My Cuba Thoughts

Adrian Leiva Dies Meeting his Dream of Returning to Cuba

2010-04-06T11:51:00.005-04:00

The circumstances regarding Leiva's death remain unclear, however, Miguel Saludes informed the world of Leiva's passing yesterday.

He died, tragically, attempting to return to Cuba, quite a noble endeavor in my view. It's difficult to come to terms with the fact that his return ended the way that it did. It's as if it ended before it should.

As I stated, it is unclear how he died. His sister says there was not even a scratch on his body. The others accompanying him are currently being detained in the political police station of La Habana, Villa Maristas.

The fact that they are alive and Leiva is not raises concerns about how exactly this came to be. I don't put it past the Cuban government to be responsible for this.

My Apologies

2010-01-26T15:49:00.002-05:00

I have been taking a break from the blogosphere due to the pace of my life, which seems to increase its speed monthly.

I think this will continue through the end of the year.

Should any of my commitments end before then, I will post more regularly.

Several important events in Cuba have been occurring and I have not posted about them, not because I am not still just as passionate about the subject as before, but because I simply have not had the opportunity.

Until next time,
V

Thoughts on “el Concierto de la Paz” and our Unfounded Optimism

2009-09-25T10:43:00.000-04:00

After nearly a week of euphoria, I think it’s time the overly optimistic Cuban-American community put their feet back on the ground. For the past week, I’ve heard all sorts of claims about the value of the Juanes concert, how it will build hope amongst the Cuban youth, how it’s a sign the regime is changing, how it’s a sign the exile community is changing. I must respectfully disagree.

Hope derived from this concert is from the mistaken impression that Cuba’s youth will be motivated to pursue its freedom and the Cuban government will not be able to control it.

I’m not quite sure what concert people saw, but here’s the one I saw:
· The only performers given any leeway in what they said were foreigners, and even then, they were obviously limited in their freedom of speech.
· The two “questionable” (in the eyes of the Cuban government) Cuban artists that were allowed to perform, X Alfonso and Carlos Varela, were kept on the tightest of leashes (particularly Varela) and their combined performances lasted fewer than 30 minutes. Varela was chaperoned off stage by security as soon as both songs were over (as his performance was divided in two…God forbid the Cuban people see him on stage for longer than 7 minutes at a time.
· The final group performance of the concert allowed only the foreigners to keep microphones in their hands; the microphone stayed far away from Varela and Alfonso.
· So, again, we see that foreigners are given more rights than Cubans, even Cuban artists…it’s nothing new for Cuba, but perhaps we can point it out and not pretend like this was some major tumbling of walls.

So, my question is: How do the Cuban youth derive hope from this? It remains obvious to any Cuban who watched the concert that nothing had changed in Cuba or its government.

Yes, the exile community was mentioned for perhaps the first time in 50 years. But again, how does this encourage hope for freedom for Cubans? What occurred was a concert, nothing more, nothing less. The Cuban people were able to enjoy the performances of world-famous mega stars, all the while knowing that the following day would be the same as the previous.

I am heartened to see that the Cuban government did not politicize the concert the way that it could have, that it did not manipulate the statements of the artists that performed. I sincerely thought that they would and am glad they did not.

But the Cuban government persists in being a repressive, near-totalitarian dictatorship. Hundreds of “questionable” Cuban youth were told by state police that they could not attend the concert. This is not freedom. This is not a changing government.

The message was sent loud and clear to the Cuban people: if you’re a foreigner, you’re safe; if you’re Cuban, you will continue to be unable to speak your truth…just like Alfonso, just like Varela.

Cuba’s Youth: The New Opposition

2009-09-17T11:25:00.007-04:00

ICCAS' latest Cuba Focus, by Dr. Andy Gomez:

Cuba’s Youth: The New Opposition

Since the start of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro and his government have transformed Cuba’s educational system into an indoctrinating tool to program Cuba’s youth to accept and promote Marxist ideology. Every student begins his school day by reciting in his school courtyard “Pioneros por el comunismo, seremos como el ‘Che’.” (“Pioneers for communism-we will be like ‘Che’”). However, the ideological ties of the youth are weak, to say the least; they have only a distorted version of what “El Che” actually represents. They also consider Fidel Castro to be a symbol of the past, not representative of their generation. There is a huge gap between the Cuban youth and the “Generation of the Revolution.” The older generation insists on remaining in the past and uses the revolution as an excuse to empower themselves and survive the rigors of everyday life in Cuba.

About 2.2 million out of 11.2 million Cubans on the island today were born after 1991. They have no real perspective of the true purpose of the Revolution and very little knowledge of Cuba’s long history and culture, since most of Cuba’s history books focus on 1959 and beyond. People that live under totalitarian regimes survive within a “culture of fear.” They have developed a set of values and attitudes that define their daily behavior in order to meet their own wants and needs which are not compatible with the restrictions imposed by the state; the Cuban people are no exception.

Since 2002, we at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami, have interviewed and surveyed hundreds of recently arrived Cubans, in addition to communicating regularly with Cuban youth groups on the island, in an effort to better understand their values and attitudes as a consequence of living in a totalitarian state. To better comprehend their patterns of psychological and social behavior, we used C.C. Hughes’ methodology (1993) which defines culture as (1) A socially transmitted system of ideas (2) that shapes and describes experiences, (3) gives names to surrounding realities, (4) is saved by members of a particular group, and (5) coordinates and determines behavior. We followed many of these individuals for a six month period and found that many began to adopt new values and attitudes that are expected in a free civil society.

Today, the values imposed by the totalitarian regime of the Castro brothers are being challenged by a new opposition—Cuba’s youth. To them the values of the Revolution are not relevant; they have started to contradict the purpose and principles of the current socialist system. Cuba’s youth are an opposition that wants “change,” even if that change is not fully defined. Most want their basic needs to be met such as better housing, more food, jobs, etc. They all want hope for the future, freedom and the right to pursue their own happiness.

Even though some of the youth have become apathetic or distrustful of politics, many do want to play a role in shaping Cuba’s future government. Yet, the space provided by the current government is very limited and controlled. Some of these youngsters have been expelled from universities or fired from their jobs simply for questioning the Cuban government’s policies and practices.

The biggest challenge for Cuba’s youth, and anyone else on the island, will be to figure out how to psychologically transform their values and attitudes in order to develop and sustain a democratic society in the future. We have learned many lessons from Central and Eastern European countries that have gone from a totalitarian regime to a more “democratic” system. Their outcomes have been mixed—it is not easy; it takes time, tolerance, compromise and a willingness to learn from the past to build a better future.

Finally, one last essential challenge will be how to keep the young in Cuba. Their patience is running out, understandably so. In interviews recently conducted with young people on the island, it’s clear that there is some hope that once Fidel Castro is dead, General Raul Castro could very well introduce new reforms; these reforms may be too late and deal mostly with the current economic crisis. In the eyes of Cuba’s youth, Raul Castro will try to preserve the failed ideology of the Revolution. For them, this is unacceptable. The Cuban youth’s demands go much beyond what Raul Castro is willing to give. The frustrations amongst Cuba’s youth remain deep and the reality of the everyday struggle for freedom persists. How much longer can the system survive?
_________________________________________________
*Dr. Andy S. Gomez is Associate Provost, University of Miami; Senior Fellow, Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies and Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.He was assisted in this article by Vanessa Lopez, Research Associate at ICCAS, and Giselle Recarey-Delgado, UM student.

Weirdest Job Posting Ever...

2009-08-20T16:36:00.001-04:00

I wonder if there's a shortage of people willing to do this?

Cuba seeks applicants for secret police

Havana, Aug 19 (EFE).- Cuba's national police are inviting applications for the force's OTOS secret operations unit, the official AIN news agency said Wednesday.

The process is open to men and women ages 18 to 40 who have high-school diplomas and suitable "political-ethical characteristics," AIN said, citing a police statement.

