje audiovisual contemporáneo internacional, El audiovisual cubano contemporáneo y la frontera del cine digital: nuevos medios audiovisuales, serán los ejes de las discusiones teóricas.

En las tandas de la 1: 00, las 3: 00 y las 5: 00 p.m. se proyectará el Ciclo “Filmes significativos seleccionados por la crítica” y en la tanda especial de las 7: 00 p.m. se exhibirá el Ciclo “Panorama Contemporáneo”.
Además del ICAIC, invitan a este espacio la Asociación Cubana de la Prensa Cinematográfica (ACPC), la Asociación Hermanos Saíz (AHS) y la Sección de Crítica de la Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC).

Artistas de 15 países a Fiesta de la Cultura Iberoamericana

Daniel Alejandro Benitez Quiñones

Holguín, 17 sep (AIN) Artistas y creadores de 15 países de Europa y América confirmaron su presencia en la Fiesta de la Cultura Iberoamericana, que tendrá por sede esta nororiental ciudad cubana del 24 al 30 de octubre venidero.

Tatiana Zúñiga, presidenta del Comité Organizador de ese encuentro de pensamiento y solidaridad cultural surgido en 1992, declaró a la AIN que festejarán el bicentenario de la independencia de varios países de América Latina y los 50 años del Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos.

Explicó que como columna vertebral de la cita se desarrollará el VI Congreso de Pensamiento, entre el 25 y el 27 de ese mes, el cual debatirá temas como Bioética, Historia cubana, Pensamiento y culturas regionales.

El doctor Eduardo Torres Cuevas es el Presidente de Honor de ese encuentro teórico, al cual asistirán intelectuales de Perú, Bolivia, Venezuela, Argentina, México y España, además de los invitados nacionales.

La página digital de la Casa de Iberoamérica escenario principal de la festividad, publicó que el segmento artístico incluye a la Banda Sinfónica del estado mexicano de Puebla, al trovador chileno Tomás González y a la cantante costarricense Amanda Rodríguez.

De Ecuador llegará el grupo de rock FabriKa; de Austria brindarán su talento los solistas Atanas Dinovski y Stephan Krenn, y de Italia el músico Mark Giusseppe.

El panorama de las artes plásticas se verá enriquecido con las obras del chileno Leonardo Henríquez, los colombianos Oscar Olarte y Nana Lopera, la argentina María Dolores Mendieta y el canadiense Robin Thomas.

La Fiesta de la Cultura Iberoamericana, que anualmente se desarrolla en esta urbe también conocida como la Ciudad de los Parques, contempla en su programa el Coloquio de Letras, muestras audiovisuales, conferencias literarias y conciertos en plazas y calles.

Como es habitual la clausura acontecerá el 28 de octubre en Cayo Bariay, en la zona costera de la provincia, sitio por donde el almirante Cristóbal Colón desembarcó en Cuba en igual día y mes de 1492.

Murió Zenia Marabal, destacada actriz y cantante

La Habana, 16 sep (AIN) Zenia Marabal, destacada actriz y cantante del teatro, la radio y la televisión cubanas, falleció en la madrugada de hoy en esta capital.

Entre los programas más importantes en que participó figuran Cabaret Regalías, Mamá, Día y Noche, Pateando La Lata, La brújula, Los abuelos se rebelan y Punto G.

Actuó además en Teatro ICRT, Hurón Azul y Deja que yo te cuente, indica una nota de la emisora Radio Reloj.

Por su destacada y amplia trayectoria recibió condecoraciones como la Distinción por la Cultura Nacional, Diploma por el teatro musical cubano, Diploma al mérito como cantante y actriz al cumplir 60 años de vida artística.

Marabal fue acredora al Premio Nacional del Humor y Artista de mérito del Instituto Cubano de Radio y Televisión.

Los restos de la prestigiosa actriz y cantante están expuestos en la funeraria de Calzada y K, en El Vedado, y su sepelio será a las 15:00 (hora local) de este jueves.

Inician en Moscú semana de cine cubano

La Habana, 15 sep (AIN) La capital rusa, Moscú, inicia hoy, con la proyección de la película Fresa y Chocolate, una semana de cine cubano.

El afiche del evento cinematográfico incluye siete filmes rodados entre 1983 y 2008, todos ganadores de premios o participantes en certámenes nacionales o internacionales, informa la agencia ITAR-TASS.

Fueron seleccionadas cintas que reflejan distintas épocas o ambientes, como La bella del Alhambra, de Enrique Pineda Barnet, y Un hombre de éxito, de Humberto Solas, que muestran los años 30-50 del pasado siglo.

En las exhibiciones estará presente una delegación de la Isla que incluye a Jorge Luis Sánchez (realizador de El Benny), así como a otros integrantes del Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC).

La Habana se efectuó, en octubre de 2009, la semana de cine ruso, y en febrero último, durante la tradicional Feria Internacional del Libro, el público de la capital cubana disfrutó de varias películas rodadas en la nación europea, algunas adaptadas de obras literarias clásicas.

Premian a cubana en Festival Internacional de Marionetas

La Habana, 14 sep (AIN) Yaqui Saíz, directora del grupo de títeres Nueva Línea, obtuvo el Premio de Plata por su actuación individual durante el segundo Festival Internacional de Marionetas Hanoi 2010.

La joven fue distinguida por la sobriedad en la manipulación y trabajo vocal realizados en la obra "Historia de Burros", según valoró el jurado integrado por prestigiosos maestros titiriteros del continente asiático, informan hoy los periódicos Granma y Juventud Rebelde.

"El premio fue una sorpresa, como bailar en la casa del trompo: un país asiático, meca de la marioneta", dijo Yaqui en alusión a Vietnam, sede del Festival.

La delegación cubana la integraron, además, Armando Morales, director del Guiñol Nacional de Cuba, quien presentó "Canturía de títeres"; y Cristian Medina, director-actor del grupo cienfueguero Retablo, con la obra "Pico sucio".

Participaron en la cita representantes de Egipto, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Filipinas, Tailandia, China y Singapur.

