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North America

Cuba - The best of all possible worlds

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The best of all possible worlds

Cuba has free medical services and education and strong cultural traditions including: old cars; music; dance; and painting.  No one was obviously undernourished and crime rates are said to be very low; although most houses have barred windows or shutters and the hotels have night and day security.  Unlike Mexico there is not an obvious or overwhelming police presence in the streets.

There is a general air of happiness amongst the people with many smiling faces and it is apparent that many, like Candide, do indeed believe that they live in the best of all possible worlds. 

 

image042 Life's a party

 

We were there during May Day.  We did not go to the parade but watched it for a while on TV.  Millions marched.  It was quite amazing; a mile long procession at hundreds of people wide; representing collectives from across the country. They were harangued with speeches against capitalism and in favour of the great socialist experiment that is Cuba.

 

image043
May Day

 

The amazing thing is that most of the TV stations receivable originate in the US, just 90 miles to the south; so you would think that the difference in material standard of living would be palpable.

 

 

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Travel

Istanbul

 

 

Or coming down to earth...

 

When I was a boy, Turkey was mysterious and exotic place to me. They were not Christians there; they ate strange food; and wore strange clothes. There was something called a ‘bazaar’ where white women were kidnapped and sold into white slavery. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, or was it Errol Flynn, got into all sorts of trouble there with blood thirsty men with curved swords. There was a song on the radio that reminded me over and over again that ‘It’s Istanbul not Constantinople Now’, sung by The Four Lads, possibly the first ‘boy band’.

 

Read more: Istanbul

Fiction, Recollections & News

Stace and Hall family histories

 

The following family history relates to my daughter Emily and her mother Brenda.  It was compiled by my niece Sara Stace, Emily’s first cousin, from family records that were principally collected by Corinne Stace, their Grandmother, but with many contributions from family members.  I have posted it here to ensure that all this work is not lost in some bottom draw.  This has been vindicated by a large number of interested readers worldwide.

The copyright for this article, including images, resides with Sara Stace. 

Thus in respect of this article only, the copyright statement on this website should be read substituting the words 'Sarah Stace' for the words 'website owner'.

Sara made the original document as a PDF and due to the conversion process some formatting differs from the original.  Further, some of the originally posted content has been withdrawn,  modified or corrected following requests and comments by family members.  

 

Richard

 

 

 

Stace and Hall family histories

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Opinions and Philosophy

Gone but not forgotten

Gone but not forgotten

 

 

Gough Whitlam has died at the age of 98.

I had an early encounter with him electioneering in western Sydney when he was newly in opposition, soon after he had usurped Cocky (Arthur) Calwell as leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party and was still hated by elements of his own party.

I liked Cocky too.  He'd addressed us at University once, revealing that he hid his considerable intellectual light under a barrel.  He was an able man but in the Labor Party of the day to seem too smart or well spoken (like that bastard Menzies) was believed to be a handicap, hence his 'rough diamond' persona.

Gough was a new breed: smooth, well presented and intellectually arrogant.  He had quite a fight on his hands to gain and retain leadership.  And he used his eventual victory over the Party's 'faceless men' to persuade the Country that he was altogether a new broom. 

It was time for a change not just for the Labor Party but for Australia.

Read more: Gone but not forgotten

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