The Bariay Park

The Holguin's Bariay park has enough attractions for the development of nature tourism programs, it has excellent beaches and a very rich and unique flora and fauna. It’s shows a vegetable formations of mangrove, complex of vegetation of rocky coast, complex of vegetation of sandy coast, heath coastal xenomorphic, forest ever green, forest semideciduo, secondary heaths and secondary forests. There, it is possible to admire two of the most attractive places in the geography of Holguin: La Silla de Gibara, mountain named this way for the Admiral Cristóbal Colón, due to its likeness with a saddle, and Colón’s Mosque, place that recreates a beautiful Andalusian legend. Today it constitutes a confirmed fact that the Bariay bay was the first point of our geography touched by La Niña, La Pinta and La Santamaría, the three ships commanded by Cristóbal Colón -reason for which Bariay Park has been transformed into National Monument- and the beauty of its environment gets rich with the rescue of the history and the bold efforts to return its original appearance to the place. There is a monument by local artist Caridad Ramos, which presents the ruins of a European neoclassical construction next to the copy of objects made by the native ones and found it in the near excavations, to show in a concrete way the encounter, everything amid an exuberant nature very characteristic of Cuba.

Holguin in Romerías

Over 200 delegates from 21 countries have bought tickets to attend the 20th Romerias de Mayo to take place in the city of Holguin from 2 to 8 next month. It is expected this figure will rise in the coming hours, so it promises to record worldwide participation. 200 young artists from all provinces of Cuba will be also participating in the event. So far, the World Meeting of Poets and Chile, Mexico, Venezuela and Spain have the largest delegations to this important cultural event. What are the Romerias? According to the Spanish custom of placing a cross in the highest places near populations in order to prevent epidemics or natural disasters, the Franciscan friar Antonio de Alegría placed, in the colonial era of the island, a cross in a hill that marks Holguin's geographic north (known as Loma de la Cruz). Long after this religious event turned into a festival that includes all artistic expressions, which starts with a pilgrimage to the cross placed by Friar Antonio de Alegría. During the Romerias the people started a procession from the San Isidoro Church to La Loma de La Cruz where they officiated a Mass and at the same place they started the festivities that lasted until the next day. After this, the Catholic holiday became known until becoming a popular festival. Today, and since 1994, The Romerias de Mayo have reemerged by the wish of young people from the Saiz Brothers Association, to link the new with the old, and realize its slogan "Because there is not today without yesterday."

Venezuelan TV Presenter Shows Recent Photos with Fidel

Political analyst and host of the show Cayendo y Corriendo (Falling and Running), broadcast by Venezolana de Television (VTV), Miguel Angel Perez Pirela, held on Sunday March 31, 2013, a personal meeting for over four hours, with the Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz. The meeting allowed the journalist and the Cuban leader exchange on contemporary history and various current national issues. "Healthy, lucid, intelligent, analyzing countless numbers and measures, names and situations that leave anyone speechless," were the first words of Pirela, referring to the visit he made to Castro in Havana. He showed photographs and thanked the gesture of the Cuban leader, by sending the pictures and allow publishing. Pirela said he participated in a tour of observation by the Cuban countryside where agriculture experiments are made, and said that the results "will surprise more than one." "Those who are willing and predicting the death of our Comandante Castro and those who every day think on it, are these pictures," said the presenter of VTV about the images, which, he said, make happy the Venezuelan people that admire and respect him. "Without a doubt, Fidel is one of the most intelligent human beings who has given birth Latin America and humanity," said Perez Pirela, after the analysis made by Fidel on Venezuela, Latin America and the world, at a time when Venezuelans are still in pain and sadness for Chavez's death. / With information from Cubadebate

A rock that came from ... space?

An irregular egg shaped rock, reddish-blackish, with dozens of small surface pores of different dimensions and moderately heavy fell on Friday, March 31, breaking the roof of the house of Jose Rafael Silva Velazquez, in the neighbourhood El Güirito, in the coastal town of Gibara. At 2:45am, the members of the family looked up to the ceiling and saw the sky, and deduced that the extremely bizarre rock never seen before had fallen from the sky, fortunately, without major consequences. The unprecedented fact, called the attention of the Gibara's Research Group, who transferred the rock to the Center for Research and Environmental Services and Technology (CISAT) of the delegation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment the city of Holguin, where several experts pointed it was likely a meteorite. Just in the morning of April 1, scientists began the research process to certify the rock cosmic origin, something taken from characteristics that point to a high concentration of iron ore and polished surface, among other details, as the fact that in the region of Gibara, karst quintessential, abound limestone materials, including Lapies or Dogtooth. The "space" stone is about 5.5 inches long, has a maximum width of 3.6, a thickness of 3.3 cm and weighed 114 grams. Fortunately, it was a small rock.

