#. connection . › esteban diaz .

[silvrunnr]

tag dump .

. connection . › esteban diaz .

. connection . › daniel diaz .

. connection . › karen reynolds .

. connection . › claire reynolds .

. connection . › stephen reynolds .

. connection . › lyla park .

. connection . › jenn murphy .

. connection . › cassidy jones .

. connection . › finn mcnamara .

. connection . › brody holloway .

[loboiism]

some sean diaz headcanons:

1.because his mom, karen, wasn’t too thrilled with settling down and having a family, she wasn’t involved much in sean’s childhood during the time she stayed, hence why he refers to her by her name. the only thing that she brought to the table besides birthing him was his name. she did a good job at raising him in terms of making sure he grew up a healthy child, but she was extremely emotionally distant from him. and because of that, his first language was spanish due to how much more connected he was with his dad, esteban. english came to his dictionary shortly after with some help from karen but mainly from teachers and other children he spent time with during his school years. esteban wanted sean to be bilingual, so he had a better chance at life in the states than he did, considering his english wasn’t the best, but he too improved as the years passed, especially after karen left as he had to work double hard to make sure he comprehended the language without her help. sean’s spanish is immaculate because 1) esteban wanted him and his sons to keep practicing their spanish while at home, so they wouldn’t forget their mother tongue and 2) sean was more in tune with his mexican heritage than with the american lifestyle, so he took speaking fluent spanish seriously. he’d speak english outside the house more often than not as he didn’t have any friends who spoke spanish, but it served as a perfect balance.

( i’m also adding that daniel’s first language was also spanish because at that point, karen had left shortly after he was born, it would make sense for esteban to raise him speaking spanish first. but he was more americanized due to outside influences like english cartoon shows, so he spoke more spanglish than sean. idk why the game suggested him not knowing spanish like ?? what were my mans esteban and sean doing the whole time ?? doesn’t make sense to me and also daniel’s name comes from the spanish pronunciation since it was esteban who named their second son this time around ).

2. sean listens to spanish and english music equally, picking both kinds off the radio, from recommendations from his friend lyla, other outside influences, and from his dad’s speaker while he worked around the house. before esteban passed away, sean wouldn’t admit he liked some of his dad’s music but would listen to it on his own time because he genuinely thought his dad had some bitchin’ taste in music. after his death and when he was capable, sean would listen to his dad’s songs so he could feel closer to him, especially once he reached puertos lobos where it’s the vibe to play his dad’s music in the repair shop the brothers owned. 

3. along with track being his favorite sport, sean also enjoys casual dancing ( specifically cumbia and bachata ). his reasoning for picking up the hobby was so he could impress his crushes at any given opportunity. when he first started to watch dancing videos and practicing on his own time, at some point esteban caught him in the act and was elated to see his son try something new, even if it was just to impress the ladies. sean would deny his interest, but nothing went over esteban’s head as he would show off his own moves back when he used to party in his homeland, making sean cringe. but he still took his dad’s pointers to heart nonetheless without fully admitting. 

though despite having a good grasp on specific dances, however, due to his bashfulness, he only ever ended up dancing with lyla more often than not, which wasn’t a bad thing as the both of them enjoyed each other’s company and had loads of fun doing so. daniel would also join in the fun if he was around and sometimes even esteban would join, usually a thing that would happen during birthday parties.

[grantyort]

Prelude III: Visions

JAN 7th 2018: Initial Examination

Doctor: Good morning, Mr. Diaz. I’m Dr. Millstone, we spoke over the phone.

Sean: Hey Doc, I’m Sean, good to finally meet you in person.

Millstone: Likewise. I hope your trip was pleasant?

Sean: Can’t complain. It’s not every day a guy like me gets to fly first class. Did get some funny looks though, but I’m used to that.

Millstone: If all goes well, you won’t have to worry about that much longer.

Sean: Fingers crossed.

Millstone: I took a look at your chart before you arrived. Must’ve been one freak accident you were in.

Sean: Yeah… an accident.

Millstone: The glass shard lacerated your cornea, and caused extensive damage to the vitreous body which in turn caused your retina to detach. But what we’re really concerned about is the damage to the optic nerve. It’s the reason for the blindness in your left eye, the rest of the damage is largely superficial. All things considered; you were lucky. If that shard had gone any deeper and we’d have had to remove that eye entirely.

Sean: (dryly) Lucky me.

Millstone: Do you mind if I take a look?

Sean: (taking off eye-patch) Go ahead. Gotta warn you though, it’s pretty gruesome.

Millstone: Don’t worry. After fifteen years of practice, I’ve seen it all.

 JAN 10th 2018: DAY OF THE SURGERY

Millstone: (dictating) “Preliminary examination shows that despite the initial trauma and subsequent blindness, the patient’s left eye has maintained most of its structural integrity. Our goal today is to remove the scar tissue which has grown over the eye and reconnect the optic nerve.”

Sean: (sarcastically) Sounds simple enough.

Millstone: Sorry didn’t see you come in. Hope all this medical jargon didn’t freak you out.

Sean: No worries, Doc. Most of it went over my head.

Millstone: Now I have to warn you; this is bleeding edge stuff. This procedure is highly experimental and there’s no guarantee you’ll regain all if any of your vision.

Sean: I know, I know. We went over all this when I signed the waivers.

