My name is Katherine Virginia Jardine. I am from Mobile, Alabama. I am graduating from Louisiana State University this month with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication and a minor in Business Administration. I have attached my resume below.

Resume

Middleton Library

Throughout the school year, Louisiana State University students exhaust themselves physically and mentally. In order to stay alert, students often turn to using caffeine and “study drugs,” like Adderall or Ritalin.

According to Drugs.com, these stimulant drugs or so called “performance enhancers,” are actually amphetamines that are controlled substances used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Narcolepsy. They can also be used as an appetite suppressant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “diagnosis of ADHD increased an average of 3% per year from 1997 to 2006,” and has been steadily increasing since. As more people are diagnosed, more stimulants are being prescribed to treat their disorder, therefore putting more of these drugs into circulation.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explained that, “all stimulants work by increasing dopamine levels in the brain—dopamine is a brain chemical (or neurotransmitter) associated with pleasure, movement, and attention.”

According to the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, these stimulant drugs are said to help with “self-management associated with increases of on-task behaviors and academic performance and with a decrease of disruptive behaviors.”

“College students are of the largest demographic group who abuses or illegally uses Adderall and Ritalin,” according to the University of Notre Dame.

“They help me push through the tremendous amount of reading and studying I have to do,” said LSU student, Ashton Strickland. Strickland explained she is not actually prescribed to the medication, but can obtain it easily from friends who do have a prescription. “It’s easy to get, because so many people are prescribed to the medicine.”

Strickland explained that the people she knows give her the medication because they do not use all of the pills that they are prescribed, but others students with prescription stimulants sell their pills for up to as much as $25 per pill.

However, not all students who are prescribed to stimulant medications give them away or sell them to other people. Sarah Gibson, a Business major, explained, “I don’t like to tell people I am prescribed Adderall. I don’t want people trying to pay me for my pills or worse stealing my prescription bottles.”

In an NIDA conducted study of first-year college students, “researchers found that 13.5 percent of students they interviewed had used prescription stimulants for nonmedical reasons at least once in their lifetime.” Another NIDA study concluded that “stimulant medication abuse was also more prevalent among students who were: white…members of fraternities or sororities… [or those] earning lower grades.”

Design major, Elizabeth Williams said, “I’ve taken Adderall about three times in the past year when studio got intense. I didn’t like taking it, but I need something to help me stay up for days so I could finish my design models.”

Since these stimulant drugs are prescription medication many students do not believe they could be harmful. However, that is not the case. The NIDA reports, “Stimulants can increase blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and decrease sleep and appetite, which can lead to malnutrition and its consequences. Repeated use of stimulants can lead to feelings of hostility and paranoia. At high doses, they can lead to serious cardiovascular complications, including stroke.”

Strickland explained that the side effect of decreasing appetite makes stimulant drugs that more popular among college women. “It’s a great diet drug,” said Strickland.

Gibson explained that it is important to take the medication for a few days at a time in order for the side effects “to level off.” She says that the effects are more apparent when taking the medicine sporadically.

Williams explained how fellow classmates used to take prescription stimulant drugs as well, but have stopped “because it made us feel bizarre.”

When informed of the adverse side effects Williams said, “I knew when I was taking [the medication] that something wasn’t right. I was never hungry, always hot and I kept clenching my jaw, but I didn’t know the side effects could get that serious.”

“If people take it who are not prescribed to it they notice the intense effects and the bad feelings coming off of it more,” said Gibson, “Because that is what they feel when they take the medicine they can’t understand why people who actually need it can take it everyday, all the time.”

Strickland explained that she is more of an introvert when she takes “study drugs.” She said she has had friends tell her that she becomes a different person while taking the pills. “They say I’m really out of it and quiet, but I get all my work done so it is fine with me, said Strickland.

“After I graduate I am going to stop taking Adderall, but right now I have so much to do that I have to use something to help me out occasionally and this works the best,” commented Strickland.

Gibson said, “I feel that since people are abusing it and taking it without a prescription, it gives Adderall and other drugs like it a bad name as a whole. It does work for the people who need it. And people do need it.”

Survey on Prescription Stimulant “Study Drugs”

It is a great time for wine coinsurers, but not for the wineries or distributors.

“Over the past 20 year wine production has increased exponentially, but consumption has not kept up,” explained Gene Todaro, owner of Marcello’s Wine Market in Baton Rouge.

