C. Lee McKenzie's Blog, page 35

#atozchallenge: K is for Kidnapped

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 J.

FALSE 1. The U.S. doesn't import tons of Cuban sugar each year and hasn't since the embargo in 1960. Cuba can sell to other countries; we don't stop that commerce.

FALSE 2. Rum isn't made from rum berries grown in the Caribbean. It's made from fermented sugarcane (molasses). 


K is for Kidnaped

Juan Fangio at the Grand Prix
In 1958 Juan Fangio, the winner of the World Drivers' Championship five times, was kidnapped from the Lincoln Hotel just before the big race in Havana. Castro guerrillas held him captive until after the race. He always said he was well-treated and never divulged where they held him. 

During the race one car's oil line broke and Cifuentes' Ferrari careened out of control into spectators. Forty people were injured and seven killed. So Fangio's kidnapping may have saved his life. It certainly brought attention to the people's revolution, while frustrating Batista's attempt to show the world how great things were in Cuba.

Today the Lincoln Hotel is a rather seedy run-down place off the Prado, but it does house a small museum in the room Juan Fangio stayed that fateful year.




Your T/F Quiz for K:

1. The first Cuban Grand Prix was held in 1957.
2. Following the successful revolution in 1959, organized motor racing in Cuba ended permanently.


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: J is for Jugo

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. 





Answer (only one question this time) to your T/F Quiz for I

TRUE: Cuba's considered part of North America because of where it's situated geographically, but Latin American when it come to culture. We're so close geographically, but this is a Latin country from top to bottom. They speak Spanish. Their food has a very Latin flair and their music is all about guitars and rhythm Latin style.



J is for Jugo


A sugarcane smasher. This juice is called Guarapo Jugo fantastico inside a Cuban orangeOne thing about Cuba is you need lots to drink--cold, fresh, and definitely involving RUM and often smashed cane sugar. So Jugo was the drink of the day. Jugo means juice in Spanish, but the juice was as varied as any Costco shelf in the U.S. I can't remember the names of all of the local drinks, but I do remember how they tasted. Good.





Your T/F Quiz for J:

1. The U.S. imports tons of Cuban sugar each year.
2. Rum is made from rum berries grown in the Caribbean. 

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: I is for Indigenous People of Cuba

Bonus I: It's a COVER REVEAL. Yep right smack in the middle of the #atozChallenge. Are you ready?  Leap Books, May 9, 2016
Goodreads


Sixth grade isn’t easy for Jesenya Moradi, especially since her father’s recent remarriage and tension with her new stepsister, Kammy. After an incident at school that nearly destroyed Kammy's life, Jess has been desperate to get on Kammy’s good side. But a fateful trip to an allegedly haunted bathroom changes both girls’ lives forever.
The rumors about the bathroom are true, and now Jess is convinced a demon's possessing Kammy. Eerie things happen whenever she's around – flying objects, flickering lights, not to mention the fact that something, or someone, is making people into its puppets.
Worse, the demon seems fixated on making Jess confess her part in ruining Kammy's reputation. Sticking to her Muslim faith, Jess enlists the help of an imam to exorcise the demon from Kammy. But can they get rid of the demon before it destroys her new family? 
Author Bio: Madeia Sharif was born in New York City and she presently calls Miami her home. She received my master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University. After becoming a voracious reader in high school and a relentless writer dabbling in many genres in college, she found her niche writing for young people. Today she’s a MG and YA writer published through various presses. In addition to being a writer, she is a public school teacher. Her memberships include Mensa, ALAN, and SCBWI.



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 you T/F Question for H

FALSE 1. Hemingway didn't fight in the Spanish-American War. He joined the Red Cross during WWI because he failed the vision test to join the service. He was also a reporter during the Spanish Civil War in 1937.  

TRUE 2. While A Moveable Feast was published in 1964 after his death, The Old Man and the Sea was the last book he wrote (1951). He earned the Pulitzer Prize for this short novel based on his time fishing on his boat, Pilar, with Gregorio Fuentes, the man said to have been the inspiration for the MC in his book.



I is for Indigenous people of Cuba. 

These were people who had come from South America and were called the Taíno. Later, when the Spanish arrived, they became known as the Arawak. It seems this group were farmers, but I can't imagine they didn't fish as well.



Your T/F Quiz for I (Only have one question for you today!)


Cuba's considered part of North America because of where it's situated geographically, but Latin American when it come to culture.