Millstone: I just don’t want to get your hopes up. That being said, we have a good shot here. Some of the best ophthalmologists in the country will be involved. You’re in good hands, Mr.Diaz.

Sean: Thanks, Doc. I think I’m ready. What’s the worst that could happen anyway?

Millstone: That’s the spirit. Now we’re gonna put you under for the duration of the surgery. If all goes well, we’ll be done in 6-8 hours.

Sean: I better wake up with both my kidneys.

Doctor: …

Sean: It’s a joke… N-never mind.

Doctor: I have to go. A nurse will be around in a bit to escort you to the OR.

Sean: See you on the other side doc. Hopefully with both eyes.

[Inside the Operating Theater]

Anesthesiologist: I want you to count backwards from ten. Can you do that for me?

Sean: Mind if I do it in Spanish?

Anesthesiologist: Whatever you’re comfortable with.

Sean: Diez, neuve, ocho, siete… seis…

 US-MEXICO BORDER JULY 4TH, 2017

Daniel: Sean look! We made it! Sean?

[Sean looks down to see the blood on his shirt, he claws desperately at this throat and tries to speak but no words come out.]

Daniel: Please don’t. Sean! SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAN!

 PUERTO LOBOS, MEXICO - AUGUST 2023

Daniel: I can’t do this anymore. I’m done.

Sean: You don’t mean that.

Daniel: I do. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re pretty shitty people Sean!

Sean: We did what we had to do to survive!

Daniel: Yeah, tell that to all the people we hurt!

Sean: Oh, so now you decide to grow a fucking conscience? It never mattered before!

Daniel: Of course it matters! I only did those things because… because I thought it was what you wanted.

Sean: Again with the excuses! There’s always someone pulling your strings. First Finn, then Lisbeth, now me?! When are you going to grow up and take some goddamn responsibility?

Daniel: Fuck you! I’m outta here!

Sean: Don’t you dare turn your back on me. Get back here, enano! DANIEL!

 PUERTO LOBOS, MEXICO - APRIL 2023

Cassidy: You got that look again.

Sean: What look?

Cassidy: The one you get when you’re thinkin’ ‘bout your brother.

Sean: He’s going to college next year. Can you believe it?

Cassidy: I really can’t.

Sean: All those birthdays and graduations and I couldn’t be there for any of it!

Cassidy: I’m sure Daniel understands.

Sean: Does he? He’s been writing less and less lately.

Cassidy: He’s a teenager. He’s probably got a million other things on his mind. It ain’t personal.

Sean: (dryly) You’re a perpetual source comfort, Cass.

Cassidy: That’s why you keep me around.

Sean: (cheekily) Well that and-

Cassidy: Whoa there cowboy! We gotta eat first. Come back inside, I made your favorite.

Sean: (chuckles) Made?

Cassidy: Oh okay. Mrs. Ramírez brought over some leftovers from her granddaughter’s Quinceañera this morning. But I heated them up with love.

Sean: (laughs) What would I do without you?

 Mount Rainier National Park, WA – SEPTEMBER 2032

 Daniel: … so then, Chris turns to me and says… “it was inside the elephant the whole time!” Isn’t that hilarious?

Sean: (absentmindedly) That’s great, enano.

Daniel: What’s wrong?

Sean: (sigh) Nothing, I’m just tired that’s all. It’s been a long day.

Daniel: Wanna talk about it?

Sean: No.

Daniel: Come on Sean. Sometimes, it’s good to let it out.

Sean: I said no.

Daniel: But whenever I have a bad day, it always helps to-

Sean: I’m not talking about a bad day here!  It was fifteen years! The things I saw in there, the things… that they did to me. Things... you can’t even imagine. So no, Daniel. I can’t just “let it out.” It’s a part of me now! All the funny stories and family field trips isn’t gonna change that!

Daniel: I didn’t mean-

Sean: (sigh) I know you didn’t. Let’s just drop it, okay? We can still enjoy the rest of this trip.

Daniel: Okay Sean.

 Esteban: “All roads are connected. Every choice we make, every path we choose, it all leads back to The Origin. Remember that.”

[sinnamonfox]

~ Sean x Finn - Rival mechanics AU ~

Exam period’s dying down, still, I should be writing essays rn yet here I am, spewing out AUs. Oh well.

Hope you guys enjoy it too! <3

I imagined Blood Brothers Sean and Daniel cuz hot damn, plus Parting Ways Finn, his dreads in a bun. Since Daniel just turns 21 I guess Sean’s 28 and Finn’s maybe a year or two older.

Both of the boys are mechanics in Seattle. They have their own, separate business in the same area, not too far from each other. Finn has been dealing with cars all his life and Sean's watched Esteban during work, often gave him a hand too. Now, that Esteban's been gone for a few years, Sean's taking over the garage with the occasional help of his little brother, although he wasn't so little either anymore, only turning 21.

As far as Sean can remember Esteban hated the McNamara Salon. Said they were no good troublemakers, knowing the owner from when Esteban started up his business here after freshly settling down in the country. He was suspecting that him and his sons were actually living off of illegal deals. Although the other man never explicitly said so, something was just.. off. Turned out, his dad was right.

Finn's own father isn't a good man, he's far from it. He's still in jail for drug dealing, car stealing, domestic violence and putting his minor sons up to his kind of work. Finn ended up in juvie but he's out now years later and he's running the garage all alone, under legal circumstances. It's a lot of work, especially after his father put a permanent mark on the garage's reputation, but he's doing his best to get by. Being a mechanic is the only thing he knows how to do anyway.