Entregan a Alicia Alonso sello de cincuentenario cederista

Octavio Borges Pérez

La Habana, 13 sep (AIN) Juan José Rabilero, coordinador nacional de los Comités de Defensa de la Revolución (CDR), entregó el Sello 50 Aniversario de su organización a Alicia Alonso, directora general del Ballet Nacional de Cuba (BNC).

Este reconocimiento ocurrió en una gala ofrecida este domingo por el BNC en el Gran Teatro de La Habana, a los miembros de la mayor organización de masas de la Isla.

Rabilero obsequió a la gran bailarina cubana con un cuadro que recoge momentos de encuentros de la artista con dirigentes de los CDR.

Destacó el patriotismo y la entrega de los bailarines y exaltó a Alicia, a quien calificó de una de las excelsas figuras de la danza iberoamericana y un mito mundial, quien dedica su vida a un arte de pueblo y para el pueblo.

En fecha tan temprana como el 14 de mayo de 1960, en la sede de la compañía se fundo una organización de base de los CDR con sus integrantes y un grupo de vecinos revolucionarios de la comunidad aledaña.

Para la ocasión el BNC preparó un variado programa que incluyó la pieza neo-romántica Las sílfides, uno de esos llamados ballet blanco que representa la ingravidez y atmósferas etéreas de personajes sobrenaturales y cuyo estilo conserva con celo la agrupación criolla.

Un brillante momento lo ofrecieron los jóvenes bailarines Sadaise Arencibia y Alejandro Virelles, con el famoso pas de deux del tercer acto de Don Quijote, uno de esos pasajes que requieren de la bravura y toda la entrega de los intérpretes por sus complicados pasos y variaciones.

La gala cerró con una coreografía de la propia Alicia Alonso, Dido abandonada, pieza que hace tiempo no veía el público habanero, protagonizada por la primera bailarina Viengsay Valdés y con desempeño destacado de Elier Bourzac, José Losada, Félix Rodríguez y el cuerpo de baile.

Silvio y Leo Brouwer nominados a Grammys Latinos

La Habana, 8 sep (AIN) Silvio Rodríguez y Leo Brouwer, y las agrupaciones Septeto Habanero y Sierra Maestra fueron nominados hoy en la ciudad estadounidense de Los Ángeles a los premios Grammys Latinos 2010.

Los ganadores de estos galardones serán anunciados el 11 de noviembre próximo, informa la agencia noticiosa Prensa Latina.

Silvio competirá con "Segunda cita" en la categoría de mejor disco de cantautor, en la que también figuran el panameño Rubén Blades, el uruguayo Jorge Drexler, el dominicano Pável Núñez, la brasileña Maria Gadú, y el colombiano Santiago Cruz.

Es la segunda vez que el autor de "Unicornio Azul" recibe una nominación para el lauro. Antes (2007) lo fue con "Érase que se era", en ese mismo apartado.

Brouwer, a quien se considera entre los cinco mejores guitarristas vivos del mundo, es candidato en el acápite de música clásica con el CD Integral cuartetos de cuerda, con participación del Cuarteto de La Habana.

También dos de las agrupaciones más antiguas de la Isla Antillana, el Septeto Habanero y Sierra Maestra, forman por primera vez la candidatura en música tropical con "90 años, orgullo de los soneros", y "Sonando ya", respectivamente.

De ganar un Grammy, para el Septeto Habanero sería su primero después de nueve décadas de trabajo ininterrumpido.

Entre los nominados, aparece además el compositor cubano Descember Bueno en uno de los apartados más importantes, el de mejor canción del año, con la pieza "Cuando me enamoro", interpretada por el español Enrique Iglesias y el dominicano Juan Luis Guerra.

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: Friday, September 24, 2010 6PM-10PM

2010-09-17T12:58:00.003-05:00

Attention Northeastern Alumni

You are invited to NEIU's Annual

Please join us for this free celebration honoring the accomplishments of NEIU alumni who have made major contributions to the Hispanic community and to Northeastern Illinois University. The celebration will include live entertainment, food, music and dancing.

We look forward to seeing you!

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

See what's new with the Northeastern Illinois University Alumni Association

NEIU's more than 60,000 alumni are automatically entitled to certain benefits and privileges.

NEIU

Northeastern Illinois University
NEIU Alumni Association
5500 N. St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 442-4205
alumni@neiu.edu

Wynton Marsalis-led NY Jazz Band To Travel To Cuba

2010-09-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

Lincoln Center jazz band heads to Cuba
Wynton Marsalis leads Havana tour
Last Updated: Friday, September 10, 2010 | 11:48 AM ET Comments2Recommend2CBC News
Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis will lead the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra to Cuba in October. (Charles Dharapak/Associated Press)
Wynton Marsalis's Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will take part in a five-day residency in Havana this October, and make its first performance in Cuba.

The world-renowned New York big band will play with Cuban pianist and bandleader Chucho Valdes and other Cuban musicians. Trumpeter Marsalis is artistic director of the orchestra.

A series of concerts will celebrate U.S.-Cuban jazz connections, and the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra will also work with young Cuban musicians.

"A rich legacy of great jazz music has been created through the cross-pollination of American and Cuban musics," Marsalis said in a statement Thursday. "This is our first residency in Cuba and we can't wait."

The orchestra has been invited by the Cuban Institute of Music, which will follow up with a trip to New York featuring an Afro-Cuban Jazz Celebration concert at Lincoln Center.

The jazz band is following groups such as American Ballet Theater in forging cultural ties with Cuba.

The U.S. government has slightly loosened rules allowing cultural exchange, though American citizens are still forbidden to travel on their own to Cuba. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra trip has received approval from the government.

The JALC orchestra will be in Cuba Oct. 5-9, and the Cuban musicians visit New York Oct. 22-23.

With files from The

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2010/09/10/lincoln-centre-cuba.html#ixzz0z9VZqvEg

September 8th, 2010: Feast of Our Lady of Charity, Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre

2010-09-03T15:56:00.001-05:00

Cubans get set to mark patron saint's anniversary

Preparations are beginning to honor the 50th anniversary of a historic celebration in Miami of Cuba's patron saint.