This has created an excess of wine on the market. Todaro said the industry was “already headed for a glut, but the recession has made it worse.”

He explained that many of the wineries are folding. They have based selling their wine and producing a profit on a certain price. Now the wineries are not able to sell their wine at the prices they wish to sell it. They must sell it for less. Then the distributors come in to play because they have “warehouses full of wine they agreed to buy on old sales projections,” said Todaro.

All of this combined creates a backlog of wine and a good buying market for consumers. The consumers are able to get the deals on wine because the wineries and distributors must get rid of their excess supply.

“The theory that people drink more in a recession holds true. But people are buying less expensive wine or switching to spirits,” said Todaro. He explained that people come in [to his store] looking for deals. Even though people in search of the deals often find them, there has actually been a 30 percent drop in sales. “If the consumer is thinking there’s going to be a deal they’ll hold off for the deal,” Todaro elaborated.

There are plenty of deals that can be found right now around Baton Rouge. For example, bottles that were once selling for $30 are now selling for $10, according to Josh Allen, a sales representative at Marcello’s. This is because Louisiana retailers and wine bars have available and are stocking more mid-to-high grade wines than ever. Other states have experienced a harder hit from the recession causing less of a demand for these wines, even at good prices.

In addition, many wine shops have specials, like three bottles for $10 or savings for buying by the case, to encourage consumers to purchase more. Wine bars are often hold tastings free or set price for all-you-can-drink.  Half-off bottle nights are also a regular occurrence at local wine.

Kyle Price, a local wine enthusiast, said he takes full advantage of all of the deals and specials on wine in the area, but still sticks with what he knows and likes. “People will judge wine by its price, but I don’t think that’s the best way to determine what is good,” commented Price, “However, if it’s a wine I’ve tried and know I like I will pay more.”

Todaro explained that he believes the wine market will eventually settle out. “It will correct itself once capacity is brought to a halt in about five years when enough wineries are out of business.”

Price explained in an airy tone, “You can be a wine lover or a wine snob. I just prefer to be a wine lover and drink whatever I can!”

Wine Lovers’ Resources Map

Andrea Copper explained that when she and her husband dropped their only daughter, Kristin, off at Baker University in Kansas, “little did we know that a year and five months later she would be dead.”

Copper travels to university campuses and conferences to share the story of her daughter’s rape by a friend that lead to her committing suicide.

The LSU Panhellenic Council, Tri-Delta Sorority and the Student Health Center sponsored Copper’s presentation in Baton Rouge in order to raise awareness on depression, date and acquaintance rape.

According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, 66 rapes were reported to the police in 2008. However, most rapes victims do not report the crime to the authorities. So far in 2009, 43 rapes have been reported in Baton Rouge.

Over 50 percent of college women will experience sexual assault. “I am sharing this because I hope by telling Kristin’s story that other lives will be saved, and other young women will not be victims of acquaintance rape, and that those suffering from depression, for ANY reason, will get help,” Copper states on her website.

On New Year’s Eve in 1995, Kristin was home for Winter break during her sophomore year of college and had plans to attend several parties. Copper and her husband left the house early in the evening to go to a party. They were surprised to see their daughter’s car in the driveway when they returned home later that night. “I thought to myself ‘I am glad she’s home safe and sound,’ but I thought it was odd because it was still early in the night,” explained Copper.

Copper said that she heard loud music when she walked in the house and saw what she thought was Kristin asleep in the family room. She went to tell her daughter to turn the music down and when she got closer realized Kristin was not breathing. Copper went to check her daughter’s pulse, did not feel a pulse and saw a gun in Kristin’s hand. My stomach wretched inside and I screamed to my husband, ‘Kristin’s dead, she shot herself,”’ said Copper. “I did not see any blood but my husband went on the other side of her and saw all the blood. The detective later told me that the bullet was lodged in her brain and there was no exit wound.”

Copper found a journal next to her daughter’s body. In the journal, there was a poem about how she had experienced rape. A friend she had known for years and had been a lifeguard with raped Kristin during the first week of August before she returned to school. Copper contacted Kristin’s friends to find out more about the incident and escalation to suicide.   Kristin’s friends said that she immediately sank into depression after the rape, but did not want to tell her parents. Kristin told her friends, “My mom will be hysterical [if I tell her] and my dad will kill the guy.” Copper explained that 95 percent of sexual assault and rape victims do not report it to the police, 46 percent do not tell anyone about the incident(s) and 30 percent contemplate suicide after being raped.

