Cuba in the News

Assata Shakur 40 Years On  5/5/2013 Huff Post: Video interviews.

Finally, Cuba Is Harboring a Terrorist!  5/4/2013 Havana Times: "It seems unlikely that the announcement of her transformation from criminal to terrorist coincidently occurred the day after the State Department was supposed to release its annual report “justifying” the continued inclusion of Cuba on its list of countries that “provide critical support to non-state terrorist groups and repeatedly provides support for acts of international terrorism.” The publication of this report has been delayed; perhaps to update it with this new information."

Un caribeño solidario  5/4/2013 Jiribilla: Entrevista con Keith Ellis.

Reforma, reacción y nueva generación en Cuba  5/3/2013 80 Grados: "También están los que desde la oposición y el exilio se empeñan en desconocer que una nueva generación crítica ha surgido en la isla, no necesariamente desligada de las instituciones del Estado y en mejores condiciones que cualquier líder exiliado o cualquier político cubanoamericano de impulsar, pacífica y legítimamente, una ampliación de las libertades públicas en Cuba. De hecho, las políticas tradicionales de la oposición, el exilio, Estados Unidos y la Unión Europea —embargo, sanciones, aislamiento, “programas de transición”, catalogación de Cuba como “Estado terrorista”…— no sólo contribuyen al endurecimiento del régimen sino que restan capital moral a los nuevos sujetos del cambio."

FBI Billboards not about Assata Shakur, it is about politically repressing the Black community  5/3/2013 Black Talk Radio: "Is Assata Shakur in New Jersey? No, she is not and the FBI and the Obama administration know exactly where she is, in Cuba where she has lived since being granted political asylum by its government in 1979 after escaping from prison. This is not about Assata Shakur, it is about sending a message to the Black community and those that live within it who stand up to police violence, oppression and murder of residents, one of the very reasons for the formation of the Black Panthers. It is about the political repression of those who advocate on the behalf of the many political prisons being held by the United States government often in torturous conditions. It is about sending a message to anyone who would take up arms in defense of life, liberty and true freedom in a country that is home to the largest prison population in the world which the federal government and various corporations use as slave labor."

Angela Davis and Assata Shakur’s Lawyer Denounce FBI’s Adding of Exiled Activist to Terrorists List  5/3/2013 Democracy Now: "It seems to me that this act incorporates or reflects the very logic of terrorism," Davis says. "I can’t help but think that it’s designed to frighten people who are involved in struggles today. Forty years ago seems like it was a long time ago. In the beginning of the 21st century, we’re still fighting around the very same issues — police violence, healthcare, education, people in prison."

Assata Shakur in Her Own Words: Rare Recording of Activist Named to FBI Most Wanted Terrorists List  5/3/2013 Democracy Now: "As a result of being targeted by [the FBI program] COINTELPRO, I was faced with the threat of prison, underground, exile or death," Shakur said at the time. "I am not the first, nor the last, person to be victimized by the New Jersey system of 'justice.' The New Jersey State Police are infamous for their racism and brutality." Hear Shakur read the letter in full on SoundCloud."

Political calculus keeps Cuba on U.S. list of terror sponsors  5/3/2013 LA Times: "But nothing that Cuba has done suggests its government is plotting harm against Americans, national security experts say. And they criticize as counterproductive the State Department’s decision, disclosed this week, to keep Cuba on its list of “state sponsors of terrorism.” “We ought to reserve that term for nations that actually use the apparatus of statehood to support the targeting of U.S. interests and civilians,” said Juliette Kayyem, a former assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs at the Department of Homeland Security and now writing and lecturing on national security in the Boston area. “Yes, Cuba does a lot of bad things that we don’t like, but it doesn’t rise to anything on the level of a terrorist threat.”

Why Is ‘Assata Shakur’ On The FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List?  5/3/2013 Roland Martin Reports: "Roland Martin talks with journalist Dream Hampton about ‘Assata Shakur’ being placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List."

The FBI’s Political Decision to Put Assata Shakur on Its List of ‘Most Wanted Terrorists’  5/3/2013 The Dissenter: "If we look at the trial, we’ll find that she was victimized, she was shot. She was shot in the back. The bullet exited and broke the clavicle in her shoulder. She could not raise a gun. She could not raise her hand to shoot. And she was shot while her hands were in the air. Now, that is the forensic evidence. There is not one scintilla of evidence placing a gun in her hand. No arsenic residue was found on her clothing or on her hands. So, the allegation by the state police that she took an officer’s gun and shot him, executed him in cold blood, is not only false, but it is designed to inflame."

Tupac Shakur’s Godmother Assata Shakur Is First Woman on FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List  5/3/2013 The Drop: "Assata Shakur, who is the godmother and aunt of the late Tupac Shakur, has been recognized as a “political prisoner,” and praised for her activism by rappers like Common and Chuck D of Public Enemy."

Assata Shakur on FBI List 'Reflects the Very Logic of Terrorism  5/3/2013 The Root

Supporters Say 'Hands Off Assata' Shakur  5/3/2013 The Root: "Many prominent blacks, from Angela Davis to Roland Martin, are speaking out in support of Shakur, and many folks on Twitter are expressing displeasure at the FBI as well. The hashtag #HandsOffAssata is being used to show support for Shakur online. Some of the tweets from the hashtag are below."

40-year fugitive is first woman on FBI's 'Most Wanted Terrorists' list  5/2/2013 All Voices

Cuba antes de la revolución y La tacita de oro  5/2/2013 Havana Times: "Berta Soler, líder de las Damas de Blanco, ha dicho en Madrid que la Cuba anterior a la Revolución, es decir, la del dictador Fulgencio Batista, fue una “joya de oro”. Escuchar esto de alguien que proclama por todas partes que su grupo tiene interés en los derechos humanos, me parece aberrante, teniendo en cuenta todo el dolor que produjo ese sangriento régimen en nuestra Patria."

Woman Makes Most-Wanted List 40 Years After Murder  5/2/2013 Newser: "The reward for the former member of the Black Liberation Army has been doubled to $2 million, reports the Record, which spoke with the State Police superintendent, who reveals he still has two detectives on the case. What officials know: She enjoys "rock star status" in Cuba, complete with a free place to live, thanks to her willingness to be an anti-American "propaganda specialist" for the Castro regime; she has even been invited to greet foreign delegations that arrive in the country."

Mujer entra a la lista de terroristas más buscados  5/2/2013 Nuevo Dia: "El Negociado Federal de Investigaciones (FBI) incluyó por primera vez a una mujer en la lista de los terroristas más buscados. Se trata de Joanne Chesimard, acusada y convicta en ausencia por el asesinato de un policía de Nueva Jersey exactamente hace 40 años, informó el FBI en un comunicado."

State Department says Cuba won’t be removed from its list of state sponsors of terrorism  5/1/2013 AP

U.S. officials: Cuba will be kept on list of nations that sponsor terrorism  5/1/2013 Miami Herald: "Opponents of U.S. sanctions on the island’s communist government have been lobbying hard for months to remove Cuba from the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism as a gesture toward improved bilateral relations. The Boston Globe reported in February that U.S. diplomats had concluded Cuba should be taken off the list. Another news report a month later said Cuba’s removal might be announced when the Country Report on Terrorism, also managed by the State Department, is issued."

Más de $200 millones destinó EEUU a la subversión contra Cuba, denuncian en Ginebra (+ Video)  4/30/2013 El blog de La Polilla Cubana: "La periodista cubana Rosa Miriam Elizalde denunció hoy en el Palacio de las Naciones, de Ginebra, las agresiones perpetradas por Estados Unidos contra su país y los fondos millonarios destinados por el gobierno norteamericano a los grupos contrarrevolucionarios. Sólo entre 1997 y 2012 Washington destinó más de 200 millones de dólares para programas subversivos contra Cuba…"

Berta Soler visita la Junta Editorial del Miami Herald (Primera Parte)  4/30/2013 Nuevo Herald: "Berta Soler, lider del grupo disidente cubano, Damas de Blanco, pidio el lunes que se mantengan el embargo comercial y los li¬mites para viajar a la isla hasta que el gobierno de Raul Castro reconozca los derechos humanos."

Diluting the terror watch lists  4/29/2013 Boston Globe: "The Boston Globe’s Bryan Bender reported this year that Secretary of State John Kerry was reviewing the policy, hoping to thaw relations with Cuba and make the terrorist state sponsor list be about terrorism. It’s not clear if Kerry’s views will prevail."

Who Did Cuba’s Ladies in White Speak For?  4/29/2013 Havana Times

Cuba's Young See Bleak Future, Many Want to Leave  4/28/2013 Reuters: "An elderly Communist Party member said the difference from the past is that the desire to leave is so widespread among the young. "Unfortunately, if you talk to 10 young people today, nine of them will tell you they want to leave Cuba. They don't see a future," she said, not wanting to be identified."

Cuban-American lawmakers press White House to keep Cuba on terror list  4/28/2013 The Hill: [Where is the mention of the known killers being protected by Ileana Ros - Posada, Bosch, and the rest?]

Berta Soler en la Casa Bacardi  4/27/2013 Nuevo Herald: "La disidente cubana, Bertha Soler, líder de las Damas en Blanco, habló durante conferencia de prensa en la Casa Bacardi de la Universidad de Miami en Coral Gables el sábado, 27 de abril del 2013." [en el corazon de la Plantocracia!]

