C. Lee McKenzie's Blog, page 34

#atozchallenge: U is for The Untold History

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 




Answers to your T/F Quiz for T


FALSE 1. Thirteen Days is obviously a U.S. view of the situation, but it's not true that there are no other personal accounts available to draw from. The tape-recorded memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev were smuggled to the West, transcribed, and published in 1970. Later more of his side of the story was published in 1990.
TRUE 2. At one time during the crisis, a high ranking member of the USSR military in Cuba could have launched missiles at the U.S. And this was the most disturbing thing I learned. I'd never heard of the guy. He could have been a nut case with his finger on the red button. Pay attention to history. It does have some lessons for us all. 


U is for the Untold Story


Like everyone on our planet, I've known about Guantanamo (GITMO), but it was just a place on an island that I knew little about, except from the news. Since the Bush administration's War on Terrorism turned it into the center for civil rights violations, I've heard the horror stories that will haunt our country forever. However, I didn't know how it came to be established in the first place. Before I left on my trip, I had to find out, and so I read this book about the Untold Story. 

If you read my G post, you'll see the mention of Theodore Roosevelt and the Spanish-American War. And if you read that post and took the quiz, you now know that the U.S. has had a permanent military base at Guantanamo since 1898. It seems the Cubans can't get rid of us. Of course, now that Venezuela can no longer provide aide, guess who the Castros are looking to for financial support again? Let's see the hands.



Your T/F Quiz for U
 
1. One of reasons for the continuation of the U.S. presence at GITMO, stems           from the Cold War era when we feared the Russians and their ties with               Castro.
2. Only 485 miles separate Florida from Guantanamo.

Answers tomorrow.Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: T is for Thirteen Days

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 



Answers to your T/F Quiz for S

TRUE 1. Today squares are primarily for strolling and finding good restaurants, but in the past they often were places of executions, bullfights and fiestas. The wealthy merchants who lived on the squares could enjoy at-home entertainment from their balconies. Talk about reality shows.


TRUE 2. Old Havana and its squares are now World Heritage sites. And so glad they are. They deserved to be seen by future generations.



T is for Thirteen Days by Robert Kennedy
 
I had a vague recollection of the history during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but vague is probably generous. So I decided I needed to brush up on that bit of history. I found this memoir absolutely riveting. I couldn't put it down because it made so clear just how close we were to nuclear devastation. 

Fate. Some good leadership. Luck. These all played into the relaxation of tension between the USSR and the US.

I highly recommend this book. It's a close-to-the-action account that no history book can duplicate.





Your T/F Quiz for T:
1. Thirteen Days is obviously a U.S. view of the situation, but there are no other personal accounts available to draw from.2. At one time during the crisis, a high ranking member of the USSR military in Cuba could have launched missiles at the U.S.
Answers tomorrow.
Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: S is for Squares & Seismic Crimes

Bonus S: SEISMIC CRIMES
Today is the release of Chrys Fey's first novel!
BLURB: 
An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his darkest moments.
Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs.
When a tip reveals the killer's location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?


DIGITAL LINKS: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / KOBO / The Wild Rose Press
ALSO AVAILABLE IN PRINT!




Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 




Answers to your T/F Quiz for R:
TRUE 1. The Bay of Pigs (Invasión de Playa Girón) was an attempt by the U.S. to overthrow the Castro government. Unfortunately, the Cuban refugees who were backed by the CIA were ill-prepared, and the landing was a fiasco.

FALSE 2. The Soviet Bloc didn't collapse in 1969; it collapsed in 1991.



S is for Squares:
The squares in Havana are absolutely beautiful and some date from the 1500s. The Plaza Vieja was laid out in 1559 A beautiful area to explore and enjoy architecture and interesting statues. 

Plaza de la Catedral features the Categral de San Cristóbal and dates from the 18th century. The wide open, car-less area is wonderful to walk. Deep red Bouganvilla cling to the ancient stone walls and blue balconies and doorways blend with the color of the sky. Naked lady with a fork and riding a chicken. Yep. 


The Plaza de San Francisco faces the port of Havana. The old customs house and the former stock exchange front this elegant, but more commercial plaza. The Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis was built in 1580 and the bell tower rises 42 meters into the sky. 

The Plaza de Armas is a place to stroll through palm-lined walkways and gaze at Baroque buildings. The Book Market is a favorite spot to find books and magazines that go back to the 40s and 50s. 
My picture didn't turn out. Here's the SOURCE for this one so much like it.

Your T/F Quiz for S:
1. Today squares are primarily for strolling and finding good restaurants, but in the past they often were places of executions.
2. Old Havana and its squares are now World Heritage sites.
Answers tomorrow.






Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: R is for Russia

Bonus R: I'm going to be revealing the cover for Sign of the Green Dragon starting May 1. I could use some help with that if you feel up to posting for me. Just tell me in a comment and I'll put you on my contact list for May. That is if I can still think clearly enough to do that. Now onward with this #atozChallenge, and don't spare the horses.




Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 





Answers to your T/F Quiz for Q
TRUE 1. The Chinese influenced Cuban music. They contributed the cornetín chino (Chinese cornet) It's a wind instrument. 
FALSE 2. A TRES is only a 6-string guitar, not 12. It's known for a distinctive tuning and used to help create the guaijira sound--a strident rural acoustic music.
R is For Russia:
SourceFollowing the Bay of Pigs, Castro aligned himself with Russia. He wanted protection from the U.S. and money to support the newly established Cuban government. Castro joined the COMECON, an organization of socialist countries designed to improve their economies, and Russia was the key player in that organization. All was moving forward--if not as economically successful for the people as it was touted--when the Soviet Bloc collapsed and all economic aid ended. Now Castro was forced to look elsewhere for money. Venezuela in fact. Now that oil is in the (pun alert) "tank," he's looking closer to home. And that would be the good old U.S of A. Ergo, his brother's now holding up Obama's hand.


Your T/F Quiz for R:
1. The Bay of Pigs was an attempt by the U.S. to overthrow the Castro government.2. The Soviet Bloc collapsed in 1969.
Answers tomorrow.Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: Q is for Quartets

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 




Answers to your T/F Quiz for P

FALSE 1. The average teacher in Cuba doesn't make anywhere near $100 a month. The information I got while there was they make about $15 a month.

FALSE 2. The government doesn't provide free transportation to workers to and from work to help them financially. Their transportation come out of their salary.




Two extra people stepped in to have their picture taken! 
Q is for Quartets

The Cubans are nothing if not musical, and everywhere you go you'll find groups playing great and very danceable music. Usually I found Quartets and they always had CDs available for sale. $10 seemed to be the going price. The quality of the home-made CDs is rather tinny, but the rhythm can't be beaten. 

The history of Cuban music is amazingly complicated. Spain brought its rhythmic flair. African slaves created many percussive instruments they remembered from their homeland. They formed social clubs called the cabildos and gathered together to play their music as well as socialize. Santeria, the religion from Haiti, added it's influence. The native folk music had its influence as well, and anthropologists are still tracing many of these early musical roots by talking to musicians today. They want to know what passed from Great-Grand Father to Grand Father to Father to Son. This crossroads of the Caribbean is a musical treasure trove of history.




Your T/F Quiz for Q
1.  The Chinese influenced Cuban music along with many of the other cultural groups that arrived on the island.2.  A TRES is a 12-string guitar that has very special tuning and is popular in Cuba.
Answers tomorrow.
Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge:P is for Poverty

Bonus P: Preorder Sign of the Green Dragon at Barnes and Noble, iTunes Apple and Kobo. You can also add it to your library at Smashwords. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for helping me out with this book launch. It will be up on Amazon by the end of this month. Cover ready. Just waiting for blurbs to come in.




Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 





Answers to your T/F Quiz for O:

TRUE 1. Obispo does translate as bishop. In general it used to be "religious leader."
TRUE 2. Obispo is an Ancient Greek name that does come from those pre Christian times. The word it comes from is "episkopos", which translates as the overseer. "epi" meaning on or over, and "skopein" meaning to look. Aren't you glad you know this?



P is for Poverty

Every Cuban citizen is guaranteed an education through college. Every Cuban is guaranteed "health care." I put that in quotes because there are issues about that health care. So here's what happens. Everyone can go to school and see a doctor without a huge bill, but when he or she graduates, guess what? No jobs that pay enough to support a family. So people, for example, with doctorates in Botany are tour guides. It's a heck of a good deal for the tourist. It's not such a good deal for the people who would like to work in the field they studied.

Here's one of the guides at a national park. He was great because he did have a degree in Botany. He made my walk through this botanical paradise so interesting, and I should have taken notes because his tour was like taking a crash course in the native plants of Cuba.




Your T/F Quiz for P:
1. The average teacher in Cuba makes about $100 a month.2. The government provides free transportation to workers to and from work to help them financially.
Answers tomorrow.
Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: O is for Obispo Street

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 





Answers to your T/F Quiz for N
FALSE: Johnny Weismuller, Edward VIII,  Jack Dempsey, Tom Mix, José Mujica, Buster Keaton, Errol Flynn, and the mobsters Santos Traficante and Meyer Lansky weren't guests in the sixties. They were guests in the thirties. 