Holguín, a Region of Important Natural Sites

There are some 36 natural sites in Holguin identified by their geographical, historical and cultural values, with view to their patrimonial classification. Some of them have been declared National Monument as is the case of the Natural Bridge of Bitiri River, close to the historic place Biran, in the municipality of Cueto. The site and the surrounding area including two hillocks and caves, are among the protected areas of Holguin. Just to name some sites there re the so called Colgadizos or Voladizos de Marea, Mazanga cave and surrounding valley, the cavern Tanque Azul and Natural Park Caballero Rojo, in the municipality of Gibara. In this territory also lie the stream of sulphurous water La Morena and migratory bird corridor Güirito-Punta Mangle. Also attracting attention are the Mujeres and Rey cays, the ecological path La Sabina, Salto del Guayabo, Charrascal de Las Cuevas, the Alto de La Estrella and Jardín del Pinar, in the municipality of Mayari . Banes Bay, The Peninsula El Ramon, in Antilla, Los Rejondones de Báguano, The botanical garden in Urbano Noris El Nispero, Mayari River Delta, cerro de Miraflores in Moa, cerros cársicos de Maniabón and Cejita of La Palma in Rafael Freyre, are part of the Holguin natural treasure.

Presentation In Memory Of President Chavez

It is not easy for me to speak to you tonight about somebody that I loved so much. As a matter of fact, it is hard: very, very hard. So please bear with me. I want to speak a bit about Chávez the man. He was born into a family of very modest means in 1954 in Sabaneta de Barinas. A small town in the Venezuelan plains: a town that had only three streets, none of them paved. Hugo was the second of 6 brothers and sisters. He was so poor that his family couldn’t afford to buy him shoes. His grandmother Rosa Inés took him to his first ever day of classes. Hugo wore a pair of alpargatas that she had made out of soft cloth and rope. But the kindergarten teacher would not allow the little boy into the class, until the family could find a way to buy him some shoes. President Chávez remembers he had no toys as a boy and said that he made do by playing with his brother, Adán, imaginary games using imaginary toys: imagen that. When Americans ask me why there is such an outpouring of emotion among Venezuelans over the death of this man, I point out that the ordinary people of Venezuela saw themselves in President Chávez. The President was a compendium of the very fabric of the country: part black, part indigenous and part white: a man who came from poverty and whose every decision as President was marked by his humble origins. President Chávez never forgot where he came from, and he always remembered who he was. He dedicated himself to giving a voice to the voiceless: to bringing dignity to a people who had been humiliated for centuries by those in power. To those ends, he empowered the Venezuelan people through the People´s Assemblies he forged throughout the land. Thanks to President Chávez, everything is open to debate in Venezuela. Everything. For the first time in their history, Venezuelans know how to govern themselves. President Chávez always called Venezuelans hermano, camarada or ciudadano: brother, comrade or citizen. And soon the people began to use those terms when addressing their compatriots. A workingwoman in Caracas summed up how much this meant to her and indeed to the people of Venezuela, when she said: “Citizens? Before Chávez, we didn´t even know we were human beings.” That, my brothers and sisters, is the President´s legacy. The Bolivarian Revolution has dramatically reduced poverty in Venezuela, virtually eliminated misery and totally eliminated illiteracy. The wealth generated by its oil company, PDVSA, now goes to people in need, rather than to the foreign oil companies that made billions of dollars from Venezuela´s natural resources—yet managed before Chávez to pay only a 1% tariff on their profits. The Revolution created Health Missions throughout the country to give free medical care to millions of needy citizens. I once rode in a plane from Havana to Caracas with over a hundred Venezuelans of humble means who were returning home after receiving medical treatment in Cuba, paid for by the Revolution. Many had arrived in Cuba blind in both eyes and they were now cured, thanks to President Chavez’ Operation Miracle. I will never forget that plane ride. Once they were blind and now they see. Those passengers savored the sight of white clouds against the backdrop of a bright blue sky and marveled at the sight of the aquamarine waters of the Caribbean Sea. They sang during the entire trip. And as the plane was landing, they broke out into a stirring rendition of “Gloria al Bravo Pueblo”, the Venezuelan national anthem, and finished it with choruses of: “Gracias Chávez, Gracias Fidel, Gracias Cuba, Gracias Venezuela.” That, my friends, is what the Revolution is all about. Yes, it´s true: President Chávez rubbed some the wrong way. The government of the USA, the Venezuelan oligarchy and the media it controls hated him. But the President used to say that unless there is opposition, there is no Revolution. And President Chávez was very much engaged in the business of making Revolution. He could have been just another Latin American politician: crass and commonplace. But he transcended mediocrity. The President was a leader, a revolutionary, the Simón Bolivar of our time. He fought for a united Latin America, free of the domination long exercised by Spain and the United States. He was a very unconventional President. He cried with us, sang with us, ate arepas with us, laughed with us and bucked every known rule of diplomatic protocol. He was in a word human. Some talking heads, academicians, businessmen and bankers could never stomach a leader like that, but the