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Cuba in the NewsA Trip to Prison With One of the Cuban Five - Visiting Gerardo 8/19/2010 Counterpunch: By DANNY GLOVER and SAUL LANDAUEn la voz de Gloria Rolando 8/19/2010 Trabajadores: "El próximo miércoles 11 de agosto en el cine 23 y 12 será la premier del primero de los tres capítulos de la serie documental de Gloria Rolando sobre el Partido de los Independientes de Color. El día 12 estará en los cines Yara, Acapulco y en las principales salas de provincia Dice Gloria Rolando que este documental es un material didáctico. 1912: Voces para un silencio se trata de una revisión histórica, una aproximación al Partido de los Independientes de Color que nació, así explica, de su afición por regresar a las raíces, por rescatar un hecho en el que los cubanos fueron víctimas y victimarios." Breaking the Silence 8/14/2010 Havana Times: "The premier of the documentary was a complete success and we await the public’s reaction in the cinemas. Surely it will make everyone consider the discrimination that still exists in our country, even though it doesn’t lead to such violence. The remaining chapters of 1912, Breaking the Silence are already eagerly awaited." More Double Standards on Cuba - Gross Media Negligence 8/6/2010 Counterpunch: "Gross, arrested in Cuba last December, worked for a company paid by AID (part of the State Department), but used a tourist visa for five consecutive visits to disguise his intention: distribute forbidden satellite phones to government opponents. Several Jewish organizations already provide their Cuban brethren with modern communication technology. Most media failed to report that fact, which would have raised another obvious question: why did Gross distribute expensive satellite technology to a well-supplied community? Jewish leaders in Havana interviewed by non-Cuban Juan Tamayo of the Miami Herald don’t remember meeting Alan Gross. Perhaps only dissident Jews got his goodies, those who don’t associate with the mainstream Jewish community! Ironically, as Hillary defended Gross' technology-sharing mission, U.S. Homeland Security seized computers bound for Cuba from U.S. religious groups also claiming desires to upgrade communication technology for non-Jewish religious groups." Castro accuses US of torture in 'Cuban Five' case 7/30/2010 AP The Alan Gross Case 7/30/2010 Counterpunch: "In late February, I asked three people at Havana’s largest synagogue; none knew an American named Gross. Adela Dworin, who speaks for the Jewish community in Havana, told a CBS correspondent she knew Gross. She said recognized international Jewish organizations had some time ago provided them with legal Internet connections. Alan Gross had previously set up satellite communications systems to circumvent state-controlled channels in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like a bottom fish on the precarious food chain of subverting a foreign government, Gross got caught on a Cuban police hook. Cuba has not yet formally charged him although Cuban officials have said they “suspect him of espionage.” Race in Cuba: The Eternal 'Black Problem' 7/27/2010 The Roots: "The painful truth is that, in Cuba, the vast majority of the prison population is black or mixed-race. The most physically ruined parts of the cities are those where most black and mixed-raced Cubans, weighed down by spiritual burdens and secular misery, have lived for generations. They are also the ones who, in the economic and social climbing of the last few decades, are least represented ... and let's not mention certain attitudes, repressive attitudes -- in other words, the attitude of the Cuban police, where blacks are mostly concentrated at the bottom of the pyramid -- that treat dark-skinned persons with much greater rigor ... precisely because of the color of their skin. In its culture and idiosyncrasies, Cuba is a mestizo nation: a mix of spiritual and ethnic elements brought from Europe, Africa, China and neighboring Caribbean isles that contributed at a cellular level and can be seen on the skin, in the values and cultural expressions of Cubans. Cubanness is mestizaje. Nonetheless, the old prejudices live on in the minds of many people, while the social system, with its egalitarian laws, hasn't been able to liberate black people from the poorest margins of society. Now, at the beginning of the 21st century, the definitive answer to this problem demands new and more dynamic policies that, unfortunately, mostly depend on an island bereft of economic possibilities for white, mulatto and black Cubans so in need of improvements in their real and everyday life." De Cabinda a Cunene 7/27/2010 UNEAC: Libro que trata sobre la guerra en Angola. [Descargar el libro entero.] Race in Cuba: Yes, Virginia, There Is Racism on the Island 7/26/2010 The Roots: "Because Cuba is a top-down society -- especially under Fidel Castro -- the new anti-racism codes rained down without explanation and, more importantly, without process. People understood that racism was no longer tolerated but not how they participated in racist structures, how they were affected by the legacy of racism and, least of all, how light-skinned Cubans -- especially on the island -- benefited from those legacies. Because racism was banned and did not officially exist, where was the venue, the safe space, in which these things could be aired? If there was no racism by virtue of decree, didn't its mere mention in some way imply a revolutionary failure? Moreover, the lack of process meant that there was virtually no vocabulary -- particularly no revolutionary vocabulary -- with which to talk about racism in Cuba." Freed Cuban prisoners search for life in Spain 7/25/2010 Sun Sentinel Cuban capitalists must wait for change as Fidel Castro returns to the fray 7/24/2010 Telegraph, UK Cuba: Ciencia y Racialidad 50 años después (I) 7/23/2010 Blog de Esteban Morales: "En este trabajo, que consta de varias partes, trataré de caracterizar sintéticamente la producción intelectual cubana sobre el tema racial en los últimos 50 años, refiriéndome específicamente a aquellas producciones científicas, que desde la ciencia, abordan este tema en la Cuba actual, en su connotación relativa a los estereotipos raciales negativos y los prejuicios raciales. Me referiré a obras producidas en Cuba por autores cubanos, aunque mencionaré otras aunque hayan sido producidas fuera de Cuba, ya sea por cubanos o extranjeros." ¿Mudos o protagonistas? 7/22/2010 BBC Mundo: "Sin lugar a dudas Esteban Morales se metió en un terreno en el que cosechará mucho odio en las alturas pero también el respeto de la mayor parte de sus compatriotas de a pie, no porque les haya revelado un secreto sino por el valor de publicarlo. La escasa reacción entre los intelectuales comunistas a pesar de lo arbitrario de la sanción contra el profesor va a dar nuevos bríos a los "excomulgadores", sobre todo si creen que la medida sirve como acción preventiva para proteger sus intereses personales. Pero también podría convertirse en un bumerán ya que coloca a los militantes e intelectuales ante la disyuntiva de regresar a la seguridad del silencio o convertirse en protagonistas en la construcción de una sociedad mejor, asumiendo todos los riesgos que eso implica." Mainstream media omits context and key facts on Cuba 7/21/2010 Progreso: "The editorial also missed the fact that the United States holds more political prisoners in Cuba (Guantanamo Base) than the Cuban government does. Of the 181 remaining Guantanamo detainees, an Obama Task Force recommended 48 should be released since they have been cleared of criminal acts. Most of these people were kidnapped. No warrants were issued for their arrests. (July 9, Financial Times) The U.S. government justified such “arrests”, post 9/11, because Americans felt under attack from terrorists. We should thus be able to empathize with Cubans who at least issued arrest warrants for people who secretly received money from Cuba's avowed enemy. Declassified CIA documents attest to thousands of CIA-backed terrorist raids against Cuba since the early 1960s. More Cubans died in these attacks than perished in the 9/11 horrors. Cuba also suffered substantial property damage from CIA-backed sabotage of factories and fields." Response to Washington Post Editorial, “Cuba’s Gesture” 7/19/2010 COHA: "The Chairman of the House Agricultural Committee, Collin C. Peterson (D-MN) commented on the issue in a most intelligent manner when he said: “We have tried to isolate Cuba for more than fifty years, and it has not worked. As it has in other countries, perhaps increasing trade with Cuba will encourage democratic progress.” Rather than brandishing the rancid thesis of damning every act by the Cuban government with a pinch of pepper moistened by brine, Washington would do well by taking the Cuban authorities at face value and, armed with cautious optimism, accept Cuba’s possibly-earnest gestures and, at least for a while, take them to heart." Soul Searching: The Catholic Church and Human Rights in Cuba 7/19/2010 COHA Clinton asks Jewish support to free worker in Cuba 7/13/2010 AP: "Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday urged Jewish groups to join the campaign to persuade Cuba to release a U.S. government contractor detained on the communist island for seven months without charge. Clinton told representatives of the American Jewish community that they should add their voices to calls for Cuba to release Alan P. Gross, a U.S. Agency for International Development contractor who was helping members of Cuba's small Jewish community use the Internet to stay in contact with each other and with similar groups abroad." Cuban communist says Party shouldn't kick him out 7/13/2010 AP Fidel Reiterates Threat of Nuclear Attacks on Iran and the People's Democratic Republic of Korea 7/13/2010 Periodico 26: "Rather than there is evidence of a sabotage bombing to give the U.S. and its military allies a pretext to attack the People's Democratic Republic of Korea. Fidel supported the arguments of the article "Beijing Suspects False Flag Attack on South Korean Corvette," in which the author, Wayne Madsen stated that "intelligence sources in Asia suspect that it was a false flag attack designed to appear as coming from North Korea," with the purpose of "put pressure on Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to make him change his policy on the withdrawal of the US Marine Corps base from Okinawa." Cuba frees 7 political prisoners into exile 7/12/2010 AP: "Cuba freed seven political prisoners on Monday and sent them and their families to exile in Spain — the start of a promised mass liberation of dissidents that once seemed unthinkable." [The dissidents were jailed on charges similar to those made against the Russian 'spies' in the US.] In Havana's Chinatown, rare droplets of freedom 7/12/2010 AP: "After the Soviet economic lifeline died and officials turned to developing tourism, they sought to make Cuba's Chinese culture an attraction. The state began allowing Chinese associations and social clubs to operate freely, and that freedom is felt along Calle Cuchillo — Knife Street — a pedestrian alley in the heart of Chinatown lined with Chinese restaurants." El misterio de la Santísima Trinidad 7/12/2010 Kaos en la Red: de Esteban Morales - "Pero los verdaderos corruptos no son los que venden leche en polvo, ni siquiera los que venden bienes duraderos a las mismas puertas de los supermercados, sino los que desde sus cargos en el gobierno y en el estado, controlan y abren los almacenes. Son esos, los que debemos remover de los cargos estatales, pues son los que de verdad manejan los recursos del estado y las posiciones cómodas, que a veces les facilitan a sus amigos. ¿O de donde salen los colchones, televisores, aires acondicionados y otros productos duraderos, que se vocean y venden a las mismas puertas de las “shoppings”?, ¿de donde salen esos productos, duraderos? Se trata del propio funcionario estatal corrompiendo hacia abajo. Porque nadie importa esos productos, ni compra la leche en polvo en el exterior, ni disfruta del poder como ellos, de abrirles los almacenes a los delincuentes." Both Frail and Feisty, Fidel Castro Goes on TV 7/12/2010 NYT: "In one of his first public appearances since falling ill four years ago, a frail-looking Fidel Castro went on Cuban television on Monday night and warned in a near whisper that the United States was increasing the chances of nuclear war in the Korean Peninsula and Iran." Fidel Castro to appear on Cuban television and radio 7/12/2010 Reuters Where Corruption Begins 7/10/2010 Havana Times: by Erasmo Calzadilla "However Morales, without perceiving it, wanders past another deeper cause of the corruption when he asserts that corrupt bureaucrats can do more harm, because they are “within the government and the state apparatus, which really manage the domestic resources.” Didn’t it occur to the professor to wonder what an official is doing —be they honest or corrupt— managing “domestic” resources without being under the direct control of those who produce these resources? Corruption didn’t begin the moment the manager misappropriated wealth, but a little before, when surplus value was expropriated from the workers and a law protected that act." COHA is formulating a series of analyses of the breaking news from Havana that Cuba is in the process of releasing 52 political prisoners 7/8/2010 COHA Cuba Communists want member expelled for essay 7/6/2010 AP: "Esteban Morales, a historian who has long written on race and relations with the United States, was ordered removed by a party committee in Havana's Playa district, said Pedro Campos, a former Cuban diplomat who once worked as a researcher under Morales at the University of Havana's Center for the Study of the United States. But grass-roots party members in Playa said they considered the committee's action too harsh and rejected it, and Morales said he would appeal the sanctions, according to Campos. Neither the party nor Morales have commented on the case, and it was unclear if Morales has been formally removed from the party yet." Cuba Communists want member expelled for essay 7/6/2010 AP Militantes comunistas cubanos defienden académico 7/6/2010 El Paso Times: "Morales no hizo comentarios públicos sobre la decisión del Partido y la polémica desatada en torno a él, pero en abril el texto fue retirado de la página un día después de haber sido publicado y el propio experto antes invitado asiduamente como columnista y analista no apareció más en la televisión." Corrupción en las altas esferas del poder de la isla 7/4/2010 Clarín, Argentina: "Cuba está viviendo una dura lucha interna dentro de los estamentos de poder entre intelectuales que denuncian graves casos de corrupción y funcionarios que intentan mantener a toda costa un sistema del que se están favoreciendo personalmente con enormes cantidades de dólares… El caso Morales ya inunda los blogs en Internet, particularmente los leídos por los funcionarios cubanos y los disidentes “socialistas”. En cambio, tuvo menos repercusión entre los exiliados en Miami." Contratista de USAID atacado en Afganistán operó en Cuba y Venezuela 7/3/2010 CubaDebate: "Un edificio ocupado por la empresa Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI), contratista de la USAID, fue atacado con explosivos en Afganistán, resultando en la muerte de cuatro personas y 20 heridos." Cuban communist party expels intellectual for exposing corruption 7/2/2010 Guardian, UK: "To publish an attack on high-level corruption on a state-controlled website was fairly amazing," said one European diplomat. Rumours of a corruption scandal involving Havana airport have been circulating for months. Rogelio Acevedo, the civil aviation minister, and Jorge Luis Sierra Cruz, the transport minister, have been fired. In addition to this, dozens of airport employees have been arrested, amid claims that state aircraft were used for private gain." Cuba’s Battle of Ideas 7/1/2010 Havana Times: "The statements of Alfredo Guevara, Silvio Rodriguez, Esteban Morales, Pedro Campos and many other intellectuals exhibit a fundamental political and psychological shift: for the first time in a half century, revolutionary Cubans are openly expressing their criticism without feeling that by doing so they are “collaborating with the enemy.” The debate is coming out of the Revolution’s “own channels” and the disappearance of the sacrosanct unanimity has not caused chaos nor broken the country’s unity. To the contrary, if it continues to widen, it could mark the first steps toward a true “battles of ideas” over the future of the nation." Esteban Morales supuestamente expulsado del partido comunista 6/29/2010 CubaNet: "Según las fuentes, el Doctor Esteban Morales, fue expulsado de la organización por órdenes del más alto nivel. Los miembros del comité comunista de su centro de investigaciones, que hicieron resistencia al mandato, también fueron sancionados, aunque a penas menores. Morales es un destacado panelista sobre temas norteamericanos en la Mesa Redonda de la televisión cubana." Esteban Morales Booted from Cuba’s Communist Party 6/28/2010 Havana Times: by Pedro Campos, former Cuban diplomat - "Esteban Morales, PhD., has been “separated from the ranks” of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) for his publication of an article denouncing what he considers the counter-revolutionary corruption and bureaucracy that exists in the country. The Playa Municipal Committee of the PCC communicated its decision to the grassroots level of the Party." Cuba Needs Dialogue without Sectarianism 6/27/2010 Havana Times: "Recently, after he published an article warning of the danger posed by State corruption to the Revolution, the noted revolutionary communist and intellectual Dr. Esteban Morales —a black man who is perhaps our most accomplished specialist in US affairs— disappeared from the Mesa Redonda [“The Round Table,” a daily evening news commentary program shown on almost all channels in Cuba]. He had traditionally participated on that program when issues related to the US were dealt with. In that same vein, Party activists have also been fired from their jobs or had their e-mail addresses and accounts withdrawn for spreading ideas about participative socialism. Other acts of harassment to which people have been subjected, I prefer not to disclose here, for many reasons." Cuba: El carnet se fue con los sancionadores, la militancia comunista se quedó con Esteban 6/27/2010 Kaos en la Red: "Si esta sanción burocrática no es prontamente rectificada se estarían mandando mensajes muy confusos a la militancia, al pueblo, a la izquierda internacional." Antonio Maceo entre nosotros 6/25/2010 Jiribilla Heinz Dieterich = Fetichismo = Pedro Campos 6/24/2010 Caos en la Red SOLILOQUIO: Maceo o Martí 6/16/2010 Negra Cubana tenía que ser: "Primero, que si Maceo o Martí, cuál de los dos había aportado más a la independencia de Cuba. Un hombre, que se retiró luego de formar el acabose, dijo que el segundo había sido tan solo un periodista y poeta. El auditorio casi hirvió. Segundo, que si el panel debió hacer mayor énfasis en el pensamiento antirracista de Antonio, recomendación que celebro, la verdad." “Raza y Racismo” hace su debate desde la Casa del Caribe 6/15/2010 Casa del Caribe: "El destacado académico cubano de las ciencias sociales, doctor Fernando Martínez Heredia, presentó este viernes en la Casa del Caribe el libro “Raza y Racismo”, una compilación de artículos publicados en un segundo volumen de “Antología de Caminos” en alusión a Revista del Centro Martín Luther King especializada en pensamiento sociológico. El primer volumen recoge los primos cuarenta números de la referida publicación. El libro consta de cuatro partes o capítulos: Pensamiento y Sociedad, donde aparecen artículos como “La cuestión racial en Cuba”, del propio Martínez Heredia, y “Aportes culturales y desculturación”, de Manuel Moreno Fraginals, así como valiosos trabajos sobre el tema de Fernando Ortiz, Walterio Carbonell, Ana Cairo, Esteban Morales y Yusimí Rodríguez, entre otros." Esteban Morales niega sanciones por su artículo sobre la corrupción 6/8/2010 Diario de Cuba: "Morales, investigador del Centro de Estudios sobre Estados Unidos, de la Universidad de La Habana, calificó de "fallidas" las informaciones que circulan en medios académicos y disidentes sobre una supuesta sanción en el seno del Partido Comunista. Sin embargo, el profesor admitió a DIARIO DE CUBA que, tras publicarse el artículo, hubo varios "análisis y discusiones", que no detalló. Otras fuentes consultadas por este periódico indicaron que era lógico que Morales negara la existencia de la sanción, "porque eso sólo complicaría su débil situación actual"." Cuban Five - The Federal Government Paid Journalists to Sabotage Trial 6/4/2010 Counterpunch The empire and lies by Fidel Castro 6/4/2010 Granma Cuban court throws out jail sentence for dissident 5/15/2010 Caribbean Net News USAID invierte más de $2.3 millones en propaganda contra Cuba por Internet 5/15/2010 Jiribilla The fight against racism in Cuba goes viral 5/14/2010 The Grio: "Henry Gomez, a White Cuban living in Florida, noticed that some of the most outspoken voices against racism in Cuba are bloggers. So he founded Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty (BUCL). "We basically organize events, distribute press releases and try to obtain coverage to counter the official propaganda coming from the Cuban Government" states Gomez, a writer for Babalu, a website that he says is the most widely read English language blog about Cuba." Cuban cultural icons get US visas 5/13/2010 BBC: "It will be the first time in decades that the folk singer Silvio Rodriguez and the prima ballerina Alicia Alonso have been allowed to perform in the US. Both have been staunch supporters of Cuba's communist system. President Obama has been encouraging people-to-people contacts with Cuba, while maintaining a decades-long trade embargo." Interview with Esteban Morales, researcher of the University of Havana - Cuba: Racism, An Unfinished Issue 5/3/2010 Cuba Now Queloides - Raza y Racismo en el Arte Cubano Contemporáneo 5/1/2010 Universes in Universe: "Después de décadas de silencio oficial, las discusiones sobre "raza" y racismo han tomado un protagonismo en la Cuba contemporánea. Desde los años 1990, numerosos intelectuales - músicos, escritores, artistas plásticos, actores y académicos - han comenzado algo anteriormente impensable: denunciar la persistencia de la discriminación racial en la sociedad socialista cubana." Cuban air charter case sent to Fla. state court 4/29/2010 AP: "A Miami woman's attempt to force air charter companies to pay a $27 million legal judgment owed to her by the Cuban government has been bounced from federal to state court. U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno agreed Wednesday with Ana Margarita Martinez that the matter should be handled at the state level. The charter companies wanted Moreno to intervene." CONCIENCIA RACIAL Y LUCHA CONTRA EL RACISMO 4/27/2010 Blog de Esteban Morales Corruption: The true counter-revolution? 4/21/2010 Progreso: by Esteban Morales - "Without a doubt, it is becoming evident that there are people in positions of government and state who are girding themselves financially for when the Revolution falls, and others may have everything almost ready to transfer state-owned assets to private hands, as happened in the old USSR. Fidel said that we ourselves could put an end to the Revolution and I tend to think that, among other concerns, the Commander in Chief was referring to the questions relative to corruption. Because this phenomenon, already present, has continued to appear in force. If not, see what has happened with the distribution of lands in usufruct in some municipalities around the country: fraud, illegalities, favoritism, bureaucratic slowness, etc. In reality, corruption is a lot more dangerous than the so-called domestic dissidence. The latter is still isolated; it lacks an alternative program, has no real leaders, no masses. But corruption turns out to be the true counter-revolution, which can do the most damage because it is within the government and the state apparatus, which really manage the country's resources." Queloides: la cicatriz renovada del racismo en Cuba 4/16/2010 CubaEncuentro: "El día 16 de abril se inaugura en el Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam, de la Habana, la exposición Queloides: Raza y Racismo en el Arte Cubano Contemporáneo (www.queloides-exhibit.com). La exposición reúne a doce artistas que, durante años, han proyectado, desde su obra, una preocupación sostenida acerca de la persistencia del racismo en la sociedad cubana y que han intentado discutir públicamente los efectos culturales y sociales de esa llaga, infamante e incómoda, de la cubanidad." Corrupción: ¿la verdadera contrarrevolución? 4/15/2010 Desde la Habana: de Esteban Morales, specialista en temas sobre política exterior de Estados Unidos y autor de numerosos textos sobre la problemática racial en Cuba. Publicado en el sitio de la UNEAC. Académico cubano dice que corrupción y no disidencia acabará con revolución 4/15/2010 Norte Castillo: "El artículo, que sorprende por la temática y por aparecer en un medio oficial, añade que hay "otros que pueden tener casi todo preparado para producir el traspaso de los bienes estatales a manos privadas, como tuvo lugar en la antigua URSS"." Cuba liberalises barber shops and beauty salons 4/13/2010 BBC: "All barbers and hairdressers in shops with three seats or fewer will be allowed to rent the space and pay taxes instead of getting a monthly wage. The retail sector has long been derided for poor service and rampant theft. The country's former President, Fidel Castro, nationalised all small businesses in 1968." Hair Salons and Barber Shops Going Coop 4/13/2010 Ethno Cuba: "According to recent news, selected hair salons and barber shops in Havana are undergoing an experiment in management and administration. Unlike in the 1990s, these are not self-employed professionals who are allowed to run small businesses out of their home. These are tiny state shops (sitting three max) that are being turned to their employees who then run them autonomously. They must pay a rent (in hard currency) to the state as well as taxes, and obtain their supplies on their own, presumably at free market prices. They can then set prices according to supply and demand. Apparently, participation in this pilot program has been voluntary, and workers who did not want to be autonomous have been able to switch jobs with those who did at other salons." Intransigence Is Not Revolutionary 4/10/2010 Havana Times: "How can you achieve change when there is no real dialogue, not even among revolutionaries themselves; or when they don’t give space in the country’s only press to the opinions of communists and revolutionaries who promote a socialist perspective different from the failed official outlook; or when they reject other writings dealing with those issues? There’s no doubt about the desires of the historic leadership to prevent the reversal of the Revolution. However, their obstinacy in continuing with the failed neo-Stalinist model, their resistance to dialogue and their intolerance, all call into question their willingness to make concrete steps in the direction of the socialization and democratization of economic and political power – the sole real possibility for ensuring the historical continuity of the revolutionary process." Queloides/Keloids: Raza y Racismo en el Arte Cubano Contemporáneo 4/10/2010 Negra Cubana Caleb McCarry: usurero de la industria anticubana 4/9/2010 CubaDebate: "Por estos días se ha conocido que el señor McCarry es ahora un importante ejecutivo de una compañía radicada en Washington, nombrada Creative Associates International; algo nada noticioso si no fuera porque McCarry fue a parar a esta sospechosa firma en noviembre de 2008, apenas dos meses después de que Creative recibiera el mayor contrato otorgado por la Administración Bush para la injerencia y los planes subversivos en Cuba, ascendente a unos 6.5 millones de dólares. Creative Associates se presenta en la web como empresa contratista con experiencias en varios países, entre ellos Irak y Afganistán, donde ha actuado en la ejecución de los planes de subversión y contrainsurgencia de Washington. Sin embargo, de sus operaciones en Cuba la página de la compañía no dice ni pío. Tampoco McCarry ha querido hablar con la prensa sobre el asunto. Sí se conoce que ya Creative se ha apuntado para la próxima repartición de dinero de la USAID para los planes contra Cuba y que ha solicitado 2.5 millones de dólares." Obama autoriza a agentes encubiertos a distribuir dinero y equipos a “disidentes”, blogueros y tuiteros en Cuba 4/9/2010 CubaDebate Convoca el Instituto Bush encuentro para coordinar ciberguerra contra Venezuela, Cuba, Irán y Rusia 4/8/2010 CubaDebate: "El Instituto George W. Bush y la organización estadounidense Freedom House han convocado a un encuentro de “activistas por la libertad y los derechos humanos” y “expertos en Internet” para analizar el “movimiento global de ciberdisidentes”. Al encuentro, que se realizará ese día en Dallas, Texas, asistirán Rodrigo Diamanti de la organización Futuro Presente de Venezuela; Arash Kamangir, de Irán; Oleg Kozlovsky, de Rusia; Ernesto Hernández Busto, de Cuba (vive en Barcelona y es conocido en la red cubana como “Pájaro Tieso”); Isaac Mao, de China; y Ahed Alhendi, de Siria. También estarán presentes miembros del gobierno estadounidense y otras organizaciones vinculadas con la comunidad de inteligencia de Washington, como Jeffrey Gedmin, presidente de Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, un proyecto de la Agencia Central de Inteligencia (CIA) creado durante la Guerra Fría para luchar contra el comunismo en Europa; Daniel Baer, Asistente Secretario de Estado para la Democracia, los Derechos Humanos y el Trabajo; Peter Ackerman, fundador del Centro Internacional para el Conflicto Noviolento (ICNC), entidad involucrada en las llamadas “revoluciones de colores” en Europa Oriental; Oscar Morales Guevara, fundador del movimiento “un millón de voces contra las FARC” y promotor de un movimiento contra el Presidente Chávez a través de Facebook; Jennifer Windsor, directora ejecutiva de Freedom House, y otros representantes de Freedom House, el Departamento de Estado y el Instituto George W. Bush." Lies and Facts in the Media War against Cuba 4/7/2010 Voltaire Net Mr. Cason calza ahora a Calzón 4/6/2010 CubaDebate: "¿Que quién es el “Presidente-Padrino” de Frank Calzón? Pues nada menos que James Cason, el ex Jefe de la Sección de Intereses de Estados Unidos en Cuba, que dejó la casaca diplomática para calzar ahora a Calzón." Anthology on Race & Racism 4/3/2010 Havana Times: "...the book was presented for the first time on December 8, 2009 at the headquarters of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), coinciding by sheer chance with the publication in the Miami Herald of news concerning a letter by US Black intellectuals accusing the Cuban government of racism. I’m not being sarcastic when I use the phrase “by chance.” This anthology is the result of a compilation of texts that appeared in the magazine Caminos, in two complete issues devoted to the issue of race and racism, and in other writings that now appear in book form. One of the most attractive aspects of this anthology is that the authors of the individual segments are people of diverse generations and fields; and accordingly, they approach the issue from different perspectives." U.S.: Charter Companies Shouldn't Pay for Cuba Legal Judgment 4/1/2010 AP: "Declaring U.S.