“Rape is a crime of uniquely intoxicating cruelty,” remarked Copper. She explained how Kristin’s friends told her of her daughter’s downward spiral that lead to suicide. Copper wrote a letter to Kristin’s friend who raped her. Copper never tormented the boy because she knew it would not bring her daughter back. She wanted to press charges, but the detectives told her they could not prosecute him, because Kristin could not testify.

Copper said, “Rape is a crime of the heart for the victim and a crime of convenience for the perpetrator.”

Copper explained that most parents are worried their child will die in an automobile accident, which is the first leading cause of death for students, not suicide. However, suicide is the second leading cause of death for students. Copper encouraged everyone in the audience to be aware of the signs of depression and to get help for themselves, their friends or family members before it becomes too late.

Nearly 90 percent of rapes are committed by a friend, relative or acquaintance. This event was extremely important for the LSU community to become educated on this topic. “Most women are not taught to be aware of this fact. They most likely are only educated to be watchful against strangers and dangerous situations, explained Copper.

Ashley Granger, Wellness Education Coordinator for the Student Health Center (SHC), explained the resources available to students on campus. The SHC provides several services to students who have experienced sexual violence.

The Sexual Assault Victim’s Advocates or “SAVAs are specially trained University personnel who can provide confidential guidance and support to LSU students who have directly experienced interpersonal violence or who want to help a friend….”

If victims of sexual crimes wish to collect forensic evidence, have medical screenings and test completed, report the crime and receive support they may visit the SHC to see a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE).

Many other resources are available in the Baton Rouge area such as the Rape Crisis Center and the Battered Women’s Program and Shelter. Each has a 24-hour hotline to confidential provide assistance and advice.

“Telling my story over and over again to students like you is healing,” Copper said. She explained if she helped at least one or more people in the audience then she had reached her goal.

Map of Sexual Assault and Rape Resources

Last night people gathered in the Hill Memorial Library on Louisiana State University’s campus to hear Professor Geza Vermes’ celebrated lecture regarding the work he has conducted on Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest and largest surviving collection of manuscripts concerning the bible and the time of Christ. The scrolls were first discovered when shepherds in the Judean Desert accidently stumble upon them while look for a lost goat. The shepherds found jars, unknown in a cave, which held these ancient scrolls. This miraculous discovery lead to an archaeological quest for more scrolls. According to Vermes, between the years 1950 and 1956, eleven more caves containing scroll fragments were discovered. The scrolls are mainly written on parchment paper. However, 15 percent of the manuscripts are on papyrus and one is on a copper sheet. They are written in “Hebrew, Aramaic, and a handful of Greek.” Archeologists also discovered a multifaceted structure of ruins near the scroll caves. They named this structure the Qumran ruin, in orientation with the region in which it is located.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are named in reference to the body of water near where the scrolls were discovered. The Dead Sea, actually a lake, is located in between Israel and Jordan. It is the lowest point on the Earth’s surface. The Dead Sea is called such due to the loose translation of its Hebrew name “Yam ha Maved,” meaning “Killer Sea.” It contains extremely high levels of mineral salt. Due to the excessive amount of salinity in its waters, fish or other organisms are unable to survive in the Dead Sea. However, people are able to adapt their bodies to the salinity, and while in the water, they actually float effortlessly due to being more buoyant. The salt and mud of the Dead Sea are thought to have health and therapeutic benefits.

Vermes’ Dead Sea Scrolls lecture seemed to be a popular event, so much so that the lecture hall could not fully support the influx of attendees. People were lined up against the walls and filling empty space in the walkways by standing or sitting on the floor. Flower arrangements were placed around the lecture hall to honor Vermes’ parents who died in the Holocaust. According to the program, “In honor of Professor Vermes’ visit, Secretary of State Jay Dardenne has proclaimed September 29 ‘Professor Vermes Day.’”

Before Vermes took the podium attendees were buzzing with anticipation to learn more about this captivating archeological find.