Segunda edición del #Twitthab. Razones para un (re)encuentro  4/24/2013 Negra Cubana: "Desde nuestra modesto pero intrépido acceso a Internet, varios usuarias y usuarios cubanos de la redes sociales hemos vislumbrado una nueva oportunidad para (re)encontrarnos y compartir más allá del mundo digital. La segunda emisión de #Twitthab se propone promover además encuentros habituales reales fuera de la virtualidad y se realizará el viernes 10 de mayo, a las 4:00 pm, en el Parque Villalón, sito en Calzada entre C y D, Vedado, La Habana."

E-book: de la tecnología a la mentalidad, y viceversa  4/22/2013 Cubaliteraria: "No hay tradición que sobreviva si no es capaz de convivir, y utilizar, los adelantos tecnológicos. Esa es la esencia que no debe perderse de vista ante los nuevos escenarios del e-book, que es aún un sucedáneo del libro de papel y, por lo pronto, un producto que, teniendo múltiples posibles receptores, carece de demanda y, sobre todo, de la existencia de autores que puedan sostenerla."

Visita de Yoani a México: Un mito mediático que se deshace.  4/18/2013 Rebelion

Ana Montes did much harm spying for Cuba. Chances are, you haven’t heard of her.  4/18/2013 Washington Post

Help end the travel ban on Cuba.  4/17/2013 Black World Events: "You can help move the White House in the direction of improved relations. Sign our petition asking the President to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism."

Beyonce and Jay Z Are Race Traitors for Going to Cuba !?!?  4/15/2013 Huffington Post: by Mark Sawyer, UCLA - "In the early 2000's the Cuban members of Congress funded projects located at HBCU's for scholars under to contract to produce articles on racism in Cuba. Scholars visited Cuba but did no original research and largely summarized the works of scholars like myself without any of the necessary context and caveats. We were then invited to a conference at Howard University hosted by Ileana Ross-Lehtinen so they could report their "findings" on racism in Cuba and have the validation of top scholars in the field. As the conservative Miami Cubans have struggled to connect with blacks on the island they have seen talking about racism on the island as a possible entrée to Afro-Cubans."

DALE McFEATTERS: Time to lift pointless Cuban travel ban  4/14/2013 Courrier, Evansville, IL: "The more heated members of the Cuban-American delegation in Congress wanted the couple met at the airport and frog-marched off to custody for violating U.S. laws on trade and travel to Cuba — those are the aforementioned laws with a half-century of proven failure — laws apparently drawn up by Franz Kafka and George Orwell after a heavy night of drinking Cuba Libres."

An Open Letter To Jay-Z And Beyonce About That Cuba Trip... from Michael Skolnik  4/11/2013 Global Grind: "After a long day shoot on New Year's Eve day, one of the only hip-hop DJ's on the island invited me to his house for dinner. I happily accepted and in just a few hours I found myself around his family dining room table, with his mom, dad, sister and elderly grandmother. When the New Year's Eve dinner came out of the oven, I spotted just five pieces of pork. I was the sixth. My man never told his parents that I was coming over. As they put the pork chop on my plate, I looked over at grandma and her plate was empty. Nada. Just some beans and rice and some sweet plantains. Not really sure what to do, I kept offering my piece of pork to grandma relentlessly, but she would not have it. In maybe the few words she knew of English, she looked at me and said, "my casa is your casa."

Jay Carney Denies Jay-Z's 'White House Clearance' Claim For Cuba Trip (VIDEO)  4/11/2013 Huff Post: "Boy from the hood but got White House clearance," quoted the reporter. "Obama said chill you're going to get me impeached."

Jay-Z Responds To Cuban Trip Controversy With New ‘Open Letter’ Song  4/11/2013 Mediaite: "“I’m in Cuba, I love Cubans / This communist talk is so confusing / When it’s from China, the very mic that I’m using.”

Cuban American National Foundation on Jay Z and Beyonce Visiting Cuba Cuban American National Foundation on Jay Z and Beyonce Visiting Cuba  4/11/2013 South Florida Caribbean News: "Unfortunately, the opportunities we are given as Americans do not hold true for people on the island they are visiting. The sad fact is that if Jay Z and Beyonce lived in Cuba, they could not have become Jay Z and Beyonce - not just because of the regime's oppressive laws, but also because of the reality of their racial bigotry against Afro-Cubans and people of color. Ask Roberto Zurbano, an Afro-Cuban who was recently removed from his job by Cuban government officials for his March 23rd op-ed in the New York Times titled "For Blacks in Cuba, the Revolution Hasn't Begun." Though different in political ideology and historic timing, one wonders if Jay Z and Beyonce would have visited Nelson Mandela in apartheid South Africa? If so, why not visit the dozens of Mandelas in Cuba being discriminated for the color of their skin?"

Jay-Z Mocks Republicans’ Fury Over Cuba Trip In New Track  4/11/2013 ThinkProgress: "“I done turned Havana into Atlanta,” Jay-Z raps in “Open Letter,” which he released Thursday. “[…] Boy from the hood, I got White House clearance… Politicians never did s—- for me except lie to me, distort history… They wanna give me jail time and a fine. Fine, let me commit a real crime.”"

Three takeaways from Jay-Z and Beyoncé's Cuba trip  4/11/2013 WBEZ: By: Achy Obejas

Bloqueo norteamericano obstaculiza comercio electrónico de Cuba  4/10/2013 CubaDebate: "Cuba denunció aquí que el bloqueo impuesto por Estados Unidos obstaculiza su acceso a las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones y, por consiguiente, limita el uso y desarrollo de las aplicaciones del comercio electrónico. El viceministro cubano de Comunicaciones, Wilfredo González, evidenció el carácter discriminatorio de las medidas unilaterales de Washington y su dimensión extraterritorial, que van en contra de las directrices del programa de trabajo de la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC)."

Preocupa vulnerabilidad de Cuba a aumento del nivel del mar  4/10/2013 CubaDebate: "“Este fenómeno afectará los ecosistemas, la productividad de los suelos agrícolas, incrementará la vulnerabilidad de los asentamientos costeros, reducirá las áreas forestales y de cultivos, y la calidad y disponibilidad del agua”, explicó Escobar. “Cuba ha establecido prioridades en función de reducir esas vulnerabilidades, identificadas en estudios de prevención y riesgo de desastres realizados por científicos del país”, agregó. Entre las actividades priorizadas para reducir los impactos del ascenso del nivel del mar, el experto señaló la conservación y rehabilitación de los ecosistemas protectores de la línea de costa: arrecifes de coral, manglares y playas de arena."

Cuba: US Gov. Prevents My Attendance at LASA Conference  4/10/2013 Havana Times: "It has thus thwarted the possibility of me — in my capacity as a Cuban blogger and activist— participating in this important conclave intellectual and sharing the experience of seven years of work with the Observatorio Critico (OC), which is part of the emergence and diversification of a new independent forum for debate about the current Cuban landscape."

Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Cuba trip licensed by US Treasury, say sources  4/9/2013 Guardian: "Beyoncé and Jay-Z's recent visit to Havana was fully licensed and authorised by the US Treasury department, sources said on Monday. Officials are reportedly preparing a statement on the musicians' Cuban holiday, after complaints by Republican lawmakers. The stars' controversial trip was legal, a source confirmed to Reuters. Beyoncé and Jay-Z were apparently carrying licences provided by the Treasury's office of foreign assets control, which oversees US citizens' visits to Cuba. The terms of these permits are not clear: Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, called it "a Treasury matter", while the Treasury's spokesman, John Sullivan, told the Associated Press he could not comment on particular licences."

Beyond Beyonce, Jay-Z and Yoani: The Overshadowed Story of Law Enforcement Cooperation  4/9/2013 Havana Note: "The story that is most likely to go largely unnoticed, however, is the case of the Hakken family, which has been located in Cuba and will be returned to the U.S. thanks to the immediate cooperation of the Cuban government. Apparently, Joshua and Sharyn Hakken, who had previously lost custody of their two children (who were living with their grandparents), kidnapped the two boys and sailed off for Cuba, where presumably they imagined they’d be free from U.S. law enforcement. But the Cuban Foreign Ministry has already confirmed that the family has been located in Cuba and will be returned to the U.S."

Cuba: Executions & Accomplices in April  4/9/2013 Havana Times: "Although the Black Spring is remembered especially for the imprisonment of 75 opposition activists without due process, I’m focusing my attention on another event: the executions of three black youths for the failed hijacking of the Havana Bay ferry."

Prominent Cubans are defending Zurbano's right to talk about racism  4/7/2013 AfroCubaWeb

Prevén en Cuba incremento de producción de cemento ecológico  4/7/2013 CubaDebate: "Expertos cubanos prevén para 2014 un incremento de la producción de cemento ecológico, material que por su menor contenido de clínquer reduce la emisión de dióxido de carbono a la atmósfera, refleja hoy la prensa."

The New York Times y Cuba  4/6/2013 Jiribilla: de Alfredo Prieto

Beyoncé y Jay-Z visitaron a Cuba  4/6/2013 Juventud Rebelde: "Aunque la estancia de ambos músicos en la Isla tuvo un carácter privado, el suceso tampoco escapó a la mirada de los capitalinos, quienes acompañaron a la pareja en sus paseos por La Habana Vieja, en su contacto con estudiantes y trabajadores de la Universidad de las Artes, en la presentación que La Colmenita les hiciera de La Cenicienta según los Beatles, o en sus encuentros con la cantante Haila María Mompié y con Danza Contemporánea de Cuba."