It's a warm summer night when they accidentally meet at a bar. Sean's taking Daniel out drinking for his 21th birthday with Lyla, Chris, Noah and some of Daniel's college buddies. Sean goes up to the bar to buy the first round of shots, leaning on the counter, waiting with his fingers tapping the surface.

Finn.. he's fucking smitten the minute he spots Sean. There's just something about him that stands out in the crowd. He's also kind of.. familiar. Sean has a slightly rugged look with a goatee. He's all lean muscle, broad shoulders in a plain white tshirt that compliments his natural tan skin so well, a long, black wolf medallion hanging by the middle of his chest. The veins on his arms are prominent from all the smoking and heavy lifting, and his legs.. well, fuck.

Finn doesn't hesitate for a second before sliding up to him, calling him sweetheart right off the bat.

Sean's considerably less shy than he was a years ago as a teen. He's still quiet, more brooding than he used to be but definitely more upfront as well. He flirts back because Finn's very attractive and it's flattering that someone like him is showing interest in Sean. With Finn's dreads put up in a bun his sharp features are fully visible, there's a septum hanging from his nose. His face tattoos are strangely endearing, he pulls them off by being so confident in his own skin.

They banter flirtily, there's no doubt about the attraction between the two. Finn notices the Diaz tattoo on Sean's wrist and it clicks where he's seen those brown doe eyes before. They met once because of their dads. He comments something about his looks and how he’s changed. Sean's confused at first. As it dawns on him, he starts acting more reluctant, recalling Esteban's warnings about the no-good McNamara family. Finn, despite sensing the shift in his behavior, doesn't give up.

When Sean gets his shots, he excuses himself back to Daniel's, but before he could go back Finn hands over his phone number, scribbled down quickly on a scrap of paper with a goofy smiley:

"*call me, Sweetie

xoxo ~ Finn*"

Finn gets back to his own crew but all he can do through the whole night is steal glances of Sean. Sean tries to focus on Daniel, it's his birthday after all. He's giving him the keys to his old car but playfully warns him not to give it a go tonight. Daniel's ecstatic, it's the first (official) time they're getting drunk together.

Still, even after finding out about who he was, Sean's eyes can't help wandering over to Finn.. the two men's gaze occasionally meet from across the room. Turns out, both Lyla and Daniel notice, they saw the two interact at the bar and what they're doing now is obvious. They tease Sean because of it. "Think you've got some drool on your face, man." Daniel knocks his elbow against his with a cheeky grin, Lyla has a similar expression on her face as she sushes Daniel. "Sssh, careful, dude. You're interrupting the eye-fucking."

Sean decides he needs a smoke. He downs his (third) shot before grabbing the lighter and cigarette pack from his coat then heads out alone. He can't resist checking on Finn one last time despite how his head is full of warnings. Finn catches it and follows not too far behind, ignoring his friends' perverted comments.

Sean's leaning against the brickwall in the alley with his left leg bent when Finn joins him. "Ain't usually into smokers but damn, sweetheart. That's a good look on ya." Finn's accent is impossible to miss, his voice is smooth and so relaxing. The grey smoke cascades out of Sean's mouth as he exhales, disappearing into the dark night, his own cheeks slightly pink but the neon lights conceal it. His lips wrap around the cigarette one more time before they part softly, looking erotic even though it's not his intention. Finn follows the motion with his eyes, not at all hiding his interest.

At first, it's mostly Finn flirting, Sean's still undecided, his heart in a constant fight with his brain. They chat for long, their friends completely forgotten. They end up laughing together, a lot. Sean finds out Finn's got a way with words and Finn.. he learns that Sean doesn't really but it's okay because he gets him on a deeper level. Sean's eyes are more expressive than he is verbally but luckily Finn's excellent at reading people. The tan male finds himself liking this punk more and more.

The topic turns more serious. They connect. Neither of them knows how but they end up chatting about their families. Finn he reveals more than he normally would to strangers, Sean (sort of) knows his situation anyway. Sean talks about how he's alone with Daniel, the only family they have is each other and Finn can relate to that, his brothers are the only family he's got left.

As silence falls upon them once more, Sean realizes Finn's somehow drifted closer to him and he can feel Finn's breath on his face. There comes the moment which seems to be a turning point, somehow. Both of the guys are thinking the same. Finn's eyes flickering down to Sean's plump lips. Their heartbeats quickening, breathing turning faster. Finn makes the first step, bringing a calloused hand up to Sean's face, thumb swiping over his cheek, curiously awaiting his reaction.

Sean's heart wins. His lips part, he couldn't look away from Finn's piercing blue eyes and doesn't think before he closes the distance, their lips meeting in a sensual kiss that's excruciatingly slow and passionate. Sean feels like he's forgotten how to breathe, the wind's knocked right out of him. Finn's lips are massaging against Sean's for minutes, they're getting lost in the sensations. Sean's hands are now resting on Finn's hip, not wanting to pull back because it's so damn good.

When Finn goes to break away, Sean chases after him and tugs on the neck of his tshirt to pull him back which causes their bodies to collide accidentally.

Finn downright moans.