Photos

BY DANIEL SHOER ROTH
dshoer@elNuevoHerald.com
On Sept. 8, 1961, 30,000 exiled Cubans crowded Miami Stadium to attend their first celebration outside of Cuba to honor the nation's patron saint, the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre.

The parishioners were in for a great surprise -- the arrival, on that same day, of a famous image of the patron saint from their homeland.

``This symbol helped them relive their motherland's history with all its joys and sorrows,'' said Monsignor Agustín Román, chaplain emeritus of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, also known as Ermita de la Caridad in Miami. ``The exiled community received the sign of love that would unite them in the future.''

JUBILEE PLANS

A novena to the Virgin -- nine consecutive days of prayer -- begins Monday, culminating with the start of yearlong festivities to honor that 1961 event. It will be celebrated during the 2011-2012 Jubilee Year, when many Cubans everywhere will celebrate four centuries of the Virgin's first apparition in Cuba's northeast seas.

The parish, which has 57,000 members, plans an active program of evangelization during the year with the goal of reaching every believer.

The program is called ``Family Night'' and aims to unite families in prayer and joy.

``Since charity is love, the parish wants to begin waking up love within the family,'' said Román, 82. ``In the current environment, families do not have the time to communicate or know each other; they are strangers living in the same house.''

In this fraternal spirit, the Jubilee Year will be celebrated in Miami from Sept. 8, 2011, to Sept. 8, 2012.

After the apparition of the image in the 17th century, faith in the Virgin spread rapidly throughout the island, even though communication then was very limited. In 1916, Pope Benedict XV proclaimed Cuba's patron saint in response to the request of hundreds of veterans who had fought for the country's independence.

With the Virgin's arrival to the exile community, devotions to the saint began to increase among the parishioners of the Archdiocese of Miami, under the sponsorship then of Archbishop Coleman Carroll. That eventually led to the construction of the Ermita, a national sanctuary next to Biscayne Bay that attracts a half-million faithful every year.

GOSPEL SINGER

Iraida Yocham-Añorga, a Cuban gospel singer, attended the Sunday evening Mass at the Ermita, which has a majestic mural of the Virgin's image, together with Cuba's patriotic symbols, Cuban historic heroes and remembrances of the island's geography.

She was expected to sing and register for the novena, which will end at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 with the Festivity of the Virgin at the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami.

``The Virgin's image is a Cuban symbol of the motherland, which helps us unite us to our people in intercession before God,'' Yocham-Añorga, 66, one of the organizers of the vigil, said before the festivity. The ceremony will include a serenade of songs and poetry.

Following tradition, the event will end at midnight with the entrance of mariachis singing to the saint.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/29/1798477/cubans-get-set-to-mark-patron.html#storyBody#ixzz0yVAqmZer

First Ballerina Alicia Alonso and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba Celebrate 90 years

2010-09-03T15:17:00.001-05:00

Rinden homenaje a Alicia Alonso por su 90 cumpleaños
Octavio Borges Pérez

La Habana, 27 ago (AIN) Un concierto de música lírica fue ofrecido hoy a la Prima Ballerina Absoluta Alicia Alonso, por su 90 cumpleaños, en el Museo Nacional de la Danza.

La joven soprano Milagros de los Ángeles, primera solista del Teatro Lírico Nacional y el pianista Leonardo Gell, reconocido como uno de los más destacados de su generación, presentaron un muy variado y selecto programa con obras de Handel, Beethoven, Rossini, Massenet, Puccini, Catalani, Aldo López-Gavilán, Montsalvatge, Moleiro, Lecuona y Roberto Valera.

La velada cerró con una obra especialmente dedicada a la gran bailarina cubana, De mar y viento, con textos de Ángel Augier y música de Valera, pero por la calidad de la entrega de ambos artistas el público pidió otra pieza, esta vez la inmortal Damisela encantadora, de Lecuona, una de las preferidas de la Alonso.

Este 2010 está dedicado a este emblema de la cultura cubana, quien el 21 de diciembre cumplirá sus nueve décadas de fructífera vida, como uno de los símbolos imprescindibles de la nacionalidad.

Alicia, una de las más destacadas figuras del ballet mundial del siglo XX, tiene un diapasón tan enorme como intérprete que sus actuaciones han sido memorables en personajes que van desde la etérea Giselle, a quien imprimió tan personal sello que muchos conocedores consideran inigualable, hasta la apasionada y visceral gitana Carmen.

Entre sus logros, no sólo cuentan sus creaciones artísticas, sino también la de erigirse en una de las fundadoras de la Escuela Cubana de Ballet, junto a Fernando y Alberto Alonso, y de sentar cátedra en ese difícil ámbito, al punto de constituir uno de los métodos de enseñanzas de danza clásica más populares y distintivos a nivel internacional.

Sobre todo, este símbolo de la identidad cubana, desarrolló un ingente esfuerzo para desarrollar el ballet en Cuba antes del triunfo de la Revolución, que también en este arte significó un florecimiento sin precedentes, gracias a la semilla sembrada desde los años 40 del siglo anterior por la directora general del Ballet Nacional de Cuba y sus colaboradores cercanos.

Henry W. Hochstatter Owes An Apology To Gardenia C. Hung

2010-07-23T13:46:00.000-05:00

Henry W. Hochstatter Owes Money to Gardenia C. Hung
For Your Information: Henry William Hochstatter is demanding $3,420 dollars plus court costs for rent and utilities at 140 West St. Charles Road, Apt.B in Villa Park, Illinois 60181, Telephone 630-833-4032 even when I have been paying more than $5,159 dollars in cash, credit, and helping with household chores, when Henry W. Hochstatter does not pay me any money, cash, or compensation for my assistance doing laundry, grocery shopping, miscellaneous home chores, moving his belongings, etc.