Beyonce, Jay-Z Cuba trip questioned  4/6/2013 Politico: "Two members of Congress from Florida are looking into how hip hop royals Beyonce and Jay-Z ended in Cuba this week. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart sent a letter to Adam Szubin, director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the Treasury Department, on Friday asking for more information about the celebrity couple’s trip, which coincided with their fifth wedding anniversary." Two charter members of the exiled plantocracy imposing their views again.

Beyoncé y los fans bajo la lluvia  4/5/2013 CubaNet: "La pareja, ante el reclamo de un público todavía incrédulo que permanecía a pie de calle, salió dos veces al balcón a saludar, en el segundo piso. Un rato más tarde, todo estaba dispuesto -fuertes cercos de seguridad- para que Beyoncé y su marido cenaran en la paladar San Cristóbal, en las calles San Rafael entre Lealtad y Campanario, en esa misma zona."

Comments on "For Blacks in Cuba, the Revolution Hasn't Begun"  4/4/2013 AfroCubaWeb

Los comentarios sobre "Para los negros en Cuba, la Revolución no ha comenzado"  4/4/2013 AfroCubaWeb

Otro robo descarado amparado en el bloqueo  3/31/2013 Cuba Debate: "El robo descarado de marcas cubanas en Estados Unidos sigue siendo amparado por autoridades federales en ese país, quienes se escudan en las espurias regulaciones del bloqueo económico, financiero y comercial que Washington practica contra Cuba. Esta semana, una comisión federal norteamericana juzgó que la empresa General Cigar Co. Inc. puede seguir utilizando el nombre de la marca registrada Cohiba para sus puros en Estados Unidos."

Cuba: Producción porcina se ha incrementado  3/29/2013 CubaDebate: "El presidente de la Sociedad Cubana de Porcicultores (SCP), Francisco Diéguez, dijo hoy en La Habana que la implementación de una estrategia especial en esa esfera en el país permitió un crecimiento de esa masa animal. La disminución de la importación de alimentos y su sustitución por otros cultivos producidos en esta isla y la aplicación de medidas rigurosas para el control de las enfermedades que afectan a los cerdos influyó positivamente, explicó."

Assata Shakur: Terrorist or victim of terrorism?  3/27/2013 Mumia Abu Jamal on YouTube

'We weren't allowed to flush'  3/25/2013 IA Africa: "A South African student who quit the government's medical programme in Cuba recounted the 'poor conditions' she endured. Shanice Moodley was among 20 South African students who quit the programme and returned home last month. The students, along with 180 other South Africans, had protested earlier this month over their poor living conditions at the Cuban university. They were demanding a 300 percent increase in their R1600 stipend."

Minister to meet Cuba students  3/25/2013 New Age, South Africa: "The South African government spends about R500000 per student over six years for a language course, medical training and living expenses in Cuba."

Cuba remains trapped between isolation and revival  3/25/2013 Repeating Islands

The secret files of Alan Gross  3/22/2013 Along the Malecon: Documents the larger dimensions of Alan Goss' plot targeting Cuban Jews, Masons, and Afrocubans.

Interview With Cuban Blogger Yoani Sánchez  3/22/2013 NYT: "Mr. Rodríguez also claimed that Ms. Sánchez, “receives instructions from U.S. authorities, as well as material, technological and financial support out of U.S. federal funds,” and contended that United Nations sponsorship of her visit would violate the organization’s charter."

The Curious Case of Yoani Sanchez  3/20/2013 Counterpunch: "When asked about the U.S. embargo against Cuba, Yoani stated unequivocally that it was an interventionist policy and was a justification for the failings of the Cuban government. Most importantly she emphasized that this policy of economic strangulation was a “relic of the Cold War” and needed to be abandoned as soon as possible (“Ya!”). She also called upon the closing of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Not the detention center that has brought so much infamy to the United States government and has challenged our notion of due process, but the actual base which is a violation of Cuban sovereignty. Lastly, she called for the release of the Cuban operatives known as the Cuban Five arguing that the Cuban government has spent an unnecessary portion of its budget to campaign for their release. When confronted by Miami Cubans who were incensed by such commentary Yoani began to backpedal by saying that her comments about the Cuban Five were “ironic” and that she believes that they are not innocent. This rationalization poses a problem for the legitimacy of her position."

Yoani Sánchez destaca papel de tecnología en lucha interna en Cuba  3/16/2013 Nuevo Herald

The Cuban Revolution Gets A Video Game Based On 1950s Battles  2/28/2013 Repeating Islands: "Island programmers have unveiled a brand new 3-D shoot-’em-up video game that puts a distinctly Cuban twist on gaming, letting players recreate decisive clashes from the 1959 revolution and giving youngsters a taste of the uprising in which many of their grandparents fought."

The Internet, Broadband and Foreign Policy - Cyber Cuba  2/26/2013 Cuba-L

Cuba: Una estrategia energética nunca está desvinculada del modelo económico  2/25/2013 Rebelion: por Manuel David Orrio

Cmlk dona materiales a las bibliotecas públicas  2/19/2013 IPS Cuba: "El reverendo Raúl Suárez, director del no gubernamental Centro Memorial Martin Luther King Jr. (Cmlk), entregó a la Biblioteca Nacional de Cuba “José Martí” (Bncjm) una donación de libros que enriquecerán los fondos de la red de bibliotecas públicas del país."

La bloguera cubana Yoani Sánchez viaja a Brasil  2/17/2013 BBC Mundo

La inversión extranjera en Cuba  2/16/2013 OnCuba: "En su momento fue la noticia del día; luego, nada más se supo: Cuba trabajaba en la modificación de la Ley 77 sobre la inversión extranjera, y la nueva legislación debía promulgarse antes de que finalizara diciembre del 2012, según declaró a mediados del pasado año la directora de Finanzas del Ministerio de Comercio Exterior e Inversión Extranjera, Yamila Fernández."

¿Por qué el iraní no le respondió a Paquito?  2/13/2013 Negra Cubana: "Pero el señor hizo mutis. No respondió ni pío. Una lástima. Nos perdimos la oportunidad de tener una explicación de primera mano acerca de una sociedad altamente homofóbica y misógina. Pero como se dice en psicología: ¨El silencio también es respuesta¨."

Let’s All Watch Marco Rubio’s Panicked Drink Of Water In Extreme Slow Motion  2/12/2013 Deadspin: Includes a strong dog-like lip-licking moment.

Farcical Cuba policy  2/9/2013 Progreso Weekly: "There is another version of the report, "sensitive but unclassified," that GAO won't allow U.S. taxpayers to see. Even worse, Tracey Eaton, an investigative reporter with whom our organization is working, discovered that USAID hired an outside contractor to review the programs, which found "questionable charges and weaknesses in partners' financial management, procurement standards, and internal controls." But when Mr. Eaton filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get a copy of the outside audit, USAID fought him and then provided only ten pages of material that "omit most findings, recommendations and other key information, including the identity of the aid recipients named in the audit."

General elections in Cuba  2/6/2013 OnCuba: "This Sunday, when Cubans voted for its representatives to the national and provincial parliaments, they were casting one of the most important votes in recent decades. After the Sixth Congress and the First Conference of the Cuban Communist Party in April 2011 and January 2012 respectively, and after starting the process of "updating" of the national economy, which has reached all areas and sectors of society and policy, the next five years will be crucial for the country."

U.S. bottleneck snags Florida Orchestra's Cuba exchange  1/30/2013 Cuba Headlines: "The Florida Orchestra has run into the first real glitch in its cultural exchange with Cuba. On Friday, the orchestra learned it had to postpone plans to send concertmaster Jeffrey Multer to perform on Feb. 10 with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba in Havana. The reason: The Office of Foreign Asset Control, part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, was unable to process the orchestra's application for a license to spend money in Cuba in time for the trip, scheduled to begin Feb. 4."

The Economics of the Cuban Embargo  1/29/2013 Counterpunch: "This growing international trade, disguised as sending goods to needy family members in Cuba, now includes filling the hulls on 10 or more daily charter flights from US cities to Cuba. Cuban Americans send goods, often with “mules,” to provide family members in Cuba, needing supplies for their businesses. The “mules” return with cash, derived from sales of these goods. Some of the new Cuban stores and restaurants supplied by Miami-based Cubans make substantial profits, some of which get spent in Cuba, and ends up in Cuba’s central bank. Miami, the United States’ poorest large city, derives income because it provides jobs involved in buying and selling the goods sent to Cuba. Jobs also arise from routine tasks created around the daily charter flights to and from Cuba, and the fees collected from take offs and landings. Add to this, the work for accountants, book-keepers and others."

Is Cuba The Next Emerging Market?  1/29/2013 Forbes: "Small changes allowing some private enterprise in Cuba are coinciding with the U.S.’s own policy shifts: As a result, the economic embargo, which prevents most business and travel in Cuba for U.S. firms and citizens, is becoming more porous. In 2009 President Obama relaxed travel restrictions and remittances for Cuban-Americans, enabling them to invest in small private businesses. U.S. citizens can now legally travel to Cuba. But is it time to look at Cuba as a viable emerging market? U.S. public opinion is shifting in favor of normalizing ties, and the American business lobby in particular wants to take advantage of the untapped market, which it believes is worth $1 billion a year."