OTOS needs "motivated" individuals with a "taste for investigation, risk," who are capable of dealing with cases in which there are no obvious suspects, the police statement said.

Recruits will have the opportunity to earn a law degree while on active duty with the force, the national police said.

"OTOS works in the uncovering, prevention and solution of criminal and economic offenses through the use of the methods and means of secret operations work," the statement said.

Besides OTOS, the communist-ruled island has a State Security force that deals with perceived threats and challenges to Cuba's one-party political system. EFE

Gugulandia returns!!!

2009-08-19T15:23:00.002-04:00

Click to enlarge:

From Gugulandia:

Not Enough $$$ for a Party

2009-08-03T10:12:00.002-04:00

With Fidel not completely out of the picture (read: dead) Raul cannot call a Party Congress...the problem: Fidel is officially the First Secretary, and one cannot hold a Party Congress without the First Secretary present (well, one could, but it just wouldn't be proper).

Raul called for this Congress in 2008, undoubtedly assuming Fidel would have died, thereby making his assension to First Secretary a defacto occurance. With Fidel alive, Raul most certainly feels that the internal politics would not allow him to strip the title from his brother.

So, to try to save face, Raul is blaming the bad economy for the Party's indefinite suspension...although, I can't quite see how one has anything to do with the other.

Cuba suspends plans for Communist Party congress
WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer Will Weissert, Associated Press WriterHAVANA –

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.

Cuba lowered its 2009 growth estimate from 2.5 percent to 1.7 percent, but even that figure is dubious given that it includes state spending on free health care and education, the food Cubans receive with monthly ration booklets and a broad range of other social services.

The revision downward was the second of its kind this year. As recently as December, central planners said they thought the Cuban economy would grow by 6 percent in 2009.

The country's economic problems began last summer, with three hurricanes that caused more than $10 billion in damage. The situation has worsened with the onset of the global financial crisis and subsequent recession.

The 78-year-old Raul Castro succeeded his brother as president more than 18 months ago, but it's the soon-to-be 83-year-old Fidel who remains head of the Communist Party.

Party congresses historically have been held every five years or so to renew leadership and set major policies, but the government has broken with that tradition over the past decade.

Information about the Central Committee meeting occupied the entire front page of the Communist Party daily Granma and a full page inside cited Raul Castro as reporting that "things are very serious and we are now analyzing them."

"The principal matter is the economy: what we have done and what we have to perfect and even eliminate as we are up against an imperative to make full accounts of what the country really has available, of what we have to live and for development," the newspaper said, citing the president.

It said authorities would postpone the sixth Party congress "until this crucial phase ... has been overcome," but did not say when that might be.

Waiting for his copy of Granma when it hit newsstands at 7 a.m., Raul Salgado, a 72-year-old retiree, said, "I want to know what's happening, or better yet, what's going to happen."

"I don't think it matters much to the people if there is a congress or not. What the people want here in Cuba is to know what the government is going to do to get out of such a terrible situation like the one in which we're living," Salgado said.

Cuba has begun a major push to conserve energy in an attempt to save some of the imported oil it uses to run power plants. State-run factories have been idled during peak hours, air conditioners have been stilled at government offices and some work hours shortened.

Granma made it clear more cutbacks were coming, but did not give details. Cuba's rubber-stamp parliament convenes Saturday for one of its two full sessions a year and could unveil new energy-saving plans then

Biscet's 48th Birthday

2009-07-20T14:09:00.001-04:00

In his sixth year of incarceration, Oscar Elias Biscet turns 48 today.

Let us hope he will soon be able to celebrate as a free man.

In other words, it's nothing new...

2009-07-20T13:55:00.003-04:00

Disaster Drill Illustrates New Approach To Cuba (Rosenberg, MH)
Monday, July 20, 2009; A1
Miami Herald
By Carol Rosenberg
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba -- About 150 U.S. and Cuban troops worked side by side last week, testing collaboration across a minefield that has long divided the Cold War adversaries.

A Cuban Army helicopter flew over this Navy base and dropped 500 gallons of saltwater on burning plywood to extinguish a simulated raging wildfire. American sailors crossed into Cuban-controlled turf to set up a mock triage center run by both nations' militaries, should catastrophe strike.

Nearly anywhere else, the event would have been a run-of-the-mill training exercise. And although U.S. forces at this remote base have engaged in the annual rite with the Cuban Frontier Brigade for more than a decade, the Bush administration forbade the disclosure of information. The Southern Command usually answered questions about the time, date or operation scenarios with ``no comment."

This time, the U.S. military struck a different tone. It provided details but refused to let journalists already on the base for war-court hearings observe the "mass casualty exercise." Sailors photographed the event but were forbidden to release the images, said U.S. Navy base spokesman Terence R. Peck.

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Jack Sheehan called the calibrated exposure a likely "trial balloon" by an Obama administration experimenting with expanded relations with Havana.

The White House has moved on a number of initiatives involving Cuba this year, including increasing the frequency with which Cubans could visit the island and voting for a process that could return Cuba to the Organization of American States after almost 50 years. And this summer, the administration resumed U.S.-Cuban diplomatic talks on migration issues, which the Bush administration abandoned seven years ago.

`INCREMENTAL'
Sheehan, a 1994-97 commander of the U.S. Atlantic Command, and advocate of deeper U.S.-Cuban military relations, told The Miami Herald he instituted the mass-casualty drill as part of an outreach to a military that, he said, would have a critical, trusted role in any future transition in Cuban society.

He said the Obama administration was now likely engaging in "an incremental process" of exposing and potentially exploiting the military relationship at Guantanamo. "We've never advertised it in the sense of the term because it was very controversial," he said.

Pentagon policymakers refused to comment on the new approach. Navy spokesmen said only that the U.S. Navy base ``has fostered a positive relationship with the Cuban Frontier Brigade . . . as one outcome of our shared responsibility for this region of Cuba."

Sheehan said all sorts of military engagement began in the mid-'90s when both sides agreed to migration accords to stem the tide of rafters trying to cross the Florida Straits for Miami, a time he said, ``when hard-liners on both sides of the Straits were looking for reasons not to advance a dialogue."

Discussions then, he said, included minefield removal and scenarios for what would happen if a U.S. fighter jet strayed into Cuban territory.

`BENIGN'
The talks increased when the Bush White House decided to open the war-on-terror prison camps at Guantanamo, said retired Navy Capt. Bob Buehn, a former base commander.

The Americans informed their Cuban military counterparts ahead of the Jan. 11, 2002, arrival of alleged enemies in orange jumpsuits, and the Cuban government permitted large U.S. military aircraft carrying al Qaeda suspects from Afghanistan to fly over portions of Cuba rather than perform risky corkscrew landings.

But these drills and exchanges were mostly kept secret and mentioned cryptically by base commanders long afterward to illustrate what they cast as a "benign relationship" along a 17.4-mile fence line where cameras, motion detectors and stadium lighting now augment a leaner U.S. Marine force than those portrayed in the Hollywood hit, A Few Good Men.

CIRCUITOUS ROUTE
Another example: Last month, the U.S. Navy provided a special flight to an American archbishop, Timothy Broglio, from the base at Guantanamo to Grand Cayman -- in time to catch a connection to Havana.

From there he flew on to Santiago, in time to tell worshipers at a Mass the next day, across the minefield, that U.S. troops would welcome ties with the Cuban people.

"Many of the servicemen in the Guantanamo base wanted to make this trip with me," he told Cuban Catholics in a homily reportedly delivered in flawless Spanish by Broglio, a former Vatican delegate to the Dominican Republic. ``Let us pray to God that someday we may share a service together, without separations."

Broglio is head of the Vatican's diocese that ministers to Catholics and their families in the U.S. military.

He told The Herald that the U.S. Navy made his trip easier, but it was initiated by the Bishop of Guantanamo, in the Castros' Cuba, who had been told the American archbishop would visit the 45-square-mile Navy base that Fidel Castro ordered evacuated more than 40 years ago.

