Miami Performing Arts Center

A little over a month ago I had the opportunity to take a tour of the Performing Arts Center while it was still getting the finishing touches added, and I must say that the work that was put into this is spectacular! I know there’s been a lot of controversy concerning this center. I’ve heard everything from ‘It’s ugly and misshapen’ to ‘It’s in such a bad location!’, but in all sincerity it’s truly not. In my opinion it was perfectly placed because that section of town was basically dying. Yes, it is filled with homeless people and isn’t exactly the greatest section of town, but what better way to revive that section then to throw in some culture? Soon, the grounds will be cleared for Museum Park as well, and I’m liking what the city is starting to do with that section of town. I wish that they would find something to do with the Omni as well, but I guess with time that will be planned out too. Anyways, during my tour, I had absentmindedly forgotten to take my camera, which I am still kicking myself over, and today I received this pictures in my e-mail. This is a first hand look at the inside of the center by one of the architects who helped oversee this project.—–

Let the people Dance!

It seems as if everywhere you look there is some kind of controversy regarding the cheering, partying, and such that happened here in Miami over the news that castro has fallen ill and had relinquished his power, even if it is supposedly just temporarily.  It seems to me that if you’re not from Cuba or a direct descendant of Cubans, you just can’t understand what it is that we’re feeling with what’s been going on.  Growing up I had to hear the stories of everything that was wrong in Cuba and why my family left.  I heard stories about why people were risking their lives on a raft to get out of Cuba and make it to the United States.  I think George Diaz’s commentary in the Orlando Sentinel puts it best when he says:

“Imagine someone storming into your home in Winter Park or Heathrow, staking ownership. Imagine leaving family and friends, some you will never see again, behind. Imagine families torn apart by ideological differences. Imagine hope cruelly fading daily with the realization that evil has prevailed. Multiply that by nearly five decades.”

Some people just can’t understand until they’ve lived through it.

I keep reading about how the exile community in Miami is this horrible community of people who proclaim they want it all, and want us (the US military) to go into Cuba and overthrow the government so that we (the exhiled Cubans) could go back and take over the politics on the island for the people that are there and be granted rights to all the property and belongings we had on the island, and all kinds of other nonesense.  Frankly it’s just that: nonesense.  We want to see the homeland from which our parents grew up in free.  We want to know that our people are safe and are not starving and do not have to live in fear of the government because they had a little too much coffee in the fridge, or because they slaughtered a pig and are distributing the meat amongst the family.  Yes, these are things that really happen on this island.   These are things that my family had to live th

Is he dead yet???

Here’s the latest news from the Miami Herald:

Cuban press: Castro recovering, not close to death

Cuba’s official media and government representatives, reacting to speculation about Fidel Castro’s prognosis after a serious operation, said Tuesday afternoon that his recovery was underway and his demise was in no way imminent.

Housing Agency gets what they deserve

WOW! They’ve been seriously busted at last after the Herald’s did the exclusive on this mess. I’m glad that they finally came down on these fools because they’ve been promising this housing for I dont know how long, and they still haven’t come through. They threw a bunch of underpriviledged people out of their government subsidized apartments, tore down this housing, and still have not lived up to their end of the bargain of constructing single family homes for these low-income families! This housing has been torn down for years, and yet the people are still waiting for the government to come through and build the new promised housing for them. I want to say it’s been about three years, but I could be wrong. Check out the interactive report that the herald did on this recently, and read the public whiplashing they received by the Grand Jury.

Donations

I just added a Donate thing on the sidebar for all of you who are willing to help an overworked, underpaid tired and broke architecture student get herself through school, or if you just love my witty writings and wish to contribute a little extra so that I’m not so stressed out and can actually write a little more often then I have been. All donations would be greatly appreciated. 😀

FIU Professor’s Double-Agent?

In the Herald today, the case of Carlos Alverez, and FIU professor of Psychology, has taken an interesting turn. He aparently was promised immunity by FBI agents if he did a favor for them.

Alonso and Schureck said their goal in meeting with Alvarez was not to gather evidence in a criminal case, but to persuade him to become a double agent who would keep his alleged links to Cuba’s intelligence service while secretly working for the U.S. government to gather information about leader Fidel Castro’s government.

This sound a little too much like they were setting him up. It sounds to me like they did make promises to him, but since he refused their promise, they decided to go after him and charge him for being a Cuban spy, and then break the news to the papers to put the pressure on him and ruin him for denying them their offer, or maybe I feel this way because I watched Enemy of the State last night.

In his testimony Thursday, Alvarez said the two agents repeatedly invoked his family, including his 13-year-old daughter, in saying his truthfulness and willingness to cooperate would determine their future.

The professor also testified that he was led to believe he would not face criminal charges if he gave the FBI agents what they wanted.

It sounds to me like this guy has had it hard. It sounds to me like all he wanted to was live a life in peace and his past came back to haunt him, but then again, all I really know about this is what the MSM want’s me to know. If anyone has any more information on this case, I would love to hear it. Please share in the comments.

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