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: H is for Hemingway

Bonus H: Hurray! I'm giving away a signed copy of Alligators Overhead at Goodreads. This is the last day to ENTER. 



 

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 G


TRUE 1. Guantánamo is the oldest U.S. military base outside U.S. territory. It was established in 1898.


TRUE 2. Guantánamo was established by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish- American War. Roosevelt wanted to make the U.S. Navy stronger and he wanted a permanent place for our ships to be able to stop for repair and refueling, thereby, making hurricane relief more efficient. 



H is for Hemingway. 

Hemingway made his home in Cuba in the 40s and 50s. If you read my A post you know he lived in the Hotel Ambos Mundos in Room 151, now a museum with his artifacts. He later bought a home on an exquisite property overlooking the sea. I didn't want to leave after walking around and visiting this place he loved.

The Cubans have restored and kept this house as it was when the writer lived in it. His typewriter, his books, his music are all here. I wasn't a fan of the man, but I was a fan of his writing, so I soaked up as much of his writer's inspiration as I could before moving on.




Several rooms had mounted animal heads from his African expeditions. One of the reasons I wasn't keen on him as a human being. There are others, but I'll save that for another time. This was one of the vistas he enjoyed. Entrance to the Hemingway house



Your T/F Quiz for H

1. Hemingway fought in the Spanish-American War.

2. His novel, Old Man and the Sea, was the last book he wrote, and it earned him a Pulitzer Prize.

Answers tomorrowBeware 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: G is for Guantanamo #InkRipples Poetry

#InkRipples is a themed meme hosted by Mary Waibel, Katie L. Carroll, and Kai Strand. 

Bonus G: This is my small Garden pond. I have a big one, but this is where I sit on hot days and think about stories. I'm a "terse" writer I've been told and when it comes to poetry terse is absolutely better for me. Here's my poetry in April.
My small pond.
     A frog jumps in—
     the sound of water.





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. 



No Answers today. No quiz for F:


Guantánamo

Guantánamo 45 square miles of land on Guantánamo Bay. Each year the U.S. sends the Cuban government at check for $4,000. That's the payment for the lease of that land. The Cuban government sends it back. Seems they don't want us there. Some of their objection is probably because none of the labor or the food is provided by Cuba. Everything comes from the U.S. A little resentment? Cubans need jobs and GITMO could provide many. 

It does provide access for Cubans wanting to immigrate to the the U.S. Remember my letter D, Dry Foot Policy? One Cuban I spoke with told me about her cousin who trained for over a year to swim long distances in open water. She made it to GITMO and was granted immigrant status. 


Your T/F Quiz for G
1. Guantánamo is the oldest U.S. military base outside U.S. territory.
2. Guantánamo was established by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish-           American War.

Answers tomorrowBeware 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: F is for Fuster

Bonus F: I'm sending out my next Email Connect newsletter this week, so if you'd like to sign up to be my Follower of the Month this is the time. If you don't know what that means click HERE and all will be revealed. Maybe. 

Also, for those who are always here come #atozChallenge or high water, you know I usually respond to each comment. I just can't do that in April, but I read each one, and as some of you know, if you ask a question, I reply via email. Thanks for understanding about the individual replies. I need to do dishes, wash laundry, take out the garbage etc. in April as well as take on the challenge. 





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 E:
FALSE 1. It isn't now believed that all native indians are extinct in Cuba. Anthropologists are finding evidence of many native words and customs still in use. They're trying to show that the indigenous people still have a presence on the island.
TRUE  2. Cuba's population is largely a mixture of Spanish and African. There are, of course, other ethnic group, but Spain and Africa have a strong presence in Cuba.




F is for Fuster:



This is an example of Cuban ingenuity. A poor neighborhood now has a steady income with tourists from all over the world wanting to see the town that is a mosaic feast for the eye. The artist, José Rodriguez Fuster changed his small wooden home into a never-ending delight of art. My pictures can't do justice to this amazing mosaic experience. Here's a link that gives you a better idea of what entering Fusterlandia is really like. 

The incredible thing is that when his neighbors saw what he was doing and the result, they wanted to be a part of it. So now each house in the area boasts mosaic art.



No Quiz today. Hope you'll take a moment to see the art instead.

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: E is for Etymology & April IWSG

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 D:

FALSE 1.Canada and Mexico do not have similar immigration agreements with the U.S. as does Cuba. As you can imagine this has caused some hard feelings. They ask, "If Cubans can set foot on U.S. soil and stay, why can't Canadians and Mexicans?"