Cuba declined a proposal by the Guantanamo Archdiocese to let Broglio cross the minefields, through a road that connects Cuba to the Navy base.

In Case You're Not Too Busy Standing in Line

2009-07-01T16:22:00.003-04:00

When will they realize that salaries will not substantially rise until they break away from the dictums of a centralized, socialist economy?

June 30, 2009 Cuban Colada, The Miami Herald.
New law: It's OK to hold more than one job
Cubans may hold more than one job, says Decree No. 268, approved June 26 by the Council of State and announced Monday in the Communist Party daily Granma.The Council calls the concept "pluriemployment," explaining that "the workers, after fulfilling the duties of the post they hold, may enter into more than one work contract and receive the corresponding salary."

The announcement does not say how many jobs a worker may hold.Pluriemployment "is linked to the rational use of human resources and labor contracts" and is intended "to attenuate the effects of an aging population, stimulate work in society" and provide "the chance that the workers may increase their income."There are some exceptions. Multiple jobs are out of the question for "cadres and functionaries, health technicians and professionals, researchers, professors, teachers and auditors, except in the case of teaching or scientific research posts or others that are approved" by their current employers.High school and college students old enough to work may hold more than one job but only part-time and for a specific length of time.The City of Havana is empowered to hire workers who live in other provinces "to cover its work needs on a temporary or permanent basis," the decree says, citing the need "to stimulate the productive forces, make possible an increase in income" and enable "work to be the principal source of satisfaction for [Cubans'] material and spiritual needs."

The average monthly salary in Cuba is 415 pesos, about US$19. While the Cuban government subsidizes many food products and provides education and health care at no cost, that amount is not sufficient for most wage earners. Decree No. 268 appears to be a way to help Cubans to help themselves. To read the announcement in Granma, in Spanish, click here.

---Renato Pérez Pizarro.

To See this along the Malecon...

2009-06-16T08:53:00.000-04:00

And Our Riots?

2009-06-14T19:38:00.002-04:00

Just a thought for today:

After a seemingly fraudulent election in Iran, we have seen large scale riots in the streets of Tehran the past couple of days. It makes me wonder why we don't see the same thing after our (Cuba's) more obviously fraudulent elections.

Rationed Rations

2009-06-09T15:35:00.002-04:00

Quotas of beans, peas, salt are reduced
The individual quotas of three rationed food products -- beans, peas and salt -- have been reduced, effective June 1, according to the e-zine Progreso Weekly's blog.An official note by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, posted in every grocery store, states that the quotas of beans and peas, each set at 20 ounces per family member per month, have been cut to 10 oz.The salt quota -- 2 kilograms every three months for a 3-to-4-member family -- has been reduced to 1 kilogram.Black beans can be purchased in farmers' markets for 10 ordinary pesos (US 38 cents) per pound; kidney beans for 12 pesos (US 45 cents) per pound, but salt is sold only in convertible-peso stores, for the equivalent of US 70 cents per kilogram, the blog says."Many Cubans wonder if the rationing of what's already rationed will be limited to beans, peas and salt, or if this is the beginning of new cutbacks," Progreso Weekly's Havana correspondent writes. "Some people understand that peas are rationed because they are imported -- but beans? They don't understand the motive. To other compatriots, the measure is an unequivocal sign that the ration card will be around for a long time. And the card, even when prudently managed, is not enough to furnish [a family's] needs for two weeks."---Renato Pérez Pizarro.
Posted by Renato Perez at 01:00 AM in Economy

Cuba Free to Reintegrate OAS if Abides by Practices, Proposals, and Principles

2009-06-03T17:37:00.003-04:00

OAS votes to readmit Cuba after 47 years
By NESTOR IKEDA – 54 minutes ago

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (AP) — The Organization of American States voted by acclamation on Wednesday to revoke the 1962 measure suspending communist Cuba, overturning a landmark of the Cold War in the hemisphere.

"The Cold War has ended this day in San Pedro Sula," said Honduran President Manuel Zelaya immediately following the announcement. "We begin a new era of fraternity and tolerance."

The action doesn't mean Cuba will return to the 34-member body that helps coordinate policies and mediates disputes throughout the Americas.

Cuban officials have repeatedly insisted they have no interest in returning to an organization they consider a tool of the United States.

And if Cuba changes its mind, the agreement calls for "a process of dialogue" in line with OAS "practices, proposals and principles" — a veiled allusion to agreements on human rights and democracy.
...

"The historic action taken today eliminates a distraction from the past and allows us to focus on the realities of today," State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Wood said in Washington.

He said it would let officials "continue with the president's efforts to support the desire of the Cuban people to freely determine Cuba's future consistent with our core principles and those of the Americas."

Wood also portrayed the resolution's reference to OAS principles as a victory for U.S. diplomacy, noting that most countries had favored automatically readmitting Cuba.

"The United States worked tirelessly," he said, to ensure "that the return of Cuba to participation in the OAS will be done consistent with the principles and purposes of the democracy and human rights."

Only hours earlier, State Department spokesman told reporters than failure to reach an agreement was "a clear sign of how the president's approach to relations in the Americas is paying dividends."

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro wrote in state newspapers on Wednesday that OAS should not exist and historically has "opened the doors to the Trojan horse" — the U.S. — to wreak havoc in Latin America.

UNhappy Birthday

2009-06-03T15:11:00.002-04:00

78.

Male life expectancy in Cuba: 75.19 years.

If only!

Llamamiento al gobierno cubano

2009-06-01T13:51:00.003-04:00

We call on the Cuban government to:

--Free all political prisoners

--Lift all restrictions for Cubans to enter and leave their country

--Lift all restrictions on access to the internet

The Blind Leading the Blind:

2009-05-19T10:47:00.001-04:00

Business Recorder
May 17, 2009 Sunday
PAKISTAN AND CUBA TO SIGN AGREEMENT FOR JEC
BYLINE: MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN
Pakistan and Cuba are to sign an agreement for the establishment of a Joint Economic Commission (JEC), official sources told Business Recorder here on Saturday. They said that Federal Cabinet in its decision on April 23, 2008 had allowed the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) to start negotiations on the draft agreement that would establish the JEC between the two countries.
Accordingly, the draft agreement was negotiated through diplomatic channels between Pakistan and Cuba. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Law and Justice proposed major changes in the first version of the agreement, which have been incorporated in the final version. Sources said that the Ministry of Industries and Production had proposed inclusion of specific/priority areas like co-operation in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector in the agreement.
The EAD was of the view that since the JEC agreement would be an umbrella agreement for economic co-operation, it should cover the entire gamut of economic co-operation and specific areas/agenda may be decided at the time of holding of the JEC meeting. As such, it is not necessary to mention each and every sector in the main agreement.
Under the above agreement, co-operation will be undertaken in accordance with the national laws of both contracting parties pursuant to general principle of international law and will include;
(a) the undertaking of feasibility studies to identify viable investment projects;
(b) incorporation of international economic associations;
(c) the granting of scholarships for specialised studies, professional development, technical education and vocational training;
(d) the provision or exchange of specialists and other professionals to provide services for defined projects and programmes on mutually agreed terms and conditions by the parties;
(e) the provision or exchange of the required equipment and appliances for the implementation of defined programs and projects of technical co-operation; and;
(f) any other co-operation modality that is convenient and of mutual interest to the parties. Sources said the final draft of the proposed agreement had been submitted to the Federal Cabinet in its meeting on May 6, 2009, which was approved as recommended by the EAD.

GISELLE RECAREY: La política es de todos

2009-05-12T10:04:00.003-04:00

Below, find an excellent article by Giselle Recarey.

Desde hace algún tiempo resuenan en mi cabeza las frases ''la política no es para mí'', ''yo no soy político''. Cuando las escucho, mi mente se traslada a La Habana, ciudad que tuve que dejar un año atrás. Lo contradictorio y sorprendente a la vez es que estoy en Miami, pero los voceros de estas frases son los mismos cubanos, algunos con mucho o menos tiempo que yo acá, pero todos actores de una sola historia, el exilio.