Pins Sean against the wall with his forearm by his head, which in turn makes the younger whimper into his mouth. Finn swallows up the sound, the make out session suddenly turns more heated. Sean’s long fingers slide up the front of Finn's tshirt, feeling up the flat of his stomach and it sets off something in the tattooed man, his tongue pushing into Sean's mouth to explore it eagerly. Finn grabs Sean's ass over those tight black jeans and they're both getting carried away, it's too much and Sean's stopped thinking..

Hannah interrupts, looking for Finn because Cassidy knocked herself out. They're both visibly flustered, Sean's feeling shy suddenly. "Sorry, darlin'. Duty calls but.. would love to do this again, sometime. All'uv it." Finn winks suggestively before disappearing inside, leaving Sean there alone. He brings his fingers up to his lips, the taste of Finn still lingering.

[khaoscaptive]

Life Is Strange 2: why Episode 4 Upset Me.

Playing this game with somebody else from episode to episode [as two black americans who are constantly analyzing media, having long, complex conversations while doing such and not simply taking things for face value] , the storyline continues to feel lacking and performative while simulating what feels to me like trauma porn for people to become emotional over in order to feel something. I’ve already seen People who are trying to equate bloodied, traumatic suffering to character development and trying to call it “powerful” or “compelling”. To me this dilutes the entire point of the game and the spectacle behind it (or its intention) starts to peek through the cracks.

"SHOOT ME IN THE FACE AND LIVE WITH IT” is a horrifically triggering request that contradicts the significance of Esteban Diaz’s death and every single experience on Sean’s journey, in my opinion.

1.] WHY would you go on and on (in a laughably lazy and repetitive show of writing) about never giving up on your brother just to walk into a gun and ask to die in vain? What does it prove?

As if the violence exhibited won’t get Daniel and your mother murdered once he’s of no use to these people anymore?

2.] “And LIVE WITH IT” the writing is trying to convince us that white supremacy / racism exhibits rationality, remorse and guilt when the literal scenarios you go throughout the game state otherwise. Sean knows the nature of what white supremacy and racism entails. People are dissonant and live fine knowing their consequences and are even rewarded for it. Sean KNOWS this, he witnesses it in the game. The context of this felt unnecessary and like it’s trying to shame the shameless.

I’m even seeing praise for this and it feels like fetishization of adversity through violent depictions of racism. Sean’s journey won’t have any rewards until he reaches the end point but his overall growth is still stagnant. I feel like Sean is Suffering to get to the end, not FIGHTING to get to the end.

I can’t speak for the REAL people who are suffering and their particular experiences, only of them because they’re humans that exist in everyday life all around us—but In a fictional space still dictated by the white gaze, writing Sean walking into a gun and asking for his death after being bloodied by it several times as a show of “strength” feels very strange. :(

But you know, the game also gives you the unnecessary option to reconcile with that ol’ manipulator Finn who goes behind your back for his own selfish reasons. I gladly skipped over this because Finn is irrelevant to the overall story . I feel that there are consistencies between him and Lisbeth that make them different kinds of the SAME kind of person. I actually don’t want him near either of the brothers. Same with Cassidy.

The entirety of Episode 2 was gameplay dedicated to us trying to find out information about Karen with a specific room in Claire and Stephen’s house. Claire goes into a dramatic tirade about us breaking into that room, and also what Karen did that was so terrible. But yet.....

Karen’s introduction in Episode 4 in comparison to that mystery surrounding her persona in Episode 2 was completely bland. Some of us even thought she was connected to Jefferson (like Chris’ Mom might’ve been). God knows that would’ve been better writing. Her backstory felt like the bare minimum compared to the tension that Claire foreshadowed with its potential reveal later from back in Chapter 2. I feel nothing for that character either.

Everything i was excited about with LiS2 [commentary, gameplay, characterization, and plot] has been deteriorating SINCE Chapter 2, in my opinion. I don’t feel for anyone or anything anymore at this point, not even Sean. Im not going to finish the game at this point,

Thank you for reading.

[anamolimusica]

/SUBTÍTULOS EN ESPAÑOL/ Este video colaborativo fue realizado gracias al aporte de muchas personas que compartieron conmigo sus momentos de conexión Look Around es una invitación a observar nuestra relación con la Tierra, nuestra casa, el mejor planeta y el único que tenemos. Es urgente y es ahora. ... This collaborative video was made thanks to all the people who shared a moment of connection with me. Look Around is an invitation to observe our relationship with Earth, our home, the best planet and the only one we have. It's urgent; the time is now. --- GRACIAS a todas las personas que sumaron su mirada a este video colaborativo Astía Cáceres Bárbara Gilles Celina Yohai Diego Bisio Esteban Soler Gini Stuber Jonathan Archer Lu Piazolla Magalí Cibrián María Pien Matias Luján Micaela Hourbeigt Milagros Majó Silvia Diaz Vivi De Rosa Capilla del Monte, Córdoba, Argentina Himachal Pradesh & Ladakh, India Mar del Plata, Argentina Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires El Bolsón, Neuquén Obispo Trejo, Córdoba Salto Encantado, Misiones, Argentina Maschwitz, Argentina Quequén, Argentina Bahía, Brasil Zealand, Dinamarca Montaje: Nicolás Galaz Créditos musicales: Letra y música: Alejandra Estepa (Anamolí) Producción: Gonzalo Martinez Oriz Guitarra y voz: Alejandra Estepa Guitarra eléctrica: Federico Blotta Guitarra acústica: Philippe Bacqué

[spicynbachili1]

A new dawn for Cuba? The draft constitution explained | Miguel Diaz-Canel News

Since August, Cubans have been gathering in 1000’s of government-organised conferences going down throughout the island.

