Forgive me, but this is sick beyond sick.  Or as we say, "No tiene palabras," or no words to describe this.

Like many of you, my ancestors are from Spain or the Old World.  On my father's side, the first Canto moved to Sagua La Grande in central Cuba in the 1850s.  On my mother's side, my Abuelo Pedro came to Cuba in the 1920s and settled in Ciego de Avila in eastern Cuba.

Spanish immigrants had a great reputation in Cuba.  The men were tough characters who worked all day and started many businesses.  As far as the women, they were beautiful and family-oriented and kept us doing our homework.  They set the table for much of the prosperity that pre-Castro Cuba enjoyed.

My good guess is that our grandparents must be looking down with dismay at this report from Spain:

After winning Spain's national beauty contest last month, [Mr.] Ponce will become the first transgender woman [sic: Ponce is a man —ed.] to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.  But [he] is also on a mission to challenge traditional concepts of gender and beauty, as well as to break down what [he] sees as unacceptable barriers in the fashion industry. 

"Having a vagina doesn't make a woman," [he] said in an interview.  "Even if many people don't want to see me as a woman, I clearly belong among them." 

[Mr.] Ponce, 27, grew up in Pilas, a town in southern Spain where [his] father owned a bar that is now managed by [Ponce's] elder brother.  Pilas was a conservative place, [he] says, where "there was nobody like me."  That extended to [his] school, which also set [him] apart, placing [him] in a group of children needing special care, alongside some who were dealing with family breakups or who belonged to the minority Roma community.

Well, what would my abuelo say?  My guess is that it wouldn't be suitable for publication on this family blog.

Men now women?

Did I tell you that the country's birth rates are around 1.39, or way under the 2.1 per woman to maintain the population?  Are you surprised, then, to see this headline: "Spain's population set to drop 11% by 2050"?

Something is sick in Spain, and it's not the bullfights that the left wants to shut down.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.