Working in Montréal today --José Márti’s Mustache

Good morning folks, I will be working in Montreal today and Ottawa on Thursday -just landed.

I was speaking with one of my brothers late last night and among other topics, Jóse Márti was one briefly.  So was Hungarian independence and private ownership of soviet era apartments, but that is another email.

Does anyone else think that all photos on the internet of José Martí have been altered to make his mustache larger? John dismissed my conspiracy theory and suggested that such mustaches were in vogué during the musket age -right, so was wearing an onion on your belt.

José Martí was a Cuban hero, poet, philosopher, journalist.. 1853-1895.  Active in Cuba's move to independence from Spain in 18?? -late but don't know when.  Also active in the fight against U.S. ownership and effective annexation of Cuba.

This of course led me to think of the song -Guantanamera.  Although not generally credited with the lyrics -that goes to Jóse Diaz in 1910 or so? The song does contain at least the first verses of one of his poems.

Yo soy un hombre sincero

De donde crece la palma

Y antes de morirme quiero

Echar mis versos del alma

I am an honest man

From where the palm tree grows

And before dying I want

To share the verses of my soul.

Many artists have recorded the song, but only a few of the 20 or so come to mind.  Pete Seger -my favorite version. Joan Biaz, Jimmy Buffet, and I think Carlos Santana

Have a good day.

Sent from my BlackBerry handheld