The Wristband

My first blog post! 10 months after I joined this site I finally got around to putting up some content. I should probably start off kinda slow while I get a feel for this thing, but the whole purpose of this post is to learn how to put up a slideshow of photos. So no training wheels for me.

I'm headed to southeast-asia with my folks next month, and while there I'd like to keep everyone updated on what we are doing. I hope that over the next month I can get proficient enough with this site to make it work.


CUBA: THE SAME COMMUNIST CRAP, JUST TROPICAL.

One of the things I consider required reading is Jay Nordlinger's column on National Review Online. Every morning I check to see if he has published anything. One of his pet causes is the Cuban peoples' struggle for freedom. Several times a month he'll update that another journalist has died in the gulag, or some blogger was beaten for writing something on the internet.

In November 2007, Jay posted this:

"Thought you should know about this item from Havana: “Cuban police rounded up a group of young people wearing white rubber wristbands stenciled with the word ‘cambio,’ or ‘change,’ and held them for hours before releasing them without filing charges . . ."

What kind of regime is scared of white rubber wristbands stenciled with the word “change”? A totalitarian one, of course."

You can google "cambio bracelet" if you want more information. As it turns out, a group of Cuban emigrants out of Miami began selling the wristbands to help raise money to support Cuban Pro-democracy groups in Havana. So I order a couple dozen to show my solidarity with the Cuban people.

As soon as my bands arrived, I put one on and never took it off. That is until yesterday when I broke it.

This has been a very good two year period for me. I wore my wristband to Machu Pichu in Peru and wore it repeling through the jungle canopy in Belize. Wore it to Marti Gras in New Orleans and Disney World in Orlando, FL. Heck, this wristband has spent more time in The Bahamas than Anna Nicole Smith. I wore it while I quit my job and started a new company.

The ironic part, the people of Cuba aren't allowed to do any of those things. In the past 2+ years the biggest breakthrough they've had: they can now buy cell phones (at the attractive price of 2 months average wages)!

Here is a slideshow. The wristband can be seen in all of these photos, but sometimes you have to look pretty close.




Just last week I met a cab driver from Cuba who came to the US over 20 years ago. He's allowed to bring his parents here one at the time. They can't come together cause Castro is afraid they'd stay!

One time Taylor asked me if we could ever visit Cuba. My response: "We'll go there as soon as they are allowed to come here." I hope that's soon.

In the meantime, I've put on a new Cambio wristband. Will it help the people of Cuba? No. Will it help me remember not to take my lifestyle for granted? Yes.

TO CONCLUDE:
“Orlando Zapata Tamayo died today in Havana at age 42 after a hunger strike of over 80 days. He had chosen this extreme method of protest to demand respect for his personal safety after enduring numerous beatings and tortures at the hands of Cuban prison authorities.”