“His lecture sounds so fascinating. I thought it would be a great experience,” exclaimed Susan Lipsey. Lipsey said she has been to Israel four times in her life, and has seen the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. “This is the greatest archaeological find ever. . . .I remember the guide pointing out the caves. We were just in awe,” said Lipsey.

Mike Cruice, an LSU student who is planning to enter the Baptist Seminary said, “I just thought it would be a good thing to be here. . . .I am not familiar at all with them [the Dead Sea Scrolls]. . . .I want to learn the history and basics in order to fully understand them when I do read them.” Cruice said he plans to read the scrolls for pleasure if he is not required to read them in seminary school. He explained that his former youth pastor informed him of the lecture. Cruice said he was glad that he knew about this lecture and was “surprised that this many people came.”

Vermes is an acclaimed expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He was born in Hungary in 1924, and studied in Budapest and Belgium. Vermes completed his dissertation on the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls. According to his bio provided for the lecture, “In 1991, he was appointed director of the Oxford Forum for Qumran Research at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. . . .His first article on the Dead Sea Scrolls appeared in 1949, and his first book Les manuscripts du desert de Juda in 1953 (translated into English in 1956 as Discovery in the Judean Desert).”

Vermes is a distinguished looking gentleman with a soft accented voice. He explained that he first learned about the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery when he was a “young student,” and would follow press reports in relation to the scrolls. Upon learning about the scrolls, he exclaimed that he vowed he “would solve the mystery of what was then called the greatest Hebrew discovery.” He said, “From then on the scrolls and my life were intertwined.”

Vermes explained the origin of the scrolls. He said that they dated from the end of the third century B.C.E. to first century C.E. He said that the scrolls were probably hidden in the caves in order to safe guard them from roman troops who would have destroyed the scrolls if they had discovered them.

Vermes discussed his difficulties he had in obtaining access to the actual scrolls. After their discovery, a Frenchman named Roland de Vaux and his team essential held a monopoly on the actual scrolls. De Vaux would only allow pictures of a portion of the scrolls to be published for other experts to examine and analyze. Vermes explained that in order to obtain information for his first publication on the scrolls he entered Jerusalem with illegal documents and shared idea about the scrolls in Jordan. He said that after his work was published he received great criticism from de Vaux. Despite his setbacks, Vermes never let go of his passion for the scrolls.

“After four decades the scrolls were liberated,” said Vermes. De Vaux and other organizations tyranny over the scrolls had come to an end. Scholars could study, examine and interpret the scrolls freely. All the Dead Sea Scrolls were available on photographs and microphage. Vermes was able to view the fragments of the scrolls, and translated them into English. He was thrilled when his work became published, until he picked up a copy of his own book and realized the picture of the scrolls on the cover was upside-down. He laughed and said, “Hardly anyone noticed . . . and those who did kindly and fairly attributed it to the publisher.” He said that before the next printing of his book was to be processed the mistake was corrected.

“What have we learned from the Dead Sea Scrolls,” Vermes commented.

Vermes explained that the Dead Sea Scrolls agree is substance with the Bible and Hebrew teachings. He said that there were certainly some additions, omissions and changes compared to scripture. He said this is significant because it “proves a unified traditional text of the bible [exists]. . . . Practically no difference . . . only spelling . . . otherwise the texts are the essentially the same.”

Vermes ended his lecture with a highly amusing anecdote on how his five-year-old grandson Ian claimed, “My granddaddy wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.” The audience chuckled and sighed because they they knew the lecture was at an end.

Vermes said that archeologists are still searching for more scrolls but none have been found yet. He explained that it was a miracle that any were found in the first place, because no one thought they could survive in the conditions that exist in the Judean Desert.

After the question and answer portion, two gentleman, Charles Hall and Clement Templet, who sat through the lecture diligently taking notes explained how much they valued Vermes’ lecture and work. “Here’s a man who has spent his whole life studying this. He has really mastered it at great odds,” said Hall, “I am as interested in him as the topic.” Templet explained that he is “very interested in early Christianity . . . the first 100 years.” Templet said, “Because of this lecture I will spend more time study this [the Dead Sea Scrolls].”

Cruice felt that the lecture was “great background for future study.” He said that the most interesting part about the scrolls was “how they got into the public instead of being left behind.”

The world is thankful that the scrolls were discovered and not hidden away forever. Many people around the globe have been fascinated by the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Vermes has even dedicated his whole life to them.