They got here collectively in hospitals, faculties and parks to debate a brand new draft structure, which, if handed, would mark essentially the most important political change in Cuba for greater than 4 many years.

Proposals embrace opening the door for same-sex marriage, recognising non-public possession and scrapping the purpose of constructing a communist society, however rights teams and analysts say the brand new laws is extra of a nod to a altering world, than an upending of the established order on the Caribbean island.

The general public session interval got here to an finish on Thursday, and the work of Nationwide Meeting to sift by means of the feedback and strategies now begins. 

Al Jazeera examines what the brand new structure might imply for Cuba’s future. 

Why now and what’s subsequent?

A long time of financial hardship and a altering world political actuality has compelled communist-run Cuba to reassess its elementary rules in an try and preserve tempo with a world that has modified vastly for the reason that Soviet-era when the present structure was enshrined.

In July, the Nationwide Meeting – Cuba’s parliament – authorised the brand new draft structure and introduced it to the general public for session the next month after greater than a 12 months debating the overhaul of the 1976 structure.

Talking when the draft was authorised, President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez mentioned “every Cuban will be capable of freely specific their opinions” to construct a structure that “displays the at this time and way forward for the nation”.

This was performed throughout 1000’s of conferences the place officers took handwritten notes with the general public’s suggestions. 

The Meeting will now take into account these feedback and make modifications to the draft earlier than Cubans get their remaining say in a nationwide referendum scheduled for February 24, 2019.

How will the brand new structure have an effect on Cuban politics?

Whereas reaffirming a number of points of the present system, the proposals would considerably reorganise the nation’s authorities.

The draft reintroduces the put up of Prime Minister, who would lead the cupboard, generally known as the Council of Ministers, within the every day operating of the nation. The candidate could be put ahead by the president for approval by the Nationwide Meeting.

It additionally proposes having governors for Cuba’s 15 provinces, changing the present system of presidents of provincial assemblies and introduces time period and age limits for the presidency.

Cuba will keep its single-party system however the president will share energy with a PM [Irene Perez/Cubadebate via Reuters]

The president – who will proceed to be elected by the Meeting, relatively than voters – would serve a most of two phrases and will be no older than 60 at first of his or her first time period, notable in a rustic the place the aged Castro brothers held the reigns for many years.

The purpose of advancing in the direction of a “communist society” has additionally been dropped, drawing a lot consideration internationally, however the affect of that is prone to be restricted. 

The brand new structure revises the goal to “the development of socialism” and, crucially, Cuba will keep its single-party system underneath the Communist Social gathering of Cuba (PCC), which holds full management over politics, the economic system and society normally.

Nationwide Meeting President Esteban Lazo Hernandez mentioned shortly after the approval of the draft that the elimination of references to communism don’t imply that Cuba’s management are “renouncing our concepts,” however relatively stay dedicated to the imaginative and prescient of a “socialist, impartial, affluent and sustainable nation,” based on feedback carried by state TV.

Will US-Cuba relations enhance?

Cuba’s relationship with america has been fraught since 1959, when left-wing fighters, led by Fidel Castro, overthrew the US-backed authorities of Fulgencio Batista within the Cuban Revolution.

The US started blockading Cuba the next 12 months, halting commerce and tourism with the island. Tensions escalated additional with 1961’s Bay of Pigs invasion and peaked through the Cuban Missile Disaster in 1962.

Cuba’s relationship with the US is notoriously tense [Javier Galeano/Reuters]

A short thaw got here underneath former US President Barack Obama who, together with then-President Raul Castro, introduced an historic reengagement in 2015, nonetheless the connection has soured as soon as extra underneath President Donald Trump.

“The US objection, the Trump administration’s objection, to Cuba is that it isn’t a multi-party democracy like america and the Cuban structure does not change that, the truth is the brand new structure reaffirms the single-party system with the Communist Social gathering within the main function,” mentioned William LeoGrande, a professor within the Faculty of Public Affairs on the American College.

The draft additionally features a prohibition on negotiating underneath menace and coercion, codifying an oft-repeated situation set out by the Castros and just lately reiterated by Diaz-Canel.

“I believe it is meant to ship a message to america that if someway america remains to be hoping that it is going to have the ability to coerce Cuba into making concessions about its home politics, it is mistaken,” LeoGrande instructed Al Jazeera.

What affect will it have on the economic system?

Cuba’s economic system was severely broken by the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, which pumped thousands and thousands of into propping up the island, and the crushing results of the continued US embargo. 

Raul Castro, who took over from his brother Fidel in 2006, launched a sequence of financial reforms, which opened the nation as much as a restricted however impactful diploma of personal trade and overseas funding in an try and keep away from collapse.

Poverty is widespread on the island, the place the state is the primary employer [Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters]

The draft structure continues this work, principally by formally recognising practices that exist already in Cuba, together with self-employment, in a restricted approach.

“The market” and “non-public property”, capitalist ideas, beforehand shunned by the communist management, are included within the new nationwide constitution, suggesting an try and make room for these realities as a part of a “socialist” economic system that will stay largely underneath the management of the state by means of central financial planning.

