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on Jun 4th, 2007 at 8:10 am
AlwaysForMe.com just had two swimsuits featured on the TODAY SHOW. The phones were ringing off the hook before the fashion show was even finished. The store, which specializes in plus size fashions, continue to get tons of customers calling for the “hot goddess suit”.
Go to the web site to check out all the features of this garment. The skirt can be worn many different sexy ways. You can check out the details here: http://www.alwaysforme.com/bathingsuit5.html
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
He;;o,
I am the director of the Joan H. Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College (http://www.slc.edu/grad_humangenetics.php).
Our program is a masters degree program that trains genetic counselors. Interestingly, Cuba has a large program to train genetic counselors, and a large number of these health professionals working in their health care system. I would be very interested in learning more about their health care system, and about genetic counseling services in particular.
Thank you, and I hope your trip is fruitful.
Caroline Lieber
Director, Joan H Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics
Sarah Lawrence College
(914) 395-2605
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I wanted to ask Matt Lauer if he is going to the best parts of Cuba thereby eliminating the poor sections that are a disgrace. I happen to be friends with Cuban people who left Cuba in the 1950’s and they say the people live in poverty. If you show only the parts that are being built up and the new hotels then you are propaganding the best for Fidel Castro. Please let me know if this is the plan.
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
This is for Matt Lauer - are you going to Cuba to show how beautiful and how the new hotels that are built up are luxurious and desireable and eliminate the poverty and the seedy sections that the real Cubans have to live with. If this is the case then you are propaganding for Fidel Castro to show how he is building up the country - but not for his people. I happen to know Cuban families here in the USA who left Cuba in the 1950’s and they tell the truth and know that Cuba has not changed for the poor people.
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Mr Lauer, will the goverment of Cuba let you show the destruction of the buildings all over habana and the poverty of the Cuban people, or they only are going to let you show the turist hotels y beaches where the Cubans are not permitted to go, I hope that you will try to show the real Cuba, not the tourist Cuba.
thank you
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
is Cuiba like most other counties that show off the nice parts but behind the scene there ae so much poverty and dirty streets? that is how it is in Mexico and China.
are you going to visit a cigar fatory?
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Hey Matt ! What’s your favorite Cuban cigar ??
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Matt, I hope you are able to show the real destruction that the monster has done to our beautiful island. I left Cuba about 40 some years ago, forced to work in the country (like a concentration camp) for two years eating lunch and dinners with worms in it and the soldiers with the rifles behind you to see if you dare to complain about the food, to be able to leave the island, just because from the very beginning didn’t agree with the form of government. The American people don’t know or don’t want to know the truth about Cuba, I am sure that the government will let you see what they want only, the hotels, for turists only, the Cubans are not allowed to get in, and the general poverty that they created. Please tell the truth to the Americans. Thank you.
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Please, I would love to have the pork chop recipe the chef showed on today’s segment, June 4.
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Can you still visit Cuba for the day from Jamaica? These one day visits where offered in l990.
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Trying to find the Psychic you had on that can read Children’s minds??
We have a developmentally child that does not talk and we sure would like to know what he is thinking and maybe this man would have the answers as to why he does not talk or walk at age two. Doctor’s do not have any answers just go to theraphy with him.
Please let us know how to reach this man for a consultation.
Thanks,
Sharon Heuser
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
What is the Psychic that can read Children’s minds name and phone number as we would like to contact him .
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Dear Matt,
It is interesting how slanted the view of Cuba is fabricated by the press. It begins with your on air announcement, “The Today Show is visiting the ‘Socialist’ country of Cuba. It is a Communist Dictatorship, not a “socialist” form of government. That’s just the beginning.
On your visit, you will not be able to talk to the people on the street as I did. In a letter to Cigar Afficianado I pointed out that publication’s sanitizing slant on everything from the peoples’ lack of any kind of property or business ownership to the “Big Cigar Fraud.” I have enclosed a copy of that email in case you want to ask some of the same questions I did.
Enjoy your trip. Sincerely, T.L.Sheldon
(Text of email to Cigar Afficianado magazine)
Dear Marvin,
The June 2007 issue of CA titled “CUBA TOMORROW†is your best issue yet, and I have all issues from No. 1. So that your readers are not totally misinformed by a somewhat whitewashed version of life in Cuba, let’s point out the real facts about reality there, and as particularly exemplified by their cigars.
I began my cigar smoking adventures in 1965 with a box of HavaTampa wood tipped beauties on a Jeep trip from LA to Yucatan. I was 17 years old and have consistently enjoyed all types of “puros†since then. Using my effluent (sic) Spanish in Cuba, on a legal trip recently I learned from the Cuban people themselves their circumstance which conflicts with some of the comments made by the interviewees in the June issue.