people felt his sincerity, his humanity, his brilliance, and his joy of living. He would interrupt his speeches with personal greetings to workers and farmers he had met during his many trips among the people. “Hola Pepe. Un saludo para Pepe en Barquisimeto”. Or, “Gladys en Petare. We are going to finish that project we discussed”. Or he would break out in English and exclaim with his booming voice. Fidel: How are you Fidel? Or he would send a special message to President Bush in English. Mr. Danger, if you decide to invade Venezuela, I´ll be waiting for you in the Sabana. Come on here, Mr. Danger.” And who can ever forget his exclamation at the UN podium where Bush Jr. had spoken only a few hours earlier: “Azufre. It still smells like sulfur here.” He was not an armchair socialist, content to debate the metaphysics of revolution. He was committed to changing Venezuela and he did. He was committed to changing Latin America and he did. He knew that in order for revolutionaries to effect change, they need first of all to seize power and then construct a socialism that is, as Mariátegui said, neither calco ni copia, sino creación heroíca—neither an imitation or a copy, but instead a heroic creation. President Chávez was a Bolivarian tsunami. He radically changed Venezuela and indeed all of Latin America. Some have said that he has left a vacuum that can never be filled. I disagree. As José Martí said, “Dying is the same as living and even better still, if in life we have done what we ought to.” President Chávez’ deeds exceeded expectations. In death, he is now greater than ever. He shines a bright light on the dark wilderness of poverty, repression and exploitation. Twelve elections he won before his death at the young age of 58: a remarkable record. Yet his enemies called him a despot. How many elections did Mr. Danger win? King Juan Carlos of Spain, who so criticized President Chávez, has never stood for elections. Kings believe that they should not have to stoop to such trivial matters. They believe they have inherited a God-given right to rule over us mere commoners. Whenever I arrived in Caracas, turned on the television and saw President Chávez´ face I smiled. I smiled anticipating what he would say next. Among the many attributes that we assign to him, let us never forget fun. Yes. President Chávez was fun. He was a fun guy, and that is another reason he appealed to so many. Another reason he reached even the little children in our society. A few years ago, I watched a children´s theatre company performing in Caracas. After their performance, President Chávez went on stage to thank the kids. They were in their performance costumes. “What are you dressed as?” the President asked a little girl who was wearing a black cape, a pink blouse that glowed in the dark and a top hat. The little girl responded, “I am a magician.” “Well, don´t make me disappear”, he said to her. “No Mr. President. You, I would have to multiply”, she responded. Well ladies and gentleman, President Chávez is now multiplied. Today, together we are all Chávez. He is in our hearts and minds. But as President Nicolás Maduro said on Sunday in Caracas, “We are all Chávez, only if we are united. If we are divided, we are nothing.” Please allow me a variation on the words of one of the most beautiful of national anthems, Cuando el despotismo levanta la voz, seguid el ejemplo que Chávez nos dió. (When despotism raises its voice, follow the example that Chávez gave us). My brothers and sisters, we can make our dream a reality, but only if we remain united. As President Chávez sang to us many times, Compatriotas fieles, la fuerza es la unión. (Faithful fellow citizens, our strength is in our unity). Our north star is the south. It is Bolivar’s dream of a united Latin America, our dream of a better tomorrow for the poor people of this earth, our dream of making possible the seemingly impossible, our dream de tomar el cielo por asalto (to take heaven by storm): President Chávez’ dream to reach the unreachable star. It’s the same star that the Man of La Mancha also followed. This was his quest To follow that star No matter how hopeless No matter how far To fight for the right Without question or pause To be willing to march into Hell For a heavenly cause And he knew if he would only be true To this glorious quest That his heart would lie peaceful and calm When he´s laid to his rest And the world will be better for this That one man, scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach the unreachable star Que viva el President Chávez! Que viva el Presidente Nicolás Maduro! Que vivan los pobres de la tierra! Comandante Presidente Hugo Chávez Frías: te acompañaremos siempre! Chávez Vive, Maduro Sigue! Written by José Pertierra

Cubans Mourn Death of Pitcher Yadier Pedroso

Cuban Baseball mourns the death of the pitcher Yadier Pedroso Gonzalez, who was part of the national team to the III World Classic, and died here victim of a traffic accident the night of March 16. World Baseball Classic Recalls Deceased Cuban Pitcher Pedroso According to the information of the weekly Jit, from the Cuban Institute of Sports (INDER) the death was confirmed by Joan Molina, director of Sports in the Province of Artemisa, birth place of the pitcher, who was 26 years old. The car in which he was travelling with two other people, who also died, crashed a freight truck in a place known as Manga Central, on the road leading to Artemisa. Pedrosito, as he was called was considered one of the top pitchers in the current Cuban baseball due to his conditions as an athlete. He participated in 8 national championships and scored 76 victories and 45 games lost. At international level he was part of the Cuban team in 10 competitions and played in 26 matches, mainly as relief pitcher winning twice and with one defeat./ With information from PrensaLatina