En recientes conversaciones con amigos aparece el retórico tema de la política y es que no lo podemos evitar, de una forma u otra siempre ella está ahí. Es que la política, como expresa una de sus definiciones, es un conjunto de ideas y valores que ejecutan los individuos con un propósito. Muchos de mis amigos me repitieron una vez más las mismas frases, ''yo no tengo nada que ver con la política'', ''yo no soy político'', pero fueron esos amigos quienes con sus opiniones me impulsaron a escribir este artículo. Si cada uno de no-
sotros pensáramos que la política no nos pertenece, yo me pregunto para quién es entonces. Si no nos interesa como individuos, ¿por qué sufrimos sus consecuencias? ¿Seremos los cubanos realmente apáticos? ¿Qué tanto nos importa Cuba?

Después de buscar, creo encontrar parte de la respuesta. Los cubanos que hemos vivido bajo un sistema totalitario, donde las consignas políticas, los discursos, las marchas y los actos de ''reafirmación revolucionaria'', que no son más que actos de repudio contra personas decentes, hacen el día a día, hemos desarrollado un sistema sicológico de defensa en el cual, para librarnos de esa maquinaria demoledora, utilizamos la apatía para buscar algo de respiro y tranquilidad.

Pero después de muchos años de usar este mismo mecanismo de defensa casi de forma inconsciente, ni cambiando de sociedad podemos cambiar nuestra mentalidad. Por lo que a veces en sociedades democráticas seguimos actuando como si viviéramos bajo regímenes totalitarios. Este es el origen de comentarios como estos que oímos a diario. El gobierno cubano ha inculcado en el ciudadano común la idea de que la política es para unos pocos y que para no tener problemas es mejor estar al margen. Este mensaje lo ha difundido usando diferentes vías: cárceles para los que ejercen las libertades cívicas, expulsiones de centros de trabajos y educativos y hasta las más subliminales, como el control de casi todos los espacios cívicos, por ejemplo el arte, la música y el cine, donde cualquier política que no sea la gubernamental está vedada.

Todas estas técnicas implementadas por el sistema totalitario le han hecho creer al cubano que verdaderamente este es un tema prohibido. ¿Cuántas veces no hemos escuchado a nuestros mayores diciéndonos: ''Si no quieren problemas, no se atrevan a dar criterios políticos''? Es que en nuestro afán de escapar del dolor y olvidar las malas memorias, estamos cayendo en pozos aún más profundos y negros como la indiferencia.

Si nos sentimos orgullosos de las palmas tan verdes y erguidas, de la hermosura de nuestras playas y de la hospitalidad de nuestra gente, y si en cada rincón fuera de Cuba gritamos a viva voz que somos cubanos, entonces no podemos dejar en manos de unos pocos lo que por derecho también nos toca, la política, ésa que es libre y no la dicta nadie. Esto no quiere decir que tengamos todos que ejercer políticas de Estado ni convertirnos en politólogos. Pero velar por Cuba y su gente, brindar ideas y opiniones es parte de nuestro deber.

Usemos la misma fe, a la que recurrimos para progresar en tierras extrañas. Vivimos exiliados por la falta de libertad de nuestra tierra, que muchos enmascaramos con motivos menores como necesidades económicas, falta de desarrollo profesional, ausencia de proyectos de vida, entre otros. Emprendamos nuevos caminos y vayamos al fondo de los problemas. Los cubanos no somos apáticos, sólo que hemos dudado por la oscuridad de la tormenta. La sociedad también es nuestra y tenemos derecho a cambiarla, rescatemos la conciencia ciudadana dormida dentro de nosotros. La libertad tiene un alto precio, pero no dejemos que el miedo nos brinde una cómoda silla para pararnos en nuestra lucha por alcanzarla. Nunca es tarde para comenzar.

But I Thought Fidel Said Ethanol was Evil...

2009-05-05T14:27:00.001-04:00

Cuba building six sugar mills under ALBA plan

HAVANA, May 4 (Reuters) - Cuba is building six sugar mills for countries participating in a Venezuelan-led cooperation program called the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), the official trade union weekly Trabajadores said on Monday.

Reporting from the heart of he country's machine-building industry in Villa Clara province, the paper said some of the mills would be fitted to produce ethanol and the industry was also supplying spare parts for ALBA countries.

"Six mills are being built, and some will be fitted with technology to convert them to ethanol producers," the paper said.

ALBA, begun by Venezuela and Cuba, also includes Bolivia, Honduras, Nicaragua and Dominica, but the article did not say where the mills will be located.

The contract is a boom for Cuba's machine-building industry, which built eight sugar mills for domestic use between 1965 and 1985, and has seen supply contracts for the domestic sugar industry dwindle as it is downsized.

Since the decade began Cuba has closed some 90 mills, all built before the 1959 revolution.

Some of the closed mills and parts were sold to Venezuela. (Reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

JAMA!!

2009-05-01T09:09:00.001-04:00

Anybody There?

2009-04-30T11:48:00.003-04:00

2008 was the third consecutive year of population decline in Cuba.

ONE reported that 37,000 Cubans emigrated. They recorded 10,000 births and 86,000 deaths (a record since 1963, when ONE started these reports).

By the year 2020, ONE expects Cuba's population to be 25,000 less than it was in 2008. I don't quite know how they reach that figure, since it seems like in just one year Cuba might have 25,000 people less than they did in 2008. Maybe they'll just start counting the tourists.

According to CEPAL, Cuba is the only country in the region that has a negative growth rate...it's just another one of the successes of the Revolution.

With a Rebel Yell, He Cries "More, More, More"

2009-04-29T11:49:00.002-04:00

At the inauguration of today's meeting of the Countries of the Non-Aligned Movement, Raul Castro responded to Obama's recent Cuba comments.

He considers the lifting of restrictions on trips and remittances to be positive, but that they will have a minimal reach. In other words, he wants more concessions from the U.S.

Raul also stated that he will not be giving any concessions: "Cuba has not imposed any sanctions against the U.S. or against its citizens...Cuba is not the one that needs to make gestures."

Restating what he had said during the ALBA conference, Raul said, "We have reiterated that we are willing to talk with the U.S. government, in conditions of equality, but not to negotiate our sovereignty or our political or social systems, our right to self determination, or our internal affairs."

Reading between the lines, we know he means, you can talk about anything, but we will not do anything that we think will jeopardize our system.

To me, this is no different than what he had said during the ALBA meeting, although what he had said was interpretted very differently in the press.

Lage Rumors

2009-04-23T15:57:00.005-04:00

Today some rumors have surfaced that Carlos Lage has hanged himself.

I have no idea if they are true, but it's being reported that the Venezuelan paper "El Nuevo Pais" (they have no website) printed that it heard rumors that Lage killed himself last night.
...................................................................

Washington sources are saying there is no truth to these rumors.

Su balsa no se hundió

2009-04-21T16:44:00.004-04:00

After a couple weeks of speculation, it's hitting the internet that Gorki is in Mexico. Yes, Gorki has left the island. It's being reported that he is in Xalapa.

I wish him luck and hope that he will enjoy real freedom of speech, something which he long fought for in Cuba, and use it to continue denouncing the regime and the life he was forced to lead, the life his friends and bandmates must still endure.

La batalla sigue, espero que no se olvide.

What Raul Actually Said...

2009-04-20T12:28:00.001-04:00

It does not sound like he's willing to discuss human rights and political prisoners. It sounds more like he is complaining that the U.S. will bring them up as topics of conversation.

But I Thought You Didn't Have Political Prisoners?!

2009-04-17T08:44:00.003-04:00

Raul Castro yesterday: "I'm confirming it here today: If they want the freedom of those political prisoners, who include some confessed terrorists, Guatemalans and Salvadorans who were tried and sentenced . . . free our prisoners and we'll send them to you with their families and whatever they want -- those so-called dissidents and patriots.''