In the Editor’s Note, I couldn’t agree more with you that U.S. Customs should leave us cigar smokers alone. Besides, most cigars from and even in Cuba that are labeled as premiums such as Romeo y Julieta, Partagas, Cohiba, Montecristo, etc. are counterfeit anyway. So what’s the difference? And how do I know that? To shed some light on my audacious statement, let’s dissect the interviews in CA, which were excellent in every sense, to see why Cuba’s cigar industry is the prime example of the failure of the Cuban totalitarian dictatorship and a travesty to its’ beautiful people.
Beginning with the discussion with Ricardo Alarcon, president of Cuba’s National Assembly, he said nothing of the desperation in the hearts and minds of the people he helps to oppress. In actuality, the Cuban people love American ideals and freedoms, but they get little of our benevolent contributions. My first visit after exiting Cuban Customs was to change money. Castro took 10% off the top. Then he gave me an exchange rate of 89 cents on the US dollar. And that 20 cents on every dollar (Euros and other monies, too) certainly is never seen by the Cuban people as you will see. In spite of all Sr. Alarcon’s optimistic pose for “his people,†the fact is that no one in Cuba owns a home, apartment, condo, or commercial property. No one owns a car newer than 1960, and those have Russian diesel engines. No one owns a business. Everyone gets a monthly stipend averaging $40 US from the government with all profits from wherever they work going to Castro’s government. There is no entrepreneurial opportunity in Cuba…period! Castro owns all the profits and distributes them as he pleases. Oh, and that superior medical system you hear about, well, I know a doctor in Cuba and his stipend is $200 per month. And, sure, if you break a leg or have the flu you get those treated. Get cancer or any other life threatening disease and you’re dead. There is no money for chemotherapy or any other free world medicines or treatments that we take for granted.
Imagine that you want to get married and have kids. As a woman you simply have kids without the marriage, and most likely each child has a different father. Oh, and so you want to go find a nice condo by the Atlantic; forget it. You live with your family. That means with your mom other brothers and sisters, who also have kids, who all live in the same two bedroom, one bath apartment allotted to you by the government. Why? There is no new housing being built…anywhere!
And then we hear from Senator Rangel, who is not a “Democratic†with a view, he is a “Democrat†with a view, as Rush Limbaugh would correct. How do USA businesses lose $6 Billion per year from the financial opportunity loss of not doing business there, as Rangel professes, when Cuba has absolutely nothing to offer in products of trade? The only investment we have lost was from the hotels and gambling that were confiscated in the revolution. Subsidizing Cuba with US tax dollars is not trade! But Republican Representative Diaz-Balart wasn’t completely logical with his comparison of Cuba to Spain and Portugal’s ridding of dictatorships three decades ago. The military oppression possible in a “Devil’s Island†environment like Cuba is far easier than on a democratic continent like Europe. In other words, the people of Cuba are really in a prison surrounded by sharks of all kinds. Their only savior in acquiescing to their serfdom was to find a “bubba†in the outstanding music they sing everywhere.
And then if you listen to Julia Sweig it’s as though she has never really talked to a Cuban waiter, or bookseller at Military Square, or a cigar vendor. There is no “new approach†needed towards a system that so oppresses its people that they own nothing and if they complain they are jailed. I forgot to mention that Cubans have no corner markets to choose from to buy food. They are issued a booklet of ration stamps that are only redeemable at their assigned neighborhood ration center. Ms. Sweig, with all of her credits from taxpayer academia, fails to see the big picture. There is already corruption in Cuba where I would estimate that 50% of all women under the age of thirty years old participate in some form of prostitution. Gee, I did not see that concept mentioned anywhere in the discussion. Communism, by mere definition, is, corruption.
The first thing I thought when traveling from the Havana airport to the hotel in the restored old town was that the all the buildings everywhere could use a new coat of paint. Every building is deteriorated. No one owns anything so why would they spend paltry monthly stipends on maintenance? However, the old central part of Havana is becoming quite beautiful and similar to any tourist city in the world. However, Castro did not use the 20% he took from my monetary exchange to restore it. The renovation money all came from a UNESCO grant.
The Hotel Raquel was not mentioned in your article, but it was renovated by the Israeli government as a Kosher facility available for those who need that when traveling. Again, the Cuban government did not pay for the renovation, and Israel does not own the hotel. But the restaurant La Guardia was a treat exactly as described in CA, and as noted was opened in homage to the move Fresa y Chocolate. It’s in the middle of the ghetto and you walk up three flights of stairs past thugs and laundry hanging on wires to get there. Wow, how quaint. However, the owner does not own it, the government does. So much for being an entrepreneur.