-to-Cuba charter flights a vital national interest, the Justice Department is opposing a Cuban-American woman's attempt to make air charter companies pay a $27 million judgment she won against Cuba's communist government." A Dissenting View - Dissidents and Politics in Cuba 3/30/2010 Counterpunch: by Rafael Hernandez, editor of Temas The Resources of the Cuban Opposition 3/30/2010 Counterpunch LLEGO A LA HABANA GOLETA EEUU "AMISTAD" 3/25/2010 ANSA: " A bordo del velero oficial del estado de Connecticut (EEUU) viajan 13 tripulantes, todos de Estados excepto uno de Sierra Leona, además de un grupo de estudiantes. La goleta, que permanecerá en La Habana hasta el 31 de marzo, recorre la antigua ruta del comercio de esclavos en el Atlántico." Human Rights Rides Again? Taunting Havana 3/25/2010 Counterpunch: "For example, the Interest Section supplies dissidents with a variety of “needs,” such as cell phones and lap tops which, “dissidents” claim, get confiscated by Cuban State Security. “We have photographs of them selling these items,” a Cuban official told me. “When the “dissident” reports the loss, the Interest Section, meaning US taxpayers – although few know it – supply them with new ones.” Katrina Browne estrenará en Cuba documental sobre trata de esclavos 3/25/2010 Radio Guantanamo: "La periodista, que viaja en la goleta Amistad de visita en Cuba, dijo a la AIN que cuando descubrió que su familia fue una de las que más negros esclavos introdujo en los Estados Unidos, decidió emprender la investigación que la llevó a la costa oeste de Africa y a Cuba." En la Bahía habanera la goleta “Amistad” 3/25/2010 Tribuna de la Habana: "Esta réplica de la goleta “Amistad” que hoy se puede apreciar desde el balcón de la capital, tiene 140 pies de eslora, en ella viajaron 53 esclavos que protagonizaron un acto de rebeldía, el cual trascendió la historia. Los actuales tripulantes participarán en una actividad por el Día Internacional de Rememoración de las víctimas de la Esclavitud y la Trata Transatlántica de Esclavos." CUBA: Replica Slave Ship Drops Anchor amidst Debate on Racism 3/24/2010 IPS: "The issue is gaining visibility, which gives us hope that progress will continue to be made," Norberto Mesa, founder of the Cofradía de la Negritud (CONEG), a "brotherhood" or association of black people aimed at raising awareness about the problem, told IPS. According to CONEG, racial inequality is a growing problem in Cuba, where the latest census, from 2002, indicates that of a total population of 11.18 million, 7.2 million were white, 1.13 million black, and 2.78 mixed-race, based on self-identification. However, scholars estimate that the Cuban population is actually around 60 to 70 percent black or mixed-race. "We foment debate at the community level because we know that solutions will start to emerge, as a result of citizen participation," Mesa added, after a day of cultural activities organised by the Casa Comunitaria (community centre) in the Havana neighbourhood of La Ceiba. During the activities that day, the Cofradía awarded its annual prize to Eric Corvalán, a Cuban filmmaker who filmed the first documentary on racial discrimination in this country, "Raza" (Race). The 2008 film helped launch the fledgling debate on racism. "That was the message, the idea, but I am not satisfied. The debate should be at a national level," Mesa commented. CONEG wants a Cuban parliament commission to focus on the question of racism. It is also pushing for the issue to be included on the agenda of the next congress of the Young Communist League (UJC). "What could divide us is precisely the failure to deal with this problem," said Mesa, referring to the socialist government's official stance in the 1960s, when the Cuban revolution considered the issues of racism and discrimination solved, and saw any discussion of the matter as a threat to unity and social cohesion." Vessel Amistad already in Cuba 3/23/2010 Cuba Headlines: "The impending Amistad visit seems to have been virtually unknown in Cuba before this week's formal announcement to the press. Still, it has triggered deep curiosity in the country, where many residents feel deep and close personal connections to ancestors who were enslaved (Cuba did not outlaw slavery until 1883) and where even an explicitly non-political interaction with a U.S. organization like the non-profit Amistad America provokes questions about the future of Cuba's fraught relationship with the United States." CUBA: Goleta Amistad con vientos contra discriminación racial 3/23/2010 IPS: ""El tema va logrando mayor visibilidad, lo cual nos da esperanzas de que se puede seguir avanzando", dijo a IPS el fundador de la Cofradía de la Negritud, Norberto Mesa. Se trata de un proyecto que busca crear conciencia del "creciente proceso de agravamiento" de las desigualdades raciales. "Promovemos el debate en las comunidades porque sabemos que las soluciones irán saliendo a la luz con la participación ciudadana", añadió Mesa, tras una jornada social y cultural convocada en la Casa Comunitaria del barrio capitalino de La Ceiba. En esa ocasión, la Cofradía entregó su premio anual a Eric Corvalán, realizador del documental "Raza", que sirvió de soporte para promover la discusión en diferentes espacios. "Ese fue el mensaje, la idea, pero me siento inconforme. El debate debe ser a nivel nacional", comentó. Su iniciativa, comentó, aspira a que la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular (parlamento unicameral) se ocupe del racismo en alguna de sus comisiones y que ese asunto sea también parte de la agenda del próximo congreso de la Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas. "Lo que nos puede dividir es justamente no tratar estos problemas", consideró, en referencia a las posturas oficiales de los años 60, cuando la triunfante Revolución Cubana consideró resueltos el racismo y la discriminación racial y que hablar de ellos podría resquebrajar la unidad y cohesión social." Llega a Cuba réplica de goleta negrera española, símbolo contra la esclavitud 3/22/2010 ABC, España: "En Matanzas, uno de los principales centros negreros de Cuba en el siglo XIX, el programa de dos días incluye visitas de la tripulación al Museo de la Ruta del Esclavo y a un ingenio azucarero que en 1843 fue escenario de otra rebelión de esclavos. Tripulan la "Amistad" una veintena de investigadores y estudiantes que recordarán a los cubanos que los amotinados habían sido capturados en Sierra Leona y vendidos a dos negreros españoles que pretendían hacer negocios con ellos en la isla. El plan era trasladarlos de La Habana a un puerto del oriente de la isla, pero los esclavos tomaron el control de la goleta y navegaron a la deriva durante varias semanas, hasta ser detenidos cerca de la costa de Long Island, en Estados Unidos. Su caso fue presentado allí por el entonces ex presidente estadounidense John Quincy Adams ante el Tribunal Supremo, que tras un publicitado juicio les otorgó la libertad en 1841." EL DÍA INTERNACIONAL DE LA LUCHA CONTRA EL RACISMO: 21 DE MARZO. 3/20/2010 Afrocubanas: Por: Tomás Fernández Robaina - "Al igual que ya existe el Día Internacional de la Lucha Contra el Racismo, debemos apreciar la conveniencia de que tengamos también El Día Nacional de la Lucha Contra el Racismo en Cuba, que bien podría ser la fecha de la fundación del Partido Independiente de Color, o la de la muerte de Aponte, o la del comienzo de la columna y página Ideales de una raza, desde el Diario de la Marina, como las tres principales, pero no descartando otras posibles." “Raza y Racismo” hace su debate desde la Casa del Caribe 3/20/2010 Casa del Caribe: "El destacado académico cubano de las ciencias sociales, doctor Fernando Martínez Heredia, presentó este viernes en la Casa del Caribe el libro “Raza y Racismo”, una compilación de artículos publicados en un segundo volumen de “Antología de Caminos” en alusión a Revista del Centro Martín Luther King especializada en pensamiento sociológico. El primer volumen recoge los primos cuarenta números de la referida publicación." Pablo Milanés, duro contra el trato de Cuba a los disidentes 3/20/2010 Clarin: "El disidente Fariñas había dicho días atrás que temía por la seguridad de Milanés y su familia. El cantautor rechazó esos temores. "Nunca -dijo- he sentido una represalia contra mi persona y mucho menos contra mi familia, por lo que estoy seguro de volver a Cuba teniendo la misma disposición de criticar lo mal hecho y celebrar lo bien hecho". Y agregó : "Realmente se han dado casos en Cuba de que personas anónimas tengan mi actitud y no salgan bien paradas ante las autoridades, medias, intermedias y hasta superiores, quién sabe. Esto lo he denunciado en diversas entrevistas y es una de las razones por las que lucho". Keith Ellis: “No me imagino un mundo sin Cuba y sin la Revolución Cubana” 3/20/2010 Jiribilla Isabel Allende: "Ojalá Cuba comprenda que el mundo condena a los países que no respetan la libertad de opinión" 3/20/2010 LA Tercera La Mujer Afrolatinoamericana y la Afrocubana 3/19/2010 Afrocubanas: "Entrevista a Inés María Martiatu, ensayista, crítica cultural y narradora. Por: Patricia Grogg." About Amistad, Academia and U.S. Cuban travel policies 3/19/2010 EthnoCuba Pablo Milanes: I’ve Never Felt Reprisals 3/19/2010 Havana Times: "Pablo —as he is known in Cuba— told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo that he was in disagreement with the way the Cuban government handled the case of opposition member Guillermo Fariñas, who is carrying out a hunger strike demanding the release of political prisoners. “Ideas should be discussed and fought, but not imprisoned,” said Milanés." El exilio cubano celebra la postura de Pablo Milanés sobre la disidencia 3/19/2010 La Voz de Galicia Cuba-U.S. Rhetoric Timeline: Hope for a Basic Shift in Policy Disintegrates into Continued Polarization 3/17/2010 COHA The Revolution's Troubadour No Longer Believes 3/16/2010 Huffington Post: by Yoanni Sanchez -- "Emigration has marked too strongly the artistic level on our stages. Not only have my colleagues from the university and my contemporaries from the neighborhood left en masse, but Cuban culture has a percentage of its representatives - some would say a majority - outside our borders. To lose, now, this strong voice would be to admit that those who composed the background music that accompanied the construction of utopia have stopped believing in it. So no website of any official institution is going publish an aggressive and threatening diatribe against the frankness of the interviewee. Nor will they inform the Madrid consulate that he is no longer welcome in his own country, nor accuse him of speaking with the words of an "American lover." None of these stigmatizing strategies will be deployed against Pablo, but in the off-hour ministerial chats and the closed circles of power they will not forgive him for having behaved like a free man." Push for Student Exchanges With Cuba Hits Obstacles, Both Political and Academic 3/9/2010 Chronicle of Higher Education: "More than a year after he took office promising to put a welcoming new face on U.S. foreign policy, President Obama has left allies in higher education increasingly puzzled over one glaring omission. Cuba. Mr. Obama took several steps last year toward improving U.S. relations with Cuba, allowing relatives of Cubans to travel, communicate, and send money back to their home country. But he stopped short of ending a policy imposed by President George W. Bush in 2004 that effectively blocked thousands of American college students from making trips to Cuba." Pólizas de seguro incluso médicas - Seguro de viaje será obligatorio para entrar a Cuba 3/6/2010 Aporrea: "Cuba exigirá a partir de mayo pólizas de seguro, incluso médicas, a los turistas extranjeros y cubanos residentes en el exterior para ingresar a la isla, según una resolución publicada este sábado en la Gaceta oficial. La regulación, que entrará en vigor a partir del 1 mayo, demandará "de forma obligatoria" que "todos los viajeros, extranjeros y cubanos residentes en el exterior, para el ingreso al país, cuenten con una póliza de seguro de viaje, con cobertura de gastos médicos, expedida por entidades aseguradoras reconocidas en Cuba", dijo el documento aprobado por el Consejo de Ministros." Cuba, the corporate media and the suicide of Orlando Zapata Tamayo 3/4/2010 Links, Australia: "Curiously, AI has never mentioned the alleged political activities that landed Zapata in prison. The reason is relatively simple: Zapata never carried out any anti-government activities prior to incarceration. Instead, the organisation recognises that he was convicted in May 2004 and sentenced to three years' imprisonment for "contempt, public disorder and resistance".[4] This sentence is relatively minor compared to the sentences, ranging up to 28 years, that were handed down to the 75 opposition figures convicted in March 2003 of "having received funds or materials from the US government to carry out activities that the authorities consider subversive and damaging to Cuba", as recognised by AI is a serious crime in Cuba and any country in the world. Here AI cannot escape an obvious contradiction: on the one hand these people qualify as "prisoners of conscience" and on the other it admits they committed the serious crime of accepting "money or materials from the US government". Unlike the 75, the Cuban government has never accused Zapata of accepting funds from a foreign power and has always considered him a common convict. Zapata had a serious criminal record. Since June 1990, he had been arrested and convicted several times for "disturbing the peace, two counts of fraud, public exhibitionism, injury and possession of non-firearm weapons". In 2000, he fractured the skull of Leonardo Simon using a machete. His criminal record does not involve any political actions. It was only after his imprisonment that his mother, Reyna Luisa Tamayo, approached government opposition groups, but she has never been bothered by the authorities.[6] " Cuban dissident on hunger strike rushed to hospital 3/4/2010 Miami Herald: "Iglesias said he and dozens of other dissidents, as well as the four government doctors who have checked on Fariñas over the past week, also have urged him to abandon the hunger strike." Cuba says dead hunger striker was common criminal 3/4/2010 Reuters: "Behind bars, he was recruited by dissidents to join their cause and did so in part because of "material advantages" bestowed upon Cuba's political opponents by "foreign embassies," Granma said." The terrorist attack on the La Coubre: 50 years later, Washington remains silent 3/3/2010 Granma: "This confirms that the country whose propaganda apparatus is constantly generating bursts of slander against Cuba has not handed over, in a half a century, one single document about the tragedy that cost the lives of around 100 human beings, exactly 50 years ago, on March 4." Cuba TV report denies gov't let hunger striker die 3/2/2010 AP: "On Monday, state-controlled television aired a report that stretched nearly 10 minutes during the half-hour news program, which is broadcast simultaneously on three of Cuba's five national TV channels. Doctors who treated Zapata Tamayo, a 42-year-old construction worker, said they tried to get him to eat. "We explained to him the consequences of his decision at every turn and how much he was endangering his life with this. But he kept it up," said Maria Ester Hernandez, identified as a doctor for Interior Ministry officials. There was also footage of his mother, Reina Luisa Tamayo, thanking "the best doctors for trying to give Orlando life." It seemed to have been shot with a hidden camera as she spoke inside a doctor's office. The afternoon of her son's death, Tamayo did interviews with radio stations in Florida shouting that Cuba's government had let her son die because he dared oppose the Castro government." Second Cuban Hunger Striker, Guillermo Farinas, On the Verge of Death 3/2/2010 Huffington Post: "Like many dissidents, 'Coco' Farinas used to believe in Fidel Castro's revolution. He risked his hide fighting in the isolated villages of Angola during the 1980s civil war in that African country. He was a member of Castro's elite troops, but in 1989 when General Arnaldo Ochoa was shot, accused of drug trafficking, Farinas began to have second thoughts and unanswered questions. He has a degree in psychology, and better than anyone else in Cuba, he knows the methods of the political police for breaking those who dissent. Since 1997 this big-eyed mestizo has been one of the heavyweight dissidents on the island. He writes as a freelance journalist, and an independent library is located in his house." El Actor Willy Toledo criminalizado por hablar claro: "Zapata era un delincuente común, ni siquiera un disidente político" 3/2/2010 Kaos en la Red Miami manipuló el agradecimiento de la madre de Orlando a los médicos cubanos 3/2/2010 Kaos en la Red: "Paralelamente, en una conversación telefónica entre Yaniset Rivero, miembro de la organización contrarrevolucionaria, con sede en Miami, Directorio Democrático cubano, y el contrarrevolucionario Juan Carlos González, miembro de un grupúsculo en Cuba, se percibe la evidencia de que estaban más preocupados de cómo utilizar a la madre de Orlando en una campaña anticastrista antes de la preocupación de la salud del hijo. En la conversación Juan Carlos explica la dicotomía que le iba a proponer a Reina, “o hacer una conferencia o ir a ver a Orlando”, situando lo político por delante de lo humanitario. Los contrarrevolucionarios jamás han hecho público, dado que no pueden hacer uso político de ello, las afirmaciones de Reina sobre el excelente cuidado que tuvo su hijo en todo el periodo de huelga de hambre por el personal médico cubano que emitió por teléfono a la misma Yaniset Rivero. Como se puede ver en el video de Cuba TV, la Madre de Tamayo declaró a Yaniset como los médicos cubanos “vinieron a analizar la salud de Zapata y nos explicaron que era muy crítica, crítica, y que están haciendo todo lo posible para salvar a Zapata, que ya tenían preparado un riñón por si acaso le fallaba el suyo, que ellos van a luchar hasta lo último. Y estaban los médicos del CIMEQ, los mejores médicos, tratando de darle la vida a Orlando "." Orlando Zapata: un delincuente convertido en mártir por los estrategas de la guerra contra Cuba 3/2/2010 Kaos en la Red: "El 23 de febrero fallecía el preso cubano Orlando Zapata tras 88 días en huelga de hambre. Los grandes medios de comunicación internacionales, sirviéndose de su control casi absoluto de la información, han llevado a cabo una gigantesca campaña de culpabilización del gobierno cubano, ocultando elementos informativos muy relevantes.En primer lugar, el motivo de su huelga de hambre: conseguir lo que los medios han calificado como “mejoras carcelarias”, en realidad privilegios sobre el resto de reclusos, como tener televisor, cocina y teléfono en su celda, algo impensable en cualquier centro penitenciario del mundo.En segundo lugar, su perfil personal. Frente al personaje fabricado por los medios -un humilde albañil y pacífico preso de conciencia- Orlando Zapata fue un violento delincuente común procesado, entre 1993 y 2002, por delitos como violación de domicilio, estafa y por las graves lesiones a un ciudadano tras un ataque con machete.En 2003 fue condenado a 3 años de cárcel, pero esta sentencia se amplió a 24 años por diversos cargos de agresión violenta a funcionarios de prisión.Al contrario de lo afirmado por los medios, Zapata no formaba parte del grupo de 75 personas detenidas en La Habana en marzo de 2003 por sus vinculaciones con el gobierno de EEUU. De hecho, este gobierno no incluyó su nombre en la lista de supuestos “prisioneros políticos” presentada a la Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la ONU." Suit by Spy's Ex-Wife Could Stop Flights to Cuba 3/2/2010 Miami Herald: "Martinez's request for the writs alleges she was ``a victim of a terrorist act. A Cuban spy married her and used her as cover for his espionage activities.'' Her court filings say she has collected $194,000 through release of frozen Cuban assets, but ``nothing more is available through this program.'' In 2002, she successfully seized a Cuban crop-duster, valued at about $45,000, flown to Key West by a group of refugees." For whom is death a useful tool? 3/1/2010 Granma Does Zapata's Death Mark a Turning Point for Cuba? 3/1/2010 Huffington Post: "The most notorious was the death of the prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, which occurred on the eve of the second anniversary of General Raul Castro's assumption of the presidency. To leave someone to die, to allow them to die, not to do something to prevent the death of a person who is the exclusive responsibility of a penal establishment is, anywhere in the world, a very serious thing. As serious, I would say, as letting patients in a psychiatric hospital die of cold and hunger." [As any doctor with experience treating anorexics will tell you, it can be difficult to keep someone alive with intravenous feeding. If they are determined to die, they will.] Comprender la problemática racial cubana 3/1/2010 Tercera Informacion: de Estaban Morales - "Los contactos con la economía de mercado, la reemergencia de las desigualdades y todo el deterioro económico y social, consecuencia de la crisis de los años 90, propiciaron su reemergencia. Podemos decir que hasta mediados de los años ochenta se había logrado tener acceso a niveles de igualdad social que enorgullecían a todos los cubanos, pero la crisis económica produjo retrasos y trajo serias consecuencias sociales que todavía no han podido ser resueltas; ello se junto con el débil e inespecífico tratamiento dado a la cuestión racial, diluida dentro de la lucha contra la pobreza, por lo que se presento la situación propicia que la hizo resurgir con la virulencia propia de un problema que dado como resuelto, en realidad no lo estaba." Declaración del CIR sobre el fallecimiento de Orlando Zapata 2/28/2010 CIR: "La muerte el pasado 23 de febrero del defensor de derechos humanos y prisionero de conciencia Orlando Zapata Tamayo, tras una prolongada huelga de hambre en reclamo de sus derechos y del de los restantes prisioneros en Cuba tiene una connotación múltiple para la sociedad cubana. Ella merece también esta reflexión; más allá de la posición obvia de consternación y espanto de toda persona civilizada, consciente de que vivimos en el siglo XXI, ante el frío desprecio por la vida humana de las mentalidades autocráticas." Blacks bear the brunt of Cuba's brutality 2/28/2010 Miami Herald: "Zapata's ordeal is being spun from the other side of the coin, too -- the predominantly white and U.S.-based, right-wing anti-Castro opposition who clearly stand to score political points from the case of a black martyr. Righteous declarations can be expected from organizations such as Democracy Movement, the Cuban American National Foundation, the Cuban Liberty Council and, especially, the Cuban Democratic Directorate. Many Cuban civil-rights activists accuse these groups of working to corral and control the new internal opposition forces on behalf of interests linked to Cuba's former Jim Crow oligarchy. That's why they see U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart's ``indignation'' over Zapata's death, as much as president Raúl Castro's ``regrets,'' as a double farce. A staunch supporter of the tiny, white elite of wealth that was overthrown in 1959, Diaz-Balart can cry crocodile tears, but during his time in Congress his right-wing, pro-embargo agenda has only hindered the ability of black Cubans to improve their lot." [Some observers credit Alberto Jones and Claude Betancourt's articles for this historic turn against the Miami Plantocracy, unprecedented, to our knowledge, in any statements by Black Cuban dissident groups.] Dissident's death will put Cuba on the spot 2/27/2010 Miami Herald The shamelessness of the United States government 2/26/2010 Granma: "ONE out of every four prisoners in the world is in a U.S. penitentiary. The composition of these prisoners is profoundly racist: one out of every 15 black adults is incarcerated; one out of every 9 is aged 20-34 years; and one out of every 36 Hispanics. Two-thirds of those serving life sentences are African Americans or Latinos, and in the case of New York state, only 16.3% of prisoners are white. Every year, 7,000 people die in U.S. prisons, many of them murdered or suicides. For example, U.S. prison guards routinely use Taser guns on prisoners. According to a recent report, 230 U.S. citizens have died as a result of the use of these weapons since 2001. The report refers to the case of a county jail in Garfield, Colorado, accused of regularly using Taser guns and pepper spray on prisoners, and then tying them to chairs in extreme positions for hours at a time." Dissident’s Death Ignites Protest Actions in Cuba 2/26/2010 NYT: "Freedom House, an organization that ranks countries on their level of freedom and considers Cuba “not free,” called Mr. Zapata the first prisoner in Cuba to die by starving himself since Pedro Luis Boitel, a student leader and poet, did so in 1972." [Freedom House is a CIA related organization which former director James Woolsey joined after his retirement.] Havana harvest: Organic agriculture in Cuba’s capital 2/26/2010 SF Bay View: "We are looking at the end of (relatively) cheap oil, food and transportation, crises that have already had a devastating impact on Third World nations and communities of color. These issues hit Cuba a stunning blow in the early 1990s, which they overcame by using what they have – scientific intelligence, organization and human energy instead of money and machines. On a recent visit we learned that Cuba has been raising its fruits and vegetables organically for more than 15 years, using worm and vegetable compost and integrated and natural pest management to raise crops for its people. In the process they have decentralized agricultural production, tripled farmers’ average income, built stronger communities and shown the way to living well after the end of cheap oil." Diaz-Balart reacts to the murder of Orlando Zapata Tamayo 2/25/2010 BigNews CUATRO SIGLOS DE INFAMIA (2) 2/25/2010 UNEAC: "Nota: en los slave auctions --venta de esclavos--, a menudo se situaba a la venta una familia, digamos, el padre, la madre y dos hijos pequeños. Cuatro esclavistas que llegaban a las ciudades costeras de este país desde colonias distintas compraban a los cuatro por separado y no volvían a verse jamás. Esa bestialidad sólo existió en este país. En los demás, la familia esclava con hijos pequeños tenía que que ser comprada como una sola unidad." Death of Cuban prisoner of conscience on hunger strike must herald change 2/24/2010 Amnesty International: "He was subsequently tried several times on further charges of "disobedience" and "disorder in a penal establishment", the last time in May 2009, and was serving a total sentence of 36 years at the time of his death. "Faced with a prolonged prison sentence, the fact that Orlando Zapata Tamayo felt he had no other avenue available to him but to starve himself in protest is a terrible indictment of the continuing repression of political dissidents in Cuba," said Gerardo Ducos." Commentary: Against the hijacking of a Cuban martyr 2/24/2010 McClatchy: "Certainly, I do not claim to speak on behalf of Cuba's majority. But I am surely not far from that majority's truth by stating that it can hardly be struggling for the re-empowerment of the tiny, white elite of wealth that was overthrown in 1959. It is that segregationist exiled elite that these so-called anti-Castro groups so distinctly represent. Orlando Zapata Tamayo is dead. He is now a people's martyr. But those who struggled with him and shared his aspirations must not allow this brave and principled man's legacy or memory to be hijacked; certainly not by those who before 1959 despised him for being black and continue to do so in spite of their hypocritical tears. Zapata's legacy belongs to Cuba's future, and not to that of its neo-colonial, segregationist and subservient past." [A historic turn against the Miami Plantocracy, which, to our knowledge, has never hitherto been rejected by any of the Black Cuban dissident groups.] US urges Cuba to release 'spy suspect' Alan Gross 2/20/2010 BBC: "Cuban President Raul Castro has said Mr Gross used "sophisticated" communications equipment to help opposition groups in their role as "mercenaries" for the US, AFP news agency reported. Apart from the issue of the detention, the US State Department said that "engaging in these talks underscores our interest in pursuing constructive discussions with the government of Cuba to advance US interests on issues of mutual concern". The US delegation was led by Craig Kelly, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs - the most senior US official to visit Cuba in many years." Mujeres, raza e identidad caribeña. Conversación con Inés María Martiatu 2/20/2010 Negra Cubana Disentir vs desacreditar: A propósito del tema racial 2/17/2010 Negra Cubana ¿QUIÉN SE OCULTA TRAS EL RACISMO? 