Cuba first high-speed internet connection activated  1/24/2013 BBC: "The $70m (£44m) fibre-optic cable arrived from Venezuela in February 2011, but tests on the line are said to have begun only this month."

Cuba is Testing Underwater Internet Cable  1/24/2013 OnCuba: "Quality tests on internet traffic through the cable began on January 10, with real traffic from and to Cuba in order to normalize this communication system. The connection has initially been used for international telephone traffic, the company explained. Once the experimental stage concludes, the operations of the underwater cable would not imply yet the multiplication of possibilities to access the internet, since investment would have to be done in the internal telecommunication infrastructure and increase hard currency resources to pay for the Internet traffic."

Cuba’s Updated Migration Policy Totally Confounds the United States and the Micro-Republic of Miami  1/22/2013 Machetera: "The Cuban measures are so disconcerting that Miami’s Cuban American rightwing has been completely disoriented by them. So disoriented in fact that you can see it in Alfonso Chardy’s recent report at El Nuevo Herald about a meeting on U.S. immigration reform that took place in the offices of Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart in Doral. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen also attended the meeting. The Cubans were not the main objective but the subject of Cuba’s updated migration policy came up and after both threatened to change or eliminate the Cuban Adjustment Act, Diaz-Balart played stupid, saying that these were proposals made by other congressional representatives, other colleagues; while Ileana later swore up and down that she had no plans or intentions regarding eliminating or changing the Cuban Adjustment Act. That’s how confused they are; they can’t even get their story straight."

Is the Venezuelan undersea cable operational?  1/22/2013 OnCuba: "The news came out of a report posted Sunday on the website of Renesys (USA), a company considered an “internet intelligence authority”. In the report author Doug Madory wrote routing data showed significantly faster traffic to Cuba. According to this analysis the ALBA-1 cable is allowing data transmission faster than before, when outgoing and ingoing data was travelling via satellite. Though Cubans haven’t still seen a real improvement in speed, the news fills them with hope. The subsea data cable will increase internet speed exponentially in Cuba. It will multiply by 3000 data, images and voice transmission with a bandwidth of 640 gigabytes and capacity to handle 10 million phone calls simultaneously, according to fayerwayer.com."

ALAN GROSS CASE SPOTLIGHTS U.S. DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS IN CUBA  1/18/2013 National Security Archives: "The U.S. government has “between five to seven different transition plans” for Cuba, and the USAID-sponsored “Democracy” program aimed at the Castro government is “an operational activity” that demands “continuous discretion,” according to documents filed in court this week, and posted today by the National Security Archive. The records were filed by Development Alternatives Inc (DAI), one of USAID’s largest contractors, in response to a lawsuit filed by the family of Alan Gross, who was arrested in Cuba in December 2009 for attempting to set up satellite communications networks on the island, as part of the USAID program."

Secrecy, politics at heart of Cuba project  1/17/2013 Along the Malecon: "I agree Gross, with experience in 50 countries, knew what he was getting into... but I wonder if he really expected to be abandoned in the way he has been... "

U.S. claims immunity in Alan Gross lawsuit  1/15/2013 Along the Malecon: "The U.S. government today declared itself immune from the $60 million lawsuit filed in November by American development worker Alan Gross and his wife Judy in connection with his 2009 jailing in Cuba."

Cuba Critics Look to Test Government on Travel Law  1/15/2013 Cuba Confidential: "It’s a calculated risk that potentially enables the dissidents to become high-profile ambassadors for change in the communist-run country, traveling abroad to accept awards and slamming the government back home in speeches to foreign parliaments. At the same time, it blunts one of their main criticisms of Cuba’s human rights record, that it effectively held them and others hostage by restricting their movement. “Previously the policy was just to get them out of the country, which really, really did work for the maintenance of the Castro government,” said Ann Louise Bardach, a longtime Cuba analyst and author of “Cuba Confidential.” “But if they are allowing them to come back, we are looking at a game-changer of sorts because that could usher in the first embryonic state of some democratic process,” Bardach said. “If people can go abroad, criticize the government and return, that’s a new day in Cuba.”

Cuba Travel Law Tested By Dissidents  1/15/2013 Huff Post

As Hugo Chavez fights for his life, Cuba fears for its future  1/12/2013 Telegraph: "But there is also danger for the Castro brothers within the Chavista camp if a more nationalist-minded faction was to prevail. The Cubans are particularly wary of Diosdado Cabello, a former army comrade of Mr Chavez who is now the head of Venezuela's National Assembly, who is thought to be rather cooler about the bilateral relationship."

Report: John Kerry Held Secret Talks with Cuba to Free Alan Gross  1/6/2013 Miami Herald: "But Sen. Bob Menendez, a powerful Cuban American Democrat from New Jersey, stepped in to defend the programs in the spring of 2011 and persuaded the White House to roll back most of the changes, Schneiderman wrote. Havana grew chary at the same time, he added, as Raúl Castro faced domestic opposition to his economic reforms and a U.S. jury acquitted Luis Posada Carriles, a Cuban exile blamed for several Havana bombings, of lying to U.S. immigration officials. “Mired in mistrust and miscalculation, each side seemed to be waiting for the other to blink,” he wrote. “Eventually, however, the United States appeared to step back from an opportunity to free Gross from jail and strike a blow against the antiquated politics of the Cold War … The Cuban-American lobby had won.”

Kerry’s Cuba Sanity  1/5/2013 CAFÉ: "This evidence has informed the future secretary of state’s position against the ban on travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens. Based on the experience of tourists from other countries and the return of Cuban-Americans who “have already had a significant impact on increasing the flow of information and hard currency to ordinary Cubans,” Kerry understands that unrestricted U.S. travel to Cuba would be “a catalyst for change.”

The Real Cuban Missile Crisis  1/1/2013 Atlantic: "Yet, although the missiles’ military significance was negligible, the Kennedy administration advanced on a perilous course to force their removal. The president issued an ultimatum to a nuclear power—an astonishingly provocative move, which immediately created a crisis that could have led to catastrophe. He ordered a blockade on Cuba, an act of war that we now know brought the superpowers within a hair’s breadth of nuclear confrontation. The beleaguered Cubans willingly accepted their ally’s weapons, so the Soviet’s deployment of the missiles was fully in accord with international law. But the blockade, even if the administration euphemistically called it a “quarantine,” was, the ExComm members acknowledged, illegal. As the State Department’s legal adviser recalled, “Our legal problem was that their action wasn’t illegal.” Kennedy and his lieutenants intently contemplated an invasion of Cuba and an aerial assault on the Soviet missiles there—acts extremely likely to have provoked a nuclear war."

Cosméticos para la mujer negra  12/23/2012 Trbajadores: "Por atinado y certero me sorprendió gratamente el criterio de la diputada Olivia Teresa González, de Centro Habana, en la más reciente reunión de la Comisión de Industrias y Construcción, de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular: “No hay una perspectiva o proyección en la producción nacional de cosméticos y otros productos de belleza para la mujer negra”, dijo."

Cuba Recalls 138 Years of the First Official Baseball Game  12/22/2012 Repeating Islands

Our Man in Havana  12/21/2012 Foreign Affairs

Cuba Denounces New US Treasury Fines  12/20/2012 Havana Times: "A statement posted on the front page of the Granma newspaper discussed the December 11 imposition of a $375 million fine against London-based HSBC Holdings for violating US sanctions against several countries, including Cuba. A day after, OFAC announced the implementation of an another fine of $8.5 million against the Japanese bank Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, also for processing financial transactions involving a group of countries that included Cuba. The Cuban Foreign Ministry considers this to involve “new acts in the extraterritorial application of the provisions of the US blockade against Cuba and also against entities in third countries."

Obama 2.0, Cuba and CANF  12/19/2012 Progreso Weekly: "As the FIU study demonstrates, Cuban Americans should continue to be the largest voting group in Miami for years to come. They comprise 35% of the population, while other Latinos together make up 31%. But it’s in other parts of the state where the giant will dominate. And in the Miami area, other Latino groups are learning to form alliances with other groups and (why not?) even moderate and progressive Cuban Americans to achieve political standing in South Florida. An example of a growing and powerful Hispanic group in Florida is the Puerto Ricans. There are currently more than 800,000 in Florida. The brunt of their numbers found in the middle of the state, an area referred to as the I-4 Corridor, a highway that connects Orlando and Tampa and cuts Florida in half. Their numbers are politically staggering there. And not faced with the problems of citizenship, in Orlando alone, for example, there are currently more than 160,000 young Puerto Ricans who have yet to turn 18… when they will be able to vote. Statisticians are telling us that by 2016, the next presidential election, there will be more registered Puerto Rican voters in Florida than Cuban Americans…"

Firm steps taken in the updating of Cuba’s economic model  12/18/2012 Granma: "The objectives of this process are the re-capitalization of enterprises; increased earnings to make possible the financing of increased wages for workers; the creation of a wholesale market and the reconciliation of costs which the Cuban economy can sustain with their value on the international market."

