I dedicate this number by the band Cuba L.A. to the memory of my father, Don Francisco Florentino Guerra Fernandez (October 16, 1943–May 2, 2024).
Creative Commons
Blogs I Follow
A little piece of Cuba has died
Yesterday, I posted a brief eulogy in honor of my father, Don Francisco Guerra, who died at the age of 80 earlier this week. Today, I began writing up a more formal obituary in his honor; below is what I have so far:
With the death of my father, a little piece of his beloved Cuba has been lost to us forever. Don Francisco was born on 16 October 1943 in the Cuban province of Matanzas. He grew up there, the youngest of seven siblings–six brothers and one sister–but his childhood came to an abrupt end in January 1959 when a group of bearded revolutionaries seized power. Once it became clear that this so-called revolution was just a pretext for dictatorship, young Francisco, still an idealistic teenager, decided without hesitation to fight for Cuba’s freedom. He joined the legendary Brigade 2506 (Brigada de Asalto 2506) as soon as he turned 18, was assigned to the 6th Battalion under the command of Francisco Montiel Rivera, and like a Cuban Quijote fought to liberate his country in April of 1961.
Alas, the ill-fated amphibious “Bay of Pigs” invasion ended in a bitter defeat, and while the reasons for this military failure are debated to this day, the one thing I can tell you for sure is that the band of brothers who fought for Cuba’s freedom felt betrayed, especially after October of 1962, when it was rumored that President John F. Kennedy had pledged to never invade the Island again in exchange for the permanent removal of Russian missiles from her shores.
Worse yet, these men were now put in a difficult and dreadful position: they would never be able to return to their homes or regular lives, at least not while Fidel and his brother Raul were still in power, so they would have to start a new life in a new country. In the case of my father, that meant leaving Miami, which at the time was a small city filled with many Cuban spies and saboteurs, and going west. During his westward journey, he met my mother in Abilene, Texas, and they relocated to Los Angeles, California, where they were married in a simple civil ceremony on 27 December 1963. It was here, in Los Angeles, where my father had to start a new life …
In memoriam
I will write up a proper eulogy over the weekend, but for now it is with a heavy heart that I share the somber news that my father Don Francisco Florentino Guerra Fernandez died earlier this morning. He was a one-of-a-kind character who loved tinkering with his tools and tending to his own garden, and I am the man, husband, and father I am today because of my father’s love, protection, and good counsel …
Posted in Uncategorized
3 Comments
Family photo
Standing next to my wife Sydjia (far left), myself (second from right), and three of his grandchildren (Adys, Aritzia, and Kleber), is my father Don Francisco. (This picture was taken in December of 2020.)
Posted in Uncategorized
3 Comments
PSA: May 1st should be *International Victims of Communism Day*
I know it’s not going to happen, but the United Nations should declare May 1st “International Victims of Communism Day”. To this end, allow me to share my colleague and friend Ilya Somin’s original May Day Proposal from 2007: see here or here. Below is an excerpt, which I have lightly edited for clarity and style (all links are from the original):
Today is May 1st or “May Day“, which began as a holiday for socialists and labor union activists, not just communists. But over time, the date was taken over by the Soviet Union and other communist regimes and used as a propaganda tool to prop up their regimes. I suggest that we instead use this day to commemorate those regimes’ millions of victims. The authoritative Black Book of Communism estimates the total at 80 to 100 million dead, greater than that caused by all other twentieth century tyrannies combined. We appropriately have a Holocaust Memorial Day. It is equally appropriate to commemorate the victims of the twentieth century’s other great totalitarian tyranny, and May Day is the most fitting day to do so. I therefore suggest that May Day be turned into Victims of Communism Day.
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Alas, my father is in really bad shape right now, but (contra Hume) my mother and I are still holding out for a miracle. In his honor, below is the soundtrack of my father’s favorite movie, Andy Garcia’s “The Lost City“.
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Here is a link to a photo of my father Don Francisco (far left) with his niece Vivian, my mother Oilda, and myself (far right).
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
I won’t be blogging today or tomorrow due to an illness in my family. (My father was operated on yesterday, so my mother and I will be in the hospital by his side.)
Posted in Uncategorized
2 Comments
Star Trek Saturday: assorted links re: space debris in Sector 001?
Apropos of my research on space junk, I wondered how the debris problem is solved in the fictional world of Star Trek; below are some helpful links:
- Fandom: “Debris” [https://archive.ph/2GcC0]
- Quora: “In Star Trek, why are phasers not used against space debris, meteor showers etc.?” [https://archive.ph/tnXv9]
- Physics Forum: “Plasma shields like in star trek will they be possible” [https://archive.ph/86pXT]
- Reddit: (see below)
5. YouTube: (see below)
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
prior probability 