Your Reference: Villa Park Police Report No. 100215002701, February 15, 2010, Time: 18:04, Villa Park Police Department Phone: 630-834-7447, Officer's Name: Blake #353

Gardenia C. Hung has paid in excess of $5,159 dollars in person to Henry W. Hochstatter, cash, credit, and other tangible items, goods, new clothing, medication, food, car gasoline for Toyota SUV R5, use of Lombard Post Office Box 1274, telephone deposits for AT&T, U.S. Cellular telephone payments, laundry, etc. Gardenia C. Hung has also incurred Chase VISA Credit Card Debt in the amount of $2,514.69 for lodging at Motel 66, InTown Suites, Colonoscopy Medication, and other expenses on behalf of Henry W. Hochtstatter. In addition, Henry W. Hochstatter has received tangible goods such as a White 1993 Mitsubishi 4-Door Sedan, Sears Pro-Form Treadmill which was broken by Henry W. Hochstatter, Toro Snowblower, Wood Garden Chipper, several Sears Craftman gardening tools, Ace Hardware White Foldable Fencing, Carpenter’s Leather Caddy, New Clothing, Shirts, T-Shirts, Pants, in excess of $5,600 dollars. Consequently, Henry W. Hochstatter owes Gardenia for CHASE VISA Credit Card charges, expenses, and interest accrued since December 8, 2008.

For the record, Henry W. Hochstatter is a disabled adult, age 55, who receives Social Security Disability benefits monthly in the amount of $1,200, plus Henry W. Hochstatter also works for U-Haul as a truck driver, transporter, and for The Next Generation Auto Shop, as well as for Alex King Construction, Inc. at 140 W. St. Charles Road, Apt. 4B, in Villa Park, Illlinois 60181. Henry W. Hochstatterreceives payment in cash for other miscellaneous gardening jobs, tasks, handyman, gardening work, etc. which is not reported.

Please note that Henry W. Hochstatter does not pay Gardenia C. Hung any money, compensation or cash since November 17, 2009 after she has helped this disabled man to move into his new apartment, even when Gardenia Hung has been helping him as a friend, companion, and assistant during his banking matters, social security suspension, divorce court matters, driver’s license return, and other miscellaneous issues as a victim of traumatic brain injury and disability.

In conclusion,Gardenia C. Hung has paid in excess of $4,525 dollars in person to Henry W. Hochstatter, cash, CHASE VISA credit in excess of $2,514.69, and other tangible items, goods, new clothing, medication, food, car gasoline for Toyota SUV R5, telephone deposits, laundry, etc. In addition, Henry W. Hochstatter has received tangible goods such as a White 1993 Mitsubishi 4-Door Sedan, Sears Pro-Form Treadmill which was broken by Henry W. Hochstatter, Toro Snowblower, Wood Garden Chipper, several Sears Craftman gardening tools, Ace Hardware White Foldable Fencing, Carpenter’s Leather Caddy, New Clothing, Shirts, T-Shirts, Pants, in excess of $5,600 dollars. Gardenia C. Hung does not owe Henry W. Hochstatter any further cash, credit, tangible goods, or assistance for disability as a traumatic brain injury person.

Dated on the 19th day of July 2010, in the Village of Lombard, County of DuPage,

Verification

Under penalties as provided by law, pursuant to Section 1-109 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, the undersigned certifies that the statement set forth in this instrument are true and correct, to the best of my ability, so help me God.
Executed in the Village of Villa Park, County of Du Page, in the State of Illinois,
United States of America.

Gardenia C. Hung

A Gift of Fabric That Communicates By Gardenia

2010-07-17T11:59:00.000-05:00

A Gift of Fabric That Communicates by Gardenia from Gardenia Hung on Vimeo.

Original sewing and embroidery design projects by Gardenia, using cotton, silk, synthetics, and Peacock embroidery silk threads from China.

Lombard Police & Fire Department Caused All The Damages for Hung.wmv

2010-07-09T12:54:00.001-05:00

June 10, 2010: Before Lombard Criminal Disaster

Gardenia C. | MySpace Video

A Pilgrimage to Spain for Art and Architecture

2010-06-30T14:03:00.001-05:00

Cardinal Francis George Visits Cuba

2010-06-24T09:42:00.000-05:00

June 23, 2010|By Manya A. Brachear, Tribune reporter
Chicago's Cardinal Francis George arrived by private plane in Cuba on Wednesday to meet with local Roman Catholic parishioners and pray at a shrine for the island nation's patron saint.

Archbishop Dionisio Garcia Ibanez of Santiago, Cuba, invited George to his archdiocese after a visit to Chicago last year for a film premiere that raised money for humanitarian work in Chicago and Cuba.

George's trip will include a Mass at the Santiago cathedral and a visit to the national shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre. Catholic Cubans in Chicago celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Charity on Sept. 8, with Mass at St. Ita in Chicago, St. Lambert in Skokie and Sacred Heart in Melrose Park.
AdvertisementColleen Dolan, communications director for the Chicago archdiocese, said the timing of the cardinal's visit had nothing to do with a recent five-day meeting in Havana between President Raul Castro and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican's foreign minister.

The purpose of the visit is "not an analysis for the government life of the area," Dolan said. "He's interested in church life. There is a Catholic church in Cuba. That's what he's going to see."

But in recent months, Catholic bishops have had a number of successful negotiations with the Cuban government. Mamberti, for example, did not meet with dissidents during his visit. And shortly after a meeting between Cuba's Cardinal Jaime Ortega and Castro, Cuba transferred about a dozen political prisoners closer to their families.

Miguel De La Torre, professor of social ethics at Iliff School of Theology in Denver who specializes in Cuban religion and politics, said George's 24-hour pastoral visit could carry long-term significance.

"It is up to the religious leaders to begin to deal with the Judeo-Christian issue of reconciliation," De La Torre said. "One of the problems I have with the U.S. embargo of Cuba is it prevents U.S. citizens from mingling and talking to Cuban citizens. The quickest way to begin to melt this animosity is for the people to begin to talk to each other, and hopefully the government will be able to catch up."

mbrachear@tribune.com

HAVANA, CUBA: 15th International Poetry Festival, May 24, 2010

2010-05-14T14:19:00.000-05:00

Cuba to host int'l poetry festival

English.news.cn 2010-05-14 10:07:32

HAVANA, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Around 160 poets from over 40 countries and regions will attend the upcoming 15th International Poetry Festival in Havana, organizers said here Thursday.

