History

[kpete]

?w=850&h=575
https://twitter.com/patrickoyulu/status/711665912252919813

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. Those cars are incredible.

[WhiteTara]

2. Hollywood would have a field day

using them in movies.

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. They really would.

[bhikkhu]

4. My first thought as well - the one in the middle is a Peugot 403

About 1960. I owned two at one point many years ago, both thoroughly broken down, never found enough parts to get one running.

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. Thanks for the info.

And I'm sorry you couldn't get them going.

[Warpy]

5. When parts would fail, they sand casted new ones

and machined them down to work. It's really an amazing story of human ingenuity how they kept the old dinosaurs alive there.

But yes, this is an amazing picture from an amazing day that is far overdue.

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. That's incredible.

And it is amazing when we look at how we toss our cars out.

[Warpy]

17. For years, they had no alternative

except breeding pack animals and walking. Fixing the cars was quicker and cheaper.

Now I imagine the wealthiest drive the products of Asia and Europe, who awoke from their fog of anticommunist zealotry a great many years ago. Few can afford new things there, so they keep the old dinosaurs alive.

With the Obama administration opening things up a bit, perhaps that won't last much longer. Any GOP asshole would shut Cuba off again the second thing in office. First would be to thank the preachers by meddling in women's health worldwide. It's what they all have done.

[Odin2005]

19. Wow!

[Chasstev365]

6. What a stunning photo!

[Dont call me Shirley]

7. KnR

[mahannah]

8. Great shot. Who is the photographer?

[No Vested Interest]

9. I love it that the whole Obama family- Michelle, and the daughters- went along, too.

I don't know if Mrs. Robinson travels on these trips.

Anyway, it's a nice family get-away- The Obamas will be in Cuba two nights.
And the plane trip on Air Force One is likely not as long as a trip to the US West Coast.

Another good part of the trip is that US business men - leaders of Marriott and Starwood hotels, for instance, will be in Havana as well.
They'll sign marketing agreements with Cuba, which will make it nigh impossible for Republicans to try to roll back.

[ScreamingMeemie]

13. I saw her come down the stairs.

She is there too.

[No Vested Interest]

18. Yes, I saw her as well in photos after I posted. How lucky her granddaughters are

have an on-site grandma, and how lucky Michelle and Barack to have a loving grandparent on-site when they are tied up with other matters and not available to their daughters.

I hope she is keeping a journal or notes and writes or even dictates what she has observed and wishes to share with the world of her many experiences living at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. for eight years.

[liberalnarb]

10. The most historic presidency in modern history.

[whereisjustice]

14. FDR, Kennedy, and Johnson civil rights bills, all count as modern and far more historic

Obama could have been as great but he decide we need to look after Republican interests in the third way tradition of being "centrist".

[liberalnarb]

16. You make a good point.

I was looking at it from a Presidency of firsts perspective.

[spartan61]

15. The last time a sitting president went to Cuba

was in 1928. That president was Calvin Coolidge and he came by air craft carrier. This sure is history making.

[ScreamingMeemie]

20. it really is.

My son was irritated as hell that dinner had to wait while I watched, but he'll get over it.