Telephone Fraud, Corruption and One-Party Democracy in Cuba  12/17/2012 Havana Times: "As for democracy and party systems, the general trend of representative democracy is predominantly toward bipartisanship while communist systems were founded on the concept of a single party. One thing to consider is the set of traditions of the countries where socialist revolutions triumphed. In ancient Russia, these traditions were shaped by the absolutism implanted for centuries by the tsarist autocracy. China, Vietnam and North Korea can be described as eastern monarchies that are equally despotic and overly centralized. In Latin America, Cuba follows the tradition inherited from Spain, where kings once prevailed, followed by caudillos."

Medical Internationalism in Cuba  12/15/2012 Counterpunch: "This article, based upon seven years of research and some 70 interviews with Cuban medical personnel, both in Cuba and abroad, seeks to provide a broad overview of the importance of Cuban medical internationalism."

U.S. Cuba Relations - the Alan Gross Hurdles  12/15/2012 Progreso Weekly: "Rep Wasserman-Schultz, the DNC Chair and a Jewish American, is included in this list because of her longstanding political alliance with the Diaz-Balart family and hardliner campaign financial support. Remember, its only about votes and money. Always."

Community and religious leaders demand more effective government aid for Sandy victims  12/13/2012 Granma: [This is about NY, but it could be useful to survey the problems in Oriente as well.]

El Consejo Supremo de la Asociación Abacuá de Cuba - Buro Abakuá  12/1/2012 AfroCubaWeb: "… the Buro was originally a creation of the authentic Abakuá potentias. In 1960 as Cuba was nationalizing all property, some Abakuá leaders drew a line and said: "We need separation between state and religion. Abakuá is a religion. We are more Cuban than the palm tree. Leave us alone." They created a "Buro Abakuá" to confront the excesses of the Revolution. That didn't work: in 1967 the state prohibited any Abakuá initiation. This lasted until 1977. From 1960 to 1991, the state trained Abakuá initiates to infiltrate the lodges and spy, and they sought the complete integration of Abakuá into the state. Possibly some of the comrades were reacting to the presence of former Batistianos in the lodges, but there are former Batistianos across most aspects of Cuban life! This is a case of over-reaching, excessive state control. There were also a number of comrades in the lodges, it is a religion, not a political organization."

Will Haitian President Michel Martelly's visit become another missed opportunity?  12/1/2012 AfroCubaWeb: "Cuba on the other hand, cannot in good conscience or with moral convictions hold on to millions of acres of fallow, untilled land, knowing its use can improve the lives of tens of thousands of Haitians, stabilize Cuba food security and restore the viability of our sugar, coffee and cocoa industry, presently on life support. Cuba can erase its debt of gratitude with Haiti and other Caribbean islands, by implementing an orderly migrant workers law, by which tens of thousands of families could enter and work in the country under clear cut regulations, which forbids all unsocial behavior. Prioritizing the purchase of products and produce from our neighboring islands through the development of coastline shipping lines and an increase in human interactions is a past due imperative."

CLOSE TO 50 YEARS AFTER HIS ASSASSINATION Kennedy’s dream  11/29/2012 Granma: "In February 1996, Robert Kennedy Jr. and his brother, Michael, traveled to Havana to meet with Fidel Castro. As a gesture of goodwill, they brought a file of formerly top secret U.S. documents on the Kennedy administration's covert exploration of an accommodation with Cuba…Castro thanked them for the file and shared his impression that it was [President Kennedy's] intention after the missile crisis to change the framework of relations between the United States and Cuba. ‘It's unfortunate,’ said Castro, ‘that things happened as they did, and he could not do what he wanted to do."

In Communist Cuba, the Tax Man Cometh  11/28/2012 MSNBC: "A sliding scale income tax - from 15 percent for earnings of more than 10,000 pesos (about $400) annually, to 50 percent for earnings of over 50,000 pesos, (about $2,000) - adopted in 1994, remains in the new code for the self-employed, small businesses and farms, but it also includes a series of new deductions to stimulate their work."

The Fertile Crescent: Haiti, Cuba and Louisiana  11/25/2012 Afropop Worldwide

Experts say more Cubans arriving in U.S.  11/24/2012 Breitbart: "The influx of Cubans into the U.S. is increasing," said Ernesto Cuesta, who runs programs for Haitian and Cuban refugees for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Miami. The young people we are seeing are desperate."

Cuba — Travelling off the radar  11/17/2012 Cuba Absolutely

SIP appoints Cuban mercenary  11/15/2012 Granma: "The Inter-American Press Society (SIP-IAPA) – the CIA commercial press cartel whose Miami headquarters bears the name of agent Jules Dubois, has appointed cyber-mercenary Yoani Sánchez its representative in Cuba… The United States was represented by three men at the 1949 SIP meeting in Quito, Ecuador. Two were senior U.S. intelligence officers: Jules Dubois and Joshua Powers. The third, Tom Wallace, was a high-ranking official from the State Department. The only one who could pretend to be a journalist was Dubois. This authentic U.S. military intelligence colonel – as he is described in a biographical note published after his death – in the 1940’s morphed into a reporter with the influential Chicago Tribune."

Sandy’s Tracks through Santiago de Cuba  11/15/2012 Havana Times: Scroll down for numerous photos of the destruction.

World condemns U.S. Cuba policy once again  11/15/2012 People's World: "The three countries that voted against the Cuban resolution were the United States, Israel (population 8 million), and Palau (population 21,000). Abstaining were the Marshall Islands (population 68,000) and the Federated States of Micronesia (population 111,000). The three Pacific Island nations do not have full control over their own foreign policies, not only because they are dependent on US aid, but because of specific arrangements which put their defense wholly in the hands of the United States through the "Compact of Free Association." All the countries comprising the rest of the world, or about six billion, eight hundred thousand people, voted to condemn the US policy. These included all of our country's trading partners, neighbors, and NATO allies."

Estados Unidos y sus cibersoldados en Cuba  11/14/2012 CubaDebate: "Aunque en el folleto adjunto se dice que sólo se ofertan dieciséis plazas, los convocantes no parecen muy seguros de poderlas cubrir. En un país con un millón de graduados universitarios, exigen sólo nivel de Secundaria Básica, y presionan con que el curso es un prerrequisito para acceder a posteriores convocatorias. En este caso, la vieja amenaza publicitaria al estilo de “no dejes escapar esta oportunidad”, no es funcional. En Cuba existen 610 instalaciones gratuitas para la enseñanza de la informática, conocidas como Joven Club. El año pasado 228 000 personas recibieron cursos presenciales en ellas."

The civil society ploy  11/14/2012 Progreso Weekly: "Miami shone as an example of civil society. The democracy for Cuba project does not say that Miami has 163 crimes per square mile, a figure that would clearly inspire Cubans on the island. Other winning Miami data includes: a violent Crime Rate three times higher than the national average, including a startlingly towering murder index that should certainly make Havana residents envious. Miami boasts a three times more than the national average robbery rate as well. 7.36 out of 1000 residents in Miami Dade get assaulted, compared to the U.S. average of 2.52."

¿Qué hará Premio Nobel de la Paz tras condena bloqueo EEUU contra Cuba?  11/13/2012 CubaDebate: "Según analistas políticos, Obama tiene todas las condiciones a su favor para levantar de una vez por todas el cerco económico, financiero y comercial que Washington mantiene contra la mayor de las Antillas, a pesar del rechazo mundial y del fracaso de esa política agresiva. Los expertos coinciden que en su segundo y último mandato, el actual inquilino de la Casa Blanca tiene “menos atadas las manos” para poner fin al bloqueo, al igual que para liberar a los cinco cubanos antiterroristas presos injustamente en Estados Unidos."

Damnificados de “Sandy” adquieren materiales de construcción  11/13/2012 CubaDebate

Brazil-Cuba: Full steam ahead  11/13/2012 Progreso Weekly: "With little hoopla, Brazil has become Cuba’s second trade partner in Latin America. The trend is rising, according to basic data: In 2011, the bilateral trade exchange rose by 45 percent, compared with 2010, when it totaled US$501.4 million. This year, it is expected to close at $1 billion."

My Nephew’s Dreams  11/9/2012 Havana Times: "My nephew has had his life goals well-defined ever since he was around 20. He aimed to have a job that would bring him in enough money to help and support his family, practice Rastafarianism and belong to an environmental organization."

Una semana después de Sandy  11/3/2012 Juventud Rebelde: "Ya en San Antonio del Sur se recuperaron más de mil latas de café —aun cuando son miles los árboles que cayeron encima de los cafetales—, mientras que en los secaderos se encuentran alrededor de 150 toneladas del grano. «Este es un momento para aprovechar todo lo que se pueda. Debemos recuperar el material forestal que fue derribado; ahí hay desde madera preciosa hasta la que se utiliza para hacer carbón. Todo se debe usar en beneficio de nuestra economía», comentó Torres Iríbar."

EEUU se declara 'culpable' de facilitar acceso a internet de los cubanos  11/2/2012 Miami Herald: [el obstaculo maior es el embargo que limita el servicio a la isla…]

Romney's Fla. Ads Tie Obama to Chavez, Castro  11/1/2012 AP: "There's a similar clip featuring Castro's niece, Mariela, who has no official link to the Cuban government. She's a noted advocate of gay rights and has praised Obama's stand in support of same sex marriage."

Pintor Agustín Bejarano se declara culpable; cumplirá 42 meses de cárcel  10/30/2012 Miami Herald: [Agustín Bejarano's supporters in Cuba, and there are many, are convinced he was framed by gusanos. He accepted guilt in order to plea bargain for a lighter sentence in what passes for the US justice system, always fllawed in Miami.]

