Sports is a hot topic in Cuba. In Havana's central park, there's a "hot corner," not unlike Hyde Park in London. But, instead of debating politics, the participants are intensely arguing about baseball, and the minutiae of each game. Why did the favored Industriales lose to Pinar del Rio? With men in the street, my Red Sox cap, despite my …
Continue reading Impressions of Cuba, pt. 3 – sports and the arts are signatures
The end of the U.S. embargo of Cuba is long overdue. It serves no purpose today. The goal was to bring Fidel Castro to his knees, but it hasn't worked for 55 years. Now the torch has been passed to his brother, Raul, perceived both in the United States and in Cuba to be a pragmatist. His …
Continue reading Impressions of Cuba, pt. 2 – Cuban embargo is just one problem
As Sun Country's flight 8830 touched down in Havana the morning of February 25th, the flight attendant announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to Havana." A cheer went up, people clapped, and some eyes misted over. It was an inexplicably emotional moment, but it speaks to the fact that Cuba and the United States, just a 49-minute flight separating …
Continue reading Impressions of Cuba, pt. 1- life in a time warp
Forty years ago, Italian postal workers faced a backlog of 20 million pieces of mail following a series of strikes. Unlike London, which faced a similar problem and simply took a couple of weeks to eliminate the backlog, the Italians burned some of the letters, sold off others for pulp and dumped others into the …
Continue reading Backlog of complaints? Hit the delete button!
Will Marty Walsh become the next Michael Bilandic? Bilandic was the first Chicago Mayor to try to fill the large shoes left when Mayor-for-life Richard Daley died in 1976. Walsh, of course, replaced our own Mayor-for-Life, Tom Menino and is working to make the job his own. Bilandic's first challenges were negotiating the shoals of …
Continue reading Will Marty Walsh become another Michael Bilandic?
Bob Simon was the kind of journalist whom Brian Williams could only dream of being. There was no finer writer or story teller, no more courageous correspondent, no better example of the highest achievements of reporting, than Simon, described by so many in the last few days as a giant of broadcast journalism. In today's world of …
In Mumbai, train service was once so slow passengers rioted and burned train stations. In Bangkok, a one-way commute can take four hours. Manila's public transport relies on Jeepneys, modeled on WW II jeeps and hazardous to passenger comfort and safety. But the performance of the MBTA of late shows Greater Boston has the best Third World transit system …
Continue reading T troubles from the can kicked down the road
California is sometimes thought of as la-la land, so it shouldn't surprise us that it is the epicenter of the irrational parental movement against immunization. The shocking map of the resulting outbreak of measles, a disease virtually eradicated by 2000 thanks to vaccination, dramatizes the horror. Last year there were more than 600 cases in …
Continue reading Chris Christie, Rand Paul support parents with heads in sand
I have never been a fan of Al Sharpton. I look at him and see Tawana Brawley, the late eighties phoney rape case that Sharpton embraced in such an inflammatory way. I have always seen him as someone who has been eager to exploit racial issues to advance his own career. And that's usually true. But, in …
Yesterday, the city of Rome included itself among the potential hosts for the 2024 summer Olympics. Now, where would you rather be that August - Boston or Rome? Italian Premier Matteo Renzi said, "it's unacceptable not to try." Boston's self-appointed elite apparently feel that way. Today, Boston's bid boosters are in San Francisco to persuade the United States Olympic Committee to choose Boston over San …
Continue reading Boston 2024 Olympic bid: we could – but should we?
Marjorie Arons-Barron 