2/17/2010 UNEAC CUATRO SIGLOS DE INFAMIA 2/17/2010 UNEAC Raza, racismo, racialidad: encore une fois, again, wieder einmal 2/15/2010 Negra Cubana Only in Miami: Omara Portuondo Compared to the Ku Klux Klan 2/13/2010 Cuba Now: 'It seems that Mr. Prieres’ “school of thinking” does not admit that a Cuban figure as Omara Portuondo can freely sing in the United States. I guess that Mr. Prieres’ “environment” excludes the over 11 million Cubans living on the island. It seems to be an institution of poor education and thinking. According to Miami New Times magazine, the organization Vigilia Mambisa declared that Omara “is accomplice of the regime,” and anti-Cuban activist Emilio Izquierdo Jr. made this incredible comparison: “Brinign Omara Portuondo to Miami is like taking the Ku Klux Klan to Liberty City”. Perhaps Izquierdo does not know, or means nothing for him, but the Ku Klux Klan is a racist, terrorist organization founded in the US to kill, torture, or intimidate black, Jewish or other groups, including Catholics, peace activists, and unionists. Omara Portuondo is a Cuban woman of mixed race with unique voice and international prestige resulting from her huge talent. Comparing her to the Ku Klux Klan is like comparing Luis Posada Carriles to Bola de Nieve." Programa de la Jornada Maceísta 2/6/2010 Negra Cubana tenía que ser No “Common Policy,” as Europe Grapples over its Future ties with Cuba. 2/4/2010 COHA Jerarquizar la identidad cultural 2/2/2010 Bohemia: "Según informó la musicóloga Cary Diez, vicepresidenta de la Uneac, las comisiones permanentes de trabajo de la organización han logrado construir un espacio de atención al cumplimiento de los acuerdos del VII Congreso, celebrado en abril de 2008, “tejiendo puentes entre instituciones y creadores, con altibajos en dependencia de cada temática y período”. Reconoció como “un importante suceso en el reciente período, la creación de la comisión contra el racismo y la discriminación racial”, entidad que conmemoró el aniversario 116 de la desaparición física de Mariana Grajales, la heroica caída en combate del lugarteniente Antonio Maceo, y presentó el libro Raza y Racismo, de la editorial Caminos. Un paso esencial para el próximo semestre, será la constitución de grupos de trabajo de dicha comisión en todas las provincias." SOCIEDAD–CUBA: Racismo, un tema inconcluso 2/1/2010 Cuba a la Mano Race and Class in Cuba 1/24/2010 Jamaica Observer: "As luck would have it, my home in Kingston, Jamaica, was right next to the Cuban embassy, so I went there often. When I informed them excitedly that I wanted to study blacks in Cuba, I was told that I should go to Oriente, the Eastern part of the country, as that was where all of the blacks were. I would come to learn that this was an expression of the white Cuban tendency to claim that all blacks were descendants of Jamaican and other West Indian immigrants to Oriente. When I would protest that the Spanish had lots of slaves and that all of the blacks could not possibly be descendants of West Indian immigrants, known derogatorily as pichones (literally blackbirds), I was told that all of the ones who had come as slaves had inter-married, as the Spanish were so much less racist than the British. White Cubans expressed sympathy for the Jamaicans who were under the British, who did not mix with them, supposedly, and so the black population there was not able to dilute itself and move up the racial hierarchy." Declaración de doce personalidades cubanas sobre racismo y sociedad en la Isla 1/22/2010 CIR: "Firman la declaración, Víctor Manuel Domínguez, Juan Antonio Madrazo, Lucas Garve, Jorge Olivera, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, Leonardo Calvo, Eleanor Calvo, Yusnaimi Soca, Víctor González, Juan Antonio Alvarado, José Idelfonso Vélez e Hildebrando Chaviano." Cuba's imprisonment of an American is a rebuke to Obama 1/22/2010 WaPo: "A FRIEND of Alan P. Gross, the veteran development consultant from Potomac who has been jailed without charge in Cuba, says that Mr. Gross's mistake may have been "not seeing anything wrong with what he was doing." If so, we can sympathize. Mr. Gross was in Cuba to help several Jewish community groups gain access to the Internet, so that they could use sites such as Wikipedia and communicate with each other and with Jewish organizations abroad, according to his employer, Bethesda-based Development Alternatives Inc., and other sources familiar with his work. He reportedly supplied the groups with laptops and satellite equipment for Internet connections." [Satellite equipment?] Malcolm X and Fidel: 1990 Symposium in Havana 1/17/2010 www.brothermalcolm.net: With audio and video tracks. Includes presentations by Nancy Morejon, Kwame Toure, Rogelio Martinez Fure, Osvaldo Cardenas, and many others as well as a video of of Fidel talking to the delegates. Photogallery of Fidel - Malcom X meeting in 1960. Médicos cubanos, entre los primeros que asistieron a los haitianos 1/14/2010 CubaDebate Parte brigada médica cubana a Haití 1/13/2010 CubaDebate: "En la tarde de hoy partió para Haití un contingente adicional de médicos cubanos para atender a las víctimas del terremoto que asoló ayer a Haití. Los 152 colaboradores cubanos ubicados en Puerto Príncipe, la capital de Haití, se encuentran en buen estado de salud, y sólo dos de ellos sufrieron lesiones leves, tras el devastador terremoto que afectó a esa nación, indicaron las autoridades de la isla." Twitter se subleva contra Pat Robertson por sus comentarios sobre Haití 1/13/2010 CubaDebate Detainee was helping Cuban Jewish groups involved in U.S. democracy project 1/13/2010 WaPo: "Former colleagues said Gross has worked for decades on economic development programs, often as a contractor for USAID. In recent years, he became fascinated by technology, they said, including ways to connect people to the Internet. One recent assignment involved setting up satellite connections for development organizations in Afghanistan, said Bob Otto, a former colleague." Speed, discipline, and cooperation in Baracoa in response to tsunami threat 1/12/2010 Granma: "Speed, discipline and cooperation characterized the conduct of around 30,000 people evacuated today under orders from the Municipal Defense Council (CDM) in Baracoa, in response to the possible threat of a tsunami." El agente “Chris” Sabatini propone a Obama incrementar la injerencia 1/11/2010 Rebelion: de Jean-Guy Allard - "Para comentar y promover las agresiones de la USAID contra Cuba, la revista Foreign Policy se ha buscado, para su última edición, un autentico especialista: Christopher “Chris” Sabatini, un ex alto funcionario de la NED identificado hace ya años en Venezuela como agente de la CIA y promotor de acciones ilegales de los grupos de extrema derecha. En Foreign Policy, Sabatini no sólo reduce las intervenciones de injerencia en la Isla de los llamados “contratistas” de la USAID al nivel de ayuda humanitaria sino que insta al gobierno de EEUU a incrementar masivamente tales actividades encubiertas, orientadas por la Agencia Central de Inteligencia. Con el propósito evidente de engañar, Sabatini habla de una distribución gratuita de “laptops y otros accesorios de comunicaciones” a los informantes reclutados en La Habana por la inteligencia estadounidense. Pretende ignorar que un portavoz del Departamento de Estados ya admitió que Washington busca proveer a sus mercenarios de la Isla de “comunicaciones globales”, es decir satelitales, con el evidente propósito de controlarlos y orientarlos desde el exterior con facilidad." The Untold Story of Ethiopians in Cuba 1/10/2010 Tadias: posted 8/08 La educación para ser blancos en Cuba 1/9/2010 Blog de Esteban Morales: "Pero si al educar, dentro de una sociedad mulrirracial, multicolor, dejamos el color fuera de la educación, en la práctica estamos educando para el color que aun ostenta la hegemonia: el blanco. Sobre todo si tomamos en consideración, que aun existen otros asuntos que conspiran contra una educación equilibrada en cuanto al color." Una política absurda 1/9/2010 Diario de la Prensa: "Por ejemplo, tomemos la decisión de imponer medidas de seguridad más severas a las personas de 14 países que viajen a Estados Unidos. Países que según los servicios de inteligencia norteamericanos presentan una amenaza a los aviones que vuelan a Estados Unidos. Uno de estos países es Cuba, el único país sin población árabe o musulmana en la lista que se encuentra a sólo 90 millas de territorio norteamericano. Ahora analicemos que la Administración Obama está en plano de facilitar los viajes entre Cuba y Estados Unidos. Ya permite que los cubanos americanos vayan a visitar a sus familiares con mayor frecuencia y ha dado visas a numerosos artistas cubanos -- algunos de ellos de claro corte castrista -- para que vengan de gira con su música a Estados Unidos." El negrito retinto 1/9/2010 El Pais: "Sin himno, sin bandera y sin patria. Considerado como un provocador, el escritor Carlos Moore desvela en Pichón sus desencuentros con la burocracia comunista cubana." ¿Cubano de origen africano o afrocubano? (+ Videos) 1/7/2010 CubaDebate It’s Time to Address Racism in Cuba 1/7/2010 IPS: "In 50 years (since the revolution), women’s issues and homosexuality have been debated: why hasn’t racism?” asked the filmmaker. “It’s a revolutionary topic that concerns everyone, because there are black women, black homosexuals and black men.” “I think silence is worse. The longer nothing is said, the more the racism fermenting underground is rotting the entire nation,” singer/songwriter Gerardo Alfonso says in the documentary. According to Roberto Zurbano, head of the Casa de las Americas publishing house, to carry on “hiding” the issue would lead black people to think that “they belong to another country, and that there are two Cuba’s as there were in the 19th century, a black Cuba and a white one.” Another possible implication is that “the issue could become a political football, outside and inside the country.” Racismo: El secreto sucio de los Castro 1/6/2010 Libertad Digital: de Nat Hentoff, Cato Institute NEGRA CIMARRONA: La Tertulia de Juana 1/6/2010 Negra Cubana: "A principio de diciembre fui convocada a participar en la Tertulia de Juana (cuyo nombre procede de Juana Borrero), espacio de debate y reflexión que a propósito del género organizó mi amiga Yulexis. Un grupo de mujeres negras, entre las que se encontraban Daisy Rubiera, historiadora; Norma Guillard, psicóloga; Georgina Herrera, poeta; se encargarían de presentar, desde sus experiencias, la convergencia de la racialidad y el género. No se trataba de hablar de cómo las mujeres negras son discriminadas, lo cual es más que cierto, sino los puntos de contacto entre ambas aproximaciones teóricas. El propósito era tratar de evidenciar cómo el género tiene expresiones diferentes, en un mundo patriarcal hegemónicamente blanco, para las personas de una y otros expresiones fenotípicas." Blasfemia: Ser afrocubano y patriota 1/5/2010 CIR: por Pedro Dupre Endless Double Standards on Cuba 1/5/2010 Consortium News MUJERES, RAZA E IDENTIDAD CARIBEÑA 1/3/2010 UNEAC: Conversación con Inés María Martiatu. Cuba speaks from its depths 1/1/2010 Islas: by a collection of dissident authors. Movement in the Americas who Condemn Racism in Cuba 1/1/2010 Islas: by Darsi Ferrer Racial Discrimination in Cuba: An Open Secret 1/1/2010 Islas: Islas is supported by NED funds. This article is by Jorge Olivera Castillo, Writer and journalist, Havana, Cuba The Juan Gualberto Gómez Movement for Racial Integration 1/1/2010 Islas: Islas is supported by NED funds. This article is by José I. Vélez Hernández, National Coordinator, Havana, Cuba Diaz-Balart Brothers Shed Light on Crist Controversy 1/1/2010 Poder: "The Diaz-Balart brothers also have close relationships with Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-MIA), who has “followed their lead” and that of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on Cuba. Putney says the brothers felt that by endorsing Crist they'd betrayed Meek, who has consistently sat on the sidelines instead of endorsing fellow Democrats who have tried to run against the Cuban-America duo. That deference to Meek could also help explain their decision not to endorse Crist’s Republican contender, former House Speaker Marco Rubio." CIA Agents assassinated in Afghanistan worked for “contractor” active in Venezuela, Cuba 12/31/2009 Postcards from the Revolution: "On December 15, DAI published a press release mourning “project personnel killed in Afghanistan”. “DAI is deeply saddened to report the deaths of five staff associated with our projects in Afghanistan…On December 15, five employees of DAI’s security subcontractor were killed by an explosion in the Gardez office of the Local Governance and Community Development (LGCD) Program, a USAID project implemented by DAI.” DAI also runs a program in Khost where the December 30 suicide bombing occurred, although it has yet to be confirmed if the eight U.S. citizens killed were working for the major U.S. government contractor." In Cuba, Hopeful Tenor Toward Obama Is Ebbing 12/30/2009 NYT: "In the last few weeks we have witnessed the stepping up of the new administration’s efforts in this area,” Raúl Castro told Cuba’s National Assembly during its annual session on Dec. 19. “They are giving new breath to open and undercover subversion against Cuba.” Cuba grants US consular access to detained American 12/29/2009 AFP: "Yesterday (Monday) we gained access. A representative of the (US) consular office visited him, but we cannot provide details of the case," the official with the US Interest Section of the Embassy of Switzerland in Havana told AFP." Nueva condena al racismo en la isla 12/29/2009 El Nuevo Herald: "Emitida el 22 de diciembre, la declaración es la primera acción conjunta de miembros de diferentes grupos antirracistas denunciando la opresión racial en Cuba, según Victoria Ruiz Labrit, una activista en Miami que apoya a los grupos en Cuba. Entre los firmantes están el activista Jorge Luis García Pérez ``Antúnez'' y José Idelfonso Vélez, Coordinador Nacional del Movimiento de Integración Racial Juan Gualberto Gómez." In Solidarity with the Real Anti-Racist Movement in Cuba 12/27/2009 Petition Online: Written by Professors August Nimtz and Gary Prevost Denuncian racismo en Cuba 12/24/2009 Radio Marti: "Un grupo de 27 afrocubanos firmó un documento intitulado "La Mentira Indigesta", donde rechazan un artículo publicado el 9 de diciembre en el diario Granma acerca de la situación de los negros en Cuba. El texto de los 27 dice que los afrocubanos que viven en la marginalidad y por debajo del nivel de pobreza en Cuba saben lo duro que resulta ser odiado y menospreciado por el color negro de la piel." Red de Bibliotecas Independientes “Baset” realiza encuentro en La Habana 12/23/2009 CIR: [The Independent Libraries have long functioned as USAID and Miami's mechanisms for recruiting dissidents.] Cuban Color 12/23/2009 Cuba Now: interview with Esteban Morales - "We dealt well with the topic abroad. We were friends of blacks, natives and the vilified of the world, but here we had a climate of some social repression where even speaking about the topic might have led to accusations of racism and divisionism. We thought it was unnecessary, that is what something that we did not have to discuss, that it was going to be solved with the development of a deeply humanist policy. It has been demonstrated that even when capitalism ends, racism remains in the minds, in the institutions, in the way of life of the people.” The Phantom Letter 12/23/2009 Havana Times: "A reply signed by eight Cuban intellectuals including De la Hoz had been published days earlier in Granma under the heading: “A message from Cuba to the African-American intellectuals and artists.” The reply ran without making known the contents of the declaration from the US that provoked such a response. It astonishes me that in this 21st century the newspaper should utilize such a misleading tactic, thus giving Cuban readers free rein to speculate about the reasons that may or may not have led the African American intellectuals in the US to dare produce such a declaration. ...What, then, could the ghostly declaration be talking about? Could it be that it’s grounded in the everyday life of black Cubans today?" The hypocrisy of American bluster toward Iran 12/23/2009 LA Times: "What is astounding is the lack of shame in such overt duplicity as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's (R-Fla.) accusations in her Dec. 14 Times Op-Ed article that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorists -- when she herself has a track record of supporting terrorists. In February 1988, Orlando Bosch was arrested in Miami and implicated in the 1976 plot to blow up Cubana Flight 455, a terrorist act that killed 73 passengers. Joe D. Whitley, the associate U.S. attorney general at the time, called Bosch "a terrorist, unfettered by laws or human decency, threatening and inflicting violence without regard to the identity of his victims." Bosch, however, had the distinct advantage of having Ros-Lehtinen make advocating for his release one of the cornerstones of her 1989 congressional campaign. Bosch had another advantage: Ros-Lehtinen's campaign manager was Jeb Bush, President George H.W. Bush's son. In 1990, after lobbying by Jeb Bush and Ros-Lehtinen, the Bush administration went against the Justice Department's recommendation to deport Bosch and authorized his release. Since then, Bosch has become a permanent resident of the United States." A sus agentes en Cuba, Washington propone “comunicaciones globales” 12/21/2009 Aporrea: por Jean Guy Allard - "No es que un aparato Thuraya o Irridium sea barrato: cada uno, en los mejores casos, valen sus 1 500 dólares sin hablar de los costos de conexión y el minuto de uso. Cuando el teléfono celular normal es libremente accesible en Cuba a un costo siempre más razonable y que se puede perfectamente comunicar de esta forma con cualquier parte del mundo – ¡hasta con rebajas! - la pregunta que surge es sencilla: ¿quién paga la cuenta de tales equipos, fuera de frontera? ...Interceptar comunicaciones telefónicas satelitales es una tarea casi imposible, dicen los expertos, por toda una serie de factores. ¿Que comunicaciones “humanitarias” tan secretas pretende entonces ocultar la USAID y la CIA. Ya en el 2008, la llamada Agencia para el Desarrollo Internacional promovía el envío clandestino de material electrónico a la Isla a través de contratistas – se hablaba entonces de europeos y latinoamericanos - que realizarían el trabajo sucio que no puede legalmente desarrollar." Cuba President Raul Castro lashes out at Barack Obama 12/21/2009 BBC: "In the last few weeks we have witnessed the stepping up of the new administration's efforts in this area," Raul Castro told parliament. "They are giving new breath to open and undercover subversion against Cuba." He said the US citizen was working illegally in the country, distributing "sophisticated methods of communication to members of the civil society which they hope to form against our people". Raul Castro said the US had allocated some $55m (38m euros; £34m) "to support a supposed democracy, the defence of human rights and aggression by radio and television against Cuba", apparently referring to the Marti network, which broadcasts to Cuba from US-run territory." New Castro / Same Cuba 12/21/2009 Canada Free Press: "The presentation also revealed something that goes a long way towards explaining the Raul Castro regime’s confident entrenchment. Last year Cuba enjoyed record tourism revenues: 2.35 million tourists leaving $2.7 billion in military-regime coffers, and precious little else due to the regime’s tourist apartheid, where Cubans (especially darker-skinned ones) are strictly segregated at billy-club and gun-point from tourist areas, except as waiters, maids, bellhops, shoe-shine boys, foot masseuses, etc." Raúl Castro admite la persistencia de discriminación por raza y género 12/21/2009 Diario de Cuba: "El general Raúl Castro reconoció este domingo la persistencia de la discriminación por raza y género en la Isla. Es "una vergüenza el insuficiente avance en esta materia en 50 años de revolución", admitió al clausurar la sesión anual de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular." Es preciso caminar hacia el futuro, con paso firme y seguro, porque sencillamente no tenemos derecho a equivocarnos 12/21/2009 Granma: por Raul Castro - "Las elecciones realizadas en el día de hoy por esta Asamblea para cubrir las vacantes en el Consejo de Estado, incluyendo dos vicepresidencias, una de ellas por primera vez ocupada por una mujer, que a su vez se desempeña como Contralora General de la República, constituyen además de un justo reconocimiento a la trayectoria revolucionaria y profesional de los elegidos, la expresión de la intención manifiesta de elevar la representatividad de la composición étnica y de género de la población cubana en los cargos de dirección. Personalmente considero que es una vergüenza el insuficiente avance en esta materia en 50 años de Revolución, a pesar de que el 65 por ciento de la fuerza laboral técnica se compone de mujeres y que la ciudadanía forma un hermoso arcoiris racial sin privilegios formales de tipo alguno, pero subsisten en la práctica, como expresara Fidel en la clausura del Congreso Pedagogía 2003, que aun en sociedades como la de Cuba, surgida de una revolución social radical, donde el pueblo alcanzó la plena y total igualdad legal y un nivel de educación revolucionaria que echó por tierra el componente subjetivo de la discriminación, esta existía todavía de otra forma. Fidel la calificó como discriminación objetiva, un fenómeno asociado a la pobreza y a un monopolio histórico de los conocimientos.Por mi parte ejerceré toda mi influencia para que estos nocivos prejuicios sigan cediendo espacio hasta ser finalmente suprimidos y se promuevan a cargos de dirección a todos los niveles, por sus méritos y preparación profesional, a las mujeres y los negros." Blacks in Cuba - Why the delayed outcry? 12/20/2009 Miami Herald: The author, Ninoska Perez-Castellon, offers a tortured conflation of real issues of racism with the notion of "Tourism Apartheid," a strong version of the Caribbean wide penchant for gated resorts - "Like most of her colleagues, she ignores Cuba's evident apartheid. For Cuba's blacks, the humiliation is double. They are not allowed to stay in hotels reserved for foreigners, and the new slave masters seldom hire them to work in their exclusive installations." We Stand With Cuba!: African Americans Express Solidarity With the Revolution 12/20/2009 PanAfrican Newswire En Camaguey, "cacique" de descendientes de aborígenes 12/18/2009 Adelante: "Francisco Ramírez Rojas, considerado como el "cacique" de una comunidad guantanamera de descendientes de aborígenes, expresó satisfacción por su visita a Camagüey, invitado a participar en un foro cultural. Residente en La Ranchería, de Caridad de los Indios, Ramírez asistirá hoy por la noche a la apertura de una muestra de obras de la plástica que insertan elementos de arte primitivo, como pictografías e ideografías. Los autores son el canadiense James K-M y los camagüeyanos Joel Jover y Osmany Soler. En su primera estancia en Camagüey, el campesino guantanamero, de 74 años de edad, añadió en el diálogo el orgullo por provenir de primitivos habitantes de la Isla. El interlocutor destacó también su adhesión a las ideas de Martí, de la Revolución, y reiteró el agradecimiento a todas las personas e instituciones que han divulgado la existencia de descendientes de indocubanos y los han apoyado." Racist or Revolutionary: Cuba’s Identity is at Stake 12/18/2009 Defenders Online: by Ron Walters - "In the meantime, the Cuban government’s rejection of the concerns expressed by African Diaspora leaders who’ve long supported their revolution only intensifies the sense that it’s not interested in reforming racial practices there. Perhaps government officials believe the push to normalize relations with the U.S. government trumps its longstanding relationship with black Americans. This would waste a tremendous opportunity to complete the goals of fundamental social change envisioned by those who made the revolution, and those who supported it after its initial success." Cornel West and James Early: Cuban Racism 12/18/2009 Tavis Smiley Show: Early recommends AfroCubaWeb as a source on what AfroCubans are saying about race and racism. CUBANIA y RACIALIDAD 12/17/2009 Negra Cubana: "Tiene la cubanía una marca racial? La imagen siguiente pretende vincular identidad nacional y racialidad? Lo hace de una manera feliz?" EL RACISMO CORRIENTE 12/17/2009 Primavera Digital: de Osmar Laffita Rojas. Reside en La Habana. Se ocupa de las Relaciones Internacionales del Partido Solidaridad Democrática. El Blog de Dimas 12/17/2009 Radio Marti: "Dimas Castellano nació en Jiguaní, en 1943, y reside en La Habana. Es Licenciado en Ciencias Políticas, Diplomado en Ciencias de la Información, Licenciado en Estudios Bíblicos y Teológicos en el Instituto de Estudios Bíblicos y Teológicos, además de profesor de Filosofía marxista, periodista independiente; miembro del Consejo de Redacción de la Revista Digital Consenso y de la Junta Directiva del Instituto de Estudios Cubanos con sede en la Florida. Ha publicado trabajos en diversas revistas." [Vease El Blog de Dimas] Investors sticking it out in crisis-prone Cuba 12/17/2009 Reuters: "Investment projects number 258, similar to 2008." U.S. Travel Industry Gearing up for Return to Cuba 12/16/2009 ABC: ""We predict that at least 850,000 Americans will go to Cuba in the first year," Whitely said. That does not include an estimated 480,000 Americans who will go to Cuba on Caribbean cruises when U.S. ships are allowed to dock there, and another 480,000 Cuban American visiting family in Cuba each year, a Cuban official said." State Department: US Claims to Help Cubans Communicate Globally 12/16/2009 Along the Malecon Song on leaving, longing changes Cuban tune on migration - Feature 12/16/2009 Earth Times: "A song, both humorous and poignant, about Cuban migrants has become one of the most popular hits on the communist island, illustrating a change in the attitude of locals towards those who decide to leave. The song Gozando en La Habana, which can be translated as "enjoying myself in Havana," by David Calzado and his Charanga Habanera is about a young girl who goes off to Miami. But once there, she calls her boyfriend in Cuba to talk about how much she misses her country. "She says she has money, the car she always dreamed of, but she cannot find in Miami what she left in Havana," the song goes." Cuba amonesta a diplomáticos extranjeros 12/16/2009 Nuevo Herald: "Un día antes de la citación de los diplomáticos al MINREX, la televisión cubana mostró fotos y criticó como "un acto de intromisión en los asuntos internos'' la presencia de cuatro diplomáticos occidentales en las manifestaciones, protagonizadas por activistas disidentes y miembros del movimiento cívico Damas de Blanco en céntricos lugares de La Habana. Las imágenes identificaban a Chistopher Stimpson, segundo secretario de la Embajada Británica; Volker Pellet, segundo jefe de la Embajada de Alemania; y los estadounidenses Kathleen Duffy y Dale Lawton, funcionarios de la USINT. La prensa internacional circuló fotos y videos de Stimpson en el Parque Villalón, rodeado de manifestantes pro gubernamentales que le obligaron a tomar su automóvil y abandonar el el lugar." Plotting Cuba's digital revolution 12/15/2009 Along the Malecon: "I don't know if there are any specific regulations prohibiting smart phones that are activated in such countries as Mexico. I would imagine that some U.S. officials would love to flood Cuba with those, although the costs would high because of roaming charges. Perhaps U.S. officials hope to distribute some other kind of communication equipment. The U.S. government and its contractors have managed to pass out hundreds of thousands of short-wave radios in Cuba over the past decade, so it's not inconceivable that they could distribute mass quantities of electronic equipment." More on Sneaky US Contractor in Cuba: How Did He Get Equipment into the Country? 12/15/2009 Honduras Oye American being held in high-security Cuban prison 12/15/2009 Miami Herald: "The New York Times broke the story in a report Saturday that quoted U.S. officials as saying the American arrived on the island on a Cuban tourist visa, not an official or business visa, and had been handing out the communications equipment ``on behalf of the Obama administration.'' [Carrying out business activities under a tourist visa is illegal in many countries, including the US.] Contractor arrest may ruffle Obama's Cuba overture 12/15/2009 Reuters: "Maryland-based Development Alternatives Inc, which says it has a federal contract to support "just and democratic governance in Cuba," described the American held as a sub-contractor employed "to assist Cuban civil society organizations". These Cuban dissident groups are termed "mercenaries" and "traitors" by the Cuban government, which has often accused the United States of supporting them openly and also covertly in a bid to undermine communist rule on the Caribbean island." Reverse images: The acrimonious debate on race in Cuba 12/15/2009 SF Bay View: "But the original petition begs numerous questions including, who wrote the original petition? who is Dr. Ferrer? is there really a civil rights movement in Cuba or is the petition merely a grandiloquent expression of Afrogringoism?" Castro says U.S. on offensive in Latin America despite Obama 12/14/2009 AP: "But Castro has turned on Obama, saying in an opinion piece in state media last week that the U.S. president's acceptance of the Nobel prize after deciding to send 30,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan was "a cynical act." La CIA utiliza la USAID como fachada, confirma alto funcionario de la agencia estadounidense 12/14/2009 Aporrea: por Eva Golinger La corrupción en la campaña mediática del imperio contra América Latina 12/14/2009 Cuba periodistas: por Jean-Guy Allard - "Para alcanzar sus objetivos, la VOA usará las instalaciones de producción de Radio y TV Martí lo que, según el rotativo mafioso de Miami, ha alimentado "especulaciones de que las estaciones Martí acabarán pasando a formar parte de la VOA". Radio y TV Martí han sido sacudidos por varios escándalos de corrupción, en los últimos años. Lo más divertido es que Alberto Mascaró, quien anunció la nueva orientación de la VOA, es nada menos que el sobrino de la esposa de Pedro Roig, director general de Radio y TV Martí, corporación famosa por dedicarse a contratar a las amistades de sus "capos". Ex director de la Interamerican Military Academy de Miami, Roig fue formado por la CIA en Fort Benning al lado del terrorista internacional Luis Posada Carriles, como sicario de la Operación 40, con vistas a la fracasada invasión de Playa Girón." Comité Ciudadanos por la Integración Racial Declara 12/14/2009 CubaNuestra: "Los líderes y activistas del Comité Ciudadanos por la Integración Racial (CIR) y del partido Arco Progresista (Parp), queremos agradecer especialmente a los líderes afrocaribeños que han expresado su solidaridad con los militantes antirracistas cubanos, y demandado la liberación de uno de los miembros del CIR, el Dr. Darsi Ferrer, hoy encarcelado sin juicio alguno. Con satisfacción hemos leído la declaración firmada por Rex Nettleford, Vice Canciller Emérito, Barry Chevannes, profesor Emérito, Rupert Lewis, profesor de pensamiento político y Maureen Warner-Lewis, profesora Emérito, todos de la Universidad de West Indies que acoge a estudiantes de todo el caribe. También la carta del escritor nigeriano-jamaicano Lindsay." Statement from DAI President and CEO Jim Boomgard Regarding Detention of Subcontractor in Cuba 12/14/2009 DAI: "In 2008, DAI competed for and was awarded a contract, the Cuba Democracy and Contingency Planning Program, to help the U.S. Government implement activities in support of the rule of law and human rights, political competition, and consensus building, and to strengthen civil society in support of just and democratic governance in Cuba (http://www.usaid.gov/locations/latin_america_caribbean/country/cuba/ )." Bloguear, una necesidad 12/14/2009 Las Leyes de Laritza: "Bloguear es un reto y una satisfacción para mí, tanto desde el punto de vista profesional como personal. Me da la oportunidad de decir lo que pienso, tal como lo siento, sin prohibiciones. La posibilidad de sustraerme del control. Escribir en internet no es fácil para los cubanos. Un desafío. Y hay que tener valor para enfrentarlo. Porque cada ciudadano es estrictamente supervisado por las organizaciones sociales y de masas. En el barrio, a través de los Comités de Defensa de la Revolución (CDR); en la escuela, la Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas (UJC); en el trabajo, la Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC), entre otras organizaciones “revolucionarias”." INFORME PARTIDO ARCO PROGRESISTA 12/14/2009 Primavera Digital: de Manuel Cuesta Morúa Color cubano 12/14/2009 Trabajadores Color cubano 12/14/2009 Trajabadores: entrevista con Esteban Morales - "Tratábamos bien el tema afuera, somos amigos de los negros, de los indígenas y de los vilipendiados del mundo, pero aquí existía un ambiente de cierta represión social, donde incluso por hablar del tema podían acusar a uno de racista y divisionista; pensábamos que no hacía falta, que no había que discutirlo, que se iba a resolver dentro del propio devenir de una política profundamente humanista. Está demostrado que aún cuando termina el capitalismo, el racismo queda en la conciencia, en las instituciones, en el modo de vida de las personas”. CIA Agent Captured in Cuba 12/13/2009 Chavez Code: by Eva Golinger - "DAI was contracted in June 2002 by USAID to manage a multimillion dollar contract in Venezuela, just two months after the failed coup d’etat against President Hugo Chávez. Prior to this date, USAID had no operations in Venezuela, not even an office in the Embassy. DAI was charged with opening the Office for Transition Initiatives (OTI), a specialized branch of USAID that manages large quantities of liquid funds destined for organizations and political parties favorable to Washington in countries of strategic interest that are undergoing political crises. The first contract between USAID and DAI for its Venezuela operations authorized $10 million for a two year period. DAI opened its doors in the Wall Street of Caracas, El Rosal, in August 2002, and began to immediately fund the same groups that just months earlier had executed - unsuccessfully – the coup against President Chávez. The USAID/DAI funds in Venezuela were distributed to organizations such as Fedecámaras and the Confederación de Trabajadores Venezolanos (CTV), two of the principal entities that had led the coup in April 2002 and that later headed another attempt to oust Chávez by imposing an economic sabotage and oil industry strike that crippled the nation’s economy. One contract between DAI and these organizations, dated December 2002, awarded more than $10,000 to help design radio and television propaganda against President Chávez. During that time period, Venezuela experienced one of the most viscious media wars in history. Private television and radio stations, together with print media, devoted non-stop programming to opposition propaganda for 64 days, 24 hours a day." Agente de la CIA capturado en Cuba 12/13/2009 Kaos en la red: por Eva Golinger - "El año pasado, el Congreso de Estados Unidos aprobó 40 millones de dólares para “promover la transición a la democracia” en Cuba. DAI fue otorgado el contrato principal, el “Programa de Democracia en Cuba y Planificación de Contigencia”, que además autorizaba el empleo de subcontratistas supervisados por la empresa DAI. El uso de una cadena de organismos es un mecanismo que emplea la Agencia Central de Inteligencia (CIA) para canalizar y filtrar fondos y apoyo político y estratégico a grupos y personas que promueven su agenda en el exterior." The Buena Vista Social Club: The Racial Politics of Nostalgia 12/13/2009 Northeastern Illinois University: by Tanya Katerí Hernández, published 2002 ¿Racismo en Cuba? 12/13/2009 Trabajadores: por Omar Segura Montero Action against Cuba 12/13/2009 ZZ's Blog: "While The New York Times understates dramatically both the funding and government dependence of DAI, it does reveal an interesting aspect of the story. The detainment occurred on December 5 with no public disclosure by the Cuban government. The fact that US officials felt compelled to announce the detainment, confessing the detainee’s activities and his employment, suggests that there will likely be more exposed in the days to come." Terrorism and Civil Society - The Instruments of US Policy in Cuba 12/12/2009 Counterpunch: by Philip Agee, former CIA officer, published 8/2003 - "Actually the new program was not really new. Since its founding in 1947, the CIA had been deeply involved in secretly funding and manipulating foreign non-governmental voluntary organizations. These vast operations circled the globe and were targeted at political parties, trade unions and businessmen's associations, youth and student organizations, women's groups, civic organizations, religious communities, professional, intellectual and cultural societies, and the public information media. The network functioned at local, national, regional and global levels. Media operations, for example, were underway continuously in practically every country, wherein the CIA would pay journalists to publish its materials as if they were the journalists' own." US Contractor Seized 12/12/2009 NYT: "A U.S. government contract worker, who was distributing cell phones, laptops and other communications equipment in Cuba on behalf of the Obama administration, has been detained by authorities here, U.S. officials said yesterday. The officials said the contractor, who works for a company based in the Washington suburbs, was detained Dec. 5. They said the United States Interests Section in Havana was awaiting Cuba's response to a request for consular access to the man, who was not identified. The detention and the mysterious circumstances surrounding it threaten to reignite tensions between the countries at a time when both had promised to open new channels of engagement. U.S. officials said they were encouraged that the Cubans had not publicized the detention, and they said they were hopeful that he might be quietly released." Reading while rolling Cuba's famous cigars 12/10/2009 BBC: "Despite a slump in sales due to the recession, Cuba continues to be the world's largest producer of cigars. Could its success be due to cigar factory readers? BBC correspondent in Havana, Michael Voss, finds out." Carlos Moore, certero 12/10/2009 Cuba Nuestra: de Manuel Cuesta Morúa, La Habana Cuban opposition pleased by African American support. By Professor Emeritus, David Covin. 