The week-long event, starting on May 24, is dedicated to the centennial of the births of Cuban writer Jose Lezama Lima and Spanish poet Miguel Hernandez and also to the bicentennial of Latin America's first struggle for independence, according to Cuban poet Alex Pausides, coordinator of the event.

Eighty writers will represent the host nation at the gala, which will also gather their counterparts from dozens of other countries and regions, including Russia's Yevgeny Evtushenko and Spain's Rafael Alberti, Pausides said.

He added that participants will perform traditional music and dances of their homelands and that some other cultural activities will also take place during the event.

A highlight will be a concert dedicated to the bicentennial of the Latin American struggle for independence at the local Lazaro Pena Theater, the same place where Alberti and late Cuban writer Nicolas Guillen chaired a meeting supporting the nascent Cuban Revolution 50 years ago.

The International Poetry Festival in Havana is registered at the International Federation of International Poetry Festival of UNESCO. It has gained a following from across the world and established connections with over a thousand poets.

En el Día de la Oración Nacional: Recemos

2010-05-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

Estas son oraciones en español de mi familia católica y cristiana:

Oración del Angel de la Guarda

Angel de la Guarda, dulce compañía, no me desampares ni de noche ni de día; no me dejes solo, que me perdería.

Oración a San Rafael Arcangel

Dios y señor de los Angeles, a los cuales encomendaste la Guarda de los hombres, yo os ofrezco los merecimientos de estos Soberanos espíritus y los de nuestro Arcangel San Rafael que siendo de los superiores, bajó a ser guía, guarda y compañero de aquel piadoso joven Tobías, librándolo de los caminos de los peligros de cuerpo y alma, yo os suplico que concedaís la guarda, guía y protección de este soberano Arcangel y la gracia que le pido en esta novena, a major honra y gloria nuestra. Amén.

Novena de la Nueve Horas al Niño Jesús de Praga

Oh Jesús mio que has dicho "Pedíd y recibireís, buscad y hablareís, llamad y se os abrirá "por la intercessión de María Vuestra Santísima Madre, yo llamo y busco, yo pido que mi petición sea concedida. (Aquí se hace la petición)._____________________________

Oh Jesús mio que has dicho "Todo lo que pidiera al padre en su nombr, os lo concedirá por la intercessión de María Vuestra Santísima Madre, humilde y urgentemente pido al padre en vuestro nombre que mi petición sea concedida. (Aquí se repite la petición)._____________________________

Oh Jesús mio que has dicho "Como los cielos y la Tierra pasan pero mis palabras pasarán por la intercessión de María Vuestra Santísima Madre, me siento confiado de que mi petición sera concedida. (Aquí se repite la petición).______________________________

Cuban Scientist Wins U.S.-Based Environmental Prize: Goldman Environmental Award

2010-04-20T08:21:00.000-05:00

Credit: Reuters/Desmond Boylan

HAVANA (Reuters) - A singing scientist who says the key to Cuba's agricultural future lies in its agrarian past has become the first Cuban to win a U.S.-based Goldman Environmental Prize, the world's biggest award for grassroots environmentalism.

Green Business | Cuba

Humberto Rios, 46, was announced as a prize winner on Monday in San Francisco along with five other activists from around the world. They will each receive $150,000, a huge sum in Cuba where the average annual salary is equivalent to $240.

Rios said the award initially was met with suspicion by his government because it came from the United States, Cuba's longtime ideological foe. But Cuban officials eventually embraced it and he hopes it contributes to improving U.S.-Cuba relations.

"I think there's a new vision, which is to cool a little bit the hostile environment," he said. "I think we have common problems -- maybe different solutions, but also common solutions," he told Reuters recently.

He will use his prize money for such things as house repairs, but some will go toward funding his work, Rios said.

The prize was begun in 1990 by philanthropists Richard and Rhoda Goldman to encourage environmental protection.

Rios won for his work promoting a return to more traditional farming techniques focusing on seed diversity, crop rotation and the use of organic pest control and fertilizers to both increase crops and improve the communist-led island's environment.

Rios is also a musician and has found music to be a useful tool in spreading his message. At local events, he sings folk and salsa songs that promote biodiversity and good environmental practices -- "Recycle, papi, recycle" is one -- and get the farmers dancing in the fields.

Traditional farming methods fell out of favor in Cuba as agriculture, dominated by sugar production, became industrialized in the last half of the 20th century, particularly after the Soviet Union took the island under its wing following Cuba's 1959 revolution.

Flooded with pesticides and fertilizers from the Soviet bloc nations, Cuba in the 1980s became the highest-per-capita user of agrochemicals in Latin America.

At the same time, farmers, dependent on the government for seeds and supplies, had little choice in what they could grow.

POST-SOVIET CUBA

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Cuba was stuck with an agricultural system dependent on agrochemicals it could no longer get and an environment damaged by their heavy use.

Rios, then a doctoral student in agricultural sciences, began to see positive results as farmers, out of necessity, turned to traditional ways. In the late 1990s he launched a program to encourage their broader use.

His biggest emphasis, he told Reuters in a recent interview, was to simply give farmers more seed choices and to let them, not distant bureaucrats and scientists, decide which ones to use.

He began organizing "seed fairs" in farming communities where farmers could choose from a broad selection of seeds. They were encouraged to share information on the results so that each farm became a micro-experimental station.

The key was that farmers chose seeds suited to their specific conditions, he said, instead of everyone getting the same ones.

In different regions of the island, "the criteria for seed selection are completely different," Rios said.

He said yields began doubling and tripling, and soil damaged by years of overuse and chemicals began to recuperate as crops were rotated and agrochemicals abandoned.

"When you use a diversified system, over the years it increases the amount of protein per area, the amount of vitamins per area, it diminishes the amount of work per area and above all, it increases the smiles of the people," he said.

