CONTRA EL PINGALISMO CASTRISTA/
"Se que no existe el consuelo
que no existe
la anhelada tierrra de mis suenos
ni la desgarrada vision de nuestros heroes.
Pero
te seguimos buscando, patria,..." - Reinaldo Arenas
The “Tiny House Movement,”
once an architectural component to a downsized life, is now becoming
something much bigger: an escape from chronic homelessness.
“This
is a plan that could revolutionize the housing movement in the United
States,” declares Alan Graham, 58, a Texas activist who says his
self-founded organization, Community First, has already lifted 100 homeless people off the streets.
“The city of Austin loves us,” he says. “They think we’re on the verge of breaking the code.”
Occupy Madison, an offshoot
of the Occupy Wall Street movement based in Madison, Wis., finished
building its first fully functional tiny house last month. The
98-square-foot structure, complete with a bed, toilet and tiny kitchen,
will serve as a template for 40 homes to follow, says Brenda Konkel, an
Occupy Madison board member. It is hoped that the project, which depends
on volunteer labor and community donations, eventually will end
homelessness in their city.
“I
think this is a solution for now,” says Konkel. “Our first house cost
$5,000 to make, and we did it without asking for government help.”
But California artist Gregory Kloen,
43, says there’s an even cheaper and faster way. For the past several
years, Kloen has singlehandedly built small, portable homes using
salvaged materials he finds on the street. His cost? Less than $100
each.
“Stuff people just throw
away on the street can give someone a viable home,” says Kloen, whose
environmentally friendly structures are made of everything from wooden
pallets to refrigerator parts. Kloen’s unique, whimsical designs are
both artistic (“I make them cute and funny”) and practical (“I want them
to work well, be strong and watertight.”)
“Now,
I can roll my house down the street. Now the police don’t give me a
hard time. I keep my house clean and I have no problems.”
Most
importantly, each Kloen design is a thoughtful response to the problems
faced daily by the homeless people in his community. For example,
Oakland’s public safety laws require municipal workers to periodically
sweep up and destroy the belongings of people living on the streets,
something Kloen hopes to circumvent with his mobile home designs.
“I
was sleeping outside on the freeway for two or three years,” recalls
Oakland resident Cathryn Estelle Copeland, 39. “I was using cardboard
for a cover. The police come there sometimes. If you don’t move fast
enough they just take your stuff away.”
Copeland says having a tiny house changed her life.
“Now,
I can roll my house down the street. Now the police don’t give me a
hard time. I keep my house clean and I have no problems.”
Breaking the cycle
While
billions of taxpayer dollars are allocated each year to support
shelters and social service initiatives, homelessness remains a
persistent problem in the U.S. In 2013, an estimated 610,000 people
slept without shelter every night, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“Homeless people spend excessive time in jail or prison, often for petty offenses such as loitering,” stated a 2011 Utah government report.
“The penal system frequently serves as emergency shelter for the
chronically homeless, at far greater cost than other more appropriate
options.”
An inexpensive structure
like a micro-pod – with insulation, a small bed and a place to store
belongings – is a good, temporary solution to keep a person warm, safe
and out of jail, says Kloen.
“Does it have merit as a
solution to homelessness? As far as giving people a shelter, yeah,
definitely. Is it a solution to homelessness? It’s an answer. An
attempt.”
Historically, measures
that offer temporary respite from homelessness have often failed,
because the problems that cause it – poverty, addiction, mental and/or
physical illness – are often chronic. But recent evidence shows that
access to social services combined with the safety and security of a
permanent home can be effective in breaking the cycle of chronic homelessness.
For instance, Utah’s “Housing First”
program, which gives free, permanent “no strings attached” apartments
to the chronically homeless, claims to be on track to eradicate the
problem. The 8-year pilot program, which costs $11,000 per apartment
annually, has a reported 74 percent success rate.
While
some people believe individual micro-houses could provide the same
benefit, others say turning the fantasy into a reality isn’t easy.
“There
were concerns about safety and property values and noise and trash. I
reminded them that these people were already living in our community.”
“Our city government [thought] the homes might be a magnet to crime, or make the city look bad,” admits Jay Rowe,
executive director of Rochester Greenovation in upstate New York. Rowe
says the organization’s project, Tiny Homes for the Homeless, was
stalled by red tape and “a whole bunch of maybes.”