12/10/2009 Cuba, Democracia y Vida: ""This letter is a very positive step, said Jorge Soca, because before no one wanted to talk about this. There has always been the notion that racism in Cuba did not exist but this is a lie", she added." [And that too is a lie, since racism in Cuba has been discussed for years, both in and out of Cuba.] Los “azulejos” 12/10/2009 Las Leyes de Laritza: "En Cuba no es frecuente ver a policías golpeando a un ciudadano en la vía pública, pero eso no significa que no suceda. Si se realizara una encuesta entre ciudadanos de 16 y 35 años, de uno y otro sexo, los resultados podrían ser sorprendentes. Y descubriríamos que son más de los imaginados, los cubanos que han sido víctimas del algún tipo de abuso policial." Intelectuales cubanos rechazan calumnias sobre racismo en la Isla 12/10/2009 Radio Havana: "Ya no saben que inventar aquellos que viven a costa de lanzar falsas acusaciones de violaciones de los derechos humanos en Cuba. Ahora les ha dado por decir que la sociedad cubana es racista y que por tanto, en la isla se discrimina a los negros y mestizos. El pasado día primero el diario norteamericano El Nuevo Herald, de Miami, publicó una declaración de supuestos intelectuales afroamericanos, en la que nuevamente se brinda una información tergiversada sobre la realidad cubana y tras la cual se esconde Carlos Moore, un individuo de origen cubano a quien le gusta presentarse como especialista en temas raciales." Cuban opposition pleased by African American support 12/10/2009 Radio Marti LÍDERES AFROAMERICANOS DENUNCIAN RACISMO EN CUBA 12/10/2009 Radio Marti: quotes AfroCubaWeb. Entregan a bloguera medalla hecha “con plata de la dictadura de Batista” 12/9/2009 Aporrea: por Jean-Guy Allard - "Según los organizadores del “acto”, la condecoración es compuesta “por un peso de plata de los que circulaban” en los tiempos de la dictadura sanguinaria de Fulgencio Batista. Los fundadores del Comité paramilitar de la FNCA y que hoy dirigen el CLC, entre los cuales Diego Suarez, Alberto Hernández Alberto Hernández y Ninoska Pérez-Castellón (esposa del terrorista Roberto Martin Pérez, encabezaron las ágapes entrecortadas de discursos caracterizados por su fanatismo de extrema derecha. El comité paramilitar de la FNCA sufragó a Posada Carriles durante sus campañas de terror, en 1997, en territorio cubano y orientaron la compra de un millonario arsenal de armas por Antonio “Toñin” Llama, destinado a acciones terroristas de gran envergadura." African-Americans: Blacks in Cuba 'treated with callous disregard' 12/9/2009 CNN: "The revolution did deal an institutional blow to racism, but also incorrectly declared a centuries-old problem solved with just a decree or a law, said Cuban dissident Dimas Castellano. Police still stop blacks more frequently than whites, for example, he said." De racismo, pregúntenle a Mandela 12/9/2009 Cuba Debate A missed shot on the wrong flank 12/9/2009 Granma: "A group of Cuban intellectuals, solely directed by our consciences and in a personal capacity, came together to share our point of view on the issue with African-American colleagues. Because this is about airing, in all seriousness and with arguments, human rights in our country, and about making it known that the statement issued in the United States is a missed shot on the wrong flank." The Cuban scenario after the Castro brothers 12/9/2009 Jamaica Observer ¿Hay racismo en Cuba? 12/8/2009 BBC Importante líder afronorteamericana retira su firma de la carta que acusó a Cuba de racismo 12/8/2009 CubaDebate: "Makani Themba-Nixon, directora ejecutiva The Praxis Project que aparece entre los firmantes de una carta de intelectuales y líderes afronorteamericanos que habían acusado a Cuba de prácticas de racismo y acoso de los ciudadanos negros, ha divulgado este lunes una nota en la que pide que su nombre no aparezca en ese documento." Raúl presides over tribute to Maceo and Cuban internationalists 12/8/2009 Granma Makani Themba-Nixon, Praxis Project, withdraws support for the Acting on Our Conscience letter 12/7/2009 AfroCubaWeb: "Certainly, we should have thought this through more carefully when we signed on but my focus was to be of support to the groups involved -- and to aid an individual who was under attack. Unfortunately, this effort is being used by enemies of all of us to attempt to undermine a government whose efforts have proven critical to the uplift of Black people, despite its shortcomings. As a result, I am respectfully asking to withdraw Praxis' name from the letter. I'm not asking that you resend it or make any public statement to this effect. The letter is out and not much to be done about that. We will likely make a statement to friends expressing our love and solidarity for the signers but sharing our decision to pull back. Please feel free to share this note with anyone you deem appropriate." Cuba’s Role in an African Genocide and Revolutionary Racism on the Island 12/7/2009 Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter: "One of the deeds that the dictatorship in Cuba wants to keep hidden from the world and African Americans in particular, is its role in the mass killings in Ethiopia in the 1970s and 1980s. Beginning in late 1977, the first 5,000 of what would eventually number over 17,000 Cuban military personnel arrived in Ethiopia. By 1987 the Cuban presence had dropped to fewer than 2,000 personnel. During 1977-78, a conservative estimate of over 30,000 Africans perished as a result of the Red Terror unleashed by the Ethiopian Communists and their Cuban allies. Amnesty International concluded that "this campaign resulted in several thousand to perhaps tens of thousands of men, women, and children killed, tortured, and imprisoned." Sweden's Save the Children Fund lodged a formal protest in early 1978 denouncing the execution of 1,000 children, many below the age of thirteen, whom the communist government had labeled "liaison agents of the counter revolutionaries." Message From Cuba to Afroamerican Intellectuals and Artists 12/6/2009 Cuba Now Racial Debate Enters US-Cuba Conflict 12/6/2009 Havana Times: article references AfroCubaWeb. Getting Wise to Racism in Cuba, or Better Late than Never 12/5/2009 Kelly sans culotte Cuba Rejects Accusations of Racism from Prominent U.S. Blacks 12/5/2009 Latin American Herald Tribune: "So far, neither the original statement by the African-Americans nor Havana’s response has been reported by Cuba’s state media monopoly." [The reply is posted in Jiribilla and Cuba Debate.] Claim of Cuban racism rejected 12/5/2009 Miami Herald: "Friday's reply was signed by eight government backers who regularly address black issues, but seemed to have official approval because the government press office distributed their statement. Victoria Ruiz-Labrit, a Miami supporter of black dissidents on the island, said she had received information from the island that government officials were pressing other black Cubans to sign the reply. Some refused and some signed, she said." Racism fight in Cuba needs new thinking 12/5/2009 Miami Herald: "What we need now is new thinking -- an approach that does not back down on Cuba's decrepit reality but embraces all the disparate voices everywhere -- from 30-something white blogger Yoani Sánchez who speaks for her generation in Cuba to poor, drunk Pánfilo, the black Cuban who was sent to a mental hospital earlier this year to ``detox'' after he was captured on a YouTube video that went viral, complaining Cubans lack ``jama,'' slang for a meal. So thank you, thank you, thank you 60 times my fellow Americans. Welcome to the good fight for justice for all." Cuba blasts US black leaders for charges of racism 12/4/2009 AP: "Cuba hit back Thursday at 60 prominent U.S. black leaders who challenged its race record, with island writers, artists and official journalists calling the criticism an attack on their country's national identity." Nueva declaración de condena al racismo en Cuba, de personalidades caribeñas 12/4/2009 Cuba Puntos de Vista: from Jamaica's intellectual elite. Envían desde Cuba mensaje a los intelectuales y artistas afronorteamericanos 12/4/2009 CubaDebate Google Applications Blocked In Cuba 12/4/2009 India Server: "Juventud Rebelde the official Cuban newspaper has criticised Google for blocking access to certain applications which includes the Zeitgeist search trend tools "Even though Google has a domain for Cuba (.cu), Zeitgeist appears to bypass the Caribbean archipelago in offering its results," was said in the official daily of the Cuban Communist Party's youth organisation. Google has also blocked Cuban’s access to Google Earth, Google Desktop Search, Google Code, Google Toolbar and Chrome, Juventud Rebelde wrote. "It appears that for Google, which, according to its creators has the goal of making possible mass access to information, we Cubans do not count," mentioned Juventud Rebelde." Debate racial llega al conflicto con Washington 12/4/2009 IPS Mensaje desde Cuba a los intelectuales y artistas afronorteamericanos 12/4/2009 Jiribilla A Dangerous President 12/4/2009 Mambi Watch: "Those were the exact words that Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen used to describe President Barack Obama when she appear on Radio Mambi last month." ACTIVISTAS AFROAMERICANOS PIDEN FIN DE RACISMO EN CUBA 12/4/2009 Radio Marti Reclaman intelectuales de Jamaica a Cuba por encarcelamiento de Darsi Ferrer 12/4/2009 Radio Marti: "En una carta remitida a Raúl Castro, con fecha 26 de noviembre, los académicos Rex Nettleford, Barry Chevannes, Rupert Lewis y Mauren Warner-Lewis, unieron sus voces al pedido de su colega brasileño Abdias Nascimiento, a favor de la libertad de Ferrer, encarcelado desde el pasado julio en Cuba. En la carta, los académicos señalan que "lo que nos sorprende a todos es la mano fuerte del estado contra aquellos que se atreven a expresarse en contra del prejuicio racial continúo en la sociedad", cubana. Añaden que aunque la revolución cubana reclama haber liberado a cubanos blancos y negros de la explotación, lo cierto es que las actitudes, algunas abiertas y otras solapadas, que justificaron siglos de esclavitud de negros africanos, no han cedido con facilidad." Cantante cubano rechazado por Bush visita EEUU, ve a funcionario 12/4/2009 Reuters: "Un músico cubano, al que el gobierno del presidente George W. Bush le prohibió el ingreso a Estados Unidos, se presentó el jueves en Washington y almorzó con un funcionario de la Casa Blanca, en una nueva señal de deshielo en las relaciones entre ambos países. El cantante y compositor Carlos Varela, cuyas canciones capturan el desencanto de los jóvenes cubanos, recibió una visa de tres semanas de parte de la administración del presidente Barack Obama, que ha buscado mejorar los lazos con el gobierno comunista de Cuba." Cuban dissident groups unite, decry repression 12/3/2009 AP Amenazan de muerte a Obama en programa radial de Miami 12/3/2009 CubaDebate Servicio Secreto investiga amenaza telefónica contra Obama en Radio Mambí 12/3/2009 Nuevo Herald: " El Servicio Secreto de Estados Unidos investiga un incidente vinculado a la programación de la emisora Radio Mambí (WAQI-710 AM), donde un radioyente sugirió por teléfono que el presidente Barack Obama debía ser eliminado de un disparo en la cabeza. "Inmediatamente que conocimos de la llamada telefónica procedimos a enviar a dos agentes para indagar sobre el asunto. La investigación está en curso'', declaró el agente especial Vance Luci, vicedirector de la Oficina del Servicio Secreto en Miami." High-Profile Group Urges Cuba to Stop Racism 12/2/2009 BET: “This is historic,” Enrique Patterson, an Afro-Cuban Miami author, told the Web site. Although predominantly White Cuban exiles “tried to approach these people before, they lacked credibility. Now [African Americans] are listening.” African-American group challenges Cuba on race 12/2/2009 Miami Herald: "While the African American signers support Cuba's right to sovereignty ``and unhesitatingly repudiate any attempt at curtailing such a right,'' the statement added they ``cannot sit idly by and allow for peaceful, dedicated civil rights activists in Cuba, and the black population as a whole, to be treated with callous disregard.'' ``Racism in Cuba, and anywhere else in the world, is unacceptable and must be confronted,'' their statement declared." ACTING ON OUR CONSCIENCE - A DECLARATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN SUPPORT FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE IN CUBA 12/1/2009 Carlos Moore: A letter organized by Carlos Moore Líderes afroamericanos exigen a La Habana que ponga fin a su 'insensible desprecio' por los negros 12/1/2009 Cuba Encuentro: Cuba Encuentro receives high levels of NED funding. Líderes negros condenan el racismo en Cuba 12/1/2009 El Nuevo Herald Denuncian racismo en Cuba 12/1/2009 InfoBAE, Argentina Subject: Prominent black Americans condemn Cuba on racism 12/1/2009 James Early: [Early responds to the articles about Carlos Moore's letter campaign among African Americans.] Registro inesperado 12/1/2009 Las Leyes de Laritza: "En el proceder de los agentes de la unidad policial del Capri, en vez de legalidad, primó la prepotencia y falta de profesionalidad, lo que reafirma la poca preparación de los cuerpos policiales cubanos. Un cursillo de seis meses no es suficiente para que aprendan lo que la ley ordena, si es que se lo enseñan. En Cuba, vestir un uniforme policial, convierte a determinadas personas en seres superiores al resto de los mortales. El poder adquirido es tal, que éstos se sienten con el derecho de actuar impunemente, a sabiendas de que cometen delitos y de que violan derechos ciudadanos. Lo hacen confiados y con el respaldo del sistema, que los protege." Commentary: Is black America's honeymoon with the Castros over? 12/1/2009 McClatchy: By Carlos Moore "In a landmark "Statement of Conscience by African-Americans," 60 prominent black American scholars, artists and professionals have condemned the Cuban regime's apparent crackdown on the country's budding civil rights movement. "Racism in Cuba, and anywhere else in the world, is unacceptable and must be confronted," said the document, which also called for the "immediate release" of Dr. Darsi Ferrer, a black civil rights leader imprisoned in July. The U.S. State Department estimates Afro-Cubans make up 62 percent of the Cuban population, with many informed observers saying the figure is closer to 70 percent." African-American group challenges Cuba on race 12/1/2009 Miami Herald: "The growing number of Afro-Cuban activists complaining about racial discrimination and casting their struggle as an issue of ``civil rights,'' rather than ``human rights,'' has helped to draw the attention of African Americans, said Victoria Ruiz-Labrit, Miami spokesperson for the Cuba-based Citizens' Committee for Racial Integration." Prominent black Americans condemn Cuba on racism 12/1/2009 Miami Herald: "The statement was largely driven by Carlos Moore, a highly regarded Cuban author and black-rights activist living in Brazil who has long criticized racial discrimination in Cuba. Moore persuaded Abdias Nascimiento, a founder of Brazil's black movement and longtime Castro supporter, to send Raúl Castro a letter earlier this year denouncing racism in Cuba, then appealed to friends and contacts in the black community to add their support. "Without this historic figure, no one would have listened," said Patterson, who predicted that other high-profile black Americans will soon add their signatures to the statement." Obama's ex-pastor doesn't like Cuba, either 12/1/2009 Uncommon Sense: by Marc Masferrer, the great nephew of that quintessential Cuban hoodlum, El Tigre Masferrer. LAS NEGRAS SON LAS AUTÉNTICAS HEROÍNAS 11/30/2009 Revista de Asignaturas Cubanas Mariana de todos los cubanos 11/28/2009 Granma: "En cumplimiento de un acuerdo del VII Congreso de la UNEAC, comenzó sus trabajos una nueva comisión que aborda la lucha contra el racismo y los prejuicios raciales desde una perspectiva cultural. Como acción primera, una representación de la vanguardia artística y literaria acudió ayer viernes a rendir homenaje a Mariana Grajales, cuyo inclaudicable compromiso con la emancipación nacional y ejemplar entrega familiar, avalan a la heroína como madre de todos los cubanos." Yoani Sánchez: la hija de PRISA 11/28/2009 Granma: "El proyecto Yoani es una acción que explora otros caminos. ¿Quién es ella? Una filóloga graduada en la Universidad de La Habana, esposa de uno de los publicitados (y ya demasiado "quemados") "disidentes" de antaño, Reinaldo Escobar. Se fue de Cuba y anduvo por algunos países europeos. Dicen que en España conoció a Carlos Alberto Montaner —que a pesar de haber puesto algunas bombas en cines de La Habana, de ser oficial de marines y de pertenecer a la CIA, quiere ser intelectual y pretende regresar a Cuba como candidato a la presidencia—. Pero Yoani regresó. Mauricio Vicent, que tuvo la misión de darla a conocer en El País, la cara madrileña —sin dudas más culta— de El Nuevo Herad miamense, ambos propiedad del Grupo PRISA, lo cuenta así: "Yoani y Teo (su hijo) también emigraron a Suiza, pero decidieron regresar. La vida fuera de Cuba fue más dura de lo que creían, y la reunificación con su esposo resultó imposible. (...) En un viaje familiar, hace tres años, rompió el pasaporte y se presentó en Inmigración. "Tremenda sorpresa cuando me dijeron: 'Pida el último en la cola de los que regresan'". Traía un nuevo proyecto de vida: ser bloguera. Existen más de 700 blogs (cada día aparece uno nuevo, dentro y fuera) sobre Cuba en Internet, poco o nada conocidos, ¿por qué este sería diferente? Yoani contaría, en lenguaje coloquial, cuan "desgraciados" somos los cubanos, cuan "oscuras" son nuestras vidas cotidianas. Pero de entrada advertía: no soy política, afirmación que se aferra al hecho de que no pertenece (al menos públicamente) a ningún grupúsculo. Y ¿para qué tendría que pertenecer si ninguno realmente es tomado en serio por la población?" Cuba begins war games with US invasion in mind 11/26/2009 Reuters The Race Problem in Today’s Cuba 11/24/2009 Havana Times: "I’ve had the opportunity to participate in several forums dealing with the problem of racism in Cuba. The most recent one was on November 18 at the Sacred Trinidad Episcopal Cathedral at the invitation of the Oscar A. Romaro Reflection and Solidarity Group. In it, a panel of experts made up of Gisela Arandia, Maria Ileana Faguada and Luis Carlos Marrero approached the problem from a historical angle and in its relation to the Catholic and Protestant churches." Las contradicciones de la bloguera cubana Yoani Sánchez 11/23/2009 CubaDebate: "El 9 de noviembre de 2009, tres días después de su desventura, Yoani Sánchez recibió en su casa a la prensa extranjera para relatar en incidente. Primera sorpresa para los periodistas expresada por el corresponsal de la BBC en La Habana Fernando Ravsberg: a pesar de los “golpes y empujones”, los ” golpes en los nudillos”, la nueva “andanada de golpes”, la “rodilla sobre [su] pecho”, los golpes en “los riñones y [...] la cabeza”, “el cabello” halado, el “rostro enrojecido por la presión y el cuerpo adolorido”, “los golpes [que] seguían cayendo” y “todos estos morados” que evocó la bloguera cubana6 , Ravsberg notó que Sánchez “no tiene hematomas, marcas o cicatrices”7 Las imágenes del canal estadounidense CNN, que también entrevistó a la bloguera, confirman las palabras del periodista británico. Además, el corresponsal de CNN toma precauciones oratorias e insiste en el sufrimiento “aparente” de Sánchez (usa una muleta para moverse)8 Según la Agence France Presse, que relata la historia clarificando con esmero que se trata de la versión de Sánchez con el título “Cuba: la bloguera Yoani Sánchez dice haber sido golpeada y detenida brevemente”, la bloguera “no fue herida” Marketing war heats up among Cuba’s “dissidents” 11/23/2009 CubaDebate: "The interview President Barack Obama granted the “blogger” Yoani Sánchez is the culmination of a project I feel like calling Operation Marketing; aimed as it is at the promotion and visibility of a new counter-revolutionary figure in Cuba, in the face of the worn out and battered “dissidence,” fighting like a pack of wolves with fangs bared in search of their prey: money. ...Without cross-checking the facts and without verifying anything, plenty of media ran with the story about the “kidnapping” and “beating” of the famous “blogger.” Hundreds of articles circled the planet from one end to the other on that story, which Yoani herself could not back up, even with the BBC, when she could not present any proof of the blows she’d received. But not everyone got on the boat of lies, and many have been questioning the script. One skeptic was the La República newspaper, who went to look for the doctors who attended Yoani and found that none of them found the least physical evidence for the supposed aggression." The Yoani Show 11/23/2009 La Alborada LA DISCRIMINACIÓN DE GÉNERO Y RAZA EN CUBA 11/23/2009 Revista de Asignaturas Cubanas Cuba: Broadband and Other Such Matters 11/18/2009 Cuba-L-Analysis: by Nelson P. Valdés - "The foreign press stationed in Cuba claims that a dissident in Havana has a blog that is translated into 16 or more languages and has from 1 to 14 million visits a month. That is impressive for anyone worldwide. For someone in Cuba it borders on a Fatima-like miracle.[7] From a logistical standpoint, this is an unusual accomplishment. Is it possible for such traffic to be handled by Cuba today? Who is/are the administrator[s] of the web pages in all these languages? Translation is complicated, time-consuming, and a worldwide translation team is costly. How is this work done? How is it paid for? And what is the mechanism for transferring this payment?" El 70% de los suelos cultivados de Cuba están amenazados por la erosión 11/17/2009 EFE The company she keeps 11/16/2009 Machetera: "But it’s not the first time that a high U.S. official has come out in favor of Yoani Sánchez. John Negroponte, the Assistant Secretary of State under the presidency of W. Bush, spoke at the 38th OAS General Assembly in June of 2008, in Medellín, Colombia, dedicated to “Youth and Democratic Values.” There Negroponte forgot the main problems facing the youth of Latin American and Caribbean countries and devoted time to recognizing the latest Grupo Prisa creation. He said, “Yoani Sánchez explains to the world the difficulties of Cuban life. She continues to be a brilliant example of the courageous spirit of the Cuban people.” Unfortunately this gentleman didn’t have on hand the truly brilliant examples of the courage of this people which abounds in the life of this nation. John Negroponte’s history is well known within the CIA; the shadowy Operation Phoenix was one of his missions – a squad of mercenaries specializing in torture, who killed more than 40,000 Vietnamese. He personally gave instructions to the group from a secret office within the U.S. Embassy in Saigon." El Libro de estilo de EL PAÍS no rige en Cuba 11/13/2009 TerceraInformación, Madrid: "Este artículo no pretende desmentir los hechos que cuenta Yoani Sánchez. Ignoramos si los hechos denunciados se corresponden con la realidad y carecemos de medios para contrastarlo. Hablemos, pues, de periodismo. Según el Libro de estilo del diario EL PAÍS, diario que publica la noticia que analizamos, el titular de un artículo debe corresponderse con su contenido. Concretamente dicta: "Los titulares han de ser inequívocos, concretos, asequibles para todo tipo de lectores y ajenos a cualquier clase de sensacionalismo. Asimismo, serán escuetos, aunque nunca se sacrificará la claridad expositiva a su brevedad, ni se eludirán las normas elementales de la sintaxis castellana". Este texto de Mauricio Vicent se titula así: "La 'bloguera' Yoani Sánchez, agredida por la policía cubana". Sin verbo, con una coma. ¿Qué denota ese signo de puntuación? Puede querer decir dos cosas. "Yoani ha sido agredida" o "Yoani dice que ha sido agredida". Aunque todos sospechamos lo que quiere decir, semeja que el autor no puede saber si lo que denuncia Yoani Sánchez es cierto o no, así que opta por reproducir la versión de la denunciante bajo un titular hábilmente ambiguo." Cuban civil rights activist arrested 11/13/2009 Uncommon Sense: "Juan A. Madrazo Luna, the leader of a Cuban anti-racism campaign, was arrested Friday on a supposed charge of "resistance," according to a story posted at CubaEncuentro.com. As head of the party's Citizens Committee for Racial Integration, Madrazo is leading a "Citizens Empowerment" campaign targeting the racist practices of the national police. "El Arco Progresista (political party) asks anyone in the world who sympathizes with anti-racist causes to demand the immediate release (of Madrazo Luna), who does nothing but struggle in Cuba for the effective racial integration of all Cubans," party leader Manuel Cuesta Morúa said in a statement." US condemns Cuba over blogger beatings 11/11/2009 AFP: "Award-winning blogger Yoani Sanchez, whose online reports chronicle the dark side of everyday life in communist Cuba, was detained and beaten along with two fellow bloggers by Cuban secret police on November 6." Challenges of the racial question in Cuba 11/11/2009 Esteban Morales Domínguez: published 10/08 "The way power is distributed in present-day Cuban society does not go beyond what existed prior to 1959; within society white dominance is still forcefully expressed, especially at the level of what is called the “new economy.” This is especially evident in the absence of blacks in the upper leadership levels of the state, government, and institutions of civil society in general, although not in the party structure. A recent example is that there is not one single black among the fourteen provincial chairs of People’s Power. This is in complete contradiction to the leadership policy put forward by the Party in 1985, which is a long way from being realized in terms of racial representation. The matter is certainly much more complicated than the question of whether or not there might be blacks and mestizos in all the positions, but undoubtedly what is happening seriously affects the participation of nonwhites in the structures of power." Cuba orders extreme measures to cut energy use 11/11/2009 Reuters: "In documents seen by Reuters, government officials have been warned that the island is facing a "critical" energy shortage that requires the closing of non-essential factories and workshops and the shutting down of air conditioners and refrigerators not needed to preserve food and medicine." Cuba faces Obama administration contradictions 11/9/2009 Voltaire Net Valor y pantalones (I) 11/7/2009 Las Leyes de Laritza: "Considero que hay en Miami personas a quienes les gusta contínuamente llamar la atención de la prensa y del público con una serie de situaciones, y que mientras más escandalosas sean, tendrán más credibilidad. Entonces me gustaría preguntarles: ¿por qué se fueron de Cuba si tienen tanto valor y pantalones?" Washington intensificará su propaganda injerencista contra países del ALBA 11/7/2009 Rebelion: "La Voz de las Américas (VOA) está “expandiendo su penetración” en Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador y Nicaragua, revela un diario de Miami al señalar que, con este objetivo, la cadena radiofónica que difunde a escala mundial la propaganda derechista norteamericana requisará instalaciones de Radio y TV Martí." Yoani Sánchez and the censors of utopia 11/4/2009 Cubarte ‘The Revolution Made Blacks Human’ 11/3/2009 Havana Times ‘The Revolution Made Blacks Human’ 11/3/2009 Havana Times: "This same comrade, who holds one of the most important positions at the paper and is a member of the Communist Party, had fought in the underground risking his life in the 1950s struggle against the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship – despite his privileged position in our country as a “blanco hijo de ricos“ (white son of rich people)… The crowning point of my co-worker’s monologue was the moment he said that if he -the white son of rich people- had been able to sacrifice then blacks had to do the same, because “the Revolution had allowed blacks to become people.” I didn’t know if the guy had something else to add, because I cut into him calling him a racist, among other things. It turned into pretty ugly argument, over which he finally chose to retreat into his office." Rethinking Cuban History - 'Cubanidad' in the Context of the Americas 11/2/2009 Bildner Center: "In this talk, Professor Eduardo Torres Cuevas will address issues of race, religiosity, and social stratification (marginalidad). He will discuss the changing schools of thought regarding Cuban national identity as well as explore the connections between Cuba and the larger circum-Caribbean." HELP FREE CUBAN RIGHTS LEADER 11/2/2009 Trinidad & Tobago Review: a plea from Carlos Moore Carta de Felix Sanchez sobre la canasta básica 10/31/2009 AfroCubaWeb: Esta carta sobre "la canasta básica," el necesario de cada dia, circula de nuevo en Cuba en octubre, 2009 y fue escrito en 2006. Susan Rice, queen of de Nile on Cuba 10/31/2009 Machetera: "Article 2 of the Convention defines genocide as… (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;" Carta abierta ao Raul Castro Ruz e ao Luiz Lula da Silva, 10/30/09, em Português 10/30/2009 AfroCubaWeb Washington intensificará su propaganda injerencista contra países del ALBA 10/30/2009 Aporrea: "La Voz de las Américas (VOA) está “expandiendo su penetración” en Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador y Nicaragua, revela un diario de Miami al señalar que, con este objetivo, la cadena radiofónica que difunde a escala mundial la propaganda derechista norteamericana requisara instalaciones de Radio y TV Martí." Dirigente histórico do Movimento Negro Brasileiro, ABDIAS NASCIMENTO, rompe com Cuba por causa da questão racial na ilha 10/30/2009 Geledés Insituto da Mulher Negra: has text of Prof Abdias do Nascimento's open letter to Raul Castro and Lula da Silva on Cuban dissident Dr.Darsi Ferrer, in Portuguese. ¿Quién diablos vota a favor del bloqueo? Hasta el vocero de Hillary Clinton se hace la pregunta 10/30/2009 Granma Who the hell would vote for the blockade? Even Hillary Clinton’s spokesman is wondering 10/30/2009 Granma: "One has to understand that for Kelly, the sales of agricultural products to the island paid for in cash by Cuba, count as “humanitarian assistance” on the part of the U.S. government." US Loosens Internet Restrictions on Iran and Cuba 10/30/2009 Internet & Democracy Blog, Harvard Law: "Arguing that access to the flow of information on the Internet in Iran and Cuba is in line with US interests, the US Treasury has asked Google and Microsoft to give users in those two countries access to their chat services. This is a smart move, but just the beginning of what should be done to increase the flow on online speech in those countries." Petition on behalf of Dr Darsi Ferrer, Afro-Cuban activist.. 