Collecting Material for Cuba

We're going to Cuba with the 20th Pastors for Peace caravan to Cuba.

We're collecting donated materials for Cuba. Below an email from them listing what they're looking for specifically. If you have anything here, please email me and we'll pick it up! All donations are tax deductible!


What items should be sent?
Below is a summary of general aid needs in Cuba. When sending solidarity aid to Cuba, it is essential that all items collected must be new or in excellent condition, clean and rust-free. Do not donate items that are not in working condition. This is not an opportunity to clean out junk from garages or basements. If it's not good enough for you and your family, don't send it to our Cuban brothers and sisters.

The 20th US-Cuba Friendshipment this July has been specifically asked to prioritize construction supplies for the ongoing reconstruction effort after the 3 devastating hurricanes that hit Cuba in the fall of 2008

WE PARTICULARLY NEED THE FOLLOWING CONSTRUCTION SUPPLIES
Plumbing: nuts, bolts, washers and all thread, plastic pipe fittings, toilets, sinks, faucets, PVC plastic fittings, copper fittings and valves, drains and stoppers, pipes, shower fixtures
Carpentry: nails, hammers, screws, drills, flashing, wall anchors, saws and saw blades, banding tools, door hanging tools, ladders, jacks, plaster, sandpaper
Electrical: any electrical wiring, fasteners, electrical boxes and covers, electrician tools, energy efficient lighting and bulbs, extension cords and adapters, generators, electric line testers, electrical tape
Masonry: grouts, sealants, horizontal reinforcing, masonry admixtures, concrete, masonry hand tools (floats, trowels), chisels (wood and masonry)
Painting: brushes, rollers, lead-free paint, brush extenders, paint plates
Protective Gear: dust masks, work gloves, protective eyeglasses

What we take in general...
 Vehicles: School buses, ambulances, trucks, pick-ups, mobile libraries (bookmobiles) - diesel & stick shift preferred - in good condition and with at least several years of life left in them.
 Computers: IBM compatible computers with Pentium III or better processors, and all computer accessories/peripherals. Must be in full working order. All types of printers but especially Epson LX 300 and HP laser jet 1200
 Educational supplies: All types of educational materials including for writing on and with etc (but pen, pencils, paper etc must be new/unused)
 Medical equipment/supplies/medicines: All kinds if equipment in good working order, supplies sterile and supplies/medicines with expiry date Feb 1, 2010 or later
 Books: Medical and scientific textbooks and journals in Spanish or English
 Alternative transportation/energy equipment: e.g. Bicycles (good condition), solar panels
 Sports/arts/cultural equipment: All kinds if in good condition.
 Musical Equipment: Musical instruments especially, DJ equipment, sound equipment
 Bibles: All Bibles must be in Spanish.
 Food: Powdered milk, infant formula, dietary supplements - in original factory-sealed containers. .
 Car mechanics tools: Tools must be in good condition or new.
 Home supplies: Factory new clothing in bulk quantities.

And what we don’t take ...
because it is inappropriate or because Mexican customs won’t let it through
 Anything that is not in good working order or is rusty
 Medication and medical supplies that have already expired or will reach their expiry date before February 1, 2010
 Medication and medical supplies that have been opened
 Computers older than Pentium III (about 7 years old) or that are not IBM compatible
 Books, in English or Spanish, that are not medical or scientific text books/journals
 Any clothing, sheets, towels, etc. that are not enclosed in their original packaging.
 Used paper
 Canned food

We're going again!

After two years of hiatus, it's time to revive the blog so we can chronicle our trip.

This is the blog of the New Cuba Project, a group of students, alumni, and volunteers of NOVA Alternative High School. The school is NOT sponsoring the trip, thus the name "New Cuba Project"!

We will be updating this blog regularly during the caravan, which leaves Seattle on July 6th. Details on a send-off event will be posted here soon.

In the meantime, this blog originally captured my trip to Cuba in 2007. I've removed the posts, but have left some photos for you to enjoy.

Thanks, and will blog you soon!

Chris

Before you go to Cuba: the Center for Constitutional Rights

I can't speak highly enough of these guys, and as I just said in my below post, their use and urgency is greater now than ever. If you have any problems with the US government from you trip to Cuba, contact the Center for Constitutional Rights immediately. Hell, right their number on your palm with a sharpie: 212-614-6464

Before you travel: The Identity Project

I just heard about The Identity Project in an article in Wired entitled "US Airport Screeners Are Watching What You Read"

Hey Uncle Sam, I was reading Things I like About America during my recent flight. In case you're wondering, yes, it's a good read, I highly recommend it. If there's anything else you'd like to know about my recent trips, which aren't included in one of my eight blogs, please feel free to give me a call. I believe you have my number...

A Few Words on SICKO

7/21/07
10:42 PM

I saw Michael Moore's movie last week, and while he makes himself an easy target for his critics, you can't dispute the facts about the health care crisis in the US. You may, however, wonder about that segment filmed in Cuba.

I haven't done any research or seen any other information on that clip, but having lived in Cuba, I can attest to the health care in the country. While I doubt anyone could just walk into any pharmacy and find the exact inhaler needed (medicines are in short supplies and pharmacies infamously understocked), I'm sure it exists somewhere and that it costs three pesos (less than fifteen cents).

When I was first in Cuba for the International Student Festival, a group of Americans contracted pink eye. They were whisked away and spent the festival in quarantine with the full treatment, no bill ever produced. When I lived in Cuba I contracted tendinitis in my right hand, which kept me from working (typing on a laptop like I am right now). My boss didn't wonder when I'd be back to work nor pressure me to return early (much to the contrary, I tried persisting and typing even long after it became uncomfortable. This is due to my innate American trait of sacrificing self for your job, even if it made my condition worse, something no Cuba would do, nor people in most first-world countries). Finally, after trying to type with a pencil held between my thumb and forefinger, I gave in and went to the hospital. The diagnosis wasn't rocket science (a doctor looked at my hand and said "tendinitis") and the resulting daily acupuncture treatment was "not the quality I'd receive in the US" (six patients in room, doctor standing over me, cigarette dangling from his mouth, the smoke sometimes obscuring the points where the needles were to go; once, a nurse obviously in training on administering acupuncture, inserted the thing all the way to the hilt -a good two inches into my hand. "Um," I hesitated, "I don't think it's s'pozed to be so deep".
I never received a bill.

Of course, I don't think any American can just show up in Cuba and expect medical treatment like they do in Sicko, though it'd be a wonderful PR stunt if we could. There's supposedly a clinic near the embassy zone that charges a flat $25 per visit, but who would pay it except for Americans, who think $25 to visit the doctor is a good deal?

There are a lot of concepts that Americans in general just can't grasp, and free health care is one of them. Why not? We're the wealthiest nation in the history of world, we can set a man on the moon, you think a tiny project like free universal health care would be a no-brainer.

Ok, that's my rant.

The Kitchen

Mario and Yspia