Now, let’s talk about “Havana’s Cigar Shops.†We stopped by a government owned shop In La Habana Vieja (old town). My personal favorite cigar is the Churchill Romeo y Julieta in the tube. Store personnel, both men and women, were dressed in suit and tie. Whoa, I was impressed by the professionalism. When the lady handed me the tube to inspect, I attempted to unscrew the top of the tube but it came off easily without a screw (yuk, yuk). Yes, it popped off…bad sign. Then I saw, and she did too, that the intended perfect wrapper was lifted by the label. So, as an experienced puffer I instinctively licked the wrapper back down so it lay flat on the cigar. “I guess I bought this one,†I said to the staff. After explaining to the rest of our group why this was not a good thing (the raised wrapper, not the licking), I continued to inspect the cigar. “It has a filled hole,†I said to the lady, “probably from a beetle,†I added. Her face was ashen. That was three things wrong with my favorite and arguably the best cigar in the world. This crap from a top dollar government store? Obviously I paid for the cigar because I had slobbered on it. When I lit up the cigar that night, the smoke rose from the filled hole making it impossible to draw any ambrosia. So I cut the cigar in half and finished it. At $12 in Cuba for that cigar, gee, what a deal!!
The next cigar buying experience was at another government store at the restaurant La Dominica, which has a phenomenal government owned fine wine collection. Upon recommendation from the knowledgeable female “cigar-steward†I purchased a Robaina figurado (I like ‘em big) for $15 (in Cuba?). Sitting on the roof of our hotel later that night with a bottle of Spanish Rioja I enjoyed the wine immensely, but the cigar was severely impacted with three inches of solid ash as hard as solid steel. I tossed it and smoked a delightful Churchill size cigar that was purchased for less than $1 from a leaf farmer in the countryside. Therein lies the moral of the story.
Life and cigars are all about honesty and integrity. A farmer girl with no money may make a better wife than a rich girl rolled in gold. Did I say that?
Cigars are a commodity, like beans, rice, wheat, pork bellies, etc. Tobacco is also a product of the weather, water, sunshine and everything that influences their natural growth. Cuba suffers those seasons like the rest of the world. Like coffee beans, the limited production of the best Cuban cigars goes to the European market because Castro won’t mess with a consistently lucrative client. The rest of us get the dregs. When you buy a really great Cuban cigar deal from your buddy who went to Mexico, remember what happened to my doctor friend who brought back a $450 box of perfect Romeo y Julieta tubos that said on the side of the box that they were my favorite cigars; “Chuchills.â€
Sincerely,
T.L.Sheldon
on Jun 4th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Matt:
I was born in Cuba in July of 1935, in a small town, Palma Soriano, in the province of Oriente. It is approximately midway between Santiago de Cuba, and Guantanamo.
Palma Soriano is situated at the foothills of the Sierra Maestra mountains, probably the cradle of Fidel’s revolution.
My parents were European Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland. We left Palma in August of 1946. My parents wanted to rejoin their families in the U.S. after many years of separation. They could not enter the U.S. at around 1920 because of quota restrictions, and had to wait until World War 11 ended. It was long before the advent of Fidel.
I am not permitted to go back because of the embargo restrictions.
I am sure that by now you are aware of the tremendous emotional attachments that Cuban/Americans feel for their birthland.
I am in agreement with the comments that urge you to go beyond the public relations facade that the government will present to you.
I strongly suggest that you go into the interior and see the hard conditions under which ordinary Cubans live.
There is no question that Fidel has done a lot for the Cubans, he has irradicated illiteracy, the medical health system is second to none.
But the Cubans have nothing else, they need everything that you can think of, paper, pencils, shoes, aspirins, butter, and on. Despite the fact that the Cubans still manage to drive and maintain cars from the 50’s, they need modes of transporattion badly.
The real question for you to investigate is, with evrything that the Cubans are in need of, why do they honor the revolution so doggedly? What makes them to be so committed to to the revolution after living under less than poverty standardsfor so long?
The Cubans by nature are diligent, ambitious, (look at what they have done for Miami) they make great friends, they are very loyal, and they definitely know how to enjoy themselves. For a small Island, Cuba has an incredibly generous menu, the food is great. Musically, they are in a league by themselves.
I sincerely hope that you are able to tell an accurate picture of what life is like at this moment in Cuba.
I would have loved to make this trip with you, but as a Cuban born American, I can’t.