TRUE 2. There are about 1 million immigrants from Cuba in the U.S. today. In 2013, the number was 1,144,000.




E is for Etymology

Look at those clothes. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Talk about cultural clash.

It's always interesting to know where names come from. The answer to where did Cuba get its name isn't that straightforward. Some linguists say it came from the Taino indigenous word Cubanacan meaning "where fertile land is abundant" cubao or "great place" coabana. 

When Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba he christened it "Juana," in honor of Prince Don Juan, son of Queen Isabella. That didn't stick, but the indigenous one did. Score one for the natives.




Your T/F Quiz for E:
1. It's now believed that all native indians are extinct in Cuba.2. Cuba population is largely a mixture of Spanish and African.
Answers tomorrow.



 If ever there was a time this group was needed it's April. 

Will I make it through an entire month of blogging daily? Will I screw up my posts? Will anyone care about my theme? 
Talk about insecurity. April has them all in a neat bundle, so whether you're part of this brilliant insanity or just dropping in to see if I'm holding up, lend your support here before going on to give other A to Zers some love.



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: D is for Dry-Feet

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 C
FALSE 1.Unlike other Cuban notables, Castro is seldom seen in portraits or statues.

TRUE 2. Che was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1928. He was an avid marxist whose ultimate separation from Castro came because Che envisioned liberating all of Latin America.


D is for Dry-Feet





Cubans have a special category in American Immigration policy. If they can step onto U.S. land, they can stay and later apply for citizenship. Many Cubans have taken advantage of this policy, even risking dangerous waters and swimming to Guantanamo.



Before going to Cuba I read Swimming to Guantanamo by Jim Ryerson. It was excellent first hand information from the writer who has been to that island so many times he writes from a multi-cultural perspective. I recommend the book to anyone thinking of visiting Cuba.




Your T/F Quiz for D

1. Canada and Mexico have similar immigration agreements with the U.S. 

2. There are about 1 million immigrants from Cuba in the U.S. today.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: C is for Castro and Che

Bonus C: C. Lee is in Nicky Peacock's Spotlight today in the U.K. How does she manage to be in the U.K. and Cuba at the same time? Alex lent me his cloning machine!


 

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 B:
TRUE 1.The period of "modern architecture" in Cuba did start in the 1950s.
Actually, this is kind of a trick question since the word "modern" is a squishy one. But it seems it's used to separate buildings from the Colonial and Art Deco periods and definitely from the post 1959 one.

FALSE 2.The bici-taxi isn't unique to Cuba. They're called by many names (pedicabs, samloes), but they're found in many countries around the world including cities in the U.S.
C is for Castro and Che
Che Overlooking Independence Square
In Cuba images of Che and other Cuban heroes are just about everywhere. This fifteen-story wire piece of Che stares out over the wide expanse of Independence Square.
This Havana immense square is the 31st largest square in the world today and has seen many history-making events. The most recent events were the Pope's visit and Obama's visit.


True/False Quiz for C:
1. Castro's image is on almost every wall and billboard in Cuba.2. Che was originally an Argentinian Marxist before going to 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: B is for Bar-b-ques and Bici-Taxies

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 A
TRUE 1.While Hemingway lived at the Hotel Ambros Mundos he worked on For               Whom the Bell Tolls.
TRUE 2.Columbus discovered Cuba in 1492. There are different villages that claim he landed at their doorstep, so it's not clear exactly where he first stepped onto the island.




B is for Bar-b-que and Bici-Taxies:



Don't let your mouth water at the thought of Bar-b-ques on the sandy beaches of Cuba because that's not what this word means. The angle doesn't show you inside the windows of this once elegant early 1900s building, but if it had, you'd see tall ceilinged rooms divided by a floor separating them into upper and lower living quarters. That's a Bar-b-que Cuban style. It allows two families to live in a single space. Of course, if they don't have air conditioning, those lower-ceilinged rooms are stifling in summer. 





Bici-taxies are everywhere and only a few CUCs (Cuban pesos) gets you around town. On them you see so much and you cover a lot of territory. Passengers sit behind a guy on a bike and he pumps like no gym denizen I ever saw.




Your T/F Questions for B:

1. The period of "modern architecture" in Cuba started in the 1950s.
2. The bici-taxi is unique to 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