With the financial proposals, Cuba will search to modernise with out democratising, as has been performed in Vietnam and China. Nevertheless, not like these international locations, Cuba stays involved in regards to the accumulation of personal wealth creating an unequal society and so the permissions for the non-public sector stay tentative.

“The target is to not permit the focus of wealth, which reinforces the uncertainty of any overseas funding,” mentioned Carlos Seiglie, a professor of economics at Rutgers College.

“The primary problem to financial development in Cuba is the diploma of state management of the economic system. For Cuba to develop and develop, the technique of manufacturing must be transferred into non-public fingers. If the state desires to change the distribution of earnings after such [a] switch, they may do it by way of taxation and redistribution to those that fare much less nicely,” he instructed Al Jazeera.

In November, Diaz-Canel launched into a tour of communist allies together with Russia, China and North Korea in an try to spice up financial ties and appeal to funding to the island.

Will human rights enhance?

Cuba has not allowed entry to impartial screens or human rights organisations for years and has refused to ratify quite a few key worldwide human rights treaties, most just lately on the United Nations’s Common Periodic Evaluation in Might. 

All media on the island stays state-controlled, with the inhabitants’s entry to the web additionally being extraordinarily restricted and impartial bloggers going through arrest.

Rights teams have discovered little trigger for celebration within the proposals, saying that most of the rights being provided include caveats.

Freedom of speech and meeting are tightly managed on the island [Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters]

“What we see with revisions to the structure is, on the one hand, an look that it is increasing rights, however on a more in-depth studying you see that the rights being provided are restricted to what already exists in nationwide laws,” mentioned Louise Tillotson, Amnesty Worldwide‘s researcher for the Caribbean. 

“The revised structure proposes the ‘democratisation of our on-line world’ however then condemns using the web for what it calls ‘subversion,'” she instructed Al Jazeera. “The language continues to be fairly hazy and opens the door for legal legal guidelines to be utilized in the direction of folks which can be deemed to be ‘subversive’.”

The nation’s judiciary stays tightly certain to the state, with arbitrary detentions generally getting used to silence dissent, based on Amnesty. 

The redefinition of marriage would open the door for same-sex marriage [Reuters]

A silver lining may be discovered within the introduction of the presumption of into the penal code and articles within the new draft to ban any kind of office discrimination primarily based on gender, sexual orientation, incapacity and ethnicity and make provisions for the aged. 

Marriage is redefined as being between “two individuals”, relatively than “a person and a girl”. Homosexuality is a divisive subject in Cuba. A change in attitudes, nonetheless, is essentially credited to the work of Mariela Castro, Raul’s daughter, on the Cuban Nationwide Heart for Intercourse Training (CENESEX), in addition to the rising acceptance of the concept that discrimination of any form being incompatible with the revolution.

“It might actually be a welcome step ahead, in fact, if within the structure same-sex marriage is legalised, it might be the primary impartial nation within the Caribbean to take action, it might be actually necessary for the area,” mentioned Tillotson.  

“However on the similar time we have to recognise that silencing any voices, together with LGBT voices wants to vary if we will see actual progress.”

!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)(window, document,'script','//connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');

fbq('init', '968100353246427'); fbq('track', 'PageView');

from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/a-new-dawn-for-cuba-the-draft-constitution-explained-miguel-diaz-canel-news/

[kiss-my-freckle]

I’m heading back to season three with dialogue and working my way through to season four. There’s actually a lot of government teases in this, which is why I believe the blue players are coming. 

In 3x20, it was Panabaker protecting Halcyon. 

She cared more about Cooper bringing Red back to honor his deal, and appeared to have no plans in helping find Liz’s killers. 

Cooper: Damn it, Cynthia. Nez Rowan was part of a shadow army that left directly to the death of Agent Keen. Rowan was the best lead we have. Who let her go free? Panabaker: I don’t know. It’s over my head. What I can tell you is that there are certain U.S. government missions. Covert. Dangerous. Necessary. And they require the expertise of an independent organization. Cooper: Don’t patronize me. Those people got one of my best agents killed, and you expect me to walk away. How can I justify that? Panabaker: I know full well you look the other way when you need to, because working with an international criminal enables you to bring good to the world. Cooper: I can’t look the other way. Not this time. They took someone that I love. Panabaker: Best thing you can do for all of us is locate Reddington and find a way to keep him on your team.

In 4x1, it was Esteban and Ressler. 

Panabaker: You told them he worked for us? Do you have any idea what kind of blowback I’m dealing with here? And it doesn’t take long to find out who told the Cubans. Ressler: I heard it was an anonymous tip. Cooper: Agent Ressler… Panabaker: Are you a traitor or– or just a moron? Ressler: Look, the Agency was gonna assassinate Esteban… Panabaker: I have no direct knowledge– Ressler: …so the Cubans wouldn’t find out who was feeding secrets to the CIA.

Panabaker: Let’s not mince words. You took it upon yourself to tell the Cubans about our– Ressler: No, I took it upon myself to stop what Esteban was doing. Do you have any idea what that was? No, because all you care about is what Esteban was doing for you. Panabaker: There are bigger issues, Agent Ressler.

In The Lindquist Concern, it was Ressler’s and Laurel’s first run-in. 