10/30/2009 NaijaBLog: INTERNATIONAL PETITION ON BEHALF OF AFRO-CUBAN CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER, DR DARSI FERRER, organized by Carlos Moore A fresh way to take the salt out of seawater 10/29/2009 Economist: Could this be used in Cuba instead of the parasite infested tap water? Missing their chance 10/28/2009 Cadena Habana: "Health care also suffers the consequences, because heart diseases are the first cause of death in the United States. The lives of many US citizens could be saved if they had access to Cuban drug Ateromixol, commonly known as PPG. It is the best anti-cholesterol drug available in the market, according to a study conducted by Geneva University. It is cheaper and more effective than the ethanols and steroides available in the United States." Fidel Castro's sister Juanita was a CIA agent 10/26/2009 Guardian Boom del tema racial? Sin el negro, Cuba no sería Cuba 10/26/2009 Negra Cubana: "Varios documentos relacionados con el tema racial, andan dando vuelta por la red cubana. Les comparto este, escrito porque quien, ante la desaparición de Color Cubano, lidera la comisión que ahora se ocupa de esta temática en el seno de la UNEAC. Este artículo contiene lenguaje sexista pero dada su importancia me permito reproducirlo." Sin el negro, Cuba no sería Cuba 10/26/2009 UNEAC: "Recientemente el Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de nuestro país al recibir a un Canciller africano señalaba: “La Revolución Cubana no existiría, sin la solidaridad africana”. Y es que en las grandes batallas que hemos librado en el campo de la diplomacia, nuestros más seguros y firmes aliados han sido la inmensa mayoría de los estados africanos. En las batallas por los derechos humanos; en los temas económicos; en el marco de los Organismos Internacionales como la Organización de Naciones Unidas, el Movimiento de Países No Alineados y en el Grupo de los 77. En nuestra titánica e inclaudicable batalla contra el criminal e injusto bloqueo económico impuesto por los Estados Unidos, Africa siempre ha estado a nuestro lado, como ahora lo está en nuestro batallar incesante por la liberación de nuestros Cinco hermanos presos en las cárceles del imperio." Terrorismo contra Cuba: la impunidad sigue siendo la regla 10/23/2009 Patria Grande A message from Dr. Darsi Ferrer’s wife 10/22/2009 BabaluBlog: "My husband is an Afro-Cuban who today is languishing in a Cuban jail, trying to survive under infrahuman conditions and suffering cruel and degrading treatment, for dedicating his efforts to fight for the civil rights of our compatriots. Dr. Darsi Ferrer is a professional, not a criminal as he is described by the Cuban regime, he is a medical graduate, sensitive to the suffering of others and whose only crime has been that, inspired by the example of great men like Dr. Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi, he has employed non-violent methods of civil disobedience to wake up the conscience of the Cuban people and to demand the respect of the fundamental freedoms and rights for all citizens of Cuba." Galveston mayor learned a lot from Cuba trip 10/22/2009 Fox8, New Orleans Carta a Granma 10/21/2009 Cofradia de la Negritud: "Estamos una vez más, compañero Barredo, frente a uno de los puntos problémicos heredado por una de las revoluciones --la cubana de 1959-- que más lejos llevó en América la demolición social del capitalismo neocolonizador y dependiente y que, sin embargo, hasta hoy, no ha podido independizarse de un canon patriótico eurocéntrico, en el que sólo los antiguos liberticidas, los señores de la propiedad y la riqueza o los entendidos en los valores librescos europeos pueden ser recordados como protagonistas de los actos libertarios y de la dignidad cívica." Cuba's struggle against racism 10/20/2009 Green Left Weekly: by Roberto Jorquera, published 3/98 Spain Promises Havana to Lobby EU on Cuba Policy 10/20/2009 Latin American Herald Tribune Fidel Castro's Reflection: The ALBA and Copenhagen 10/20/2009 PL Cuba's declining trade betrays depth of its crisis 10/20/2009 Reuters: "Business between Cuba and four of its top five trading partners has declined sharply this year in a reflection of the communist-led Caribbean island's deep economic crisis, trade reports from the countries said. Reductions in exports to and imports from Cuba ranged from 20 percent to as high as 50 percent, according to the reports from China, Spain, Canada and the United States. In descending order, they are the top traders with Cuba after Venezuela. Numbers were not available for Venezuela, which is the leading economic and political ally of Cuba's government and supplies the island with oil." Dr. Darsi Ferrer Ramirez, Cuban Political Prisoner of the Week, 10/18/09 10/18/2009 Uncommon Sense: Site in support of Dr. Darsi Ferrer, maintained by the great nephew of El Tigre Masferrer, Mark Masferrer. El Tigre was a Cuban paramilitary leader who went into exile and was jailed in a federal penitentiary for organizing the overthrow of the government of Haiti in order to use it as a base for attacks on Cuba. Disaster Relief Management in Cuba - Why Cuba’s disaster relief model is worth careful study 10/17/2009 CIP: Published May, 2009 by Jonathan Keyser and Wayne Smith. New Orleans mayor learns about disaster response in Cuba 10/17/2009 CNN: "We understand we may have a lot to learn from the Cubans in terms of disaster preparedness and how they have dealt with hurricanes," spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett said. Texas mayor learns from Cuba hurricane experience 10/17/2009 Reuters: Originally posted 4/25/09 LA MUJER NEGRA. SU REPRESENTACIÓN GRÁFICA Y LOS ESTEREÓTIPOS EN LA PUBLICIDAD 10/15/2009 Universidade de Brazilia: por Norma R. Guillard Limonta Cuban Dissident Dr. Darsi Ferrer on HUNGER STRIKE 10/13/2009 Babalu: "Cuban dissident and human rights activist Dr. Darsi Ferrer - serving time in castro's gulag for having "construction materials" in his home - goes on hunger strike. The following is a letter from his wife Yusnaimy Jorge Soca via Marc Masferrer." Afro-Cuban Culture & US Chicanos 10/10/2009 Havana Times: "Lino’s doctoral degree focuses on one of several Afro Cuban cultural groups in Cuba, the Abakua. His depth and breadth of knowledge on this subject was indeed impressive. Lino emphasized that in his opinion, there is no one Cuban culture but rather a diversity of cultures often integrated at the individual level. Thus, at the dimension of religion, a Cuban might incorporate elements of Catholicism along with elements from more than one Afro Cuban religion (e.g., Abakua, Palo, etc.). According to Lino, even the “whitest” of Cubans might be strong disciples of an Afro Cuban religious sect. He also descried periodic gatherings or “congresses” of Afro Cuban groups that meet to exchange perspectives about their values and beliefs and confirm strategies for the transmission of their religion across generations. One of my questions for Lino addressed the explicit teaching of Afro Cuban history and cultures throughout Cuban schools. During the conference Agustin and I attended during our first two days in Havana, a Cuban professor named Maya had expressed her satisfaction at seeing how Cuban schools were now, finally, teaching the heritage of Afro Cubans. However, according to Lino, this was either news to him or it was not as widespread as Maya had inferred. This led to a discussion about a theme that emerged from during the conference as well - the continued prejudice and discrimination against Blacks in Cuba." The demise of the free lunch 10/8/2009 Economist: "The government is also organising thousands of public meetings across the island to discuss a wider ten-point plan that proposes an end to the monthly ration of free staples and a host of perks, such as free wedding cakes. Instead, the focus is on creating incentives to work harder by raising wages, and thus productivity. All this reflects the ideas of Raúl Castro, who after almost half a century as defence minister replaced his elder brother as Cuba’s president last year and who has been much franker in discussing the country’s economic failures." Les mercenaires cubains de la Maison-Blanche 10/7/2009 Voltaire Net: "Cet article est extrait de: Cuba. Ce que les médias ne vous diront jamais. Prologue de Nelson Mandela, Paris, Editions Estrella, 2009." DECLARACIÓN DEL PARTIDO ARCO PROGRESISTA 10/6/2009 Revista de Asignaturas Cubanas: de Manuel Cuesta Morúa Población negra invisible 10/5/2009 Granma: "Si usted trata de buscar un dato sobre la población afrodescendiente es muy difícil. No existen estadísticas para saber qué está pasando, no existen indicadores específicos de sus niveles de mortalidad infantil o materna, o de nutrición", dijo a IPS la directora regional para América Latina y el Caribe del PNUD, Rebeca Grynspan, al explicar el concepto de "invisibilidad" manejado en el encuentro. "Solo podemos acercarnos vía territorial, porque muchos de ellos viven en regiones bastante identificables, y entonces podemos saber lo que pasa solo por una vía indirecta", afirmó. Pero los afrodescendientes también sufren una "invisibilidad de su aporte a Latinoamérica, de su aporte histórico, de sus movimientos, de su aporte cultural", de su influencia "en lo que hacemos, en lo que cantamos"…. "Coincidimos en la necesidad de poner de manifiesto la cultura de la población afrodescendiente, esos rasgos, esos modos y recursos del lenguaje, esa sabiduría comunitaria, que generalmente se conocen a través de la música y la danza", dijo al cierre del seminario. "Queremos ciudadanos que disfruten plenamente sus derechos, y creemos que el reconocimiento de los derechos culturales va a tener un impacto positivo sobre el resto de los derechos. Tenemos que seguir por ese camino", añadió." Sobre Color Cubano 10/3/2009 AfroCubaWeb: de Gisela Arandia - "El Proyecto Color Cubano ha desaparecido como tal. Paralelamente se ha creado una Comisión orgánica de la UNEAC que será dirigida por el compañero Heriberto Feraudy, la cual se integra a la estructura de trabajo establecida por la organización. La decisión fue tomada por la dirección de la Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba y se llevó a cabo, luego de un proceso de análisis y estudio sobre el Proyecto, realizado por un grupo de trabajo evaluador, dirigido por Nicolás Hernández Guillén. El dictamen de ese trabajo tuvo en cuenta aciertos y dificultades, así como recomendaciones. En términos generales la valoración de ese grupo de trabajo argumentó el impacto positivo de Color Cubano, en un contexto social donde el tema prácticamente estaba ausente del debate público institucional." Denuncian en Miami represalias contra Cucú Diamantes por su presentación en Concierto de La Habana 9/28/2009 Cuba Debate Pánfilo, Rosa Parks, in vino veritas y la Guagua que no se detiene 9/26/2009 Derechos Humano Cuba: "El desespero de Pánfilo, el gesto cansado de este hombre doblemente victima de la carecía de los Cubanos de a Pie y de los Cubano Negros, no tendrá mucha repercusión. No habrá boicoteos, ni marchas, nadie pedirá la libertad de Pánfilo, ni demandara al gobierno Cubano que provea al pueblo Cubano, no el pan de cada día, sino la libertad de poder crear su propio pan. El gesto de Pánfilo se convierte en una broma masiva internacional, aun cuando todos los que nacimos allí sabemos exactamente la fuerte verdad que encierran sus palabras aceleradas por chispa’e’ tren,- “no hay iría, aquí lo que hace falta es jama”." [Pánfilo was apparently taken to a mental health facility after becoming a rap star, much like Walterio Carbonell.] Ritual 9/26/2009 Las Leyes de Laritza: "De tan comunes, han dejado de ser noticia en un país contínuamente vigilado y controlado. Un ritual sin humo ni aguardiente para los santos. Con los mismos protagonistas: policías, ciudadanos de a pie -sobre todo jóvenes y negros- y conductores de vehículos privados o estatales. A cualquier hora y en cualquier sitio." Jornalista cubano fala sobre o racismo na ilha 9/21/2009 Associação Brasileira de Pesquisadores(as) Negros(as): "Em viagem ao Brasil para participar de um congresso da Associação de Estudos Latino-Americanos (LASA, na sigla em inglês), realizado na PUC-RJ, no qual fez uma palestra sobre o racismo em seu País, o jornalista e cientista social cubano Raimundo Gomez Navia visitou a sede da Associação Brasileira de Imprensa, onde foi recebido por membros da Diretoria e pelo Presidente da Casa, Maurício Azêdo." Interioridades de la Prisión Valle Grande 9/21/2009 Cuba Represion: Por: Dr. Darsi Ferrer Ramírez, preso de conciencia. In Mexico…I felt like a human being - Interview with Juan Almeida 9/20/2009 Machetera Apartheid protesters got it right 9/20/2009 Miami Herald: [Another fine example of the Miami Mafia debasing imagery from the Black struggle.] Meet Pepe Hernández, CANF’s terrorist president 9/18/2009 Machetera: "For Francisco José “Pepe” Hernández, the head of the Cuban American National Foundation, Luis Posada Carriles is not a terrorist. The terrorist Hernández, who strives to advise President Obama, made this statement in an extremely long interview distributed from Miami by the Associated Press, in which he also admitted to having worked in different parts of the world on behalf of the CIA. Pepe Hernández directly arranged the plans to assassinate Cuba’s president in Panama, in the year 2000. It’s the second time this year that Hernández has acknowledged his links with the torturer, murderer and drug trafficker who, along with Orlando Bosch, planned and ordered the mid-flight destruction of a Cuban airliner in 1976, causing the death of 73 people." New Mexico Gov. Richardson supports lifting of US trade embargo on Cuba 9/15/2009 AP Autoridades cubanas impiden que hijo de Juan Almeida asista al funeral 9/15/2009 Nuevo Herald: "El abogado Juan Juan Almeida García, hijo del recién fallecido comandante histórico y vicepresidente cubano Juan Almeida Bosque, denunció el lunes que las autoridades le impidieron participar en los funerales del padre en la Plaza de la Revolución de La Habana, así como asistir al sepelio anunciado para este martes en la ciudad de Santiago de Cuba. En un mensaje enviado a El Nuevo Herald, Almeida García relató que al producirse la muerte del padre el viernes, fue llevado a una morgue por un general y dos escoltas para ver el cadáver, pero separado del resto de la familia…. Almeida García declinó hablar por vía telefónica con El Nuevo Herald alegando que se sentía muy afectado por la muerte del padre, a quien dijo haber amado "profundamente por encima de todo''." The brilliance of your modesty 9/14/2009 Granma: "With thousands of memories, the people of Las Tunas recalled Juan Almeida yesterday, Sunday. But one – quite recent – lies deep in the heart of the city. It dates back to July 2007 when, dressed in white, the Commander of the Revolution entered a shoeshine parlor on the first stretch of a boulevard under construction. Air conditioning, daily newspapers, peace and downtown Havana. "Get up on that chair. I’m the one who’s going to shine your shoes. I’m going to remember the times when I was a shoe-shine boy," the comandante said suddenly." Former Pedro Pan refugee presses case against priest 9/14/2009 Miami Herald Hijo de dirigente cubano vive quinto año cautivo en la isla 9/13/2009 Cronica, Mexico: "Almeida García, quien ha denunciado a través de cartas a varios de sus amigos en España y Florida, Estados Unidos, la forma en como ha sido tratado por expresar su rechazo a un régimen que asegura no ha brindado las garantías de vivir dignamente a los cubanos, ventila parte del cautiverio que vive en su propio país a través de un libro de la editorial española “Espuela de Plata” titulado Memorias de un guerrillero cubano desconocido, en donde narra la transformación equivocada que ha sufrido Cuba desde que fue asumida por los dirigentes de la Revolución. Almeida García, quien ha desafiado a las autoridades cubanas por no permitirle dejar La Habana para reunirse con su familia, asegura que a su calvario de sentirse atrapado en Cuba se suma a una enfermedad reumatológica degenerativa que padece y que le fue tratada en un hospital de Bruselas, Bélgica, durante los años 90. Sin embargo, desde 2004, cuando se le calificó de disidente por presuntamente haber ayudado a cientos de cubanos a abandonar la isla cuando trabajó en México, por órdenes del “alto mando” del régimen se le prohibió salir, lo que ha motivado sus intentos por encontrar la libertad en más de una ocasión para abandonar la isla. En el país autoridades de salud no quieren tratar su enfermedad." Almeida vive hoy más que nunca, Reflexiones de Fidel 9/13/2009 CubaDebate Black and Cuban-American: Bias in 2 Worlds 9/13/2009 NYT: published 9/13/1997, 12 years ago. Falleció el Comandante de la Revolución Juan Almeida Bosque - Un revolucionario de música en el alma y palabras para conservar los sueños 9/12/2009 Jiribilla: Entire issue devoted to Juan Almeida Presentan libro Raza y racismo en la UNEAC 9/12/2009 UNEAC: "El libro Raza y racismo, de la Editorial Caminos, fue presentado el lunes 7 de diciembre con la asistencia de un numeroso público a la sala Villena de la UNEAC. La compilación de Esther Pérez y Marcel Lueiro es la segunda antología de textos aparecidos en la revista Caminos , del Centro Martin Luther King Jr.. En el panel, Raúl Roa Kourí se refirió a la valoración del Canciller de la Dignidad acerca de la figura de Antonio Maceo, mientras Fernando Martínez Heredia habló del volumen Raza y racismo. Al hacer un balance de la labor del Centro Martin Luther King Jr., Martínez Heredia lo calificó de “baluarte de la sociedad civil cubana, y por tanto, de su Revolución”. La presentación se inserta dentro del trabajo de la Comisión contra el racismo y la discriminación racial de la UNEAC. Miguel Barnet, presidente de esta institución, recalcó que no se trata del comienzo de una lucha por afianzar las conquistas de la Revolución, sino de la continuación de una tarea que siempre ha tenido la UNEAC. Raza y racismo incluye, entre otros, trabajos de Manuel Moreno Fraginals, Fernando Ortiz, Walterio Carbonell, Esteban Morales, Rogelio Martínez Furé, Natalia Bolívar y Carmen González." Raúl Castro heads tribute to Almeida 9/11/2009 Granma Yoani e o racismo em Cuba 9/9/2009 VEJA, Brazil Un nuevo jefe del FBI para Miami 9/7/2009 Cuba Debate: por Jean Guy Allard -- "En Miami, Gillies retoma la herencia pestilente de Jonathan I. Solomon y de Héctor Pesquera, ambos cómplices de la mafia terrorista cubanoamericana del lugar, el primero por su complacencia ciega y el segundo por su colaboración tan alegre como escandalosa. Solomon es quién tuvo el poco envidiable privilegio de acoger en Miami a Luis Posada Carriles. Dejo a los servicios de inmigración la tarea de manipular la papa caliente, sin nunca considerar el estatuto de terrorista del septuagenario ex agente de la CIA, responsable de 73 homicidios por haber organizado la destrucción en pleno vuelo de un avión civil cubano. El 22 de junio del 2006, cuando el terrorista José Antonio Llama, ex directivo de la Fundación Nacional Cubano Americana (FNCA) reveló al Miami Herald como entrego 1,4 millones de dólares para la compra, entre otras cosas, de aviones teleguiados para bombardear a grandes concentraciones de personas en Cuba, Solomon, no valoró importante inculparlo e investigar la trayectoria terrorista de la FNCA." Bush-era travel restrictions fuel `mule' industry in Cuba 9/6/2009 Miami Herald: "One legacy of Bush-era restrictions is a shadowy cottage industry in which South Florida Cuban exiles send to island relatives more money and merchandise than legally allowed." Abren nuevo servicio web para ciudadanos cubanos 9/5/2009 AIN: "En la dirección electrónica http://permutasencuba.infosoc.cu, quienes navegan en la red podrán buscar por tipos de vivienda, en dependencia de las necesidades y ofertas que existan, además de inscribir su propia propuesta. El servicio se inició con una base de datos de más de mil permutas, para consultar en línea, pertenecientes a la "bolsa" existente en la Dirección Provincial de la Vivienda de Ciudad de La Habana." La nueva blogosfera cubana 9/5/2009 PL: "Más de dos millones 100 mil cubanos se graduaron de los cursos impartidos en los Joven Club de Computación y Electrónica (JCCE) desde 1987, destaca hoy el diario Juventud Rebelde. Creados 22 años atrás, esas instituciones superan actualmente la cifra de 600 con presencia en los 169 municipios del país, y de ellas, 138 están situadas en comunidades rurales y 39 en regiones montañosas. Los JCCE constituyen una red de centros tecnológicos que surgió para contribuir a la socialización e informatización de la sociedad cubana, enfatizó el subdirector nacional del programa, Ernesto Rodríguez. Entre las instalaciones, precisó el rotativo, existen cuatro laboratorios móviles que llevan diferentes servicios a los sitios más intrincados de la geografía de esta isla caribeña. El potencial tecnológico abarca más de ocho mil computadoras, unidas a medios de impresión, digitalización de imágenes, almacenamiento y reproducción de información." Indignación con Lockerbie, indiferencia con Barbados 9/5/2009 Rebelion: por Jean Guy Allard Ros-Lehtinen en tierra sionista 9/3/2009 Granma: por Jean Guy Allard -- "En una entrevista con el diario web Forward, el 14 de octubre del 2005, Ros-Lehtinen habló por primera vez de su ascendencia judía que, dijo, pocos de sus electores conocen. Sus abuelos maternales eran judíos sefaraditas procedentes de Turquía que se radicaron en La Habana en los años 50. Su abuelo Jacobo Adato Levy fue un respetado líder religioso de la comunidad judía habanera, fundo sinagogas, y se quedo en Cuba después de la Revolución hasta su fallecimiento." Dissidents Work for Racial Integration 9/3/2009 IPS: "The Citizens' Committee for Racial Integration (CIR) "will attempt to bring the issue out of the closed intellectual debates where it has been closeted for the past 15 years," said Manuel Cuesta Morúa, spokesman for the moderate dissident Arco Progresista, a coalition of small social democrat groups and one of the participants at the workshop, to which the foreign press was invited. In his view, alternative civil society organisations should seek ways to achieve the self-recognition of black people, who are not represented in proportion to their demographics and their cultural contribution to Cuba. "The CIR is pursuing recognition and racial integration, not conflict or racial pre-eminence," he said." RIGHTS-CUBA: Dissidents Work for Racial Integration 9/3/2009 IPS: "Dissident groups in Cuba are attempting to open up a debate on the problem of racism in the country, in order to promote "full integration" of all the island's citizens, without discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity or skin colour. To that end, a committee "without ideological affiliation or political goals" was formed this week at a workshop on the issue, to promote actions and initiatives to guarantee "a voice and a forum" for Afro-descendants on this Caribbean island, "with the responsible support" of all Cubans who are aware of the problem. The Citizens' Committee for Racial Integration (CIR) "will attempt to bring the issue out of the closed intellectual debates where it has been closeted for the past 15 years," said Manuel Cuesta Morúa, spokesman for the moderate dissident Arco Progresista, a coalition of small social democrat groups and one of the participants at the workshop, to which the foreign press was invited. In his view, alternative civil society organisations should seek ways to achieve the self-recognition of black people, who are not represented in proportion to their demographics and their cultural contribution to Cuba. "The CIR is pursuing recognition and racial integration, not conflict or racial pre-eminence," he said." [It is well known that Cuesta Morua - a descendant of the Morua widely regarded as a traitor to AfroCubans -- is a frequent visitor to the US Interest Section.] Racism in Cuba & the Black Fellowship 9/2/2009 Havana Times: “In this same endeavor to rescue history, we have also taken into account the events that took place on November 27, 1871. On that day, in addition to the execution of the eight medical students, there was the murder of five black Abakuas who tried to prevent that injustice. It was an almost suicidal act, resulting in their murder. “But history has sidestepped these events and when people march nowadays to the monument dedicated to the eight students, not once has the heroism of those Abakuas been mentioned, except for in a speech delivered by Commander Ernesto Che Guevara, on November 27, 1961, during the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the martyrs. So, we decided to organize our own tribute parallel to the traditional one organized by the Federation of University Students (FEU)." Reflota plan contra discriminación racial 9/2/2009 IPS: "Una carta de presentación de la iniciativa, hecha circular por correo electrónico, considera que no podrá haber un avance importante y sostenido en el aminoramiento progresivo de la desigualdad racial sin la ejecución "de una política social que tenga en consideración la desventaja históricamente acumulada de la población negra". En ese sentido, Coneg propone trabajar para que el Estado y la sociedad civil adquieran conciencia del asunto y por "asegurar la prestación de una efectiva atención a la defensa del respeto de los derechos de todo tipo de la población negra cubana". La misiva conserva la fecha de su lanzamiento inicial, en julio de 1998, por el ingeniero Norberto Mesa Carbonell, como "primer cófrade", aunque ahora se añaden las firmas de los "cófrades" Tomás Fernández y Tato Quiñones, investigadores y especialistas en el tema." To President Obama: Deeds, not words 9/2/2009 Progreso Weekly: By Elíades Acosta Matos -- "• The Specific License defines "close relative." In this manner, the "government of change" has retained the rules set by the previous administration but also has restated an un-Cuban concept that disrespectfully defines the Cuban family: "A close relative is that person related to me by blood, marriage or adoption, whose relationship, or that of my relative with whom I share a common ancestry, does not go beyond the third generation." Consequently, in Cuba, where life expectancy grows yearly and where it is easy to find families with great-grandmothers and great-grandchildren, great-great-grandfathers and great-great-grandchildren, this new ruling rejects the universally accepted concept of what is family and a close relative. And that's not just in the Hispanic culture. • The mere fact of asking Cubans who wish to visit their relatives to apply for a "Specific License" and trying to impose bureaucratic rules on relations that neither natural life nor human feelings have ever commanded is a coercive, discriminatory, dissuasive and intimidating measure. Consequently, the confrontational stance taken by the previous administrations in relation to Cuba and Cubans remains in the background but still visible. Could the OFAC, without appealing to political reasoning, try to impose such licenses on the rest of the immigrants living in the United States?" US, Cuba to discuss resuming direct mail 9/1/2009 AP: "Before the U.S.