But Tiny Home proponents say they won’t give up.
“There were concerns
about safety and property values and noise and trash,” recalls Occupy
Madison’s Konkel. “I reminded them that these people were already living
in our community.”
Estimating
that 100-400 people sleep on the streets of Madison nightly, Konkel
describes her police force as “very understanding and appreciative” of
the Tiny Homes project. She hopes that having the comfort and protection
of a real house will help Madison’s homeless rebuild their lives.
“Where
there’s stability and a home base, safety and normalcy, the mental
health issues some people have are alleviated,” she says. “It’s not
cured but it’s easier to manage.”
Graham
agrees. He says his Community First village is all about healing people
who have experienced profound rejection from society, by welcoming them
back into the community.
“People
think if you build a bunch of houses you’ve ‘solved’ homelessness,” he
says. “I don’t buy into the word ‘solution.’ It’s less an issue of
‘curative’ than ‘palliative.’ By virtue of relieving their suffering, we
hope to make a positive impact. These are God’s beautiful, broken
children.”
¨Saturno jugando con sus hijos¨/ Pedro Pablo Oliva
Seguidores
Carta desde la carcel de Fidel Castro Ruz
“…después de todo, para mí la cárcel es un buen descanso, que sólo tiene de malo el que es obligatorio. Leo mucho y estudio mucho. Parece increíble, las horas pasan como si fuesen minutos y yo, que soy de temperamento intranquilo, me paso el día leyendo, apenas sin moverme para nada. La correspondencia llega normalmente…”
“…Como soy cocinero, de vez en cuando me entretengo preparando algún pisto. Hace poco me mandó mi hermana desde Oriente un pequeño jamón y preparé un bisté con jalea de guayaba. También preparo spaghettis de vez en cuando, de distintas formas, inventadas todas por mí; o bien tortilla de queso. ¡Ah! ¡Qué bien me quedan! por supuesto, que el repertorio no se queda ahí. Cuelo también café que me queda muy sabroso”. “…En cuanto a fumar, en estos días pasados he estado rico: una caja de tabacos H. Upman del doctor Miró Cardona, dos cajas muy buenas de mi hermano Ramón….”. “Me voy a cenar: spaghettis con calamares, bombones italianos de postre, café acabadito de colar y después un H. Upman #4. ¿No me envidias?”. “…Me cuidan, me cuidan un poquito entre todos. No le hacen caso a uno, siempre estoy peleando para que no me manden nada. Cuando cojo el sol por la mañana en shorts y siento el aire de mar, me parece que estoy en una playa… ¡Me van a hacer creer que estoy de vacaciones! ¿Qué diría Carlos Marx de semejantes revolucionarios?”.
Quotes
¨La patria es dicha de todos, y dolor de todos, y cielo para todos, y no feudo ni capellanía de nadie¨ - Marti
"No temas ni a la prision, ni a la pobreza, ni a la muerte. Teme al miedo" - Giacomo Leopardi
¨Por eso es muy importante, Vicky, hijo mío, que recuerdes siempre para qué sirve la cabeza: para atravesar paredes¨– Halvar de Flake[El vikingo]
"Como no me he preocupado de nacer, no me preocupo de morir"- Lorca
"Al final, no os preguntarán qué habéis sabido, sino qué habéis hecho" - Jean de Gerson
"Si queremos que todo siga como está, es necesario que todo cambie" - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
"Todo hombre paga su grandeza con muchas pequeñeces, su victoria con muchas derrotas, su riqueza con múltiples quiebras" - Giovanni Papini
"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans" - John Lennon
"Habla bajo, lleva siempre un gran palo y llegarás lejos" - Proverbio Africano
"No hay medicina para el miedo"-Proverbio escoces "El supremo arte de la guerra es doblegar al enemigo sin luchar" -Sun Tzu
"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
"It is inaccurate to say I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office" - H. L. Menken
"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented" -Elie Wiesel
"Stay hungry, stay foolish" - Steve Jobs
"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert , in five years ther'ed be a shortage of sand" - Milton Friedman
"The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life, but that it bothers him less and less" - Vaclav Havel
"No se puede controlar el resultado, pero si lo que uno haga para alcanzarlo" - Vitor Belfort [MMA Fighter]
Liborio
A la puerta de la gloria está San Pedro sentado y ve llegar a su lado a un hombre de cierta historia. No consigue hacer memoria y le pregunta con celo: ¿Quién eras allá en el suelo? Era Liborio mi nombre. Has sufrido mucho, hombre, entra, te has ganado el cielo.