Hitchin: Yes, Agent Ressler, he does. But apparently you’ve forgotten. “She” is your boss’s boss’s boss’s boss. Ressler: Well, my boss’s boss’s boss’s boss is a killer. See, I know you murdered Reven Wright, and one day, I’m gonna prove it.

In The Thrushes, it was Elise and the hack.

Ressler: Look, this goes way beyond our operation. Our system’s connected to the NSA, the CIA, State, the White House.

Cynthia Panabaker: Harold, you are one bubble off plumb if you think I’m gonna sit back while heaven knows how many horses run out of the barn. Cooper: It’s the best chance we have of apprehending Alexander Kirk. Panabaker: This represents a five-alarm fire to national security. Cooper: Which is why we can’t shut down our system. The only hope we have of learning how deeply we’ve been penetrated is to identify The Thrushes. We shut down our system now, they’ll know we’re onto them and rabbit. Panabaker: Okay, Harold. Let them run out some line. But you best keep your thumb tight on the drag, or you’re like to find a bird’s nest on your reel. Understand?

In Lipet’s Seafood Company, it was Aram, and Samar’s Mossad mission. 

Aram, repeating what Panabaker said to Ressler. 

Samar: You didn’t know. Aram: So I’m either a traitor or a moron.

Red: He also isn’t Yusuf Tillisi. His real name is Ezra Mandell, an operative for the Mossad. Samar knows him. She’s worked with him. Cooper: Why would she lie about that? Red: To protect her fellow countrymen. To prevent you from linking the Mossad to the attack on Arkani’s operation. Cooper: A Mossad strike team was operating here? Without permission? Red: At least we know why the NMB took her. The question is where and how long they’ll keep her alive.

In The Architect, it was Elise and Reven Wright’s case. 

The way Harold spoke to Ressler about Reven’s case bothered me. And it isn’t Cabal attacking Red, since Red is Cabal. Whoever closed the case had something to lose- or gain by doing so. 

Cooper: Reven Wright was my superior and my friend, so I don’t like this any more than you, but the inquiry into her disappearance– Ressler: Reven Wright didn’t disappear. She was murdered by Laurel Hitchin. We know that. Cooper: The inquiry’s being shut down. Ressler: The president’s National Security Advisor is a murderer. Cooper: There is no evidence of that, no witnesses, no prints, no case. Ressler: The head of the justice division doesn’t just disappear. Cooper: But until we can prove it, the case is closed.

Elise: Do you really think that the Feds are gonna let a prodigy like me rot in a jail cell? Aram: Is that a remote code cypher? Are you trying to steal proprietary ideas? Elise: Why do you think that I’m here? I had three agencies fighting a cage match to cut a deal with me before your girlfriend even finished reading me my rights. Aram: She is not my girlfriend. Elise: Oh, you’re pathetic. Aram: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait. Who won that cage match? Elise: The NSA. Who do you think I’m stealing for? Aram: The NSA? Are you kidding me?

We can include Diaz, since Red literally forced him to pardon Liz. 

[irondestinypolice]

The Dancer: Jennifer Reddington

This is Part II of my theory that Elise/Janet may be Jennifer Reddington, and that she is behind the attacks on Red.  If you haven’t read my earlier post, look on my tumblr. I propose that getting into Red’s account and making it look like he ordered the payment to Isabella Stone is the work of a hacker. Hiring Stone on the Dark Web seems like something a hacker might do too. No matter who Red really is – the real RR, Katarina, or an imposter, Jennifer would have motive to attack him.

First, consider the words that started and ended the first third of Season 4. In Esteban 4.01, Red makes this vow in front of the two-way mirror:  “Elizabeth, I will come for you.”  In Dr. Adrian Shaw Conclusion, Liz says those words back to Reddington after he trades his life to Kirk for hers.  Where did we hear these words before? Back in Season 2, and they were about Jennifer. While Red and Liz say the line to assure and comfort each other, the words in connection with Jennifer are about her fear and possibly, anger.  In Dr. Linus Creel 2.04, Naomi/Carla tells Red: “I don’t know where Jennifer is. She knew you would come for her one day, and she left. I think this foreshadows Jennifer is coming for Red, and it’s not in a good way.

While we don’t know for sure if Jennifer is Red’s blood daughter, stepdaughter, or child in a “cover family,” we do know he was supposedly coming home to Carla and her the Christmas he disappeared. From Liz in The Monarch Douglas Bank 2.02, we know: “I confirmed your daughter was placed in protective custody with her mother in 1990. The Marshal Service lost contact seven years ago. She is unaccounted for.”  I think this dangling thread is about to be woven into the Blacklist fabric.

I think Jennifer is why Season 4 Blacklist episodes so far have had mentions and plots about Witness Protection. The first reference to Witness Protection comes in Dr. Adrian Shaw when Red describes The Coroner as having a Witness Protection program for criminals. Then in The Harem, Red tasks Liz with getting the stolen Witness Protection list. While Red gives the story of Kaplan’s sister being the reason, I think the fact Carla and Jennifer’s names were on the list are a reason too.

We have also been inundated this season with references to dancing and dance classes. In some of the episodes these nods toward dancing seemed strange and out-of-place. But I think they are clues pointing to Elise/Jennifer as ballerina girl and the person after Red. First, she has the name Elise as her alias. The tiny dancer we think of as Red’s daughter in Season 1’s Mako Tanida appears in Red’s memory as he watches Swan Lake performed by the Elise LeBlanc School of Dance.  We also have a character named Odette, who was the main ballerina in the Swan Lake ballet. Kirk’s Odette, by the way, was exactly the opposite of vulnerable, gentle, and caring Swan Lake Odette.