Santiago de Cuba se levanta  10/27/2012 Cuba Debate: "El pueblo de Santiago de Cuba, aún en medio del pesar por las pérdidas humanas y materiales que le dejó Sandy, se levanta con absoluta fe en la recuperación de su terruño y hace a favor de ello con el apoyo que llega de otras provincias del país. En consonancia, brigadas de linieros y operarios de las empresas eléctrica y telefónica ya trabajan para restaurar el suministro de energía, afectado en casi un 85 por ciento, así como dar vitalidad a los más de 17 mil teléfonos interrumpidos."

Venezuela envia ayuda humanitaria a Cuba y Haití  10/27/2012 Cuba Debate

Rinden homenaje en Argentina a mártires cubanos desaparecidos durante la dictadura  10/26/2012 Cuba Debate: "El Secretario de Derechos Humanos de Argentina, Martín Fresneda, participó este jueves en la Embajada de Cuba en Buenos Aires del homenaje al mártir Crescencio Galañena Hernández, quien cumplía tareas como funcionario diplomático en el país andino cuando fue secuestrado junto con su compañero Jesús Cejas Arias por la dictadura cívico militar el 9 de agosto de 1976."

MIRIAM LEIVA: Devastación en el oriente de Cuba  10/26/2012 Miami Herald

In Cuba, the Teachers Are Leaving  10/25/2012 Havana Times: "Last year, 14,000 teachers left the classroom with medical leave certificates or requesting self-employment licenses, while this summer another 4,000 gave up teaching without excuses. Meanwhile, 80 percent of the slots to study teaching careers are vacant."

Cubanos son propietarios de casi 85 por ciento de viviendas del país  10/22/2012 Cuba Debate: "Las familias cubanas son propietarias de casi el 85 por ciento de las viviendas existentes en el país y solo el seis por ciento están vinculadas o son medios básicos de organismos de la administración central del Estado. El resto de ellas está considerado en régimen de arrendamiento y en cuartos, habitaciones, bohíos y otros tipos, según el más reciente informe hasta 2011 de especialistas del sistema de la vivienda en la nación, al que la AIN tuvo acceso."

Información útil sobre trámites migratorios  10/16/2012 CubaDebate

En apoyo a la Campaña Por Otra Cuba por la ratificación de los Pactos de la ONU. Concierto y presentación del disco Gente sin Dinero del grupo Estudiantes sin Semilla  10/16/2012 Estado de SATS

Government to let Cubans travel freely  10/16/2012 Newsday: "The Cuban government announced Tuesday that it will eliminate a half-century-old restriction that requires citizens to get an exit visa to leave the country. The decree, which takes effect Jan. 14, will eliminate a much-loathed bureaucratic procedure that has kept many Cubans from traveling or moving abroad."

Sex Tourism: The Largest Free-market in Cuba  10/15/2012 Havana Times: "When the Cuban government began promoting the tourism industry in the 1990s, it was sex tourism that jump-started that initiative. Twelve years into the 21st century, they have managed to transition to other more conventional forms of tourism. Eco tourism, family tourism and luxury tourism are gradually coming to occupy prominent places in the industry."

The Week the World Stood Still: The Cuban Missile Crisis and Ownership of the World  10/15/2012 Tom Dispatch: "In a review of recently released documents on Kennedy-era terror, Harvard University Latin Americanist Jorge Domínguez observes, "Only once in these nearly thousand pages of documentation did a U.S. official raise something that resembled a faint moral objection to U.S.-government sponsored terrorism [against Cuba]": a member of the National Security Council staff suggested that raids that are "haphazard and kill innocents… might mean a bad press in some friendly countries." The same attitudes prevailed throughout the internal discussions during the missile crisis, as when Robert Kennedy warned that a full-scale invasion of Cuba would "kill an awful lot of people, and we're going to take an awful lot of heat on it." And they prevail to the present, with only the rarest of exceptions, as easily documented."

Cuba Can Learn from Chavez and Venezuela  10/9/2012 Havana Times: "Cubans mustn’t respond to the process that has just taken place in Venezuela only with our solidarity. We need to also draw from those experiences and use them to continue radicalizing our own relatively stagnant revolutionary process. The Cuban Revolution began the second stage of the independence of “Our America”; but today it is our responsibility to learn the way independence is being best guaranteed by the Bolivarian peoples of Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia. These countries have democratic processes, referenda, freedom of the press and association, free access to social networking websites, respect for different ways of thinking, recognition of the role of peaceful and democratic opposition, the direct election of their presidents, new forms of participation, community powers, the development of social enterprises and cooperatives, and programs of direct assistance for the most needy."

U.S. prevents Los Van Van from playing in Puerto Rico  10/8/2012 Granma: "The Cuban band Los Van Van were unable to play two concerts programmed for San Juan and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, scheduled for October 11 and 12, respectively, because their legendary bass player Samuel Formell was refused a visa by the U.S. Department of State."

Prices and Taxes in Cuba  10/4/2012 Havana Times: "To really achieve the redistribution of wealth, taxes should be applied only on luxury goods, those products that aren’t necessary for life. Applying them on milk, cooking oil, soap and meat ends up being punishment against the poor. Kiosks have been opened in all the districts selling products in convertible hard-currency. One needs only to stand around one of those to witness how many of the people who shop there are clearly poor people who have to save every penny to buy the most indispensible items. A few days ago people were complaining that detergent was scarce in the hard-currency stores. The problem was actually that only large packages were being sold, while the fact is that many Cubans can barely manage to scrape together the 50 cents (USD) for the smallest packets."

Efficacy of scorpion venom is confirmed in Cuba  10/3/2012 Progreso Weekly: "For the first time in public, Cuba presented two cases that showed a reduction in cancerous tumors and an improvement in the quality of life of patients who, during a period of treatment, received only a natural medication extracted from the venom of scorpions. “The use of a natural solution of the venom from the [I]Rhopalurus junceus [/I]scorpion improves the quality of life of patients with brain tumors, reduces the lesions and is safe,” said Dr. Niudis Cruz Zamora in a research report to the Second Congress of the Entreprenurial Group of Biopharmaceutical and Chemical Products (Labiofam), held here this week."

The reemergence of the Cuban Catholic Church  10/3/2012 Progreso Weekly: "A nominally Catholic country, Cuba has historically been religiously diverse with low levels of practice and high levels of syncretism. From the 15th century up until the 1959 revolution, the Catholic Church in Cuba was predominantly staffed by Spaniards. Priests and religious were concentrated in educational institutions in urban areas. Wide swaths of the island were relatively un-churched. A 1957 survey of 400 rural families by Agrupación Católica revealed that only 52.10 percent identified themselves as Catholic and 53.51 percent had never laid eyes on a priest. A very high percentage (41.41 percent) claimed to have no religion, while 3.26 percent identified themselves as Protestants. Both Catholics and Protestants traditionally had low levels of practice ranging from 3 to 4 percent for the former and 5 to 6 percent for the latter, ratios that still hold true today. However, surveys in the 1990s revealed that over 80 percent of Cubans believed in the divine, not necessarily in Jesus, Yahweh or Shango. In short, Cuba is a nation of believers, if not of churchgoers."

Supressing a Public Pilgrimage: Day of the 5 Abakwá - 27th of November  10/2/2012 AfroCubaWeb: "The Abakwá parade parallels another parade from the University of Havana to the same monument at La Punta, a traditional parade that has been held for many years and was held again this year to honor the fallen students and a Spanish army captain who broke his sword over his knee to protest the executions, thereby ending his career. This parade would never mention the 5 Abakwá. They may be doing that now, although the official press articles about them tend not to. However, this year various sources in Havana confirm that the Abakwá parade going down the Paseo del Prado to La Punta was forbidden and an impressive contingent of police as well as a Rapid Response Brigade was on hand to enforce the prohibition."

U.S. blocks passengers traveling from Spanish airports  9/26/2012 Granma: "However, a European Commission (CE) spokesperson, Michele Cercone, told EFE that the issue is not within the CE’s authority since the U.S. does not have access to information about Spanish passengers or those of other nationalities who travel to third countries, as stipulated in an agreement between Brussels and Washington about passenger lists. The agreement apparently did not apply to Colombian journalist Hernando Calvo Ospina, a Le Monde Diplomatique collaborator and 25-year resident of Paris, El País emphasized. This past May 6, the journalist was left stranded at Barajas airport, because a functionary from the U.S. embassy in Madrid blocked his departure to a third country, in this case, Cuba, on a direct nonstop flight."

Cuba’s Post-Castro Future  9/19/2012 Consortium News: "Now that’s changing. Hispanics from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico and other Latin American countries are growing faster in numbers than those from Cuba. And while Cuban-Americans are mostly Republicans, others in Florida are heavily Democratic. Moreover, Cuban-Americans themselves are changing their mind about the embargo. According to a recent study by the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University (FIU), most Cuban-Americans in Miami would agree with Zamora that the embargo hasn’t worked well. In fact, 47 percent would like to see the embargo lifted. “This is probably the first presidential election in which Cuba is not a top issue for the Cuban-American community,” says Andy Gomez, senior fellow at the University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies. A member of Mitt Romney’s staff phoned Gomez last year to get his advice on the topics that Romney should address when he visits Miami. Gomez’s answer wasn’t Cuba but jobs and the economy."