Para Raul Castro
Cuba ocupa el penultimo lugar en el mundo en libertad economica solo superada por Corea del Norte.
Cuba ocupa el lugar 147 entre 153 paises evaluados en "Democracia, Mercado y Transparencia 2007"
Cuando vinieron a buscar a los comunistas, Callé: yo no soy comunista. Cuando vinieron a buscar a los sindicalistas, Callé: yo no soy sindicalista. Cuando vinieron a buscar a los judíos, Callé: yo no soy judío. Cuando vinieron a buscar a los católicos, Callé: yo no soy “tan católico”. Cuando vinieron a buscarme a mí, Callé: no había quien me escuchara.
Un sitio donde los hechos y sus huellas nos conmueven o cautivan
CUBA LLORA Y EL MUNDO Y NOSOTROS NO ESCUCHAMOS
Donde esta el Mundo, donde los Democratas, donde los Liberales? El pueblo de Cuba llora y nadie escucha. Donde estan los Green, los Socialdemocratas, los Ricos y los Pobres, los Con Voz y Sin Voz? Cuba llora y nadie escucha. Donde estan el Jet Set, los Reyes y Principes, Patricios y Plebeyos? Cuba desesperada clama por solidaridad. Donde Bob Dylan, donde Martin Luther King, donde Hollywood y sus estrellas? Donde la Middle Class democrata y conservadora, o acaso tambien liberal a ratos? Y Gandhi? Y el Dios de Todos? Donde los Santos y Virgenes; los Dioses de Cristianos, Protestantes, Musulmanes, Budistas, Testigos de Jehova y Adventistas del Septimo Dia. Donde estan Ochun y todas las deidades del Panteon Yoruba que no acuden a nuestro llanto? Donde Juan Pablo II que no exige mas que Cuba se abra al Mundo y que el Mundo se abra a Cuba? Que hacen ahora mismo Alberto de Monaco y el Principe Felipe que no los escuchamos? Donde Madonna, donde Angelina Jolie y sus adoptados around de world; o nos hara falta un Brando erguido en un Oscar por Cuba? Donde Sean Penn? Donde esta la Aristocracia Obrera y los Obreros menos Aristocraticos, donde los Working Class que no estan junto a un pueblo que lanquidece, sufre y llora por la ignominia? Que hacen ahora mismo Zapatero y Rajoy que no los escuchamos, y Harper y Dion, e Hillary y Obama; donde McCain que no los escuchamos? Y los muertos? Y los que estan muriendo? Y los que van a morir? Y los que se lanzan desesperados al mar? Donde estan el minero cantabrico o el pescador de percebes gijonese? Los Canarios donde estan? A los africanos no los oimos, y a los australianos con su acento de hombres duros tampoco. Y aquellos chinos milenarios de Canton que fundaron raices eternas en la Isla? Y que de la Queen Elizabeth y los Lords y Gentlemen? Que hace ahora mismo el combativo Principe Harry que no lo escuchamos? Donde los Rockefellers? Donde los Duponts? Donde Kate Moss? Donde el Presidente de la ONU? Y Solana donde esta? Y los Generales y Doctores? Y los Lam y los Fabelo, y los Sivio y los Fito Paez? Y que de Canseco y Miñoso? Y de los veteranos de Bahia de Cochinos y de los balseros y de los recien llegados? Y Carlos Otero y Susana Perez? Y el Bola, y Pancho Cespedes? Y YO y TU? Y todos nosotros que estamos aqui y alla rumiando frustaciones y resquemores, envidias y sinsabores; autoelogios y nostalgias, en tanto Louis Michel comulga con Perez Roque mientras Biscet y una NACION lanquidecen? Donde Maceo, donde Marti; donde aquel Villena con su carga para matar bribones? Cuba llora y clama y el Mundo NO ESCUCHA!!!
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