He says 50,000 farmers are involved in his Program for Local Agricultural Innovation, which is backed by the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, but much work remains.

Most land and agriculture is under state control in Cuba, but the island has 250,000 small farmers and 1,100 private cooperatives who, together, produce 70 percent of agricultural output on less than a third of the available land.

Cuba is dependent on imports for most of its basic foods, which drains its fragile economy and has forced President Raul Castro to put more land in private hands and -- as Rios advocates -- decentralize decision-making to local levels. (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Green Business, Cuba
Cuban scientist wins U.S.-based environmental prize
Jeff Franks
HAVANA
Mon Apr 19, 2010 3:28pm EDTRelated NewsSpecial Report: Are regulators dropping the ball on biocrops?
Wed, Apr 14 2010
Special Report: Are regulators dropping the ball on biocrops?
Tue, Apr 13 2010
Brazil farmers shown how to profit by conserving
Wed, Apr 7 2010
U.S.-Cuba relations under Obama fall to lowest point
Wed, Mar 31 2010
Food dependency is poverty trap for quake-hit Haiti
Fri, Mar 26 2010 A Cuban farmer rides a cart pulled by oxen near the village of Artemisa, some 80 km (50 miles) west of Havana February 6, 2010.

Gardenia in Spring Time

2010-03-22T13:17:00.002-05:00

CUBA 2010: 19th INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR, FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 7TH

2010-02-23T10:16:00.001-06:00

Canadian Writer Extols the Cuba 2010 Int'l Book Fair
HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 22 (acn) “The International Book Fair allows for exchanges between creators and the public, and for me that is the most important aspect of the event," said renowned Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, who was invited to this year’s book fiesta.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cuban News Agency

Atwood praised the organization of this type of event, where readers can buy books at affordable prices and which facilitates meetings between personalities in this field to talk about their work and experiences.

The Canadian writer praised the modernization of printing techniques, by way of which it is possible to publish many more texts in a shorter period time and with higher quality.

In related news, Juan Jose Sanchez, president of the Miguel Hernandez Cultural Foundation from Orihuela, Spain, said he was impressed by the possibility of establishing bonds with publishing houses and organizations from different countries during the Fair.

Sanchez added that such relations make it possible for foreign figures of different art expressions to take part in the literary event, while at the same time give Cubans an opportunity to access books published abroad.

The program for the 19th International Book Fair held at the Morro-Cabaña cultural complex wrapped up on Sunday and will continue, as of February 24, in the rest of the country until March 7.

University of Miami Symposium on U.S.-Cuba Relations

2010-02-19T12:44:00.002-06:00

University of Miami to host symposium on U.S.-Cuba relations
The debate over the ongoing shift in U.S.-Cuba relations will be explored Saturday in a symposium on the legal implications of such a change.

The symposium will address the topics of trade and investment in Cuba in a free market economy, U.S. property claims in Cuba, Cuba under Raúl Castro and ongoing litigation involving these issues.

The event is free and open to the public.

•Academic sites
Academic sites
Florida International University Cuban Research Institute Florida International University CubaInfo Georgetown University Center for Latin American Studies George Washington University Bay of Pigs documents University of Miami Cuba Transition Project University of Texas Collection of Cuban maps Yale University Cuban Missile Crisis

•Solution to Cuba claims issue proposed
Solution to Cuba claims issue proposed
A group of foreign investors is seeking a U.S. government license to buy claims against Cuba for American-owned properties seized in the 1960s, and then swap them with Havana in a debt-for-equity exchange.

The settlement would resolve one of the oldest U.S.-Cuba disputes and perhaps open the way for other improvements in bilateral relations, according to the investors' company, Clarinbridge.

Clarinbridge requested the license in a July 17 filing with the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces U.S. sanctions against Havana.

•Cuba policy 'showdown' is far from over
Cuba policy 'showdown' is far from over
Facing strong opposition from lawmakers with large Cuban-American constituencies, the Obama administration pledged â€” in writing â€” that changes to U.S.-Cuba policy tucked into the giant 2009 spending bill will have no teeth.

The promise worked: Lawmakers Tuesday night approved the $410 billion spending bill, which included the controversial provisions that make travel and trade to Cuba easier by cutting off the funding for enforcement of restrictions.

It cleared the Senate by a voice vote, after senators voted 62 to 35 to end debate.

•Cracking open the door
Cracking open the door
It's been a big week for U.S.-Cuba relations: Fidel Castro rose from his deathbed to meet with a delegation of U.S. lawmakers. Miami's Cuban American National Foundation, usually described as a hard-line exile group, called for expanded relations with the Communists in Havana. On Monday, President Obama made good on a promise to ease travel restrictions and to allow Cuban Americans to send more money to relatives on the island. Click here for full story
By LUISA YANEZ
lyanez@MiamiHerald.com
The debate over U.S.-Cuba relations will be explored Saturday in a symposium on the legal implications of such a change.

The symposium will address the topics of trade and investment in Cuba in a free market economy; U.S. property claims in Cuba; Cuba under Raúl Castro; and ongoing litigation involving these issues.

The event is free and open to the public.

The debate -- to be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the University of Miami Storer Auditorium -- will feature several panelists. They include:

• James Cason, former ambassador to Cuba and current member of the State Department. Cason was stationed in Cuba during the Elían Gonzalez saga more than a decade ago.

• Daniel Fisk, former special assistant to President George W. Bush and National Security Council senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs. He is currently the coordinator for governance at the International Republican Institute.

• George Harper, president of the Inter-American Bar Association.

• Andy Gomez, assistant provost at the University of Miami and a member of the Brookings Institution Cuba Initiative Task Force.

``We are expecting a robust, healthy debate about how a change in U.S.-Cuba relations could affect property, trade and investment in Cuba,'' said George Williamson, editor-in-chief of the University of Miami Inter-American Law Review, who will host the symposium.

Williamson said that his law review chose this topic for its annual symposium because of its impact, relevance and importance to the South Florida community.

