Happy holidays and a prosperous 2012
This is our last issue of 2011. The year seems to have flown by. Here we are one more week to go before commencing 2012.
As is our custom, we will be taking some time off for the holidays. Well deserved, I assure everyone. But we will be back and raring to go with a brand new edition starting on January 5 of next year. Which does not mean, by the way, that we will not update information as it becomes available. Simply, our front page will remain basically the same from the 22nd to that first Thursday in January. But make sure to continue checking our Latest News ticker as well as some of the blogs and columns as new information will be added before January 5.
At this time I would like to take the time to thank and congratulate this excellent team we have that comprises Progreso Weekly/Semanal. Much gratitude goes to so many who make Progreso Semanal/Weekly possible. The magic of internet allowing us from different corners of the world to come together and produce this wonderful product week to week and sometimes even day to day. A very special thanks and much respect must go to our wonderful group of journalists who labor in Cuba under the leadership of Manuel Alberto Ramy. Under sometimes-difficult conditions these folks produce what I consider some of the best reporting and commentary dealing with everyday matters on the island, as well as enlightened pieces that take a long lens view of changes taking place in Cuba.
To our readers, expect improvement in 2012. It is the challenge we set for ourselves every year. Actually, if you came to know us personally, you’d understand that it’s a challenge we set for ourselves from week to week.
Next year looks to be the most important year we’ve faced in quite a while. With Cuba still in reform mode, the world dealing with the issues of the recession and excesses of capitalism, and the U.S. readying to hold another presidential election, there should be plenty to write about in the coming year.
But for the next few weeks we’d like to ask you to look inward and spend time with family and friends. In this world we live in, too fast for most of us, we sometimes overlook what is most important in all of our lives – the people we love and who love us.
So it’s the time to put on the brakes and meditate. And consider how we can make this world a better place for all of us to live in. If you look closely, there is an abundance of everything right here on our earth. Let’s make 2012 a year where we think of helping others who may need the helping hand we can offer. Let’s also make it a year where we take care of that earth that provides us with so much.
Finally, a very big thank you for those who make Progreso Semanal/Weekly possible. And by that I mean those who help us pay the bills. I will start with our readers. So many of you contribute generously with your donations. Please keep sending your checks, they help. And of course a huge thank you to Marazul, XAEL, ABC and Wilson charters, who, for years now, have helped make Progreso Semanal/Weekly a reality.
Alvaro F. Fernandez
Progreso Weekly/Semanal Editor