Campañas electorales reciben menos dinero sobre el tema Cuba  9/16/2012 Nuevo Herald

¡Sirvan la sopita de pollo que esto se jodió!  9/16/2012 Yohandry's Blog: "Nunca fue un secreto, pero ahora se confirma: la Sección de Intereses Norteamericanos en La Habana (SINA) está detrás la huelga-circo que encabeza Marta Beatriz Roque. Un texto publicado por este blog, y fuentes consultadas posteriormente, confirmaron que John Patrick Caufield , actual jefe SINA, sostuvo un almuerzo de trabajo con Marta Beatriz Roque, nada menos que el 5 de septiembre, 5 días antes de que se anunciara por los medios de Miami el inicio del ayuno."

Comenzó en Cuba el Censo Nacional de Población y Viviendas 2012  9/15/2012 CubaDebate: [En el ultimo censo de 2002, hubo autodeterminacion de raza, con el resulto que muchos se pusieron blanco.]

Ros-Lehtinen se pone histérica con imagen del “Che”  9/15/2012 CubaDebate: "La Agencia Federal de Protección Ambiental (EPA) de EEUU envió un correo electrónico interno con una imagen del Che Guevara para celebrar el Mes de la Cultura Hispana, lo que generó una crisis de histeria de la congresista del sur de la Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen."

Censo homofóbico Cuba 2012: CENESEX declara que no hará declaración  9/15/2012 Negra Cubana

Peligros e incertidumbre tras las nuevas regulaciones aduanales  9/14/2012 AfroCubaWeb: de Alberto Jones

Cómplice de Posada Carriles reitera apoyo a candidato opositor venezolano  9/14/2012 CubaDebate: de Jean Guy Allard - "Ricardo Koesling, el directivo del partido político Piedra que declaró a “los chavistas los vamos a sacar a plomo, a golpes, a patadas o a lo que sea” al proclamar que sigue apoyando al candidato derechista Henrique Capriles Radonski, a pesar de los titulares, es el capo de la mafia cubanoamericana de Miami en Caracas, y el representante en Venezuela de la red terrorista de Luis Posada Carriles."

New report by 2 US senators details strategies to prevent "security crisis" in the Caribbean  9/13/2012 AP: "A pair of American senators released a new report Thursday detailing their recommendations to prevent a future security crisis in the Caribbean, where numerous unpoliced islets and barely monitored coasts remain near-perfect conduits for drug shipments. California Democrat Dianne Feinstein and Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley argue that Washington must be prepared to counter an uptick in drug trafficking in the Caribbean when, not if, the pendulum swings back a bit from Central American countries and Mexico."

Juicio contra los Cinco carece de sustento, afirma prestigioso juez chileno  9/13/2012 CubaDebate

Cuban Gov. Reports on Alan Gross  9/13/2012 Havana Times: "The note reiterates Cuba’s willingness to “dialogue with the US Government to find a solution to the case of Mr. Gross” and that it is “still awaiting a response.”"

The conventions and the future of U.S. policy toward Cuba  9/12/2012 Progreso Weekly: "Add to this the fact that, as the “historic exiles” die out, the interest in recovering properties left in Cuba (a determining factor in the far right’s program) declines. Simultaneously, there’s an increase in the number of Cuban-Americans interested in trading with the island or taking economic advantage of any possible contacts with the island. Such contacts could dovetail with U.S. interests, particularly those of Republican conservatives who for years have been questioning the convenience of maintaining the economic blockade. All of which tends to weaken the specific weight of the far right in the design of U.S. policy toward Cuba, as well as the more aggressive tendencies of that policy."

Cuba ensaya nuevos usos de las tarjetas de débito  9/10/2012 KokaCub@: "Personas en Cuba que disponen de una tarjeta de débito en pesos cubanos (CUP) pueden adquirir productos –por un precio equivalente- en tiendas estatales donde se compra solo en pesos convertibles (CUC), como parte de un experimento que se desarrolla al menos en la capital."

Mercado cubano se abre a los productos brasileños  9/7/2012 CubaDebate

Nueva herramienta de subversión contra Cuba: Videojuegos  9/7/2012 CubaDebate: "Uno de estos programas exige la creación de videojuegos que fomenten el consenso en torno a Washington, en particular entre los jóvenes. Como en otras partidas del gobierno norteamericano para operaciones ilegales en Cuba, esta se concentra en inversiones destinadas a fomentar el uso de nuevas tecnologías solo en aquellos que obedezcan al cambio de régimen que EEUU promueve en la Isla."

La Verdad sobre las reformas arancelarias en Cuba  9/6/2012 Martianos: "En verdad los cambios en los aranceles de importación a pagar en Cuba hace tiempo que tenían que haber sido ajustados al resto de los cambios que han venido teniendo lugar en la economía del país. Muchos han sido los que se aprovechaban de las viejas regulaciones aduanales que establecían que aquellos que residen permanentemente en Cuba pagaban los aranceles de importación en moneda nacional no convertible, cuando en la inmensa mayoría de los casos de esas personas que viajan con frecuencia al extranjero éstas se dedican a importar mercancías en Cuba con fines comerciales y no con fines personales. A la vez que la inmensa mayoría de esa mercancía se vende en el país en CUC --moneda nacional convertible-- o en su equivalente en moneda nacional no convertible. Sabemos que es así."

A Challenge to Journalism - The Cuban Five and the Garbus Memo  9/5/2012 Counterpunch: by RICARDO ALARCÓN de QUESADA - "The US Government seriously violated the Constitution and the Law to guarantee the unfair sentences of the Five Cuban patriots who will soon arrive at 14 years of arbitrary and illegal punishment. This was not an isolated event, but rather a systematic effort during the whole process against the Five that cost millions of tax payers’ money. There is only very limited information available on the duration, resources used, people involved, and other important aspects of the operation. Disclosing this behavior would force the authorities – both the Court and the Executive- to arrange for the immediate release of our five compañeros and, consequently, Washington has also conspired to hide what it did thus committing an additional crime: cover up."

A subtle form of corruption  9/5/2012 Progreso Weekly: by Esteban Morales - "Our highest Political Directorate, being consistent with what it had said ever since it assumed command, condensed its pronouncements: Corruption is the equivalent of counterrevolution. All of us revolutionaries breathed a sigh of relief. Taking up criticism was a reality and nobody had to right to silence it."

New tax in Cuba threatens consumption in a hungry nation  9/4/2012 AFP: "Cuba has slapped a new customs tax on everyday goods shipped from overseas in a drive that experts say could weaken the economy and sap consumption. The levy took effect Monday and is payable in foreign currency. It targets goods imported by private citizens, often self-employed people who have started up businesses as part of timid reforms undertaken by the communist government in 2011."

Cuba Targeted at Democratic Convention  9/4/2012 Havana Times: "It is the only American nation that gets its very own paragraph and more. Only four other countries get such attention: Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China."

Desde hoy, en vigor nueva Resolución de la Aduana en Cuba  9/3/2012 CubaDebate: "A partir de este lunes tres de septiembre entra en vigor la Resolución No. 122 de la Aduana General de la República de Cuba referente a los envíos hacia el país por vía aérea, marítima, postal o de mensajería."

Muere investigador norteamericano que vinculó a Posada Carriles con asesinato de JFK  9/3/2012 CubaDebate: "Pero algo más que ese complot interesaba al investigador del asesinato de Kennedy: “No era el plan principal, pero un subcomplot que Veciana identificó como urdido por el cerebro de Posada”. “Al igual que Oswald fue utilizado para ser el chivo expiatorio en la conspiración para asesinar a Kennedy, Posada concibió un plan donde un insospechado co- conspirador era creado para ser el ‘chivo’ del complot a fin de asesinar a Fidel Castro. “El experto de contrainteligencia, David Phillips, aseguraría luego, por supuesto, que esas fotos tendrían una distribución mundial después del asesinato de Castro. El plan completo se derrumbó cuando los pistoleros se congelaron en el último momento.”

Call to Count Gays in Cuba Census  9/2/2012 Havana Times: "How many homosexuals are there in Cuba? How many same-sex couples are living together? How many transsexuals does the island have? And how many bisexual and lesbian households exist in Cuba? Answers to these kinds of questions are being sought by Cuban journalist and blogger Francisco Rodriguez*, a well-known government sympathizer and gay activist on the island."

Cuban Artwork Still Sidelined by US Blockade  9/1/2012 Juventud Rebelde: «Frequently,» Miret commented, «these people are harassed by the US Department of the Treasure, which sends them a letter requesting copies of all invoices and support documentation on the acquired work.» «Evidently this creates a kind of pressure that many are not are willing to face. I’m talking about important collectors who live in the United States and that when questioned say they quite acquiring the work of Cuban residents on the island because they don’t want to be in the American government’s spyglass.»"

Import tax deadline has Cuba entrepreneurs on edge  9/1/2012 Miami Herald: "A sudden jump in import taxes on Monday threatens to make life tougher for some of Cuba's new entrepreneurs and will mean higher prices for many of their customers by raising the cost of goods ranging from jungle-print blouses to jewelry. The new measures steeply hike duties on cargo shipments, as well as on many bulk goods brought in by airline passengers, a crucial supply line for many of the small businesses the government has been trying to encourage as it cuts a bloated workforce in the socialist economy."