Ummm...Raul: here in the U.S. we have a little something called separation of powers, you might not have heard of it, but basically it's 3 branches of government and the Executive can't do whatever it wants, or rather, whatever you want.

Sincerely,
V

PS--I'm sooo glad you're willing to talk about anything at all, even those political prisoners you always said you didn't have. But, just so we're clear, I know you know talk is cheap and I expect you to make no real changes. Freedom of the press before a free market (or some semblance there of)? Quite doubtful. It's all a rouse to get the U.S. to the negotiating table and extract more concessions.

The Administration's Changes:

2009-04-14T09:47:00.003-04:00

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secrectary___________________________________________________________For Immediate Release April 13, 2009
FACT SHEET: REACHING OUT TO THE CUBAN PEOPLE

Today, the Obama administration announced a series of changes in U.S. policy to reach out to the Cuban people in support of their desire to freely determine their country’s future. In taking these steps to help bridge the gap among divided Cuban families and promote the freer flow of information and humanitarian items to the Cuban people, President Obama is working to fulfill the goals he identified both during his presidential campaign and since taking office.

All who embrace core democratic values long for a Cuba that respects basic human, political and economic rights of all its citizens. President Obama believes these measures will help make that goal a reality.

Cuban American connections to family in Cuba are not only a basic right in humanitarian terms, but also our best tool for helping to foster the beginnings of grassroots democracy on the island. There are no better ambassadors for freedom than Cuban Americans. Accordingly, President Obama will direct the Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Commerce to support the Cuban people’s desire for freedom and self-determination by lifting all restrictions on family visits and remittances as well as taking steps that will facilitate greater contact between separated family members in the United States and Cuba and increase the flow of information and humanitarian resources directly to the Cuban people. The President is also calling on the Cuban government to reduce the charges it levies on cash remittances sent to the island so family members can be assured they are receiving the support sent to them.

Specifically, the President has directed the Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Commerce to take the needed steps to:

Lift all restrictions on transactions related to the travel of family members to Cuba.
Remove restrictions on remittances to family members in Cuba.
Authorize U.S. telecommunications network providers to enter into agreements to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications facilities linking the United States and Cuba.
License U.S. telecommunications service providers to enter into roaming service agreements with Cuba’s telecommunications service providers.
License U.S. satellite radio and satellite television service providers to engage in transactions necessary to provide services to customers in Cuba.
License persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction to activate and pay U.S. and third-country service providers for telecommunications, satellite radio and satellite television services provided to individuals in Cuba.
Authorize the donation of certain consumer telecommunication devices without a license.
Add certain humanitarian items to the list of items eligible for export through licensing exceptions.

REACHING OUT TO THE CUBAN PEOPLE
Supporting the Cuban people’s desire to freely determine their future and that of their country is in the national interest of the United States. The Obama administration is taking steps to promote greater contact between separated family members in the United States and Cuba and increase the flow of remittances and information to the Cuban people.

Lift All Restrictions on Family Visits to Cuba
We will lift all restrictions on family visits to Cuba by authorizing such transactions by a general license, which will strengthen contacts and promote American good will. We will ensure the positive reach of this effort by:

Defining family members who may be visited to be persons within three degrees of family relationship (e.g., second cousins) and to allow individuals who share a common dwelling as a family with an authorized traveler to accompany them;
Removing limitations on the frequency of visits;
Removing limitations on the duration of a visit;
Authorizing expenditure amounts that are the same as non-family travel; and
Removing the 44-pound limitation on accompanied baggage.

Remove Restrictions on Remittances
We will remove restrictions on remittances to a person’s family member in Cuba to increase Cubans’ access to resources to help create opportunities for them by:

Authorizing remittances to individuals within three degrees of family relationship (e.g., second cousins) provided that no remittances shall be authorized to currently prohibited members of the Government of Cuba or currently prohibited members of the Cuban Communist Party;
Removing limits on frequency of remittances;
Removing limits on the amount of remittances;
Authorizing travelers to carry up to $3,000 in remittances; and
Establishing general license for banks and other depository institutions to forward remittances.
Authorize Greater Telecommunications Links with Cuba
We will authorize greater telecommunications links with Cuba to advance people-to-people interaction at no cost to the U.S. government. This will increase the means through which Cubans on the island can communicate with each other and with persons outside of Cuba.
Authorize U.S. telecommunications network providers to enter into agreements to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications facilities linking the United States and Cuba.
License U.S. telecommunications service providers to enter into and operate under roaming service agreements with Cuba's telecommunications service providers.
License U.S. satellite radio and satellite television service providers to engage in transactions necessary to provide services to customers in Cuba.
License persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction to activate and pay U.S. and third-country service providers for telecommunications, satellite radio and satellite television services provided to individuals in Cuba, except certain senior Communist Party and Cuban government officials.
Authorize, consistent with national security concerns, the export or re-export to Cuba of donated personal communications devices such as mobile phone systems, computers and software, and satellite receivers through a license exception.

Revise Gift Parcel Regulations
We will expand the scope of humanitarian donations eligible for export through license exceptions by:

Restoring clothing, personal hygiene items, seeds, veterinary medicines and supplies, fishing equipment and supplies, and soap-making equipment to the list of items eligible to be included in gift parcel donations;
Restoring items normally exchanged as gifts by individuals in "usual and reasonable" quantities to the list of items eligible to be included in gift parcel donations;
Expanding the scope of eligible gift parcel donors to include any individual;
Expanding the scope of eligible gift parcel donees to include individuals other than Cuban Communist Party officials or Cuban government officials already prohibited from receiving gift parcels, or charitable, educational or religious organizations not administered or controlled by the Cuban government; and
Increasing the value limit on non-food items to $800.

Excuse me, can you please bend over a little more?

2009-04-08T11:07:00.006-04:00

My frustration over the visit of the 6 members of the Congressional Black Caucus has slowly been growing and this morning I'll admit that I lost it when I read that Useful Idiot Rush (D-IL) says that he is endeared to Raul for his sense of humor, oh, and his "basic human qualities." (How basic are we getting here? Like, he breaths, has 2 arms and 2 legs)

How nice! I'm so glad he was won over by the charming personality of a murderous dictator...I hear Hitler was pretty cool himself, wonder what the CBC members would have thought of him!

Now, it wasn't bad enough that they met with Raul, which could be justifiable--he is Cuba's President and if you want dialogue, well I guess you just have to talk with him, fine. However, they also met with Fidel, the convalescent ranting buffoon that finds it way too inconvenient to die and rid the world of his endless rantings now published in Granma almost daily.

Why they would find it necessary to meet with this decrepit old sociopath who begged Khrushchev to obliterate the U.S. during the missile crises, saying it was alright if Cuba was destroyed in the process, is beyond me. Unless of course they are truly Communists. No Congressman can claim ignorance of the hundreds of political prisoners currently in Cuba's jails, nor can they say they know nothing of the thousands of executions ordered under Fidel's watch.

These brothers are ruthless murderers and these US Congressmen bow before their feet.

What has probably been the most frustrating thing of all is that these Congressmen (and the US should be ashamed that its representatives would do such a thing) met with the families of the Cinco Heroes and have said they will consider lobbying Michelle Obama to see if they can get the Cuban spies released from prison.

Unlike the hundreds of prisoners of conscience currently rotting in Cuba's jails (not to mention the tens of thousands that have been imprisoned or executed), these spies had fair trials. They were even able to file appeals and the original verdicts were upheld. And yet these Congressmen are going to fight for them to be released?!

Mind you, they can't be bothered with asking the Cuban government to release its hundreds of prisoners of conscience, let alone ask to be taken to see those rotting behind bars after being summarily tried and imprisoned.

They didn't meet with any dissidents or other members of the opposition. They didn't meet with Las Damas de Blanco, they haven't met with the relatives of Cuba's political prisoners that are in the US, and they haven't met with former political prisoners that currently live in the US...I'm sure at least one lives in one of the districts of these seven Congressmen.