Ring-a-ding-ding….In the wedding business the chime of the cash register tends to be heard more often than the clang of church bells.

In the United States, there is an estimated 2.5 million weddings a year. On average, the cost of a wedding today exceeds $21,000.00, according to The Wedding Report, Inc. Weddings that take place in the Northeast tend to be more costly than weddings that occur anywhere else in the country.

One might be astounded that in these hard economic times Americans are shelling out large amounts of money to pay for an event that though monumental in their lives, lasts mere moments.

Valerie Robinson, a consultant for David’s Bridal, a national chain store that focuses on bridal and wedding attire, explained that when a bride sees what she wants that she will find a way to pay for it. “We haven’t seen any cost cutting yet [due to the recession],” said Robinson.

It is customary to construct a budget for managing wedding expenses. It is sticking to the budget that becomes an issue for many brides. Camille Jubb Bawcom, 23, who was recently married, laughed when commenting on the difficulties of creating and sticking to a budget. “Since I was the first one [to get married] out of my siblings we had nothing to compare it to. It was hard to come up with a figure. Very hard,” explained Bawcom.

Bawcom explained that a majority of her budget was spent on the reception because there was a charge per guest in attendance. The average wedding has 175 invited guests. The dress followed as the second most costly item. “So many little things add up as well that you did’t even plan or budget for,” said Bawcom.

Robinson, explained that David’s Bridal, as well as many other bridal shops, try to accommodate brides on a budget. “But do we have many people who stick with that [budget]…no,” she jokingly remarked. Robinson explained that besides frequent sale markdowns on their attire, brides may use a David’s Bridal credit card with special rewards and payment plans to help manage expensive purchases or they have the option of putting items on lay-away. She said around 30 to 40 percent decide to put a gown on lay-away. “Usually, they tell us what’s too expensive and what isn’t when they’re shopping,” Robinson said.

It is apparent that the wedding industry is not in a state of distress like other industries during the current economic downturn. One reason could be due to the fact that couples entering into first-time marriages are older. The average age for a first-time bride is 26 and a first-time groom is 28. Older couples are more likely to be financially stable with some amount of disposable income. As a result, they are able to make and afford more expensive purchases, such as a fancy wedding.

“I think everything was worth it. It was a perfect day,” Bawcom said with a big smile. In the end, all couples want their wedding day to be perfect, no matter what the cost.

Valle was seven years old when Castro and the Cuban Revolution began to slowly crush the world he had always known. Valle said, “because of experiencing the war and shooting in the streets. . .I knew that things were going to be different from the on.”

For seven years, Valle and his family would attempt to hold on to any shred of their prosperous life, only to sacrifice it to save themselves from a probable malicious fate under Castro’s regime.

Valle is a man who lost his childhood, his home, and his country. Sadly, he is one among many. Valle said strongly, “I’ve never lost total hope that I will see my homeland again. . . .One day the regime will fall, just like all other Communist regimes fell.”

In Cuba, Valle lived in Santa Clara, which was the last city to fall when Castro took power. Valle said, ‘Cuba is still beautiful and always will be.” The water dazzles and sparkles much like a diamond, but unfortunately the island itself has become stained with suppression and neglect from the Castro regime.

“I was privileged in Cuba,” he said. Unfortunately, Castro seized power and turned Valle’s world upside down. “If I would have stayed in Cuba after Castro, my opportunities would have been very limited,” said Valle. “Staying in Cuba would have not allowed me freedom of choice and expression, which are the most important things that one can have.”

In 1960, a year after he took over, Castro declared Cuba a socialist state and began to “nationalize” private entities. Valle remembers this is how his aunt and uncle lost their business. His relatives then made immediate plans to leave the island and told his parents to do the same. “My parents thought that the U.S.  would not allow a socialist-communist country to establish itself firmly only 90 miles away from it mainland, so they decided to wait it out and see what would develop,” explained Valle.

Life changed gradually for Valle and his family. He attended Catholic school until the 3^rd grade when the government shut the schools down, accusing them of promoting anti-revolutionary ideas. He was home schooled for a year and then placed in the sixth grade at a public school. He skipped the 5^th grade, because the teacher was a “staunch communist.”