Regards,
Jaime Devore
on Jun 5th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Hi, the name of the baby psychic who can read babies minds is Derek Ogilvie.
http://www.derekogilvie.com
He was at Manhatand Kidville.
on Jun 5th, 2007 at 8:27 am
[...] Show’s Matt Lauer Goes To CUBA - To See Fidel Castro! What do you think about that? Also see Monday’s blog for more comments on this amazing [...]
on Jun 5th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
It is time; lift the embargo. The US is one of only a few hold-outs. So what if Cuba is a socialist or communist country, we deal with other countries of same like. Having been born in 1944, I have seen it all and lived through it all. I have seen our great country soar and I have seen it decline. I cried as friends gave their lives in Vietnam and Korea. My heart breaks to see all the lives wasted now under a power mad administration. Who do they think they are? We do not have the right to invade other countries at Bushies’ whims. If you think invading Iraq had anything to do with “freeing” the people, you are living in total denial. Read your history, (true history) not propaganda, about the Middle East and you will find that we are just another invading country wanting the spoils of that region. We need to clean up our own backyard before we tell others how to live their lives. We need to charge Bush and his cronies for war crimes. We need the Democrats to get a back bone. We need to stop being sheep. Remember? “We the people”? Stand up and be heard! Stop following! Remove the logs from our eyes, before we try to remove splinters from the eyes of others. Stay out of Iran, stay out of the Czech Republic, and stop trying to take over the world, Bush.
on Jun 5th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
how insulting ……the embargo prevents americans from traveling to cuba …and sadly the face of cuba that is shown by you is the usual shallow reporting covering this country like a cute travel story….disrespectful to the cuban people and cuban americans…… certainly not real journalism or professional enough to warrant your being permitted to visit cuba..michael borden
on Jun 6th, 2007 at 12:15 am
Ann Curry,
The segment on Healthy Women discussed on the 4th of June mentioned something about Calcium +D causing prostate cancer in men. I just got the tail end of the segment and would like more information as my husband has just undergone a prostate cancer procedure and was taking 1200 mg of calcium+ D daily. Please respond and let me know where the information came from and any other information in reference to the segment.
on Jun 6th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
The report Matt Lauer did on Cuba was brilliant! It is absurd that the United States will not recognize Cuba, most especially since we recognize China and other countries known for their lack of human rights policies.
Continuiing the embargo against Cuba is petty, in the very least, and repressive in its own right! If we want to spread Democracy then we should cease the embargo!
Yesterday’s program was the first I had seen in nearly its entirety. My objection has been: too many commercials!!!!
on Jun 6th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
The report that Matt Lauer did on Cuba was excellent! (Actually, this was the first time that I watched the Today show, in nearly its entirety. My objection in the past was: too many commercials).
The fact that the United States has enforced an embargo for so long is
absurd, at the least, and un-Democratic at best! We continue recognizing and “doing business with” far more repressive countries (China, etc.) so
it tells me that the only reason that we continue the embargo against
Cuba is due to the Cubans’ (who migrated here) pressuring the govt.
(Especially, since so many live in Jeb Bush’s state.
on Jun 6th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Dear Today. With regards to the logo for the Olympics in London. I am a Londoner and I live here in the Seattle area. When I lived in London I worked in advertising, PR and commercial art. The inovation and creativity at that time was just spectacular. This logo is unfortunately a cross between one of my migraines and something that my cat Rupert threw up. I would be the first to admit that Londoners like a drink but I can only conclude that the bunch of people who put this ghastly thing together were absolutely plastered. Have to go and take medications now…..watching the bloody thing gave me a migraine.
on Jun 7th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
I DO NOT LIKE MEREDITH IN THE SEAT NEXT TO MATT. SHE DOES NOT BELONG. ANN SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AFTER KATIE LEFT. ANN HAS THE VCLASS THE SHOW NEEDS AND HAS HAD UP UNTIL NOW. I DON’T WATCH MUCH ANYMORE. I FEEL THE TENSION MEREIDTH HAS BROUGHT IS REALLY SAD. AND VERY OBVIOUS. SHE JUST DOES NOT JELL! ANN HAS CHARM, CLASS AND BRAINS. HER SPOTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN EXCELLENT. INFORMATIVE, SENSITIVE, AND GOOD JOURNALISM. MEREDITH NEEDS TO GO BACK TO THE VIEW. SHE IS OUT OF HER ELEMENT UNFORTUNATELY. SHE WORKS BEST ON THE VIEW. AND MILLIONAIRE. THAT’S ALL SHE HAS. CO CLASS,NO DEPTH, NO PRESENCE. SORRY. I’D LIKE TO COME BACK TO NBC AGAIN. I ,ISS IT.