O is for Obispo Street
Obispo Street is in the heart of Cuidad Vieja (the old city), and I was lucky enough to stay smack in the middle of it. The first day I stepped out onto my balcony at ten in the morning, the street was jammed with people (no cars are allowed on Obispo Street). That night about twelve hours later the street was still jammed. People were talking and laughing. From each direction music blared and it was beautiful. I had dinner. I went for a stroll and joined the fun. At midnight, the view from my balcony was exactly the same as it had been earlier. At two o'clock in the morning. . .exactly the same. Do these people never tire? The answer was yes. About three or four all is quiet. Here's a short video of my balcony overlooking Obispo Street at the wee hours of the morning. After all, I wasn't about to sleep.  







Your T/F Quiz for O:
1. In English the word obispo translates as bishop.2. Obispo is an ancient word that has its origins in pre-Christian times. 
Answers tomorrow.

Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: N is for National Hotel

Just wanted to say this again to my visitors. I'm not replying on my blog during the #atozChallenge, but  I do read every one of your comments. Sometimes, if you have a reply email, I answer questions or continue the discussion. I love questions, and I love it when someone adds to the information on the post.  






Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 




There was no quiz for M. Yay! So here are a couple of pictures that sum up the atmosphere of Cuba. 


Anyone needing food can pick up a two week supply with their coupons. 

These nifty fifty cars are everywhere. It was like stepping back five decades.


N is for National Hotel


The Lobby's not too shabby.


This is behind the hotel at dusk. Sorry bad picture.




The National Hotel is where anybody who's important stays. I didn't stay there. Draw your own conclusions. But it is a beautiful place to wander the grounds and roam the areas the rich and famous have frequented. Here are some of the pictures I took that day while pretending to be among the elite group. Just kidding.


There  is one room with walls of posters. Each one has images of celebrities who stayed or performed here, and each poster covers a decade.

Your T/F Quiz for N:

These were notable guests at the National Hotel in sixties: Johnny Weismuller, Edward VIII,  Jack Dempsey, Tom Mix, José Mujica, Buster Keaton, Errol Flynn, and the mobsters Santos Traficante and Meyer Lansky.


Answer tomorrow.Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: M is for Malecón

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 



Answers to Your T/F Quiz for L:


TRUE 1. The famous Hemingway nightspot was once called "La Piña de Plata" (Silver Pineapple), but it became such a hangout for Florida tourists, it was change to El Florida, then La Floridita. 
FALSE 2. There's no vodka in a Daiquiri. It's full on rum and lime juice with sugar.

M is for Malecón




Malecón means a paved walk along water's edge. Every city or town I visited had a beautiful walk along the shore line. This is one of Havana's. The ones I really enjoyed had a park-like setting with trees, benches and lots of flowers. But this is a pretty famous malecón because this was part of the Grand Prix route back in the pre-Castro days. 


I can't come up with a quiz for M, so class dismissed.Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew

#atozchallenge: L is for La Floridita

Here's to a great AtoZ!

Join in the FUN.


This year I traveled to Cuba. You know, it's that little island that's spitting distance from Florida and should not be visited without special dispensation. I wanted to see it before MacDonald's arrived. I'm so glad I did. I learned a lot and I met some wonderful people. It seems they like us. Now there's a change!

I'll add a short T/F quiz to each post the same as I did last year about Burma, and I'll post the answers to the questions the following day. 



Answers to your T/F Quiz for K:

TRUE 1. The first Cuban Grand Prix was held in 1957, and Juan Fangio won it in his Maserati 300S. It was Bautistia's hope that this major race would help him turn Havana into Latino Las Vegas. Castro had other ideas.

TRUE 2. Following the successful revolution in 1959, organized motor racing in Cuba ended permanently. The government thought it was too bourgeois for a socialist state.



L is for La Floridita: 

The La Floridita is known as the home of the Daiquiri. And it was "home" to Hemingway for many days and nights. The folklore has it that in one day he consumed 40 Daiquiris. It was an easy walk from my hotel in Ciuidad Vieja and I had to see the famed bar and restaurant I'd read about for years. So I bellied up to the bar, ordered a Daiquiri (something I never drink) and toasted Hemingway who sat at the end looking out over the crowded room. He never moved, so I thought he may have already downed a few of those horrid, sweet beverages. 




Your T/F Quiz for L: 

1. This famous nightspot was once called "La Piña de Plata" (The Silver Pineapple).
2. The Daiquiri is made from vodka and pineapple juice.

Answers tomorrow.

Beware the White Rabbit (Anthology: They Call Me Alice), Leap Books, Summer '15
Sliding on the Edge, C. Lee McKenzie, WestSide Books, Spring '09
The Princess of Las Pulgas, WestSide Books, Fall '10
The First Time, Fall '11 (Anthology story: Premeditated Cat)
Alligators Overhead, Outskirts Press, Fall '12
Two and Twenty Dark Tales (Anthology story: Into the Sea of Dew