Havana Before Castro
I just received my copy of Havana Before Castro, a wonderful new book by architect, Peter Moruzzi, that "through vintage and contemporary photographs, brochures, and artifacts evocative of time and place...tells the story of the city that was the most popular exotic destination for Americans during the forty years between World War I and Castro’s revolution." At the official website, you can preview many of the book's fantastic mid-century illustrations, like this one:
I'd love to visit Havana some day, and hope that when I do, it's people won't be ruled by thugs, communist or otherwise.
[Link: Havana Before Castro]
Comments
If I didn't think I'd get in trouble for it, I would swim there from Florida.
Posted by: Max "Bunny" Sparber | August 2, 2008 12:24 PM
I'd be more worried about getting eaten by sharks or dying of exhaustion trying to swim the 90 miles to Havana than any trouble from the Feds.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | August 2, 2008 12:58 PM
If the mob didn't rule & ruin Cuba - Fidel wouldn't have had a chance to find supporters for his revolution.
I just hope all these poorer island in that region will prosper some day - and open many Tiki Bars for you to visit.
Posted by: orangeguru | August 2, 2008 2:21 PM
Absolutely. When I said "or otherwise", I was thinking of Batista.
And I have to wonder what Cuba would have turned out like under Castro, if he hadn't been such an egotistical asshat.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | August 2, 2008 2:26 PM
Too bad these small islands don't have any oil - otherwise they all would have been "liberated" and "blessed" with Democracy ...
Posted by: orangeguru | August 2, 2008 4:44 PM
You mean like the way Venezuela has been "liberated" and "blessed" by Hugo Chavez? Guess the evil American Empire was asleep at the switch that day...
Posted by: MrBaliHai | August 2, 2008 5:35 PM
Hugo Chavez? He sucks as well.
Apart from Canada I can't think of a liberated and social nation in the Americas.
Any suggestions?
Posted by: orangeguru | August 3, 2008 1:09 PM
Canada has issues too. Haven't you read about their "Human Rights Tribunals" that run kangaroo courts to stifle any free speech they happen to disagree with? Makes the US Patriot Act seem almost benevolent by comparison.
And Central and South America got generationally screwed by the Spanish quite a while before the U.S. started mucking around with the local governments down there, so we're not the only ones to blame for their problems. Marxist rebels seem to have done a pretty good job of fucking over the people of Columbia and Peru too.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | August 3, 2008 1:18 PM
Is there such athing as a perfect country or society - apart from Saudi Arabia?
Overall civil liberties have been cut back by most western nations. They should all be ashamed.
I just hope that Central and South America will reach some "higher" development in terms of peace and prosperity. I don't care who fucks these countries up - it's simply a terrible thing to do.
Posted by: orangeguru | August 6, 2008 5:50 PM
You mean Bavaria isn't perfect?!
Big beers, big sausages, big-breasted wimmen, and big leather shorts, what more is there to life?
As for civil liberties, they've always been an illusion created by the state to pacify its citizens.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | August 6, 2008 6:13 PM
Well, Lederhosen & Laptop has it's charms - it's only missing Broadband & Breasts for free.
Posted by: orangeguru | August 7, 2008 6:04 AM