-Cuban immigration talks were suspended by the Bush administration in 2003, the twice-yearly meetings in alternating countries had been the highest level contacts between the two countries. The talks were created so the countries could track adherence to 1994 and 1995 accords designed to promote legal, orderly migration between the two countries. The aim was to avoid a repeat of the summer of 1994, when tens of thousands of Cubans took to the sea in flimsy boats. On July 14, U.S. and Cuban officials met in New York to resume the immigration negotiations in what the State Department said at the time was a sign of "our interest in pursuing constructive discussions with the government of Cuba to advance U.S. interests on issues of mutual concern."" Cuba considering easing central control of economy 9/1/2009 Financial Times: "The Cuban government is considering easing its stranglehold on the retail sector in an effort to legalize the underground economy and reduce massive theft. It is President Raul Castro’s second big economic reform after last year’s decentralization of agriculture and the leasing of idle state land. A recent communiqué from the Communist party’s central committee suggested change was coming to one of the world’s two remaining Soviet-style command economies, the other being North Korea. “Raul stated the key premises for economic policy to the end of the year and next were decentralization of the assignment of resources to services and production that generate the most earnings for the country and the search for new formulas that free up productive potentials,” it said." The Black Man: The Object of Others 9/1/2009 Islas: by Manuel Cuesta Morúa, Historian, philosopher and anthropologist, General Secretary of the Socialist Democratic Current, Havana, Cuba. Islas is NED funded. "The situation in Cuba is so-so. The discursive spaces opened up by Tomás Fernández Robaina and Tato Quiñones, who are pioneers in this area, are promising. Color Cubano, with Gisela Arandia; the Cofradía de la Negritud [the Brotherhood of Blackness], with Norberto Mesa; the Movimiento de Integración Racial [the Movement for Racial Integration], with José Vélez; or, more recently, the Ciudadanos por la Integración Racial [Citizens for Racial Integration] project, promoted by the Arco Progresista, which are closer to my position, all bear witness to the problem. There were also shining moments—when singer-songwriter Gerardo Alfonso tried to open up a space in the nineties, and both Elvira Cervera and Walter Carbonell went public on just how marginalized any attempt to culturally, politically, intellectually and academically explore the black issue in Cuba had become." Gloria Estefan confirma contactos con la CIA 8/30/2009 La Polilla Cubana: "La controvertida cantante, de 52 años, tiene varias enigmas sembradas en su pasado. Hace un año, ella y su esposo, el productor mafioso Emilio Estefan, fueron sospechados de invertir en el trafico de personas entre Cuba y México, en un diario dominicano que los relacionó con operaciones ilegales desarrolladas por la Fundación Nacional Cubano Americana con el Cartel del Golfo, la red de narcotraficantes mexicanos." Juanes and Miamian bullying 8/30/2009 Rebelion: By René Vázquez Díaz -- "A perfunctory research of Cuban-American businessmen's relations with China would show that Miami adores communism. Their adoptive country is considerably dependent from the Communist Party of China. Cuban Miami has a dangerous tradition of intimidation through threats, slander and physical aggression (not excluding murder) not only against anyone who shows sympathy toward Cuba and its people but also against anyone who defies the rules of frenzied anti-Castroism that characterizes the so-called "heroic exile." Today, the object of that hostility is Juanes; but the history of bullying in Miami is long and dark. For the purpose of collecting the most CIA money and remaining the top protagonists, the members of anti-Castro organizations in the 1970s killed each other with stunning impunity. Like today, each group claimed the most intransigent and valid anti-Cuban line. Like today, all other groups were the target of their attacks. In October 1975, Batista goon Rolando Masferrer, who slandered all other exile leaders in his Miami-published newspaper, started his Ford Torino and was blown to pieces by a car bomb. In April 1976, while watching television in his Coral Gables residence, counter-revolutionary ringleader José Elías de la Torriente was shot four times and killed. Before that crime, other anti-Castro activists had threatened -- among other barbarities -- to hang him on Bayfront Park. Another prominent exile, Ramón Donestévez, was assassinated after proclaiming that he favored a peaceful coexistence with the Revolution. Luciano Nieves, who was also in favor of dialogue with Cuba, was shot to death in the parking lot of a hospital where his son was being treated. Emilio Milián, an announcer at WQBA-AM publicly condemned the terrorist violence committed by exiles; in 1976, a car bomb took off his legs. Between 1973 and 1976 alone, the FBI recorded 103 bomb blasts in Miami and investigated six political assassinations. "Cuban Miami is remarkably complacent about terrorism," wrote David Rieff in his magnificent book "Going to Miami." Relying on FBI documents, Edward S. Herman tells in his book "The Real Terror Network" how Cuban-origin counter-revolutionary groups in New York City were responsible for 20 bomb attacks between 1975 and 1980." Cuba complains that EU diplomats met with wife of Darsi Ferrer 8/29/2009 Havana Journal Juanes 'Peace' Concert Stirs Debate Over Cuba 8/27/2009 Billboard: "Although Juanes has given multiple interviews on the subject, he has also personally kept fans informed via a steady supply of information on Twitter. Yesterday, the Colombian singer/songwriter wrote that the cost of the concert would be paid by him directly with Bosé and Tañón. He also posted a home video of himself singing an acoustic song with his guitar whose refrain says "It's time to change hate for love." The line has often been repeated by Juanes in regards to this show. On Aug. 26, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Cuba Study Group released the findings of a Bendixen & Associates opinion poll among 400 Cuban Americans which found that 47% of respondents did not agree with the concert, while 27% were in favor and 26% had no opinion. Not surprisingly, older respondents expressed less support, although the approval rate among respondents ages 18-34 was 35%, still not a majority. However, approval rate for the concert rose to 45% among respondents who had left Cuba after 2000. The majority of those who oppose the concert said they did so because it ignored the realities of Cuba, including human rights abuses and political prisoners. Most respondents, 50%, say they support cultural exchange between Cuban and the United States." Si los blogs son terapéuticos ¿quién paga la terapia de Yoani Sánchez? 8/25/2009 CiberPrensa: "En Generación Y aparece en un lugar prominente un enlace para comprar el libro de Yoani en italiano, Cuba libre. Esto es algo que puede hacer cualquiera a través de PayPal, pero no un cubano que vive en Cuba, porque contraviene las regulaciones del bloqueo, donde la normativa que prohíbe el comercio electrónico en este caso es muy clara. Ya quisieran muchos periodistas que han quedado sin empleo “tener la habilidad” para emplear sus herramientas de administración y servicios, con gateway de pago o pasarela electrónica para el traspaso de dinero a través de tarjetas de crédito. Sin embargo, para que nadie se equivoque, tiene su Copyright © 2009 Generación Y – All Rights Reserved, algo que ningún bloguero cubano puede hacer tampoco desde la Isla." Colombian singer Juanes receives death threats over Cuba peace concer 8/25/2009 Guardian: "Protestors in Florida smashed CDs, burned T-shirts and sent angry messages to his Twitter account, including warnings he was hated and "will die", prompting police to step up vigilance near the singer's Key Biscayne home in Miami. Juanes, 37, has recruited top Latino acts to perform with him at the 20 September Peace Without Borders show, including Puerto Rico's Olga Tañon, Spain's Miguel Bosé and Cuba's Silvio Rodríguez and the band Los Van Van. The Grammy-award winning artist, whose real name is Juan Esteban Aristizábal, said the event was intended to set aside ideological differences and "knock down our own mental walls". He organised a peace-themed concert on Colombia's border with Venezuela during last year's tension between the two governments." Fidel Castro appears on Cuban TV to challenge rumours of ill health 8/25/2009 London Times People Need to Believe in the Supernatural - Interview with Cuban anthropologist Milagros Niebla Delgado 8/24/2009 Cuba Now: translated by Susan Hurlich Foro de Sao Paulo reclamará a Obama fin de bloqueo a Cuba 8/24/2009 Cubadebate La sexualidad y la belleza de la mujer negra, una aproximación desde Cuba 8/23/2009 Cuba Debate Adalberto Álvarez: “Estoy de acuerdo con el recomienzo del intercambio cultural entre Cuba y Estados Unidos” 8/22/2009 Jiribilla Concierto de Juanes en La Habana 8/22/2009 Jiribilla: "Que un concierto a favor de la paz despierte tanta guerra por la sencilla razón de que se celebre en Cuba, es totalmente absurdo" Hijo de dirigente histórico protesta en la Plaza 8/21/2009 Nuevo Herald: "Aquí estoy en la Plaza de la Revolución con un cartel para pedir que se haga justicia en mi caso'', dijo Almeida García a El Nuevo Herald desde un teléfono celular. "Yo no me he escondido de nadie para pedir mis derechos''. Inmediatamente después cortó la comunicación alegando que "ya vienen a recogerme'', en presunta referencia al personal militar de protección de la Plaza de la Revolución." Villoldo confiesa: La CIA ordenó el crimen de Boca de Samá 8/20/2009 CubaDebate Juanes en Cuba: ¿Quién financia la campaña sucia? 8/19/2009 Aporrea: "Uno de los más activos opositores al espectáculo que ofrecerá el cantante colombiano Juanes en La Habana el 20 de septiembre próximo, vive desde décadas de subsidios del Departamento de Estado a organizaciones anti-cubanas y aparece de nuevo en la última lista de rentistas de la National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Según documentos publicados recientemente por la investigadora venezolana Eva Golinger, el norteamericano de origen cubano Orlando Gutiérrez, dueño del llamado Directorio Demócratico Cubano (DDC),recibió en el último presupuesto de la NED la cantidad de 275 000 dólares, fundamentalmente para mantener su actividad de difamación de Cuba a través de denuncias y actividades públicas." Cuba: Hágase disidente y viva cómodamente 8/18/2009 Blogs Periodista Cubano: "En la foto:Darsi Ferrer, licenciado en medicina que ha abierto un consultorio paralelo. Sin embargo, se niega a que le envíen medicinas para desarrollar su “altruista” labor, él exige que le manden… (¡como no!) dinero." How the blockade of Cuba really works 8/15/2009 Machetera From Cuba: A Call to Action in Solidarity with Political Prisoners 8/13/2009 Directorio Democrático Cubano: Promotes campaign launched by Alfredo Domínguez Batista, José Daniel Ferrer García, Darsi Ferrer Ramírez, Mario Alberto Pérez Aguilera, Ernesto Mederos Arozarena, Juan Luis Rodríguez Desdín, Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta, Librado Linares García, Ariel Sigler Amaya, and Orlando Zapata Tamayo. CUBA: Black Women Rap Against Discrimination 8/13/2009 IPS: "They are few in number, but women’s loud chants of resistance against sexism, racism and discrimination against sexual minorities have left an indelible mark on the hip hop movement in Cuba, a little more than a decade old." Cuban political prisoners increase by 1 8/10/2009 AP: "Political prisoners held in Cuba increased by one to 206 in the past six months, the first time the number has not dropped sharply since Raul Castro took over running the communist country three years ago. The Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation said Monday that the increase compares to 205 in late January and 219 last summer. "It's the first time in two decades that the number of prisoners has not fallen," said commission head Elizardo Sanchez. Sanchez repeated his complaint that police still use brief detentions to intimidate the political opposition — although those detentions fell by two-thirds in the past six months. The latest prisoner list includes Darsi Ferrer, a physician who organizes tiny Havana street protests to mark International Human Rights Day each December." Cuba: más que nunca, la USAID sigue invirtiendo en la subversión 8/9/2009 Cuba Ahorra Cuban spies continue to exploit 'Sister City' program 8/9/2009 Washington Times: by Chris Simmons -- "A four-time war veteran and recently retired spy-catcher, Chris Simmons is an internationally known expert on Cuban intelligence." - "Consider, for example, the heavy-handedness of Afro-Cuban DI officer Felix Wilson Hernandez. A specialist in targeting blacks, he served in Washington from 1996 to 2000. Mr. Wilson featured prominently at the national formation meeting of the U.S.-Cuba Sister City Association in Pittsburgh in March 1999. That same month, he went to Cambridge, Mass. - an emerging sister city - and lectured at Harvard University about blacks in Cuba. One month later, Mr. Wilson was in Richmond, Calif., interacting with its significant black and Hispanic populations. He also repeatedly visited Seattle community leaders in preparation for the World Trade Organization conference in the winter of 1999. At the time, Seattle's Friendship Committee was active in its sister city initiative." Cash-strapped Cuba says toilet paper running short 8/7/2009 Reuters Cuban media makes unusual mention of '94 protest 8/5/2009 AP Racial Politics in Post-Revolutionary Cuba 8/5/2009 Google Books: Mark Sawyer, quotes Carlos Moore extensively. 15 years after the 5th of August events - Always together in the same battle 8/5/2009 Granma Cuba: USAID making ever-higher investments in subversion 8/5/2009 Granma: "On the other hand, the NED, a CIA front agency — it was founded to do the work that the CIA did in the 1960s and 70s but with a more legitimate image — has contributed $1.435 million to promoting destabilization in Cuba this year, Golinger states, listing the groups benefiting from that U.S. fund." Africa en la revolución cubana 8/5/2009 Jiribilla: publicado en 6/05 End the Travel Ban on Cuba 8/5/2009 LAWG Spy vs. Spy - Cuban Dissidents March to Orders of U.S. 8/5/2009 Machetera He Buried Che 8/4/2009 Miami New Times: "The then-35-year-old exile wasted little time. Within three months, he'd raised $350,000, recruited 50 men for the mission, and chosen a target: Boca de Sama, a tiny fishing village in eastern Cuba. Only one road ran into the jumble of wooden shacks, which housed just a few dozen people. It figured to be an easy target. On October 12, 1971, Gustavo led the men out of a Key Biscayne harbor on two fast boats and a 177-foot frigate the crew nicknamed El Melón for the way it rolled side to side in the slightest chop. As Gustavo organized the operation on the boat's deck, a 20-commando team raided the village. They killed at least two men: a 32-year-old local official and a 24-year-old militiaman. According to a Cuban radio report, the team also wounded two other men, and two teenage girls were hurt in the crossfire." US Activists Challenge Obama on Cuba 8/3/2009 Common Dreams: ""The current policy is still about 80% Bush," said Philip Peters, a Cuba analyst from the Arlington, Virginia-based Lexington Institute. "Obama didn't promise a profound policy shift towards Cuba during his election, though he did speak about travel and family relations. Change, however, was the central theme of his campaign." Indeed, Obama said at the April summit, "The United States seeks a new beginning with Cuba." Peters argued more than a new beginning is needed. "The nuclear option would be to end the embargo now. The political equation would change overnight. The Cuban government would be forced to accept responsibility for problems they face." Tropical Babylon - Cuba is a melting pot of different cultures. 8/3/2009 CubaNow Castro aplaza sin fecha el Congreso del PC cubano por la crisis 8/1/2009 Vanguardia Cuba Suspends Communist Party Congress and Lowers Projection for Economy 7/31/2009 AP: "Cuba on Friday suspended plans for a Communist Party congress and lowered its 2009 economic growth projection to 1.7 percent _ nearly a full percentage point _ as the island's economy struggles through a "very serious" crisis. In a closed-door meeting of the Communist Party Central Committee, officials agreed to postpone indefinitely the first congress since 1997, which had been announced for the second half of this year. The gathering was to chart Cuba's political future long after President Raul Castro and his brother Fidel are gone. Instead, top communists will try and pull their country back from the economic brink." SUELI CARNEIRO: Ennegrecer al feminismo 7/28/2009 Negra Cubana: "En Brasil y en América Latina la violación colonial perpetrada por los señores blancos a mujeres negras e indígenas y la mezcla resultante es el origen de todas las construcciones de nuestra identidad nacional, estructurando el decantado mito de la democracia racial latinoamericana que en Brasil llegó hasta sus últimas consecuencias. Esa violencia sexual colonial es también el cimiento de todas las jerarquías de género y raza presentes en nuestras sociedades configurando aquello que Angela Gilliam define como “la gran teoría del esperma en la formación nacional” … Cuba ponders reduced state role in economy 7/28/2009 Reuters: "Cash-strapped Cuba should consider putting more of its state-run economy in the hands of producers, as President Raul Castro has done with agriculture, the country's top economic commentator said on Tuesday. Ariel Terrero, during his regular Tuesday appearance on state-run television, did not call for private management, but suggested that sectors such as food services and retail could perform better if they were run in a new way." In Havana, U.S. turns off sign critical of Cuban government 7/27/2009 CNN Raul Castro says Cuba must put land to better use 7/26/2009 AP: "Raul Castro said Sunday that the global economic crisis means tougher times ahead for Cuba, but the country has no one to blame but itself for poor farm production that leads to frequent shortages of fruits, vegetables and other basics. In a speech marking Revolution Day, Cuba's president said the island can't pin all its problems on Washington's 47-year-old trade embargo. He implored Cubans to take better advantage of a government program begun last year to turn unused state land over to private farmers." How American Antiwar and Solidarity Movements in 60s Impeded an Effective Invasion of Cuba 7/26/2009 Counterpunch Update on Darsi Ferrer situation 7/24/2009 BabaluBlog How American Antiwar and Solidarity Movements in 60s Impeded an Effective Invasion of Cuba - Fair Play for Cuba and the Cuban Revolution 7/24/2009 Counterpunch Vicepresidente cubano dice en Managua que está en juego el destino latinoamericano 7/19/2009 CubaDebate: "El vicepresidente de Cuba, Esteban Lazo, afirmó hoy aquí que en Honduras se decide el destino de América Latina y el derecho de sus pueblos a elegir libremente a sus gobernantes. Lazo, quien presidió la delegación de su país a la conmemoración por el 30 aniversario de la Revolución Sandinista subrayó que la junta golpista hondureña no podría sobrevivir de no contar con el apoyo de Washington. Lo ocurrido en Honduras, precisó, nos demuestra que está latente la visión geoestratégica de los Estados Unidos de considerar a América latina y el Caribe como su traspatio." Despite Cuba embargo, relief finds a way - A humanitarian organization that illegally delivers aid to Cuba will do so again. 7/17/2009 Miami Herald 140 US Citizens Visit Cuba in Defiance of Embargo - An Open Letter from the Delegation to US President Barack Obama 7/16/2009 NarcoNews Raza y Nación ( I ): De la bio-raza a la bio-política 7/14/2009 Cuba Independiente Update on Dr. Darsi Ferrer and his family 7/12/2009 BabaluBlog US planned to attack Cuba in 2003: Report 7/11/2009 Press TV, Iran: "Former US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld was planning a huge attack against Cuba in mid-2003, a report quotes Cuban President Raul Castro as saysing. "It was most dangerous moment ever to face our country since the missile crisis of 1962," Castro told the National Defense Council on Friday, the Cuban daily Granma reported. The then US president George W. Bush and his vice president Dick Cheney had endorsed the purported attack, AFP cited the paper as saying." Cuba for Christ—Ahora! 7/9/2009 Christianity Today A flor de piel (y 2) 7/8/2009 Las cartas de Tania: "Hacia fines de los 90, en los Festivales del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano, anualmente celebrados en La Habana, antes de cada función el ICAIC proyectaba anuncios de las firmas patrocinadoras del evento. En el 2000 ese tipo de merchandising cesó, sin explicaciones. Pero se especuló que el motivo es la oposición del “máximo líder” a publicidad al estilo capitalista y, mucho menos, en las esferas culturales y deportivas, dos de las vitrinas propagandísticas del “inmaculado” sistema socialista cubano. La prohibición de esos anuncios coincidió con un comentario de Ana María Radaelli difundido en Juventud Rebelde en diciembre de 1999. La periodista criticaba la relevancia que en dichos comerciales se le daba a modelos blancos, rubios y de ojos claros, y apenas se reflejaba el componente étnico distintivo de los cubanos." A flor de piel (1) 7/7/2009 Las cartas de Tania Despite Cuba embargo, relief finds a way 7/6/2009 Miami Herald: "This does not concern Dr. Alberto Jones, a Cuban who arrived in Miami during the Mariel boatlift and has been involved with the convoys each year since 1999. ''I'm not afraid to go to jail,'' he said Sunday night at Ham & Eggery restaurant in North Miami Beach, where the truck is parked. Jones' activities mirror those of a growing number of Cuban Americans who question the embargo, which was imposed almost 50 years ago to apply economic pressure on the Cuban dictatorship in the hope of speeding its downfall. As Jones walked around the truck, which is set to join others in Texas later this month, he said American treatment of Cuba disgusts him. ''If you don't see the suffering, you don't feel it,'' he said. ``I saw kids starving and I changed my point of view. I do this [work] in Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic -- and Cuba. What's the difference?''" Académicos piden debate y acciones contra el racismo en Cuba 7/3/2009 AFP: "A 50 años de una revolución que proclamó la "igualdad'' en Cuba, manifestaciones de racismo no institucional preocupan a académicos y estudiosos que piden un debate abierto y acciones inmediatas para evitar que alcance proporciones mayores." Prisioneros de su raza (2) 7/3/2009 Desde La Habana: por Iván García - "Las discrepancias por la tonalidad de la piel en Cuba no son sólo del blanco hacia el negro, aunque sea la más común. Van también del negro al blanco y del mulato al negro. Y lo que es peor, del negro hacia el negro. La raza negra está presa en su color de piel. Recibe metralla desde cualquier frente." Race Matters in Cuba 7/3/2009 Havana Times: "Another of the recurrent questions is the posing of the racial question as if it were only of interest to black people and mestizos. White supremacy has not only pushed blacks to the periphery, but also those issues that could interest them. The statement “I don’t have anything to do with that, I don’t feel racism” alerts us that there are those who do not recognize that this is a concern for everyone, given that in the established relations of subordination there are those who hold the power and those who do not, generating inequities that are expressed in very diverse forms." Prisioneros de su raza (1) 7/2/2009 Desde La Habana: por Iván García - "Si en algunos partidos los negros eran líderes era en el comunista. El PSP (Partido Socialista Popular) estaba dirigido por un mulato oriental, Blas Roca. Varios de sus políticos más destacados eran negros o mulatos: Jesus Menéndez, dirigente de los azucareros, asesinado en 1948; Aracelio Iglesias, portavoz de los obreros portuarios, tambien asesinado; Lázaro Pena, lider sindical; Salvador García Agüero, pedagogo, por muchos considerado el más grande orador cubano y el poeta Nicolás Guillén, un camagüeyano que se afilió al PSP. Más que débil, Blas Roca fue cobarde y entreguista en su política después de 1959. Sin concesiones entregó el mando de su partido a Fidel Castro y éste lo diluyó y fragmentó a su manera. Si alguna fuerza política hubiera podido clamar con énfasis por el problema de los negros en Cuba, ése hubiera sido el PSP. Porque en sus filas militaban intelectuales negros de primera y blancos de avanzadas ideas que estaban muy lejos de ser racistas. Pero bajaron la cabeza. Y a pesar de que Castro y su revolución han intentado eliminar barreras, la situación del negro sigue siendo un polvorín." NEITHER RED NOR BLACK!": CUBA, AFRICA, AND THE POLITICS OF POSTERS 6/30/2009 University of British Columbia: published 5/2003 Raúl Castro llegó sorpresivamente a Nicaragua 6/29/2009 AFP: "El presidente de Cuba, Raúl Castro, llegó este lunes sorpresivamente a Nicaragua donde se congregan mandatarios de al menos 15 naciones del hemisferio para dar su apoyo al presidente Manuel Zelaya, depuesto el domingo por un golpe de Estado, anunció la oficialista radio Ya. Castro llegó al aeropuerto internacional de Managua hacia las 14H34 locales (20H34 GMT), donde fue recibido por su colega nicaragüense, Daniel Ortega." Reflections of Fidel - A suicidal error - by Fidel Castro 6/29/2009 Granma: "In my reflection written last Thursday night, June 25, I said: "We do not know what will happen tonight or tomorrow in Honduras, but the brave conduct of Zelaya will go down in history." Two paragraphs before I noted: "What is happening there will be a test for the OAS and for the current United States administration." Cuban ambassador targeted in Honduras 6/28/2009 Machetera DECLARACIÓN DEL COMITÉ CIUDADANOS POR LA INTEGRACIÓN RACIAL 6/26/2009 Pro Libertad: "En la tarde del jueves 25 de junio un nutrido operativo de la policía política, junto a fuerzas auxiliares del Orden interior, impidieron el acceso de los miembros de la institución cívica al debate mensual que organiza la revista cubana de Cultura, Ideología y Sociedad, “Temas”, auspiciada por el Ministerio de Cultura. Bajo el espacio de “Último Jueves” el tema en esta ocasión fue “la Cuestión Racial en Cuba, discriminación, prejuicios y estereotipos”. Cuba Dissidents Win Award but Not Obama Audience 6/25/2009 WaPo: "Five Cuban dissidents who have collectively spent decades in jail for their pro-democracy activities were given a top award by the National Endowment for Democracy last night. But, unlike in past years, their representative was not invited to the White House, organizers said. Carl Gershman, president of the endowment, said the organization asked two weeks ago whether President Obama could meet with Bertha Antúnez, the sister of one of the dissidents, who was picking up the award on their behalf. Gershman said he never got a response. It was the first time in five years that the president had not met with the winner of the Democracy Award, according to the endowment, which is funded by Congress." La visita a Cuba de Olabibi Babalola Joseph Yaï: Reconocimiento de la UNESCO a Cuba y a intelectuales y artistas cubanos 6/19/2009 ONU Cuba: "El reconocimiento de la UNESCO y de sus países miembros a Cuba y a prestigiosos intelectuales y artistas cubanos por su infatigable labor cultural en beneficio de la humanidad expresó el Embajador Olabibi Babalola Joseph Yaï, Presidente del Consejo Ejecutivo de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, Ciencia y Cultura y Delegado Permanente de la República de Benin ante esa organización, en una ceremonia en la sede de la UNESCO en esta capital. El encuentro fue presentado por el Representante de la UNESCO en Cuba y Director Regional de Cultura para América Latina y el Caribe, Herman van Hooff, quien resaltó la importancia de la visita oficial a Cuba del Embajador Yaï y sus conversaciones con altos dirigentes cubanos, intelectuales y artistas. Asimismo, subrayó el gran agrado con que la institución acoge la presencia en Cuba de tan distinguida personalidad." A Case of Post Diplomatic Stress Disorder - U.S. Cuba Policy 6/18/2009 Counterpunch Cuba Elected to UNESCO Committee on Cultural Diversity 6/17/2009 Cuba Now: "During the election of representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Paris, France, Cuba got 61 votes and Brazil 57; for the Asian region, China and Laos were elected; Albania and Bulgaria were chosen to represent Eastern Europe, Jordan and Tunisia for the Middle East and Cameroon and Kenya were elected representatives for Africa. Canada and France were elected among the highly developed countries. Cuban ambassador to UNESCO, Hector Hernandez Pardo described Cuba´s election as an extraordinary result that proves the acknowledgement of the island´s consecration to the issue. Cuba obtained the majority of votes after Canada, which got 69 votes, said Hernadez Pardo who also noted that despite the failed and obsolete isolation policy practiced by Washington against the Caribbean nation, Cuba always had impressing support. The election of Cuba expresses strong support of the cultural policy of our country, he said." Slave Route Museum Inaugurated in Matanzas, Cuba 6/17/2009 Juventud Rebelde: "The Afro América exhibition was opened during the inauguration featuring 105 educational posters and 14 African sculptures donated by Cuban artist Lorenzo Padilla." Cuba Gives Continuity to the UNESCO Slave Route Project 6/17/2009 Periodico 26: "Olabiyi admitted feeling “excited to be in this part of Africa!” " Concede la UNESCO a Cuba Medalla de la Diversidad Cultural 6/17/2009 Trabajadores: "Olabiyi entregó a Abel Prieto, miembro del Buró Político y ministro de Cultura, la Medalla de la Diversidad Cultural de la Unesco, en reconocimiento a la posición de Cuba contra los prejuicios y estereotipos que aún prevalecen debido al estigma de la esclavitud, y a una actividad cultural encaminada a distinguir el proceso de transculturación y mestizaje en nuestros pueblos. Al agradecer el gesto, el titular cubano de Cultura reconoció que tiene un gran valor, sobre todo porque el Museo se vincula con la filosofía del Consejo Nacional de Patrimonio de que un museo no es un almacén de piezas, concebidas como algo arqueológico que pertenece al pasado, sino que esas instituciones culturales deben verse como instrumentos educativos, vivos, en manos de la comunidad, de maestros y escuelas." The new 'brigadistas' - More Jamaicans get scholarships to study in Cuba 6/15/2009 Jamaica Gleaner Slave Route Museum Opens On Tuesday in Matanzas 6/15/2009 Periodico 26: "The UNESCO official will also visit Old Havana, the House of Africa and the Museum of Guanabacoa, in the Cuban capital. His agenda includes meetings with representatives of the International Film School, the Center for Studies on Africa and the Middle East, the Yoruba Association of Cuba, the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists, the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana." Cuba drops ban on letting doctor leave island 6/12/2009 AP: "Molina was a prominent neurosurgeon at a government institution until 1994, when she resigned after questioning the ethics of using human stem cell tissue in studies on treating ailments such as Parkinson's disease." Reflections of Fidel - The envy of Goebbels 6/12/2009 Granma: "Among other issues, the panel was discussing Operation Peter Pan, one of the most repugnant acts of moral aggression mounted against our country… The mastermind of the anti-Cuba operation was Monsignor Walsh, a U.S. Catholic priest who responded to the bishop of Miami." Msgr. Bryan Oliver Walsh, 71; Led Effort to Aid Cuban Children 6/12/2009 NYT: [Aid the children in a thoroughly Catholic way, based on a CIA plan.] Welcome to the Official Site of Operation Pedro Pan 6/12/2009 pedropan.org: see also Operation Pedro Pan: A horribly black mark on (U.S.) history Cuban Oil: Havana’s Potential Geo-Political Bombshell 6/11/2009 COHA: "Desperate to end U.S. dependence on oil from the Middle East, United States’ officials are certainly aware of Cuba’s oil-producing potential. In its 2004 assessment, the U.S. Geological Survey found that Cuba has 5 billion barrels of crude oil off its northern shores; Havana claims it has 20 billion . Five billion barrels would put Cuba on par with Colombia or Ecuador, while 20 billion barrels would make Cuba’s oil capacity comparable to that of the United States’ and place it among the top 15 oil reserves nations in the world. Either way, Cuba’s oil is attracting the attention of oil companies from around the globe. At the moment, Spain’s Repsol, Brazil’s Petrobras, and Norway’s StatoilHydro are overseeing exploratory drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. India, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Venezuela also have signed deals with Cuba." Cuban Oil: Havana’s Potential Geo-Political Bombshell 6/11/2009 COHA Haiti in Cuba: Vodou, Racism & Domination 6/8/2009 Havana Times: "The Haitians brought the Vodou religion to Cuba. The great anthropologist from Santiago de Cuba, Joel James, who studied that culture, says that hundreds of Haitian workers were massacred and literally thrown into the sea during the period prior to 1959. A strong xenophobia existed against them in Cuba, as well as anti-black racism, leading to events that could be characterized as genocide or ethnocide. They were the last card in that deck, however. The revolutionary triumph of 1959 put an end to such occurrences, although a certain degree of prejudice against the Vodou religion remained. This prejudice still exists, even among some of those who practice other belief systems of African origin." Cuba and Change We Can Believe In 6/7/2009 Global Research: "One of the most notable characteristics of 21st century Havana is what is not there: obvious and visible destitution. The begging and aggressive peddling prevalent in so many poor Latin capitals (and in most US cities) is entirely absent in Havana. There are no homeless people sleeping under bridges or hidden in doorways, no stumbling addicts crashed on park lawns, nor frantic children hawking candy and crafts. The sidewalks are crowded with workers and students and bureaucrats, rushing in every direction, often at a frenetic pace, but at no point is a visitor likely to encounter robbery or assault, or begging." Cuba, the US and the OAS 6/7/2009 Jamaica Observer: "The older I get the more evidence seems to accumulate that the greatest enemy of world peace and popular