In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain, and consequently no culture of the earth, no navigation, no use of the commodities that may be imported by sea, no commodious building, no instrument of moving and removing such things as require much force, no knowledge of the face of the earth, no account of time, no arts, no letters, no society; and, which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

(Hobbes, Leviathan, Part I. Ch. XII)

Homo homini lupus

Cuba Libre, is a simple and refreshing cocktail made of rum, cola, and lime. Its name has interesting origins, as the cocktail came into vogue when Cubans were seeking independence from Spain, and a concoction or rum or aguardiente, honey or molasses, and water, gained popularity with the Cuban and American soldiers who battled the last bastion of the weakened Spanish dominion in the Caribbean. This conflict would bring 400 years of Spanish presence in the Americans to a long overdue close. Today, more than 120 years later, Cubans are still not free, and though the yolk is now homegrown, the evisceration of this historically prosperous island should be a cause of pain to anyone with commitment to human liberty and progress.