Other panelists include Jose Azel (Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies); Pedro Freyre (Akerman Senterfitt); Michael Gordon (professor emeritus at the University of Florida Levin College of Law); Yosbel Ibarra (Greenberg Traurig) and Nick Gutierrez (Gutierrez & Zarraluqui).

For more information e-mail ialr@students.law.miami.edu.

Family in Santiago de Cuba, Oriente, CUBA

2010-01-09T16:58:00.002-06:00

Greetings from Santiago de Cuba: El Parque Céspedes y la Catedral de Santiago de Cuba (top); La Basilica de la Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre en Cuba

2010-01-02T10:37:00.004-06:00

Professor Gardenia C. Hung and Mother at the College of DuPage Reception for Latin American Studies in Glen Ellyn, Illinois USA

2009-12-25T11:20:00.001-06:00

Family Siblings Gardenia C. Hung and Robert S. Hung, photo taken by Father Mr. Roberto Hung, J.D.

2009-12-25T11:18:00.001-06:00

November 2009 Memorial for Mr. Roberto Hung, J.D. Attorney General from Cuba and Mexico, Lombard Resident Homeowner, U.S. Citizen in DuPage County, IL

2009-11-02T10:36:00.000-06:00

FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO AND THE UNIVERSITY OF LA HABANA LAW SCHOOL AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ORIENTE IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA.

Cousins at Maxfield's in Lombard

2009-09-10T10:35:00.001-05:00

Gardenia and Henry at Maxfield's in Lombard

2009-09-10T10:34:00.001-05:00

Cousin Olivia and Gardenia at Maxfield's in Lombard

2009-09-10T10:33:00.001-05:00

Cousin Michelle and Gardenia at Maxfield's in Lombard

2009-09-10T10:31:00.001-05:00

Community Business Networking at the Standard Bank and Trust Company

2009-09-05T15:15:00.006-05:00

Family Reunion with Cousins Olivia and Michelle at Maxfield's in Lombard

2009-08-17T10:57:00.004-05:00

\

After 38 years, my cousins Olivia and Michelle, called me to get together and I invited them for Saturday morning breakfast at Maxfield's in Lombard, DuPage County, Illinois.

Women's Federation for World Peace, USA 17th Anniversary National Assembly

2009-08-07T11:10:00.000-05:00

It is our honor to invite you to attend the 17th Anniversary National Assembly of the Women's Federation for World Peace, USA, to be held jointly at the New Yorker Hotel and at the historic Manhattan Center, in New York City, from Friday, September 11 - Sunday, September 13, 2009. The theme of this assembly is "Raising a Generation of Peace."

As an organization of women, WFWP understands that the family is the cornerstone for peace in the world. It is in the family that the next generation is nurtured and raised. This assembly focuses attention on raising the next generation, with sessions on "Raising Families of Peace," "Connecting My Interests to a Career Plan," and "The Relationship between Marriage and Faith," to name a few. One of the outcomes for this assembly is that participants will be able to articulate the connection between essential human rights and healthy family dynamics. Participants will gain skills and knowledge that will be helpful in raising the emerging generation on the family and community levels.

This assembly will feature Rev. In Jin Moon, a woman of peace in her own right, who is the daughter of WFWP's founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. She is the CEO of the Manhattan Center, as well as the founder and senior pastor of Lovin' Life Ministries. Having successfully raised a family of five exceptional children, Rev. In Jin Moon will share her insight and wisdom on the topic of raising the next generation, as the foundation for building lasting peace in the world.

The assembly will begin with arrivals and registration on Friday, September 11. The National Assembly will open at 8:30 am on Saturday. A full day of sessions will culminate with a Gala Celebration in the evening, where funds raised will go towards WFWP and WFWP's Schools of Africa Project. On Sunday morning, guests will have the special opportunity to attend the Lovin' Life Ministries service.

With the assembly opening on the 8th Anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, WFWP acknowledges the sacrifice and courage of those families who lost loved ones. WFWP is pleased to contribute a portion of the funds raised during the conference to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund.

Attached to this letter, you will find background information about WFWP, conference policies, and a registration form. You may register for this conference online at www.wfwpusa.onefireplace.org. For more information, please contact Nari Stephens, National Assembly Administrative Director, by email at wfwpconference@gmail.com, or by telephone at 203-333-5572.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to seeing you in September.

With warm regards,

Alexa Fish Ward
President, WFWP, USA
Vice President and UN Representative, WFWP, International
How to Register

You have a number of different options to register for this conference. The quickest, easiest option is to register online by following the link below:

Register

You may wish to register by mail. Those who wish to do so may obtain a registration form at the following link

Paper Registration

Once you have filled this out, please mail it to us at:

WFWP, USA
285 Lafayette Street #307
Bridgeport, CT 06604

Or by fax:
(203)333-5628

Or by email to:
wfwpconference@gmail.com

If you have any questions, please call us at (203)333-5572 or (203)333-5576.

Other Useful Information

Conference Policies

Program/Schedule

WFWP, USA Background Information

Next Generation Auto in Villa Park, next to UHAUL

2009-05-18T12:14:00.001-05:00

Next Generation Auto in Villa Park, DuPage County

2009-05-18T12:13:00.000-05:00

Next Generation Auto Open House Next to UHAUL in Villa Park

2009-05-18T12:11:00.001-05:00

Next Generation Open House with Charles Pickerill and Friends

2009-05-18T12:10:00.001-05:00

Next Generation Auto Open House with Bobby Pickerill and Friends

2009-05-18T12:08:00.001-05:00

Nueva instalación de equipo para servicio de autos en Next Generation Auto

2009-05-12T10:10:00.000-05:00

Next Generation Auto, 194 B West Roosevelt Road, Villa Park IL 60181

2009-05-12T10:08:00.000-05:00

Exposición de Autos en Next Generation Auto

2009-05-12T10:05:00.000-05:00

Cultural Awareness Celebration

2009-04-02T09:51:00.001-05:00

"Around the World in One Day", Saturday, April
4th, 2009, from 1-4PM in the rotunda of the
Addison Village Hall, One Friendship Plaza,
sponsored by the Addison Cultural Arts Development
Commission during the 12th annual multi-cultural
festival. This cultural festival is free and
refreshments are available for purchase on-site.
This cultural celebration in Addison is sponsored
by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state
agency, along with the commission in DuPage County.
--The Addison Independent, Volume 6, Number 14,
April 1st, 2009, The Independent

Saint Anthony Claret, Saint of the Day (1807-1870)

2008-10-24T10:41:00.000-05:00

Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint.
October 24, 2008

St. Anthony Claret

(1807-1870)

The "spiritual father of Cuba" was a missionary, religious founder, social reformer, queen’s chaplain, writer and publisher, archbishop and refugee. He was a Spaniard whose work took him to the Canary Islands, Cuba, Madrid, Paris and to the First Vatican Council.