Young but observant, Valle noticed more disturbing changes in his world. He recalls food being rationed, producing a dangerous black-market, and the “Committees for Defense” establishing headquarters in neighborhoods. “These were basically houses manned by staunch communists that were put there to spy on their neighbors and blow the whistle on them if they suspected any anti-revolutionary activity,” said Valle. He remembers doing “volunteer work“ that schoolchildren were required to participate in every summer. In reality, this was forced labor in fields or factories in order to pass to the next grade.

“It’s amazing what one can get used to when having to do so,” remarked Valle when asked if he was fearful on a day-to-day basis. Valle explained that you had to be careful of what you said in public, and anything from the black-mart had to be carefully smuggled to avoid suspicion from communist spies.

Valle remembers only two occasions when his parents were highly alarmed. The first was when his neighbor was accused of being a CIA operative, was “tried,” and sentenced to 20 years in a labor camp. The second occurred when a friend of his father’s was caught with milk from the black-market and was jailed for a year and a half.

Valle once commented on how Americans today have never had to experience the torture and agony of war taking place on their homeland. Valle spent many nights falling asleep to the cracks of the firing squad that still echo in his nightmares today. A friend of his was arrested after cursing Castro and his policies in a public setting. The 15 year old boy was “tried” and executed by a firing squad.

Amalia, Valle’s mother feared for her son after he became an acolyte in the Catholic Church. She was afraid he would be jailed for anti-revolutionary activity if he continued recruiting young people for the church. “This, of course, did not deter me,” said Valle.

“Trying to get out of the country was a very dig ordeal for my parents. . . .easy for me, since I was a kid . . .fourteen by the time I left,” Valle remarked.

In Cuba, young men are required to enter into military service for Castro at age 15. If Valle did not get out of Cuba before his 15^th birthday he would have had to serve in the military until he was about 37 years old. Valle said he was not scared of this happening, but that his parents were.

Valle and his family began attempting to leave Cuba around 1962. “At the time one could leave via “freedom flights” to Miami, but the waiting list was so long that I would have never made it by the time I was 15,” Valle said. He explained other ways to get out of Cuba were flights to Spain or Mexico or to leave illegally by boat and try to get to Florida.

Twice, Valle was under the impression he was suppose to leave by boat. His parents had to keep the plans quiet for fear of imprisonment. Unfortunately, the boat captain was imprisoned before the first trip and mechanical problems cancelled the second one, impeding the initial attempts to vacate.

With the obvious fragility of such mislaid plans, the Valles wanted to find someone with connections that could get them out of Cuba legally. Valle’s mother contacted everyone she knew in the United States to ask for their help. She found a cousin acquainted with a Mexican man who had an influential contact in the Swiss embassy in Mexico. Valle said, “They pulled the right strings.”

“When Cuban officials came to our house and my father’s office and inventoried everything we had,” Valle said, “We knew that it was really going to happen.” The family left Cuba three months later on a flight to Mexico.

Each individual was only allowed to bring one suitcase with them. So, they left Cuba with a mind full of: memories, pain, loss, love for their country and a little bit of hope.

When they arrived at the airport, the Mexican man welcomed them and took them into his home for three months until they could enter the United States as permanent residents. Valle said, “This man was like a gift from Heaven. We are really fortunate because all five of us; my parents, grandmother, brother, and I, got to leave together, which was almost unheard of in 1966.

“After coming to the U.S., I had to work hard all of my life, he said. Valle was fortunate enough to attend college in the U.S. with the help of a student loan for Cuban nationals. This was the only way he could afford a college education.

“If you study history, you will see that no dictator has been able to break the human spirit of citizenry forever, and they have all failed in the end. Castro is no different,” Valle said. With the failing health of Castro, the demise of dictatorship in Cuba could be soon.

Valle speculates that after the regime collapses, the situation will be chaotic, because change does not come easy.  He hopes for Cuba to transition to democracy with the help of the United States and without civil war.

Valle desires to return to Cuba to live one day. Valle and his family have saved the deeds to their property in hopes of reclaiming it.

Valle, despite losing his homeland, has gained much from his experiences. He considers them a plus. Valle feels they have made him build a stronger character and allowed him to see what is important in life. It helped him to be totally independent and self-sufficient.

Valle said proudly, “I have also realized that no one can put you down or subjugate you if you don’t let them; and that there is a lot of good and also a lot of bad to be experienced in life; and overcoming the obstacles can make you a better and stronger person in the long run.”