Check out how many references there were to dancing and dance classes:

Esteban – Salsa dance music plays on the radio when Tom is trying to get out of his trunk prison. Red walks through a nightclub with disco lights and dance music.

Mato episode: Mato performs a Native American ritual dance of protection for Agnes. Red tells Mato a story about getting to witness the Sun Dance ritual.

Miles McGrath episode: In the bar where Miles McGrath is meeting with the Sabateur, there is an adjacent dance floor where people are dancing.

Gaia episode: The hunter says to Kaplan: “Okay, sweetheart. We’ve got to get you upright. You’ve been down too long. I’m going to put my hand behind your neck, just like a dance.” Odette first appears in this episode.

In The Thrushes, Elise appears to be in a ballet dance pose when she jumps off the couch and onto Aram.

In Dr. Adrian Shaw, Red asks Samar how she keeps in shape and suggests it might be Jazzercise. He says he wants to go to a class with her. “I’ll see you in dance class, Samar!”

Adrian Shaw conclusion:  Kirk and Red are reminiscing about Katarina when Red finishes Kirk’s sentence about Katarina, having scaled a fence and jumped over, just … dancing.

In the Lipet Seafood Co., Red interrupts President Diaz’s dance lesson when he’s practicing for the inaugural ball.

In The Forecaster, Mr. Mom Tom dances around Agnes singing along with The Romantics’ That’s What I Like About You.

In The Harem. the Emma character looks like Christine the ballet teacher setting up the Swan Lake dance performance in Mako Tanida. Emma wears two outfits that resemble dancewear and wears her hair in a ballerina’s bun for much of the episode. We also have exotic dancers at a strip club.  At one point, the pole dancers are gossiping, much like the ballerinas were in Mako Tanida, and a supervisors scolds them.

Who is slouching toward Red? That echo from his past, The Dancer: Jennifer Reddington

[showbizchicago]

Following its sell-out hit Significant Other, About Face Theatre is pleased to continue its 2017-18 season with the Midwest premiere of R. Eric Thomas’ gleeful mystery TIME IS ON OUR SIDE, directed by Artistic Director Megan Carney, playing March 1 – April 7, 2018 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at aboutfacetheatre.com by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. 

TIME IS ON OUR SIDE features Esteban Andres Cruz, Rashaad Hall, Riley Mondragon and Maggie Scrantom.

Besties Annie and Curtis struggle to produce a podcast that “queers history” until the discovery of a mysterious family journal launches them into a high stakes and hilarious investigation of the early LGBTQ rights movement. Hopping from the Underground Railroad to Rosa Parks, from the AIDS Quilt to Celebrity Jeopardy, the political gets personal.

“This is a hilarious and deeply personal story,” comments Director Megan Carney. “It brings together rich characters of different generations who share a longing to connect, which makes it such a perfect play for us at About Face Theatre. The play weaves a range of stories in which younger folks uncover their roots and elders pass on what they know. All together, a powerful story emerges revealing acts of resistance and queer magic through the decades.”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The production team for TIME IS ON OUR SIDE includes José Manuel Diaz (scenic design), Robert S. Kuhn (costume design), Christopher Kriz (sound design), Claire Sangster (lighting design) Blake Leo Burke (properties design) Catherine Allen (production manager) and Dana Nestrick (stage manager).

Artist Biographies

Eric Thomas (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright, humorist and the long-running host of The Moth in Philadelphia. His play Time is on Our Side was the recipient of two Barrymore Awards including Best New Play and was named a finalist for the Harold and Mimi Steinberg American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award. Forthcoming productions include Mrs. Harrison at Azuka Theatre. He writes a daily humor column for Elle.com in which he “reads” the news. In addition to Elle.com and ELLE magazine, his writing has appeared in the New York Times, W Magazine, Man Repeller, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazineand more. www.rericthomas.com

Megan Carney (Director) is a director, playwright, educator and the Artistic Director of About Face Theatre. Recent Chicago directing credits include Julie Jenson’s Winter, George Brandt’s Grizzly Mama, Danielle Pinnock’s Body/Courage and Lisa Dillman’s American Wee Pie and The Walls with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. She was lead interviewer and playwright for Women at War, a multi-year performance and civic dialogue project about women in the military that continues to tour. Megan was a founding director of About Face Youth Theatre and served as Associate Artistic Director for several years while she created original ensemble plays. Carney’s work has been recognized with multiple After Dark Awards, the GLSEN Pathfinder Award, an APA Presidential Citation, induction in Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, a Rockefeller Foundation MAP Grant and a GLAAD Media Award nomination. Megan served as the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 2011-2017 where she created arts based educational programs for and about diverse LGBTQIA+ people and communities. She has a MFA in Theatre Arts from Virginia Tech with a focus on Directing and Public Dialogue.

About Face Theatre creates exceptional, innovative, and adventurous theatre and educational programming that advances the national dialogue on sexual and gender identity, and challenges and entertains audiences in Chicago and beyond.

About Face Theatre’s Midwest Premiere of “TIME IS ON OUR SIDE” Runs Through April 7 Following its sell-out hit Significant Other, About Face Theatre is pleased to continue its 2017-18 season with the Midwest premiere of