enlightenment may be the profession of journalism." Statue of late 'father' of Pedro Pan unveiled 6/7/2009 Miami Herald Venezuela approves funds to lay undersea cable to Cuba 6/4/2009 El Universal, Caracas: "The cable will run 966 miles and will have a capacity to handle more than 20 millions of calls at once, as well as 26,000 television signals and will provide Internet connections, as reported by local officials." OAS 'agrees to let Cuba rejoin' 6/3/2009 BBC US-Cuba Policy: "Still Stuck in the Past" 6/2/2009 Counterpunch Cultural Cimarronaje: Racial Politics in Cuban Art 6/1/2009 Upside Down World: article publised 10/9/2007 - "Excerpted from the new book Cuba Represent!: Cuban Arts, State Power, and the Making of New Revolutionary Cultures, by Sujatha Fernandes (pp. 160 - 167)" US-Cuba talks to resume on immigration, mail service between the 2 countries 5/31/2009 AP Cuban Jews react to Obama's intentions 5/31/2009 Sun Sentinel: ""There are a lot of individuals who have been living here for many years who want to see their families," said Marcos Kerbel, 62, who came to the United States on the Pedro Pan Exodus and is the president of Temple Beth Shmuel-Cuban Hebrew Congregation in Miami Beach. "They have elderly parents and grandparents who need medicine and food and therefore you also have to understand the needs of those individuals."" U.S., Cuba to restart immigration talks 5/31/2009 The Hill: "Obama has sought to reform policy towards Cuba in incremental steps instead and other changes are in the works too. For example, the U.S. government may support Cuba rejoining the Organization of American States by lifting a resolution that suspended the country’s membership in the organization the 1960s." Invoking MLK and Rosa Parks in Cuban Exile Politics 5/30/2009 AfroCubaWeb: "Another exile platform extolling the virtues of Antúnez and Rosa Parks is the blog of Marc Masferrer, the nephew of El Tigre Masferrer, who maintains a page on Antúnez. El Tigre, a notorious terrorist and leader of his own private militia, actually spent time in a US federal prison for attempting to invade Haiti so he could use it as a base for invading Cuba." Cuba slapped with $1 billion judgment 5/30/2009 AP: "The younger Villoldo joined the U.S. military and CIA, taking part in the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. A few years later, Villoldo was among a group hunting for Guevara, finally catching up with him in Bolivia in 1967. Guevara was subsequently executed and buried in Bolivia." Conferencia Mundial contra el Racismo, la Discriminación Racial, la Xenofobia y las formas Conexas de Intolerancia 5/30/2009 CIP, Cuba: Anti-Racism site by CIPRE, Cuba's Center for Press Information, includes info on Durban, 2001 Microsoft Blocks Instant Messenger in Cuba 5/29/2009 CAN: "The article, entitled "Cuba ¿la red cercada? (Cuba, the besieged internet?), reports that according to a communiqué issued by the giant software company, MSN Messenger Services have been suspended to Cuba and other "enemy" countries of the US, including Iran, North Korea, Syria and Sudan in accordance with US legislation." EL RACISMO EN CUBA, TEMA DE DEBATE 5/28/2009 Revista de Asignaturas Cubanas: Site in Sweden by Cuban dissidents - "Juan Antonio Madrazo Luna, Director de la Biblioteca Independiente “Eduardo Chivas”, ubicada en 23, # 710, Apto. 2 entre C y D, Vedado, ofreció en la tarde del 27 de mayo, un conversatorio sobre La Polémica del Racismo en Cuba, auspiciado por el Comité Ciudadano de Integración Racial, CIR." El racismo en Cuba, tema de debate 5/28/2009 Revistas de Asignaturas Cubanas: "En este espacio se debatió la negativa del régimen a exponer públicamente el documental Raza, expuesto en una sola oportunidad en el Festival de Cine Latinoamericano; la difícil situación que atraviesa la Institución Color Cubano, a punto de desaparecer; se disertó sobre las causas del elevado índice de población penal negra." A Rainbow Flag Over Habana 5/28/2009 Upside Down World: "While the harassment of gays and lesbians is nothing like what it was in Cuba’s past, it does still exist, from the formal harassment by police on the street, to discrimination in workplaces and at school, and that is to not even speak of the cultural and social taboo. These were the main topics people spoke out about in the open mic sessions it the Pabellon. The anger and frustration spoken forcefully by one man, “In a country that says all are equal I still have to be afraid!" Black Vs. White - Miami Remains The Same 5/27/2009 Miami New Times: "As much as I hate it when politicians play the race card when they are facing possible criminal charges, I can't just dismiss it either in the case of Spence-Jones. After all, Sarnoff is the city's only Anglo commissioner and Arriola is one of the most prominent Anglo Cuban Americans in Miami. Together they initiated a criminal probe into the city's only black, and only female, commissioner." Cleared of Wrongdoing, Spence-Jones Speaks To Her Flock 5/27/2009 Miami New Times Who does Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart represent? 5/27/2009 Progreso Weekly Antúnez, 6 others arrested in Havana 5/25/2009 Uncommon Sense: "Former Cuban political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez "Antúnez" and six other anti-government activists were arrested in Havana on Sunday while commemorating the 37th anniversary of the death of political prisoner Pedro Luis Boitel. The group, which also included Antúnez's wife, Iris Pérez Aguilera, held a ceremony at Colón Cemetery in Havana, followed by march down 23rd Street in Havana, where they were arrested." Color Cubano by Elíades Acosta Matos 5/21/2009 Progreso Weekly: "Acosta was chief of the Department of Culture of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba." A rank apology for the status quo that repeats a fundamental lie in the ibero spanish canon: "Nationwide, 65.2 percent of the population is white, but the number of mestizos increased by 4 points since the previous census." [Acosta, it is more like 65% afrodescendiente!] Cuba faces the crisis 5/21/2009 Progresso Weekly: "The leisure industry expanded 2 percent in the first quarter, according to Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero, speaking at the International Tourism Fair held in Havana in early May. The truth is that the industry is showing a troubling tendency to shrink. After leaping 7.9 percent in January, the number of visitors grew a meager 1.2 percent in February and shrank 2.6 percent in March, according to the National Office of Statistics. Foreign visitors have more trouble using credit cards, too. Tourism revenues dropped 13.7 percent in the first quarter, when compared with the same period last year." Operation Pedro Pan: A horribly black mark on (U.S.) history 5/21/2009 Progresso Weekly: "But what set off a panic among a large number of parents was a rumor that the new revolutionary government was in the process of drafting and implementing a new law that would remove parental rights over their children from Cuban parents. These children would then betaken and sent to the USSR for indoctrination. Thus was born Operation Pedro Pan. At the time, the CIA, with the help ofthe Catholic Church, drew up a plan that if successful, would help destabilize an insecure and young government and lead to its undoingand eventual overthrow. The pawns in this high stakes game of political chess were 14,048 Cuban children -- and their parents. My father, Angel Fernandez Varela, used to love to watch James Bondmovies. “Oh, if it was only so…” he’d say to me as beautiful movie stars seemed a dime a dozen in Bond’s arms. You see, Angel Fernandez Varela was probably the most important CIA agent of Cuban origin of that failed 1960s era that led to the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Years before his death, in Miami Beach in the presence of my mother, my sister Maria, her husband and me, he told us that he was one of the persons responsible for redacting the fake law that caused the “removal of parental rights” hysteria. It is why I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that Operation Pedro Pan was a sinister immorality play designed and dreamt up by the CIA before the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion." A Sincere and Painful Apology to the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus 5/20/2009 Black Agenda Report: "None of the Afro-Cubans who are attempting to earn world prominence by opposing the Cuban government have ever offered an aspirin to our group or others engaged in similar humanitarian endeavors, which makes their purported platform questionable at best… These are the real battles for justice, equality and the future of our nation, that all Cubans and Afro-Cubans especially should be waging, not siding with those who castrated our independence in 1898 or those who enabled this massacre and kept us segregated, impoverished, ignorant until 1959 and today, are shamefully relying on the dark skin of some, willing to sell their intellect and soul to the highest bidder, by attempting to intimidate, blackmail or create a negative political scene against members of the CBC, who have courageously stood by their brothers in Cuba for the past 25 years. We will not be threatened by letter carriers, book writers, open mike AM Radio Talk Show hosts in Miami, New Jersey or California, or by Cuban-American politicians in State Houses and in the US Congress with their segregationist past here and in Cuba, attempting to silence members of the CBC, with worn out Jim Crow tactics." Charter Companies Flying to Cuba Thrive 5/19/2009 NYT: "Cuban officials, he said, want as few companies as possible, and “if they can’t Google you and find you’ve opposed the commercial, economic or political position of the United States, you’re not likely to do any business.” Operation Pedro Pan 5/18/2009 Miami Herald: Entire subsite on a very Catholic 60's operation -- kidnapping a generation of Cuban children to save them from godless communism. Sin Escapes 5/18/2009 MyFace Cuba: por Laritza Diversent Armando Valladares’ CIA organization linked to plot against Evo Morales 5/15/2009 Granma: "The Bolivian district attorney’s office has identified Hugo Achá Melgar who, according to the AFP news agency, is Bolivia’s representative to the U.S. Human Rights Foundation (HRF), as providing the bulk of the funds for the terrorist gang foiled in Santa Cruz while plotting to assassinate President Evo Morales. The HRF is a New York-based nongovernmental organization known for its activities of interference and CIA links. Its general secretary, Armando Valladares is a terrorist of Cuban origin. District Attorney Marcelo Sosa, who is leading the investigation in this case, identified Achá, alias "Superman," along with Alejandro Melgar, "El Lucas," as being involved in and funding the plot." Obama and Latin America: No Light, All Tunnel 5/13/2009 Cuba-L Cuba confirms its 1st swine flu case 5/12/2009 AP: "Cuba's Health Ministry said in statement read Monday on state television that a group of students from several Mexican states began arriving on April 25, and that 14 of them were suffering from flu-like symptoms. Some of the students were quarantined while most were deemed healthy and released. The ministry statement said that in all of Cuba, authorities have tested 84 possible cases in people of eight nationalities for the virus. Only one case was positive — the Mexican student." Antúnez declara que superará protesta de ayuno para comenzar nueva fase de acción en Cuba 5/12/2009 Directorio Democrático Cubano Exiles: We had right to make voyage 5/12/2009 Miami Herald: published 9/7/01 - "Invoking the name of civil rights figure Rosa Parks, Sánchez said he would challenge a presidential proclamation signed by Bill Clinton in 1996 that was designed to prevent Americans from causing a confrontation with the Cuban government in its territorial waters." Spreading King's message 5/12/2009 Miami Times: "Brothers to the Rescue, the Cuban American group that made a name for Itself spotting Cuban refugees fleeing across the waters, has found an ally in its new mission to help change the communist government in Havana. Members of the group took the two-day course at the Florida Martin Luther King Institute for Nonviolence last November. They marched in the King Day parade and dropped 500,000 leaflets over Cuba calling for civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance." Nonviolence of Castro's Foes Still Wears a Very Tough Face 5/12/2009 NYT: "The change in tactics by Mr. Basulto is part of a broader movement among some anti-Castro exiles here, from the crude military actions of the past to nonviolent but aggressive methods of protest. Invoking the legacy of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, his group and others are using militant methods of civil disobedience to promote democratic change within Cuba and harsher measures against Mr. Castro by the United States… Mr. Basulto, who last November helped organize a seminar for exiles by the Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Nonviolence, has also donated money to dissidents in Cuba on behalf of his group and belongs to a support organization formed to help them." Castro blames Mexico for swine flu outbreak 5/12/2009 Press TV, Iran: "At this moment, we and dozens of other countries are paying the consequences and, on top of that, they accuse us of taking hurtful measures toward Mexico," stressed the 82-year-old Castro." «Me siento afortunado de haber vivido» - Carlos Moore, el investigador que luchó contra la manipulación racial del castrismo. 5/11/2009 Cuba Encuentro: "La segunda vez que lo vi [a Fidel Castro], fue en medio de la calle, en La Habana, y aproveché para decirle que no concordaba con lo que él decía, que el racismo había desaparecido en Cuba. Fui a parar ante el Comandante Ramiro Valdés; firmé una "confesión" negando que hubiera racismo en Cuba, y se me envió a un campo de trabajo en Camaguey. Fue en esa ocasión en que, para mi, terminó la luna de miel con el régimen." Cuba: Arrestos y Represion en Placetas 5 de mayo de 2009 - "Movimiento Feminista por los Derechos Civiles Rosa Parks" 5/11/2009 Directorio.org: [Villa Clara has a history of racism that the dissidents are responding to with their formation "Movimiento Feminista por los Derechos Civiles Rosa Parks."] "Las imágenes, captadas en Placetas, Villa Clara muestran cómo Donaida Pérez Paseiro, Damaris Moya Portieles y Yaité Cruz Sosa, todas miembros del Movimiento Feminista por los Derechos Civiles Rosa Parks, son interceptadas en la calle 7ma del sur, golpeadas y removidas de la vista de la cámara a la fuerza por oficiales uniformados y encubiertos de la Seguridad del Estado mientras se dirigían a la vivienda del destacado líder opositor Jorge Luis García Pérez Antúnez. Según declaraciones dadas al Directorio por las víctimas de esta agresión, después de los eventos capturados en las imágenes, las activistas fueron trasladadas a otra calle y allí fueron golpeadas y lanzados sus cuerpos contra los autos patrulleros, aplicándoles técnicas de estrangulación e inmovilización. Damaris Moya fue arrastrada por el pavimento y le partieron el labio superior, con mucho sangramiento. Donaida Pérez recibió patadas por las costillas por parte de los represores quienes le gritaron "¡Cállate negra!" Fueron llevadas a los calabozos de la sede de la policía política en Placetas y allí permanecieron durante tres horas en la celda #3 de ese centro represivo." Former Cuban Intelligence Official: Celebrities Often Blackmailed Into Supporting Castro 5/10/2009 Newsbuster Yoani Sánchez: Pentagon babe 5/8/2009 Machetera: "Military academics offer another extremely important variable in the information war waged on the Internet. In order to turn prejudices into real facts, they should be filtered through a personal perspective, preferably accompanied by pictures and other evidence which prove that the witness can be found where the story takes place. Military Review,[9] the Pentagon’s official magazine, has dedicated extensive analysis to the importance of blogs and cyber-dissidents in this strategy. They serve to offer a face and anecdote to a rhetoric that corresponds to the political designs of the North American military for each region in conflict, particularly those where Internet use is on the rise." Secretaría Nacional 5/7/2009 Directorio Democrático Cubano: Javier de Céspedes, Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, and his wife Janisset Rivero Gutiérrez, are veterans of numerous terrorist and far right campaigns against Cuba. Gutiérrez was a leader of the terrorist group Organización para la Liberación de Cuba and a supporter of ARENA in El Salvador. Nation and Multiculturalism in Cuba: A Comparison with the United States and Brazil 5/7/2009 George Zarur: "This economy gave rise to the local elite that led the country to independence from Spain." [Antonio Maceo and the largely black Mambi Army led the fight for independence, their victory was stolen by the Americans who re-installed the plantocracy.] Alabama on Cuba: Tear down this embargo 5/7/2009 LA Times Mobile would profit from end of Cuba embargo 5/7/2009 LA Times Sister of Cuban dissident 'Antunez' looks to sway lawmakers 5/7/2009 Miami Herald: "The sister of a prominent black Cuban activist delivered a sharply worded letter from her brother Wednesday to three members of the Congressional Black Caucus who met last month in Cuba with Fidel and Raúl Castro -- but no dissidents. Berta Antúnez's visit comes as efforts to open Cuba to travel and trade heat up on Capitol Hill, and Antúnez said through an interpreter she didn't want Cuban democracy activists to be overlooked. ''They were indifferent to the suffering of the Cuban people, but now the world gets to know who these people are,'' said Antúnez, who was accompanied to the Capitol by Anolan Ponce, a Miami board member of the U.S.-Cuba Democracy Political Action Committee, the leading lobby in support of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba." Cuba travel boom - after long wait 5/7/2009 NY Daily News ‘One small detail about Miami… there are many good people as well’ 5/7/2009 Progreso Weekly: Telephone conversation with Gerardo Hernandez from the U.S. prison (Part IV) Cuban American travel to Cuba on the rise 5/7/2009 Reuters U.S.-Cuba thaw in full swing in arts world 5/7/2009 Reuters: "After being largely absent in recent years, U.S. gallery owners, museum directors, curators and collectors are returning to the island to view and buy the work of Cuban artists. Hundreds showed up for the just-ended Havana Biennial arts festival that was a regular stop for art buyers before a Bush administration travel crackdown earlier this decade. Their presence reflected both newly relaxed U.S. policy toward Cuba under President Barack Obama and a U.S. hunger for Cuban art." Cuba cutting Internet access 5/7/2009 Sun Sentinel: "Only government employees, academics and researchers are allowed their own Internet accounts, which are provided by the state, but only have limited access to sites outside the island. Ordinary Cubans may open e-mail accounts accessible at many post offices, but do not have access to the Web. Many got around the restrictions by using hotel Internet services. But a new resolution barring ordinary Cubans from using hotel Internet services quietly went into place in recent weeks, according to an official with Cuba's telecom monopoly, hotel workers and bloggers." Cuba cutting Internet access 5/7/2009 Sun Sentinel: "Cuba is further limiting access to the World Wide Web for its citizens, in what many believe is an effort to rein in a small but increasingly popular group of bloggers who are critical of the government. Only government employees, academics and researchers are allowed their own Internet accounts, which are provided by the state, but only have limited access to sites outside the island. Ordinary Cubans may open e-mail accounts accessible at many post offices, but do not have access to the Web. Many got around the restrictions by using hotel Internet services. But a new resolution barring ordinary Cubans from using hotel Internet services quietly went into place in recent weeks, according to an official with Cuba's telecom monopoly, hotel workers and bloggers." Afro-Cuban dissident seeks US lawmakers' help 5/6/2009 AP: "Rush, and California Democrats Barbara Lee and Laura Richardson spent two hours talking with Castro on April 7 during a visit to the island. The three were part of a larger Congressional Black Caucus delegation that met with Castro's brother, Cuban President Raul Castro, and other officials about improving relations between the two countries. After his return, Rush said he takes "a back seat to no one when it comes to standing up for human rights - anyone's human rights." The FBI, under J. Edgar Hoover, pursued him for his efforts to seek justice for African-Americans and others, including his leadership role in the Black Panthers." Antunez Letter to CBC Members 5/5/2009 Capitol Hill Cubans: "When we recall the fight and integrity of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, without whom you would still be giving up your seat on the bus and would not have the right to vote, we ask ourselves if the legacy of those who conquered the space of opportunity that you enjoy today, has been reserved only for political speeches and has ceased to be a commitment of your generation to justice and truth." Posada Carriles, Orlando Bosch and the Downing of Cubana Flight 455 - A Glimpse into the Mind of a Terrorist 5/2/2009 Counterpunch: published 4/06 Eviction of Evangelical Pastor and His Family 5/1/2009 Islas: "Forced evictions are an everyday practice in Cuba; the victims are generally black. What is special about the Ibáñez case is that his family’s eviction serves as an attack on freedom of religion. The Communist Party’s Municipal Headquarters cannot forgive the fact that as an evangelical pastor, Ibánez remodeled part of his home to be a meeting room, and that in it he holds religious activities with members of his congregation." Negroes with Guns: Rob Williams and Black Power 5/1/2009 Organization of American Historians: published 10/06 Rogelio Martínez Furé: Presencia de la cultura africana en los pueblos americanos y caribeños. 5/1/2009 Tricontinental: [publicado 11/04] "La presencia de la cultura angolana y africana en América, en las manifestaciones de las artes plásticas y danzarias, en los gustos culinarios, en las tradiciones y en el lenguaje de los pueblos americanos y caribeños, quedó demostrada en la magistral conferencia ofrecida por Rogelio Martínez Furé, reconocido africanista, fundador del Conjunto Folclórico Nacional de Cuba… Recordó un estudio de la música en un convento católico en México, cuyos cantos religiosos no eran comprendidos por los historiadores. No fue hasta analizarse la presencia africana como una tercera raíz, se descubrió que existía un coro de esclavas africanas que fueron internadas junto con sus amas convertidas en novicias y allí dejaron para siempre su huella. En cada momento de esta conferencia magistral del profesor Rogelio Martínez Furé quedó vigente su expresión: “Cuando no sabemos a dónde vamos, tenemos que saber de dónde venimos, porque la identidad es un río renovador que siempre llega al mar de la humanidad”. Y concluyó con un refrán angolano para argumentar la necesidad de tener en cuenta la dialéctica de la historia: “Hoy son hoy, mañana son mañana.” " US keeps Cuba on terrorism blacklist 4/30/2009 AFP: "It said that the United States had "no evidence of terrorist-related money laundering or terrorist financing activities in Cuba," but pointed out that Cuba's banking systems remain among the most secretive and opaque in the world. It also said Havana still allowed members of US militant groups like the Boricua Popular, or Macheteros, and the Black Liberation Army to live on its territory, even though they were fugitives from US justice. "In keeping with its public declaration, the government has not provided safe haven to any new US fugitives wanted for terrorism since 2006," it added." Is Cuba closer to removal from list of terrorism sponsors? 4/30/2009 McClatchy: "It's a big gesture on their part to recognize Fidel Castro's statements about the FARC," said Philip Peters of the Lexington Institute. "It sounds to me like Cuba is on its way to coming off the list." Thirty years after the murder of Carlos Muñiz Varela By Raúl Álzaga Manresa 4/30/2009 Progreso Weekly: "The terrorists and all the American presidents that took office after Carlos' assassination could not halt the flow of travel to Cuba. Then, in 2001, George W. Bush came to the presidency and, in 2004, towards the end of his first term, decided to accomplish via legal means what the terrorists had failed to do in the 1980s -- to reduce to the lowest possible level the exchanges between Cuban relatives, even to redefine the concept of "family." No other Hispanic or minority group in the United States has ever experienced such a prohibition. Today, 30 years after Carlos' assassination, we can say that both attempts -- the one in 1979, through terror and death, and the one in 2004, through "state terrorism" -- have failed." Recession slows Cuban migration 4/30/2009 Sun Sentinel: "The number of Cubans entering the United States has dropped by more than 40 percent compared with the year before, Department of Homeland Security numbers show. It's the biggest drop in 20 years, said Luis Diaz, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman. Cubans are staying put in large part because of the economic doldrums in the United States, experts say. Cuban-Americans here are telling family members on the island about the tough times, keeping them from making the dangerous trek across the water or the Southwest border desert, they said. "People here are going to say: 'Hey you know what, let the state take care of you in Cuba, as meager as that is, because I'm hardly making a living or I'm unemployed,' " said Rafael Lima, an assistant professor at the University of Miami ,who produced two documentary films about Cuba." The US, Cuba and Moral Authority 4/29/2009 Black Agenda Report: "When comparing human rights in the US and in Cuba it should be considered that Cuba’s national security has actually been under constant attack by the US since the dawning of the revolution. The US government doesn’t have to worry about the world’s most powerful foreign force, just 90 miles from its shores, constantly attempting to destabilize and overthrow it. Cuba does and the US is that force. One method used against Cuba is the bribing of Cuba’s own citizens to serve the empire against their own country. A declassified October 1961 document authored by then CIA inspector Lyman Kirkpatrick states, “The history of the Cuban Project begins in 1959” and goes on to outline its fundamental aspects: “a) Formation of a Cuban exile organization…to direct opposition activities, and to provide cover for Agency operations. b) A propaganda offensive in the name of the opposition. c) Creation inside Cuba of a clandestine intelligence collection and action apparatus to be responsive to the direction of the exile organization. d) Development outside Cuba of a small paramilitary force to be introduced into Cuba to organize, train and lead resistance groups.” Such activities remain in effect today under the title “Cuba Program,” compliments of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Anywhere such valid national security concerns exist countries cannot simply take for granted the integrity of each and every one of their citizens. But organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International refuse to factor in this added complexity when judging human rights in Cuba or any other country that falls prey to this improved regime change strategy of imperialism. “One method used against Cuba is the bribing of Cuba’s own citizens to serve the empire against their own country.” In response to this Cuba has had to enact laws specifically designed to keep its citizens from aiding and abetting the US’ immoral and internationally condemned Helms-Burton Act." Race and Revolution: Cuba and Blackness 4/28/2009 Democracy Now: published in 4/200 - "KWAME DIXON: Well, we would have to put Cuba in—in terms of its attempt to deal with racism, I think that the Cuban government has made serious efforts to eradicate racism. They’ve put in tremendous amounts of money in education, health, etc. I think we know about that. I think the question is for other governments in the region. I think Afro-Cubans are in many ways—I can’t say better off, because that’s not the proper way to put it, but we can say that the Cuban government has taken race seriously, whereas the Colombians or governments in Ecuador or Peru or Brazil, Afro-Latinos are really mistreated and badly viewed in the society." CIA Link to Cuban Pig Virus Reported 4/28/2009 SF Chronicle: published 1/1977 - "However, on the basis of numerous interviews over four months with U.S. intelligence sources, Cuban exiles and scientists concerning the outbreak — which occurred two years after then-President Nixon had banned the use of offensive chemical and biological warfare — Newsday was able to piece together this account of events leading up to the outbreak. The U.S. intelligence source said that early in 1971 he was given the virus in a sealed, unmarked container at Ft. Gulick, an Army base in the Panama Canal Zone. The CIA also operates a paramilitary training center for career personnel and mercenaries at Ft. Gulick. The source said he was given instructions to turn the container with the virus over to members of an anti-Castro group. The container then was given to a person in the Canal Zone, who took it by boat and turned it over to persons aboard a fishing trawler off the Panamanian coast. The source said the substance was not identified to him until months after the outbreak in Cuba. He would not elaborate further." South African Defense Minister Pays Homage to Internationalists 4/27/2009 CAN: "Ngakula laid a wreath at the Pantheon of those who fell for the independence of their Homeland, located at Havana's Colon Cemetery. The South African official was accompanied by Cuban Division General Antonio Enrique Luson Battle and Brigadier General Delsa Esther Puebla. In statements to ACN news agency, the South African Minister, who is meeting an official agenda in Cuba, said that there is a great understanding in his country about the meaning of the Cuban Revolution. This is a solemn place, not only for Cubans but also for those who received the assistance of the small Caribbean nation he said and added that though their remains rest here, they are alive in everybody´s memory due to their courage and heroism, he stressed." Reflections of Fidel - Gestures that are impressive 4/27/2009 Granma: "“In an editorial article by Kathleen Kennedy printed today in The Washington Post, Robert’s daughter expresses her wish that her father’s position be adopted by the Barack Obama government, and that this should be the position promoted by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. while the Obama government weighs the next step it will take with Cuba, one that should be pushing for allowing more than just Cuban-Americans to travel freely to the island and dealing with the rights of all Americans, most of whom are not free to go. “Kathleen Kennedy writes that just as Obama found out at the summit meeting last week-end, Latin American leaders have adopted a coordinated message on Cuba: the time is here to normalize relations with Havana. By keeping on trying to isolate Cuba, they essentially told Obama, Washington has only succeeded in isolating itself." Half a Century of U.S. Lies 4/26/2009 Jamaica Observer An Interview with Gerardo Hernandez, Leader of the Cuban Five - Seventeen Months in "the Hole" 4/25/2009 Counterpunch: "SL: So you supervised those who had infiltrated violent groups? Explain how you did this. GH: It’s not appropriate to give too many details, right? But in the trial documents it shows we had agents with access to these [terrorist] organizations. Their