¿El principio del fin de la doble moneda en Cuba? (I)  8/31/2012 Havana Times: "El cartel en cuestión anunciaba que los portadores de tarjetas magnéticas del sistema RED podían usarlas para pagar sus compras en esa chopin con moneda nacional, claro, al tipo de cambio oficial establecido. El sistema RED opera en tres bancos cubanos (Banco Popular de Ahorro, Banco de Crédito y Comercio y Banco Metropolitano) y emite tarjetas de débito en las cuales a algunos sectores de los trabajadores cubanos se les deposita su salario. El salario en moneda nacional, claro."

U.S. Treasury Department continues to obstruct travel to Cuba  8/29/2012 Granma: "U.S. authorities have implemented a series of bureaucratic measures restricting ‘People to People’ travel to Cuba. This particular program was reinitiated by the Obama administration in 2011, although it did not entail any substantive change in U.S. policy toward Cuba and left the blockade intact. The new measures have complicated trips between the United States and Cuba. Now, according to Department of Treasury regulations, paperwork required to request a license to organize trips to Cuba has been expanded from six to hundreds of pages."

Dissidents report a crackdown in Cuba  8/25/2012 Miami Herald

Romney Does Florida  8/18/2012 Counterpunch: "Romney, without Ryan, did not mention “Cuba”, once. It was a check-the-box visit to a key constituency in a swing state. That the venue was owned by a federally convicted coke smuggler (reported by Miami New Times) serves to remind that when considering Florida politics, Miami is ground zero. It is where the 2000 presidential election was stolen. It is where the housing boom materialized. It is the mortgage fraud capital of the United States. It is where backstories deserve attention."

"End the Embargo!" Will Romney Take Ryan’s Advice on Cuba?  8/13/2012 Counterpunch: "The embargo is a legacy litmus test only in Miami, increasingly to an aged and elderly segment of the vote. In truth, the embargo is being broken every single day to benefit Cuban American families and their relatives on both sides of the Florida Straits. The better place for Romney’s press conference tomorrow is not a Cuban restaurant, Palacios de los Jugos, but the long lines for the morning flights to Havana inside Miami International Airport."

Mitt Romney Is Stumping in Miami at Eatery Owned by Convicted Coke Smuggler  8/13/2012 Miami New Times: "Today, Mitt Romney is forgoing a Miami political campaign tradition by skipping over Versailles restaurant in Little Havana. Instead, Mittens will hobnob with a convicted cocaine smuggler. The Republican presidential candidate is holding an afternoon rally at Palacio de los Jugos (7085 Coral Way), which is owned by Reinaldo Bermudez, who served three years in federal prison after pleading guilty in 1999 to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine."

Cuban exile firework show lights up Havana horizon  8/11/2012 AP: "Sanchez said a second message behind the display was to demand greater Internet access on the island, which lags the rest of the world despite the completion of an undersea fiber-optic cable last year. “The Cuban government has just installed the cable from Venezuela that allows 3,000 times more technical capability of connection, and yet it has not translated into benefits for the Cuban people in terms of access,” he said."

Cuba: Breaking The Fiber Optic Monopoly  8/10/2012 Havana Times: "Capote discusses how he was involved in a US project to generate Wi-Fi reception in Havana by planting a small number of devices in key points all across the Cuban capital. Could it be possible to do that without the help of the CIA? Surely the Chinese sell such gadgets. Who knows, maybe even the Wi-Fi system that “Paul”/“Daniel” was going to install could be built with components “MADE IN CHINA.”"

EEUU prestó sus sicarios a Pinochet - ¿Será “patrocinador del terrorismo”?  8/7/2012 Rebelion: "Mientras Estados Unidos promociona a través de su red mediática su lista anual de países “patrocinadores del terrorismo”, en Chile se desclasifican los archivos de la DINA, la gestapo de Pinochet, donde se confirma la presencia en Chile, en los años del Plan Condor, de sicarios y terroristas cubanoamericanos formados por la CIA y “facilitados” a la dictadura chilena para sus operaciones más sucias. Los nuevos elementos que documentan esta colaboración mortífera surgen con la publicación de un intercambio de comunicaciones entre la fiscalía norteamericana, el FBI y altos cargos de la dictadura de Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) durante el año 1977."

EDITORIAL - Truth and reason  8/1/2012 Granma: "For overtly subversive objectives, the U.S. Interests Section in Havana facilitates thousands of hours of illicit International connections and gives hundreds of hours’ worth of courses in conspiracy, openly violating Cuban legislation and that of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. There is a large body of evidence that the U.S. government is continuing its policy of regime change in Cuba, through the economic, political, and media blockade and incitement to subversion."

El Tesoro estadounidense refuerza el control sobre viajes y remesas a Cuba  7/29/2012 CubaEncuentro: "El Departamento del Tesoro estadounidense ha divulgado la Circular 2012 de la Oficina de Control de Bienes Extranjeros (OFAC, por sus siglas en ingles), que refuerza el control sobre viajes y remesas a Cuba con nuevas disposiciones que regulan las operaciones de agencias y compañías de vuelos chárter que negocian con la Isla, informó este viernes el sitio CaféFuerte. La nueva normativa, señala la nota de la periodista y editora del sitio web Ivette Leyva Martínez, establece regulaciones más estrictas para la gestión de la documentación y equipaje de pasajeros, así como para la venta de pasajes aéreos."

Max Marambio gana caso contra Cuba y reclama $153 millones  7/28/2012 Café Fuerte: "El empresario chileno Max Marambio logró un fallo favorable ante la Corte Internacional de Arbitraje (ICC) en el litigio que sostiene por la compañía mixta Alimentos Río Zaza y reclamará una indemnización de $153 millones de dólares al gobierno cubano. El tribunal de París decretó esta semana, por mayoría, la disolución de la sociedad y la liquidación de los bienes compartidos con el Estado cubano, reportó el diario chileno."

Cuban president Raúl Castro willing to hold no-limits talks with America  7/26/2012 Guardian: "Cuban president Raúl Castro said on Thursday that his government was willing to mend fences with its bitter cold war foe, the United States. At the end of a Revolution Day ceremony marking the 59th anniversary of an uprising against dictator Fulgencio Batista's regime, Castro grabbed the microphone and made apparently impromptu remarks. He said no topic was off limits, including US concerns about democracy, freedom of the press and human rights on the island, as long as it was a conversation between equals."

Falleció dirigente revolucionario cubano Rafael Francia Mestre  7/25/2012 CubaDebate: "En 1939 inició su labor revolucionaria en el Partido Socialista Popular (PSP). Participó en la campaña de promoción de los candidatos comunistas a la Asamblea Constituyente de 1940 y perteneció a las organizaciones juveniles Jóvenes del Pueblo y Juventud Revolucionaria."

¿Quién mató al disidente cubano Oswaldo Payá?  7/25/2012 Penultimos Dias: "Pero la hija de Payá, Rosa María Payá, cuestionó inmediatamente esa versión, afirmando que la familia había recibido información de los sobrevivientes en el sentido de que el auto fue embestido varias veces por otro vehículo. “Así que creemos que no fue un accidente”, dijo, de acuerdo con CNN en Español. “Le querían hacer daño y terminaron matándolo.” La familia también reveló que Oswaldo Payá fue atacado en un incidente similar hace dos semanas en La Habana. En retrospectiva, ahora ven ese incidente como una advertencia del régimen."

Romney Joins Call for Transparent Investigation into Oswaldo Paya's Death  7/23/2012 Fox News: "Paya died Sunday afternoon along with another dissident, Harold Cepero Escalante, in the crash in La Gavina, 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of the capital. Authorities said the driver of the rental car carrying Paya and Cepero lost control and struck a tree. Fellow passengers Jens Aron Modig, a Swedish citizen, and Angel Carromero, a Spaniard, were hospitalized with minor injuries and later released."

Entrega la banca cubana más de 250 millones de pesos en créditos  7/19/2012 CubaDebate

African Awareness Association Demands Cuban Five Release  7/12/2012 Juventud Rebelde: "Banboshé Shangó, one of the representatives of the Solidarity Network with Cuba in the United States said that they knew little of the Cuban Five’s cause due to the wall of silence in the US press, and that they now have more and better information, so that they can spread it throughout the US once they are back."

U.S. African Awareness Association Joins Campaign for the Cuban Five  7/12/2012 RHC: "Members of the U.S. African Awareness Association (AAA), based in Richmond, Virginia, expressed in Havana their determination to spread the truth of the Cuban Five case in the United States and called on U.S. President Barack Obama to release the five heroes."

Danny Glover protagoniza nuevo video de solidaridad con Los Cinco  7/11/2012 CubaDebate

Graduados en Cuba 11 mil médicos de 60 países  7/11/2012 CubaDebate: "Unos 11 mil estudiantes recibirán en el presente mes de julio sus títulos de Doctor en Medicina, de los cuales 5 315 son cubanos y 5 694 jóvenes proceden de 59 países, en lo que constituye la mayor graduación médica en toda la historia de nuestra nación y una muestra elocuente de solidaridad internacionalista. Los alumnos cursaron sus estudios gratuitamente en las Universidades de Ciencias Médicas, reconocidas por su alto nivel científico y una indeclinable proyección social al lado de los más pobres del mundo."

Medvédev aboga por consultas regulares entre Rusia y Cuba  7/11/2012 CubaDebate

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