Maybe if they had done any of these things, their meetings with the murderous pair would have been somewhat tolerable, but without exhibiting any display against the human rights violations in Cuba, without any display advocating for democracy, the Congressmen are just Lenin's useful idiots, allowing themselves to serve as marionettes for the dictatorship.

In Today's Granma

2009-04-08T10:12:00.002-04:00

In today's Granma, there were some eloquent words...Can you guess who said them?

"Y, claro, se encuentra uno una república organizada como está, colonizada por completo, atrasada por completo, y enderezar esto lleva tiempo, arreglar esto correctamente lleva tiempo, porque todo está no solo atravesado sino enredado; porque es el enredo de años y de siglos y cuando usted arregla por aquí se le desarregla por allá, y tiene que ir arreglándolo todo sin desarreglar nada, y a veces la menor medida crea inconvenientes."

One could think it was Raul, trying to explain to people the predicament that he is in, asking them to be patient, basically blaming it all on the last 4+ decades of his brother's rule.

But, then one would have to guess again because it is really the big brother himself, in 1959.

Ironic.

Changes in the Opposition Too

2009-04-08T09:07:00.002-04:00

Martha Beatriz Roque has stepped down from her position in the organization Agenda for the Transition, citing health concerns. She will continue on as a member of the organization.

For more information, see excerpts of a CubaEncuentro article below:

Martha Beatriz Roque renuncia a su cargo en la Agenda para la Transición
'Es la salud, que no me acompaña, la que me obliga a dar este paso', dijo la líder opositora.
Redacción CE 06/04/2009

La opositora Martha Beatriz Roque renunció a su cargo en el secretariado pro tempore de la organización Agenda para la Transición, de la que forman parte varios líderes de la disidencia interna.

"Es la salud, que no me acompaña, la que me obliga a dar este paso", dijo Roque en una nota de prensa fechada el domingo y difundida este lunes.

"Agradezco a algunos hermanos que desde meses atrás, preocupados por mis dolencias, que cada día se hacen más visibles, han solicitado de un país de la Unión Europea que tramite con el gobierno la posibilidad de salir a recibir asistencia médica, aunque sin respuesta", añadió.

© cubaencuentro.com

Fidel does it too!

2009-04-07T15:48:00.001-04:00

Fidel Castro meets with 3 visiting US lawmakers
By WILL WEISSERT – 32 minutes ago

HAVANA (AP) — Fidel Castro met Tuesday with three members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the former Cuban president's first known meeting with American officials since he fell ill in July 2006.

A spokesman at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana confirmed that Rep. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat, and two other lawmakers met with the ailing, 82-year-old Castro. He did not have further details nor could he provide the names of the other American leaders who attended the meeting.

Lee led a delegation of six Democratic representatives who left Havana Tuesday after a five-day trip designed to encourage dialogue between the United States and Cuba, amid much speculation long-chilly relations may improve.

Raul Meets with Members of Congressional Black Caucus

2009-04-07T10:44:00.004-04:00

I wonder if they will be meeting with Biscet?...

Here's a disturbing article from Granma:

Sostiene Raúl encuentro con miembros del Caucus Negro del Congreso de los Estados Unidos

El General de Ejército Raúl Castro Ruz, Presidente de los Consejos de Estado y de Ministros, sostuvo la tarde de este lunes un encuentro con miembros del Caucus Negro del Congreso de los Estados Unidos, quienes realizan una visita a Cuba desde el pasado viernes.

Asistieron los representantes federales demócratas Bárbara Lee, del estado de California y presidenta del Caucus Negro, Melvin Luther Watt (California), Bobby Rush (Illinois), Marcia L. Fudge (Ohio), Emanuel Cleaver II (Missouri) y Laura Richardson (California); participaron también Patrice Willoughby, asistente ejecutiva del Caucus Negro, y Eulada Watt, esposa del congresista Melvin Luther Watt.

En el amplio intercambio de criterios se abordaron diversos temas, con énfasis en la posible futura evolución de las relaciones bilaterales y los vínculos económicos, luego de la llegada al poder de una nueva Administración norteamericana.

Al respecto, Raúl ratificó la posición cubana, expuesta de forma diáfana en varias intervenciones públicas y coincidente con los principios mantenidos de manera invariable por nuestro país durante 50 años: la disposición a dialogar sobre cualquier asunto, teniendo como únicas premisas la igualdad soberana de los Estados y el absoluto respeto a la independencia nacional y al derecho inalienable de cada pueblo a la autodeterminación.

Estuvieron presentes los miembros del Buró Político Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada, Presidente de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular, y Pedro Sáez Montejo, Primer Secretario del Comité Provincial del Partido en Ciudad de La Habana; el Canciller Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Dagoberto Rodríguez Barrera, viceministro de Relaciones Exteriores, y Jorge Bolaños Suárez, jefe de la Sección de Intereses de Cuba en los Estados Unidos.

Some People just Have no Sense of Humor

2009-04-07T09:35:00.001-04:00

This is the first I hear or this, but it's pretty funny...to some.

Officials doomed by jokes about Castros
The New York Times on Sunday cast new light on the dismissal March 2 of Cuban officials Carlos Lage, Felipe Pérez Roque and Fernando Remírez de Estenoz. "The men were involved socially with a man named Conrado Hernández (in undated photo), who was surreptitiously recording their conversations during regular parties at his ranch in Matanzas," The Times reported, citing two unidentified Cuban functionaries. "Some of those recorded conversations [...] included acerbic criticism and off-color jokes about various government leaders, including Fidel and Raúl Castro," The Times said.

Hernández, a Cuban with good business connections who represented the Basque-owned Society for Industrial Promotion and Reconversion (SPRI), was arrested on Feb. 14 as he prepared to leave Havana for Spain with his wife. His wife was released but he reportedly remains in detention.

On March 6, Raúl Castro summoned his top 20 officials to explain the dismissals, The Times said. "In broad details, he described the evidence against the men and played certain sections of the recordings for those gathered."

The Bilbao newspaper El Correo reported Sunday that a four-man delegation from the Basque government has arrived in Havana to inquire about Hernández's legal status and to find a replacement for him as a business liaison.

---Renato Pérez Pizarro.

More from Monday

2009-04-01T15:12:00.006-04:00

Once the majority of Cubans are labeled "anti-Cuba," does that make the ones doing the labeling anti-Cuban?

Participants in art show branded as `dissidents'

BY FABIOLA SANTIAGO

In a swift reaction Tuesday to a daring call for freedom by participants in a public performance art show in Havana, the Cuban government branded the speakers ''dissidents'' and ``individuals at the service of the propagandistic anti-Cuban machinery.''

The reaction came via a statement from the 10th Havana Biennial's Organizing Committee, which charged that those who took the opportunity of a minute at a podium to protest the lack of freedoms on the island had ''taken advantage'' of artist Tania Bruguera's Monday performance.

But Bruguera, who staged the most daring performance art show the city has seen in decades, sees herself only as conceptual performance artist.

''I'm fine. I don't want to create unnecessary mythology,'' she said Tuesday from her home in Havana, a day after the stunning images of Cubans clamoring for freedom were posted on YouTube, generating thousands of hits and Internet commentary.

''What I was doing,'' she said, ``was giving my space to others.''

The biennial is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture. Bruguera said her performance was on the approved schedule.

Bruguera set up a podium in front of an ochre curtain with a microphone at the Wifredo Lam Center, an official art-exhibition space. Two actors clad in the military fatigues of the Ministry of the Interior, the agency charged with spying on Cubans' activities, flanked the podium and tended to a white dove.

When Bruguera invited people from the standing-room-only audience to come to the microphone and, for a minute, say whatever they wanted, Cubans and foreign visitors protested the lack of freedom of expression on the island.

As some spoke, the white dove was placed on their shoulders by the actors -- a mocking reference to a historic Jan. 8, 1959, victory speech by Fidel Castro during which a similar bird landed on his shoulder, a sign many people viewed as divine recognition.