function was to protect Cuba by learning countless pieces of information regarding terrorist plans of these organizations. For example, Rene joins the Brothers to the Rescue and he hears a comment from Basulto that they have a weapon ready to test on targets in the Everglades. They fire it and it works. Now they try to find a place in Cuba to fire it. Well, I’m alerted through previously arranged methods of communication, like a beeper. I’d call him and with coded language we’d arrange to meet. We’d take precautions and meet and he’d tell me about them testing this weapon. Or Alpha 66 is planning an expedition to fire weapons at the Cuban coast or they want to put a bomb on a plane full of tourists going from Central America to Cuba. I’m not making this up. I’d try to encourage them to find out more while not taking unnecessary risks. I then sent this information to Cuba and Cuba would respond telling me to do this or that, to seek information through this means or that. Basically, that was my job." Politics of Color for Obama in Cuba 4/25/2009 CQ Politics: "But despite his reversal of Bush Administration policy toward Cuba travel, it more than likely will prove difficult to follow that with a quick end to the 47-year-old trade embargo. For one thing, Cuban leaders aren’t sure the country is ready for the embargo to be lifted. That’s why we see mixed messagescoming from the Castro brothers about opening a dialogue with the U.S. And Castro isn’t stupid. He saw what happened to the Soviet Union in the 1980s after it opened itself up to the West — its economy collapsed." Orishas cancel Sunday set at Jazz Fest 4/25/2009 Times Picayune, Louisiana: "Cuban hip-hop group Orishas will not perform as scheduled at Jazz Fest's Congo Square stage on Sunday, April 26. A Jazz Fest spokesperson said the group's members, who live in Europe, were not able to enter the country." International Support for Cuban Pro-Democracy Activist Antunez 4/23/2009 AP Líderes Internacionales Democráticos se Solidarizan con Activista Cubano Antúnez a 66 Días de Ayuno 4/23/2009 Directorio Democrático Cubano: "Una docena de líderes de países africanos encabezaron la lista de firmantes, entre ellos Eddie Jarwolo, director del Movimiento Nacional Juvenil para Elecciones Transparentes–Socios para el Desarrollo Democrático en Liberia; el juez Mukete Tahle Itoe de Camerún, el Secretario General de la Red Mundial para la Buena Governancia, una organización anti-corrupción; y Anyakwee Nsirimovu, Director Ejecutivo del Instituto para los Derechos Humanos y Ley Humanitaria en Nigeria, quien ha sido perseguido por su activismo en contra de la corrupción. “Le hago un llamado al gobierno cubano a sostener el concepto de la democracia multipartidista basada en la proliferación de diversos criterios políticos y alternativas comenzando por la tolerancia manifiesta a los políticos de oposición y muestras de preocupación y respeto por la dignidad de cubanos vulnerables como obligación del gobierno, ni como favor, ni como opción,” señaló Eddie Jarwolo." Obama's Real Plan in Latin America 4/22/2009 Venezuela Analysis: "The purpose of the embargo is not to pressure Cuba into being more democratic: this lie can be easily refuted by the numerous dictators the U.S. has supported in the hemisphere, not to mention dictators the U.S. is currently propping up all over the Middle East and elsewhere. The real purpose behind the embargo is what Cuba represents. To the entire hemisphere, Cuba remains a solid source of pride. Defeating the U.S. Bay of Pigs invasion while remaining fiercely independent in a region dominated by U.S. corporations and past government interventions has made Cuba an inspiration to millions of Latin Americans. This profound break from U.S. dominance — in its “own backyard” no less — is not so easily forgiven." Blacks ponder President Obama’s change in Cuba travel policy 4/22/2009 Westside Gazette, FL CARLOS MOORE: Putting context to Cuba's racial divide 4/21/2009 McClatchy: " Brought to light in 2008, the first comprehensive, officially-sanctioned document addressing the issue of race in Cuba under the Revolution, The Challenges of the Racial Problem in Cuba [2], paints a stark picture of the situation that exists even now in 2009 for the blacks. This graphic, 385-page document, supported by a bounty of hitherto unpublicized statistics, speaks of neglect, denial, and forceful resurgence of racism in Cuba under Communism. The publication shows a growing impoverishment of the population as a whole, but it emphasizes that black Cubans are disproportionately affected. The old segregationist Cuba is gone, according to this document, yet, somehow the country's leadership continues to be predominantly white (71%). A majority of the country's scientists and technicians are white (72.7%), even though both races have equal rates of education. The same whitening process affects Cuba's universities at the professorial level (80% at the University of La Habana). In the countryside, the land that is privately held is almost totally in the hands of whites (98%), and even in the State cooperatives blacks are almost nonexistent (5%). A robust percentage of able-bodied Cubans with jobs are white, whether male (66.9%) or female (63.8%). In contrast, the overall employment rate of blacks who are fit to work is startlingly low (34.2%). We are left to conclude that most able-bodied black Cubans are unemployed (65.8%)." Cuba will Expose US Internet Discrimination and Prohibition Policy 4/20/2009 CAN: "Studies published by the media explain that the Internet band width allowed to Cuba by the United States is only as large as any being used by a single enterprise, or even similar to those of private users who count on that resource in other parts of the world. Google, for instance, limits the use by Cuba of services such as Google Earth and other applications like Google Desktop, Google Toolbar, and others. When Cuban users try to download such resources their screens display messages reading like this one: “Thanks for your interest, but the product that you're trying to download is not available in your country”, or “Google Desktop is not currently available in your country, and other messages confirming that Internet is another scenario of the nearly-50-year US economic, financial and commercial blockade of Cuba." The U.S. is taking vacuous steps toward Cuba 4/20/2009 Computerworld: "When I was working as a research analyst at the National Security Agency in the mid-'80s, one of my assignments was to study the economic situations in Nicaragua and Cuba… According to The Wall Street Journal, "The White House cast the moves as a way to challenge the Cuban government to open itself up to the outside world." No doubt, Cuba's policies with respect to telecommunications and the Internet have deprived its citizens of access to information that should be freely available. But we in this country need to come to grips with how ludicrous it is for us to preach to Cuba about opening itself up to the outside world while we insist on maintaining a choking trade embargo against it. The fact is, Cuba has opened itself up to the outside world in many ways. The U.S. stands practically alone in keeping the door closed to diplomatic relations and meaningful commercial engagement with Cuba, so lecturing the country on openness will get us nowhere." From a Really Acceptable Cuban - A Modest (Transition) Proposal to Obama 4/20/2009 Counterpunch: "Out of magnanimous politeness the United States government did not want to be very precise as to what it expects of us Cubans so that we can be granted the blessings of a democratic system in our island. We do appreciate that the interests of Cubans is what guides American policy toward us, something that - obviously - we forget to do ourselves. Your selflessness is commendable, while our own self-interested behavior is certainly demeaning. We have decided, consequently, to respond to your expectations of reciprocity. We want to be good and be like you. Hereby we are lifting our economic embargo of the United States. Moreover, we will go the extra mile. We have come up with a number of initiatives of our own, hoping that you will be pleased and recognize us as your faithful students. The proposals should be considered our response to your substantial and magnificent first steps [i.e. letting Cuban Americans freely travel to our humble nation and do as they wish with their own money]." Cubans divided on more issues than travel 4/20/2009 Miami Herald: "Recognizing the differences between the waves of Cuban immigrants, sociologists like Silvia Pedraza even came up with labels to describe the various groups. First there were the true exiles, those who came between 1959 and 1962, whom Pedraza calls ''those who wait'' believing that one day they'll return to a free Cuba. They were followed by ''those who escape,'' mostly professionals pushed out by the communists in the early '60s; ''those who search'' (1965-1973), small merchants and farmers who fled after their businesses were taken over; ''those who hope'' (1980s), often poorer and more racially diverse, who came in search of a better future; and ''those who despair'' (1990s and more recently), who arrived as the Cuban government encouraged the discontented to leave the island." Plans to expand Internet access in Cuba prompt censorship warnings 4/20/2009 NextGov US awaits signs of change from Cuba: White House 4/18/2009 AFP: "Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told Obama during a meeting today with leaders from the Union of South American Nations that another Summit of the Americas without Cuba was unacceptable. “The big test is progress in relations with Cuba,” said Brazil’s Foreign Minister Celso Amorim. “A small step was taken in the right direction. But there needs to be direct dialogue, discreet in the beginning. That’s what Lula told Obama needs to take place.” " An Interview with Gerardo Hernandez, Leader of the Cuban Five - Infiltrating Alpha 66 4/18/2009 Counterpunch: "The first thing that struck me was the impunity with which these groups operated, violating the laws of the US: The Neutrality Acts [of the 1790s] that supposedly means no organization can use American soil to commit terrorism against another country. In the case of Alpha 66, the operatives would take a fast boat and shoot at targets along Cuba’s coast. When they would return to Miami, they would hold a press conference lecture and openly say what they had done." The OAS Charter, Cuba and the United States 4/18/2009 Counterpunch: By NELSON P. VALDÉS Articles by Manuel Cuesta Morúa 4/18/2009 Cuba Encuentro: Custa Morua is said to be descended on his mother's side from Martín Morúa Delgado, remembered for introducing a bill that banned black political parties because they discriminated against white Cubans. The Morúa Amendment would later be cited as inciting Cuba’s “Race War of 1912.” Meek Among Delegation Traveling With Obama 4/16/2009 CBS: "Meek's inclusion on the trip comes just days after he spoke out against Obama's new Cuban policy. According to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald, Meek said he wants to curb the amount of money Cuban American his party recently by saying he wants to curb the amount of money Cuban Americans can send their relatives because of the 20 percent cut the Cuban government takes out of any such transaction. "I want to talk to the president about the unlimited remittances, if that's what he said, because that could be counterproductive to our mission in Cuba to turn it toward democracy the way we'd like to see it," Meek told the Herald." Cuba's Race Relations Seldom Discussed 4/15/2009 NPR: "President Barack Obama yesterday decided to loosen restrictions on travel to Cuba, and the ability of Americans to send money to family members on the island. The decision has met with widely divergent reactions. But largely unmentioned is the sometime complex racial dynamic between Cuban exiles, who are predominately white, and Cubans who remain on the island, 30 to 60 percent of which are of African decent." What Obama's Cuba move means for blacks 4/15/2009 The Loop Obama Faces Cuban `Elephant In The Room` Ahead Of Caribbean Summit 4/14/2009 CaribWorldNews: "The new policy will now allow U.S. companies to establish fiber-optic and satellite links to Cuba as well as letting them license roaming agreements for cellphones on the island. Radio and TV satellite companies can also provide services directly to Cuban citizens. In addition, the Obama administration lifted restrictions placed on humanitarian gift parcels, going beyond reverting to 2004 regulations and allowing for any U.S. citizen to send humanitarian aid to individual Cubans." Cuba Will Continue to Resist - Not a Word About the Blockade - By FIDEL CASTRO 4/14/2009 Counterpunch: "Cuba does not applaud the ill-named Summits of the Americas, where our nations do not debate on equal footing. If they were of any use, it would be to make critical analyses of policies that divide our peoples, plunder our resources and hinder our development. Now, the only thing left is for Obama to try to persuade all of the Latin American presidents attending the conference that the blockade is harmless." Time for Congressional Black Caucus to Disband? 4/14/2009 Jewish World Review: "Or the seven could have traveled three hours from Havana to see the hunger-striking dissidents led by Jorge Luis Garcia 'Antunez' Perez in Placetas. Or they could have asked to see Oscar Elias Biscet, a doctor serving 25 years in prison for following the peaceful resistance of Martin Luther King Jr…. There was never a good reason for any members of Congress to create a group whose sole criterion for membership was race (or ethnicity in the case of the Congessional Hispanic Caucus). The CBC is so color-based that even congressmen representing majority-black districts who are not themselves black (such as Rep. Stephen Cohen, D-Tenn.), who applied for membership) are not allowed to be members. Such a group, if it existed anywhere else in America, would properly be declared racist and would be either legally or morally forced to shut down." [Like AIPAC?] Florida tourism looking at Cuba 4/14/2009 Miami Herald: "That potential has the Sunshine State studying how to prepare its top industry for an American tourism boom 90 miles away from its shores. Visit Florida, the state's tourism board, issued a cautionary report in 2002 that warned one in five Florida vacationers would pick Cuba over the Sunshine State if given a choice. This week, officials at the tourism board downplayed the threat from a country with fewer hotel rooms than Detroit. ''But it is also safe to say there will be demand by Americans to see an island that has not been available to them for 50 years,'' Visit Florida President Bud Nocera wrote in an e-mail Tuesday. ``We believe that if and when Americans are allowed to travel to Cuba, much of that travel will be done from Florida.'' White House Fact Sheet: Cuba Policy 4/13/2009 NYT Cuba readies for possible influx of U.S. tourists 4/12/2009 Reuters: "A study for the International Monetary Fund estimated that as many as 3.5 million Americans could visit Cuba annually if the travel ban was lifted. But travel experts say 500,000 is a more likely maximum the Cuban government would allow in the early years because it does not have enough facilities for more. "Cuba is ready to absorb another half million visitors a year, but not another million, just because of hotel capacity," said a foreign businessman in Cuba's travel industry. "I'm sure they will try to control as much as they can in order to avoid a boom that nobody can control. Every country in the world would try to do the same," he added." Let's get U S-Cuba relations straight 4/11/2009 Trinicenter: Dr. Kwame Nantambu is professor emeritus, Kent State University, US. Putting Afro In Cuba Tours 4/10/2009 Race & History: by Willie Thompson, published in 12/2002 Coddling Cuba - Why do the members of Congress rushing to befriend the Castros ignore the island's pro-democracy movement? 4/9/2009 WaPo: "Mr. García, better known as "Antúnez," is a renowned advocate of human rights who has often been singled out for harsh treatment because of his color. "The authorities in my country," he has said, "have never tolerated that a black person [could dare to] oppose the regime." His wife, Iris, is a founder of the Rosa Parks Women's Civil Rights Movement, named after an American hero whom Afro-Cubans try to emulate. The couple have been on a hunger strike since Feb. 17, to demand justice for an imprisoned family member. They are part of a substantial and steadily growing civil movement advocating democratic change in Cuba -- one that U.S. advocates of detente with the Castros appear determined to ignore." [Antúnez is largely unknown in Cuba, his fame is due to the exile drumbeats.] Policy review prompts solidarity with Cuba’s democrats 4/8/2009 Democracy Digest - NED: "Democracy and human rights groups are urging the Congressional Black Caucus, which yesterday met with Fidel Castro, to press Cuba’s communist authorities on the welfare of the island’s political prisoners and democracy activists, including Afro-Cuban prisoner of conscience Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet and civil rights activist Jorge Luis Perez Garcia, aka “Antunez.”" US Lawmakers Say Time to Talk With Cuba 4/8/2009 IPS: "The visiting lawmakers met for over four hours on Monday with President Raúl Castro. "It was a very good meeting. It was very open and we discussed a wide range of issues," Lee told reporters. "All of us are convinced that President Castro would like normal relations and would see normalization, ending the embargo, as beneficial to both countries," said the congresswoman, who is chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Castro, she added, "said everything was on the table."" Fidel Castro to Congressional Black Caucus members: 'How can we help President Obama?' 4/8/2009 LA Times Fidel Castro "energetic" in meeting with U.S. lawmaker 4/8/2009 Reuters Fidel Castro Meets With 3 Visiting US Lawmakers 4/7/2009 AP: "Signaling its willingness to discuss improved relations with the Obama administration, Cuba on Tuesday granted three visiting members of the Congressional Black Caucus the first meeting with Fidel Castro by American officials since he fell ill in 2006. The surprise meeting came a day after the full delegation of six representatives spent more than four hours talking privately with Cuban President Raul Castro, his first encounter with U.S. officials since formally replacing his brother as head of state nearly 14 months ago." Lawmakers' Cuba concerns are misplaced 4/7/2009 Miami Herald: "Rep. Kendrick Meek, who was traveling the Panhandle Tuesday in his U.S. Senate bid, offered this wise analysis of his Black Caucus colleagues' ''fact-finding'' mission: ''Political prisoners jailed in Cuba are held for peacefully expressing their rights and freedoms, like Dr. Oscar Biscet and Antúnez,'' he said. ``The Cuban spies held in the U.S. federal prisons were a threat to our national security. That's the difference between night and day.'' [Meeks is also a supporter of free trade with Colombia.] CBC members praise Castro 4/7/2009 Politico: "Key members of the Congressional Black Caucus are calling for an end to U.S. prohibition on travel to Cuba, just hours after a meeting with former Cuban president Fidel Castro in Havana. “The fifty-year embargo just hasn’t worked,” CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Ca.) told reporters this evening at a Capitol press conference after returning from a congressional delegation visit to Cuba. “The bottom line is that we believe its time to open dialogue with Cuba.” Lee and others heaped praise on Castro, calling him warm and receptive during their discussion. But the lawmakers disputed Castro's later statement that members of the congressional delegation said American society is still racist." A question about Cuba and Martin Luther King Jr. 4/6/2009 Uncommon Sense: "Cuban civil rights activists remember Martin Luther King Jr." Castro: Americans Summit to keep 'excluding' Cuba 4/5/2009 AP Racismo en Cuba, un tema controvertido 4/5/2009 Cuba Voz: "Es un choque silencioso entre las dos razas con matices gregarios, por lo general los negros prefieren asociarse entre sí aislándose de los blancos en actividades sociales comunes, en fiestas, reuniones de amigos, en el intercambio de tragos, y lo mismo se manifiesta entre los blancos. Cada uno por separado, pero sin llegar a una definida segregación al estilo de Atlanta año 1950. El racismo en Cuba no va más allá de un agudo prejuicio racial planteado en términos del "somos distintos"." CUBA: Black Women Rap Against Discrimination 4/5/2009 IPS: published 8/07 by Dalia Acosta US lawmakers: Normalize Cuba relations, then talk 4/5/2009 Reuters: "The United States and Cuba should normalize diplomatic relations then sort out their differences, the head of a delegation of U.S. lawmakers on a visit to Cuba said Sunday. "Most of the members of our delegation believe we need to actually normalize relations and then the details of what that means would follow," Representative Barbara Lee, who is also chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said at a news conference." Congressional delegation visiting Cuba - Congressional Black Caucus members to visit Cuba to review trade and travel 4/2/2009 AP: "Members of the Congressional Black Caucus will travel to Cuba on Friday in another sign of federal lawmakers' interest in easing a long-standing trade embargo and travel restrictions. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said the trip is designed to demonstrate to Cubans that the American people are interested in building a new relationship with them. "Diplomacy and a new way of looking at our foreign policy just makes sense," said Lee, chairwoman of the caucus. Visits to Cuba by members of Congress are hardly new, but some lawmakers believe the election of President Barack Obama presents a new opportunity to open up trade and tourism. Business and farm groups are backing the lawmakers' efforts. On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Senate announced their support for legislation that would prevent the president from stopping travel to Cuba except in cases of war, imminent danger to public health or threats to the physical safety of U.S. travelers. An identical bill in the House has 120 co-sponsors." Cuban Doctor Pays A High Price for Truth 3/31/2009 WSJ: published 3/06 - "Dr. Ferrer had sinned against the Revolution: He is an Afro-Cuban medical professional who, noting the country's abysmal state of health care, established an independent health and human rights clinic. "We have dedicated ourselves to offering free medical attention to those in need and visiting extremely poor communities where scarcities strike marginalized Cubans daily, to offer health services, give medicine, clothing and toys and to share the suffering of those beings," Dr. Ferrer reported. The 36-year-old doctor's selfless dedication to others would win praise from any government genuinely concerned about the welfare of citizens. However, in Cuba, his work scandalizes the state. It has rewarded him by shutting him out of the official medical community and refusing to allow him any form of gainful employment. Along with his wife and son, he has been regularly harassed and terrorized by the government's infamous "repudiation squads," organized mob violence unleashed against non-conformers. The Nov. 29 visit was the first time the regime sent uniformed agents to his home to allege a crime." Are we shooting ourselves in the foot? 3/30/2009 AfroCubaWeb: "Last Friday, in a near celebratory atmosphere, US Congressman Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, Ros-Lethinen, Wasserman, Meeks, Sires and a few others, read during a press conference, a hate letter sent to President Barack Obama, demanding he severely curtail the time allowed to Cuban-Americans legally visiting their families in Cuba." Black revolution stirring in Cuba 3/29/2009 Trinidad & Tobago Express: "Nazma Muller [a Fidelista] talks to Carlos Moore." La crise a accentué le racisme à Cuba 3/28/2009 Africulture: from 1/99 - "Entretien de Landry-Wilfrid Miampika avec Pedro Pérez Sarduy." Biden says U.S. does not plan to lift Cuba embargo 3/28/2009 Reuters A Historical Roadmap for Liberating the Cuban Five - Gesture For Gesture 3/27/2009 Counterpunch Cuban ambassador calls Moore an outrageous liar. 3/27/2009 Cuban Colada, Miami Herald Blog Black Cuban Female Blogger 3/24/2009 IPS: "Sandra Alvarez remembers. Her mother, a dressmaker, and her five siblings lived in the modest Havana neighborhood of Lawton. Her mother used to tell them, “You have to study because you’re black; your classes are twice as important for you.” Mere propaganda, lies against Cuba 3/23/2009 Nation News, Barbados: "The publication of my letter of protest by THE NATION is much appreciated and I hope the newspaper will not publish, in the future, any more unpleasant articles like the one I am complaining about which does not correspond or identify with the traditional and magnificent relations and collaborations which exists between the Government and people of Barbados and the government and people of Cuba." Plácido 3/22/2009 Jiribilla: Jiribilla devotes an entire issue to Gabriel de la Concepción Valdés, Plácido, at the 200th anniversary of his birth. He was executed in 1844 as a result of the so called "Ladder Conspiracy," in reality a figment of the ruling ibero-spanish elite. Federal ruling offers new hope for Cuba-trip travel agents 3/22/2009 Miami Herald Expertos en Miami exhortan a levantar todas las restricciones de viajes 3/21/2009 Cuba Encuentro Costa Rica, El Salvador promise ties with Cuba 3/19/2009 AP: "Costa Rica broke off ties with Havana in 1961, while El Salvador has not recognized the island's government since 1959, when Fidel Castro came to power. On Sunday, Funes became the first leftist president elected in El Salvador since the country's brutal civil war ended in 1992. His party, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, formed from five rebel armies in 1980, is the second former enemy of the United States along with Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega to take power democratically in Latin America's lurch to the left." Cuba-EU Relations May Go very Far, said European Commissioner Louis Michel 3/19/2009 Cuba Now On the Black Press in Cuba: A Historical Review 3/18/2009 Islas: published 5/2007 Tendencias racistas en Cuba 3/18/2009 Mestizos.Net: "En la actualidad, el desconocimiento acerca de la presencia negra en la prensa plana en Cuba es casi absoluto. Otro aspecto en la vida de la comunidad negra y mestiza cubana escamoteado por las tendencias racistas que abierta o subrepticiamente han manipulado la memoria de la vida socio cultural del país." Open Letter to Carlos Moore from Pedro Perez Sarduy 3/18/2009 Norman Girvan: reprinted from AfroCubaWeb, but with some interesting responses. The Imperial Branding of Simon Bolivar and the Cuban Revolution 3/17/2009 Counterpunch: By NELSON P. VALDÉS US Congress Takes Small Step Toward Cuba Policy Reform 3/12/2009 VOA: "The new bill will block funding to the Treasury Department to punish Cuban-Americans who travel more than once every three years to visit family members. It also eases the rules on farmers or medical supplies vendors to make sales trips to the Communist island. Jake Colvin, vice president of the National Foreign Trade Council that advocates lifting sanctions on Cuba, said the changes could help farmers take advantage of growing opportunities in Cuba." Obama government fines company for links with Havana 3/11/2009 Granma: "DESPITE all the pressure to change the blockade’s restrictions on trade, maintained against Cuba for half a century, the U.S. agency charged with harassing Cuba’s suppliers has just levied a $20,950 fine on Lactalis USA, a U.S. affiliate of the French giant Lactalis. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed the fine on the cheese and dairy company for violating blockade regulations by “making electronic financial transactions in which Cuba or a Cuban citizen had an interest” between February 2004 and March 2007, according to media reports in Miami, Florida." Obama will use spring summit to bring Cuba in from the cold 3/8/2009 Guardian, UK: "US companies are queuing up as the president moves to ease restrictions on travel and trade, raising hopes of warmer relations and an end to the embargo." Académicos piden debate y acciones contra el racismo en Cuba 3/7/2009 AFP El negro en la obra de Nicolás Guillén 3/7/2009 Cubarte: "Es muy sólida y resulta muy oportuna esta antología, fruto del estudio y la compilación de Denia, a partir de una búsqueda de las especialistas de la Fundación Nicolás Guillén para establecer todos sus textos referidos al tema. Poemas, artículos, discursos y cartas, fechados entre 1929 y 1982, nos permiten entrar en el mundo de la palabra de uno de los más grandes intelectuales que ha dado Cuba, desde una perspectiva particular que recoge el título: el negro en la obra de Guillén." Singer Gloria Estefan says CIA tried to recruit her as a spy 3/6/2009 Telegraph: "Maybe I made the decision [to do it]," she said "What better cover than going around as a singer, talking to presidents, talking to kings, close to all the people they wanted access to? So, who knows?" Autobiografía de esclavos: Equiano, Juan Francisco Manzano 3/5/2009 Cubarte: "Entre las muchas figuras de interés que intervienen en la trama de la película, muchas de ella históricas, me llamó la atención la del ex- esclavo negro Olaudah Equiano (¿1745?-1797), también conocido como Gustav Vassa. Según sus propias palabras, había nacido en Nigeria y muy joven fue vendido a un oficial de la Marina. Un dueño posterior, en Filadelfia, le permitió aprender a leer y escribir hasta que, con su trabajo, pudo comprar la libertad y convertirse en marino, lo que le hizo conocer lugares muy diversos. En Londres el movimiento abolicionista existente allí, al cual pertenecía Wilberforce, lo incitó a escribir su autobiografía, que tituló La interesante narrativa de la vida de Olaudah Equino o Gustavo Vass, el africano, escrita por él mismo (1789), que al ser publicada tuvo una gran repercusión. Esta obra se tiene como una de las primeras autobiografías escritas por esclavos, junto a las del “príncipe africano” J. A. Ukasaw Gronniosum (1772) y la del nativo africano residente en los Estados Unidos Ventura Smith (1798), todas publicadas también en Inglaterra." El Maleconazo en La Habana 5 de agosto de 1994 3/4/2009 YouTube: [Video of the famous 1994 riot, said to be a race riot by Afrocubans.] Del legado de Martí 3/2/2009 Granma: de Marta Rojas - "Sin embargo, entrañables amigos de la insurrección se prestaron a no dejar morir al Maestro. Uno de ellos, el cubano Rafael Serra Montalvo, hijo de negros libres, nacido en La Habana e inmigrante en Estados Unidos, fue de los primeros en hacer algo por la memoria de Martí. Serra había tenido la responsabilidad martiana en Nueva York de organizar La Liga, un grupo patriótico que se encargó de instruir a los emigrantes que carecían que no habían podido ilustrarse, en su mayoría cubanos "de color", para quienes Martí fue siempre El Maestro. Insuflado por el pensamiento de su amigo y jefe Serra sigue trabajando en Nueva York y el 16 de abril de 1899 aparece en La Habana el semanario político independiente "La doctrina de Martí" que él dirige, con un artículo de fondo del propio Serra titulado: " Nuestros Propósitos", de corte martiano profundo." |
| Guerrillero» | «Pinar del Río |
| El Habanero» | «La Habana |
| Tribuna de La Habana» | «Ciudad de La Habana |
| Girón» | «Matanzas |
| Vanguardia» | «Villa Clara |
| 5 de Septiembre» | «Cienfuegos |
| Escambray» | «Sancti Spíritus |
| Invasor» | «Ciego de Ávila |
| Adelante» | «Camagüey |
| 26» | «Las Tunas |
| La Demajagua» | «Granma |
| Ahora» | «Holguín |
| Sierra Maestra» | «Santiago de Cuba |
| Venceremos» | «Guantánamo |
| Victoria» | «Isla de la Juventud |
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