In his spare time as weaver and designer in the textile mills of Barcelona, he learned Latin and printing: the future priest and publisher was preparing. Ordained at 28, he was prevented by ill health from entering religious life as a Carthusian or as a Jesuit, but went on to become one of Spain’s most popular preachers.

He spent 10 years giving popular missions and retreats, always placing great emphasis on the Eucharist and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her rosary, it was said, was never out of his hand. At 42, beginning with five young priests, he founded a religious institute of missionaries, known today as the Claretians.

He was appointed to head the much-neglected archdiocese of Santiago in Cuba. He began its reform by almost ceaseless preaching and hearing of confessions, and suffered bitter opposition mainly for stamping out concubinage and giving instruction to black slaves. A hired assassin (whose release from prison Anthony had obtained) slashed open his face and wrist. Anthony succeeded in getting the would-be assassin’s death sentence commuted to a prison term. His solution for the misery of Cubans was family-owned farms producing a variety of foods for the family’s own needs and for the market. This invited the enmity of the vested interests who wanted everyone to work on a single cash crop—sugar. Besides all his religious writings are two books he wrote in Cuba: Reflections on Agriculture and Country Delights.

He was called back to Spain for a job he did not relish—being chaplain for the queen. He went on three conditions: He would reside away from the palace, he would come only to hear the queen’s confession and instruct the children and he would be exempt from court functions. In the revolution of 1868, he fled with the queen’s party to Paris, where he preached to the Spanish colony.

All his life Anthony was interested in the Catholic press. He founded the Religious Publishing House, a major Catholic publishing venture in Spain, and wrote or published 200 books and pamphlets.

At Vatican I, where he was a staunch defender of the doctrine of infallibility, he won the admiration of his fellow bishops. Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore remarked of him, "There goes a true saint." He died in exile near the border of Spain at the age of 63.

Comment:

Jesus foretold that those who are truly his representatives would suffer the same persecution as he did. Besides 14 attempts on his life, Anthony had to undergo such a barrage of the ugliest slander that the very name Claret became a byword for humiliation and misfortune. The powers of evil do not easily give up their prey. No one needs to go looking for persecution. All we need to do is be sure we suffer because of our genuine faith in Christ, not for our own whims and imprudences.

Quote:
Queen Isabella II once said to Anthony, "No one tells me things as clearly and frankly as you do." Later she told her chaplain, "Everybody is always asking me for favors, but you never do. Isn't there something you would like for yourself?" He replied, "Yes, that you let me resign." The queen made no more offers.

(This entry appears in the print edition of Saint of the Day.)

Alicia Alonso Recibe Medala de Oro por Las Bellas Artes y el Ballet Nacional de Cuba

2008-10-17T11:30:00.000-05:00

La directora del Ballet Nacional de Cuba (BNC), Alicia Alonso, una de las grandes leyendas de la danza, recibirá mañana en España la Medalla de Oro al Mérito de las Bellas Artes, conferida por el gobierno de ese país. A la ceremonia, en el Teatro Colón de La Coruña, asistirán los Reyes Juan Carlos I de Borbón y Sofía, confirmaron a Prensa Latina fuentes del BNC, cuyo núcleo inicial fundaron, hace 60 años, Alicia, Fernando y Alberto Alonso. Junto a la prima ballerina assoluta, serán condecorados también el cineasta portugués Manoel de Oliveira, el músico argentino-israelí Daniel Baremboim, y los actores españoles Antonio Banderas y Marisa Paredes, entre otros. Alicia Alonso sumará esta distinción a otras muchas merecidas, tanto en Cuba como fuera de la isla durante las últimas seis décadas, por sus aportes a la danza clásica, enriquecida con el ímpetu renovador de la escuela cubana de la cual es su máxima inspiradora y exponente. (PL)

Cubano nominado Premio Nobel de Literatura Gastronómica

2008-10-15T14:54:00.000-05:00

El cubano Yamir Pelegrino está nominado al Premio Nobel de Literatura Gastronómica, previsto para entregar el 14 próximo en la ciudad alemana de Fráncfort.

Un despacho de la agencia Prensa Latina refiere que un jurado internacional de expertos lo eligió al sommelier cubano para esa distinción, en reconocimiento a su trayectoria investigativa y por el aporte, riqueza y calidad de sus publicaciones relacionadas con el mundo de la gastronomía y los vinos.

También decidieron designarlo como único representante por América Latina, en gratitud al nivel de desarrollo de la gastronomía y el turismo cubanos.

Tuvieron en cuenta, además, que resultó ganador en forma consecutiva (2005 y 2006) del premio de literatura culinaria, tanto a nivel regional como mundial, con sus dos libros: Mi pasión Gourmet y Cono100do el vino.

Director de Alimentación y Bebidas del Hotel Habana Libre Tryp y presidente del Club de Sommeliers de Cuba, Pelegrino recibió reconocimientos en los últimos 10 años en diversas partes del mundo, sobre este sector y sus experiencias. (AIN)

Hispanic Heritage Month 2008 at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago

2008-10-04T13:17:00.001-05:00

Northeastern Illinois University and the Hispanic Heritage Committee with the Office of Alumni Relations sponsored the Alumni Celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month on Friday, October 3, 2008 at Alumni Hall, 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60625.