The dove wasn't the only mockery of Castro.

A man in a black hood strode to the microphone, lifted the hood just a little to reveal a scraggly white beard and, mimicking the voice of Castro, said, ``I think this should be prohibited.''

He was booed, but to every call for more freedoms, the audience responded with applause and shouts of ''Bravo!'' The commotion could be heard from the street, as speakers were set up outside the Lam Center to broadcast the art performance, and passersby flocked inside to see the performance and cheer.

Bruguera, whose late father was a high-ranking Cuban official, said she had no idea how the audience -- a mix of Cubans, foreign visitors and artists, curators and collectors from the international artistic community -- was going to react to her offer of a microphone.

''People went up, but they could have done nothing, and the performance would have been the vacuum,'' Bruguera said. ``I never thought that so many people were going to go up like that, that people were going to speak out like they did. I don't know the people who spoke.''

She added: ``In reality, it was out of my hands, which I think is fine.''

Bruguera said the performance ended when Bruguera thanked the participants -- not when a technician dismantled the audio system, as a news outlet reported.

''It was dismantled because it was over. There was another performance scheduled after mine,'' she said.

The Havana performance was one in a series of works Bruguera has titled El susurro de Tatlin (Tatlin's Whisper) after Russian artist and architect Vladimir Tatlin, famous for his attempts to build a monstrously tall building.

In January, as part of that series, Bruguera staged another titillating performance at the Tate Modern in London.

Mounted police rode into the museum and confronted perplexedmuseum-goers, riding around them, back and forth, and using the horses to corral and control movement. Bruguera stood, observing, in the crowd.

''People were reaching all sorts of conclusions, that there was a bomb scare,'' said Bruguera, who holds a tenure-track position at the University of Chicago and a U.S. work visa she obtained before cultural exchanges were curtailed during the George W. Bush years.

Bruguera also staged a disconcerting performance last December during Art Basel Miami Beach at the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO).

Basel VIPs were brought at random into a room filled with historic images of dead people and then interrogated by a museum guard about ``why so many people want to assassinate President Barrack Obama.''

She staged that work because she found it unusual that people were having such a conversation.
''I'm an uncomfortable artist wherever I go,'' Bruguera said. ``I'm an artist who tries to do the impossible. That's my work, and that's how I conduct my personal life.''

Open Mike Night

2009-03-30T15:47:00.005-04:00

For one minute, people in Cuba who chose to participate were able to freely speak their minds...accompanied by a dove, no less...This is art!!

Lage Jr., Cienfuegos, and Miret

2009-03-25T09:29:00.003-04:00

Some news from Publico.es:

Carlos Lage Codorniu, the former Vice President's son, will apparently be joining the ranks of sons and daughters of revolutionary leaders that have left the island. He will be moving to Spain, which is none too shocking.

Lage Codorniu's removal as President of the FEU was really one of the first signs that his father was not in Raul's favor. I suppose he has decided to pursue his own ambitions elsewhere now that nepotism will no longer ensure his success.

The same article also points us to La Gaceta Oficial, which publicizes the removal from government of Vice Presidents Pedro Miret Prieto and Osmany Cienfuegos Gorriarán.

It is interesting to note that these removals were not announced along with the other structural changes made earlier this month.

Did the government want this to be covered separately so people could see that it was moving some of its oldest officials out? It's the only angle that makes sense to me. Either way, it's not that big a deal, these two were already out of the game for some time.

Your Brain vs. Your Brain on Drugs

2009-03-17T15:12:00.002-04:00

Below, I've reproduced two articles about the recent removal of Lage and Perez Roque.

The first, by Carlos Alberto Montaner, seems realistic and plausible.

The second, by Jorge Castañeda, is not.

The difference in these two articles was too large not to comment on.

RAUL CASTRO

No foes, more power

BY CARLOS ALBERTO MONTANER

www.firmaspress.com

In the '90s, it was said that Carlos Lage would lead the transition in Cuba. The first vice president was a tranquil and polite man in the midst of a usually frenetic tribe beset by a flagrant case of machismo. I heard Carlos Salinas de Gortari say it, when he was president of Mexico: ``Lage is the future.''

At that time, the Soviet Union was gone, Cuban communism teetered. It appears that when Lage talked with foreign politicians in private, he flirted with democratic ideas and sold himself as the Caribbean Adolfo Suárez, the Spanish leader who successfully led the political transition following the death of Francisco Franco in the 1970s.

At the start of the 21st century, the role of the Dauphin was played by Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque, an engineer who (like Lage) came from Fidel Castro's entourage. He had been a sort of first assistant to the comandante, so when Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina was expelled from his post, Fidel himself anointed Pérez Roque as a substitute because ''he was the person who best interpreted his thinking.'' Pérez Roque's apotheosis came in December 2005: He delivered a master class before Parliament, and everybody, including the Financial Times, declared him heir to the throne. At that moment, he had the reputation of being a hard, inflexible ``Taliban.''

Draw up charges

A few months later, in July 2006, Fidel Castro fell ill and had to leave the government precipitously. With the arrival of Raúl Castro to the presidency, both Lage and Pérez Roque were discreetly sidelined.

The two were cadres selected by Fidel for a hypothetical political succession, but Raúl did not trust them and had his own ideas about how and with whom to organize an economic reform and the transmission of authority. So, Raúl asked Gen. Abelardo Colomé Ibarra, his soul brother and ultra-powerful minister of the interior, to draw up a good set of charges to remove them from the game in a flash, along with the other pesky functionaries he wanted to eliminate.

And that's what happened. Cuba's formidable espionage apparatus has accumulated proof of petty corruption, continuous nepotism, negligence, counter-revolutionary behavior by relatives, personal ambition and (most grave) conveying to foreign politicians and visitors false expectations regarding purported political changes.

Pérez Roque, who in the opinion of many foreign politicians and diplomats had been a Taliban in the early days, had turned into a ''reformer.'' So thought Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who was betting on Pérez Roque for the transition.

Once the two targets had been duly ''set up,'' and armed with voluminous reports from the intelligence services, Raúl, an expert in the art of decapitating foes, began his methodical task as executioner. He easily convinced Fidel of the basic disloyalty of the subjects, summoned the Political Bureau, confronted the accused with proof of their ''immoral and miserable'' behavior, crushed them emotionally, warning them that their deeds bordered on treason, for which they deserved to be executed (if the Revolution weren't so generous) and prepared the conditions for a public announcement.

This time, however, he had to perform a bothersome task: It was necessary to explain to dimwit Hugo Chávez what was going to happen, because Lage and Pérez Roque were his favorite interlocutors, and it wouldn't be fair to surprise him with their elimination. Insufferable though the Venezuelan may be, he is the man who feeds Cuba and must be treated like a fine parrot.

A better life

With these and other personages hors de combat, Raúl feels that he has cleared the way to the Sixth Party Congress, due in the fall, at which he will arrive with all his trusted people in key positions, so nothing may escape his control. Meanwhile, total despondency spreads through the revolutionary ranks, and any illusion of change vanishes. Singer Silvio Rodríguez is going to live in Argentina, Pablo Milanés is definitely settling in Galicia, and the children and grandchildren of the nomenklatura are stealthily departing for any place where there's a hint of a better life. In Cuba everybody knows that's not going to happen.

©2009 Firmas Press

The Plot Against The Castros

Two of Cuba's star politicians seem to have been a part of a conspiracy or a coup to overthrow Raúl Castro

By Jorge Castañeda | NEWSWEEK

Published Mar 14, 2009

For years, two tidbits of conventional wisdom have dominated debates among Cubanologists (a tropical subspecies of former Kremlinologists). First, that Deputy Prime Minister and economic czar Carlos Lage has been in charge of running the island economy since the early '90s, and, despite differences of opinion regarding his performance, was seen as one of the most likely successors to Fidel Castro's brother and successor, Raúl. Second, that Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque was not only in charge of the international relations Fidel Castro took increasingly less interest in, but that he was something of a favorite son. Most observers, including several Latin American ex-presidents close to Castro, saw him as the heir apparent, once the caudillo's brother passed from the scene. So Raúl's decision to dump the two stars a fortnight ago is a major event in Cuba, and unlike previous purges, this one is clearly linked to Fidel Castro's succession, and may tell us a great deal about what lies ahead.

The problem, of course, is that, as in the Soviet Union when Stalin died, or in China after Mao's death, we don't really know what is going on. Yet there are solid reasons to believe that something along the following lines took place: for at least a month or so, Lage, Pérez Roque and others were apparently involved in a conspiracy, betrayal, coup or whatever term one prefers, to overthrow or displace Raúl from his position. In this endeavor, they recruited—or were recruited by—Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, who in turn tried to enlist the support of other Latin American leaders, starting with Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Republic, who refused to get involved.

Their reasons for wishing to unseat Rául were mainly turf and power, but they also feared that the leader was beginning to feel threatened by the reaction of the Cuban people to excessive economic and social deprivation, and after his brother's demise would be unable to control the flow of events. Consequently, he would accept a series of economic and political reforms to normalize relations with the United States, knowing full well that therein lay the only option for immediate improvement in Cubans' lives. They believed this to be a betrayal of the revolution, and the beginning of the end of its survival.

This would represent the latest of many anti-Castro intrigues since 1959. As usual, Castro (Raúl this time; before, both brothers) detected the plot almost before the plotters themselves. Raúl took the evidence collected by military intelligence to his ailing brother, and forced him to choose: stick with him and extend his support to the predetermined succession path, or back Lage and Pérez Roque and forsake Raúl. With evident disappointment in his old allies, the Comandante Máximo backed Raúl. Then Chávez was summoned to Havana to be placed before another devil's alternative: back off, while maintaining economic support for the island, or lose his Cuban security detail and intelligence apparatus, exposing himself to coups and assassination attempts from eventual Venezuelan replacements. He chose to stick with the Castros.

The day after their resignation, the two plotters were expelled from their other posts in disgrace. In a newspaper column Fidel accused them of harboring excessive "ambitions" fed by the "honey of power" and the "absence of sacrifice." He said they had reawakened the illusions of "foreign powers" regarding Cuba's future. More importantly, and enigmatically, he resorted to a baseball metaphor on the occasion of the World Baseball Classic to praise Dominicans for not participating (the team's plans had been unclear) and to claim that Chávez's baseball players, "as good and young" as they might be, were no match for "Cuba's seasoned all-stars."

When the conspirators were stripped of their titles, they published classic Stalinist mea culpa letters, acknowledging their "mistakes" (without saying what they were), and pledging loyalty to Fidel, Raúl and the revolution. Such behavior raises ominous questions. Pérez Roque was popular in Cuba; his youth, his humble origins, his combative nature all brought him closer to the people than most Cuban bureaucrats. Once Fidel is gone, will Raúl be able to "keep him down on the farm," if and when he claims to be Fidel's true heir? Will Raúl be able to pull off a rapprochement with Washington quickly enough to placate the restiveness his opponents could exploit? Or should he act to remove them from the scene, one way or another, before they return shrouded in glory?

Needless to say, none of this can be fully substantiated, and it is quite possible that, indeed, the entire affair might have now come to an end. Or, more probably, there will be a sequel: further persecution of the fallen idols, growing discontent in Cuba and increasing difficulties on the part of Raúl in managing the succession. It is worth remembering that Lenin, Stalin and Mao were all unable to control their successions, and they were neither fools nor choir children. There is scant reason to believe that Fidel, despite all his talent, will prove more successful.

--

Castañeda is a former foreign minister of Mexico, Global Distinguished Professor at New York University and a fellow at the New America Foundation.

© 2009

Generación 2.0: ¿Si esto es dos, que fue 1?

2009-03-12T10:29:00.000-04:00

Another One Bites the Dust

2009-03-06T21:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Fernando Remirez de Estenoz, was let go as head of the Cuban Communist Party's Foreign Relations Department.

The ouster of Fidel's guys, in my view, only furthers the notion that Raul is firmly behind Cuba's helm, as I've been saying for quite some time.

I think some of the recently announced changes are for streamlining purposes, like the consolidation of some ministries. But for the most part, I would qualify these changes of personnel as the personal preferences of Raul solely to further surround himself with his people.

Of the people he has promoted the past two weeks, three have been from the Secretariat: Jorge Luis Sierra, María del Carmen Concepción González, Lina Pedraza Rodríguez. In addition to these Party officials, Raul also promoted 2 generals, general de brigada Salvador Pardo Cruz and general de brigada José Amado Ricardo Guerra.

Raul is bringing in the guns and the Party, neither of which is a surprise. The military is Cuba's strongest and most respected institution and Raul has worked closely and developed trust with those in its ranks. He has also worked closely with the Party and has established trust with many in its leadership.

The military runs the economy. It has the guns and provides the butter...Raul needs the military firmly behind him, it's the only institution that can prevent him from falling after his Vodka benders, but that's neither here nor there.

So long as he has the military's complete loyalty, Raul does not need the people's support or approval, neither of which he has.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2009-03-02T15:27:00.001-05:00

Analysis to come...

Reestructuran Gobierno Cubano 2 de Marzo del 2009, 2:40 p.m.
La Habana, Cuba.- El Consejo de Estado dio a conocer la siguiente nota oficial.En consonancia con los planteamientos realizados por el Presidente de los Consejos de Estado y de Ministros, General de Ejército Raúl Castro Ruz, en la sesión constitutiva de la VII Legislatura de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular el 24 de febrero de 2008, acerca de que “hoy se requiere una estructura más compacta y funcional, con menor número de organismos de la administración central del Estado y una mejor distribución de las funciones que cumplen”, el Consejo de Estado, a propuesta de su Presidente, previa consulta con el Buró Político del Comité Central del Partido, acordó en reunión celebrada en el día de hoy realizar los siguientes movimientos de cuadros y reestructuraciones en algunos organismos de la Administración Central del Estado: Liberar al compañero José Luis Rodríguez García del cargo de Vicepresidente del Consejo de Ministros y Ministro de Economía y Planificación. Designar al compañero Marino Murillo Jorge en el cargo de Vicepresidente del Consejo de Ministros y Ministro de Economía y Planificación y liberarlo de su responsabilidad al frente del Ministerio de Comercio Interior. Liberar al compañero Otto Rivero Torres de sus responsabilidades como Vicepresidente del Consejo de Ministros, teniendo en cuenta que ha concluido el traspaso de los programas que atendía a los respectivos organismos inversionistas. El Vice-presidente del Gobierno Ramiro Valdés Menéndez quedará encargado de su coordinación y control. Fusionar los ministerios de Comercio Exterior y para la Inversión Extranjera y la Colaboración Económica, y designar al compañero Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz en el cargo de Ministro de Comercio Exterior e Inversión Extranjera, denominación que comprende a las actividades de Colaboración Económica que desarrolla el país. Liberar al compañero Raúl de la Nuez Ramírez de sus responsabilidades como Ministro de Comercio Exterior. Fusionar los ministerios de la Industria Alimenticia y de la Industria Pesquera y designar a la compañera María del Carmen Concepción González, quien fuera previamente liberada de su condición de miembro del Secretariado del Comité Central del Partido, en el cargo de Ministra de la Industria Alimenticia, denominación que incluye las actividades de la Industria Pesquera. Liberar a los compañeros Alejandro Roca Iglesias y Alfredo López Valdés de sus cargos de ministros de la Industria Alimenticia y de la Industria Pesquera, respectivamente. Liberar al compañero Felipe Pérez Roque de sus responsabilidades como Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores y promover al actual Viceministro Primero, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, para ocupar ese cargo. Liberar a la compañera Georgina Barreiro Fajardo del cargo de Ministra de Finanzas y Precios y nombrar en su lugar a la compañera Lina Pedraza Rodríguez, también liberada de su condición de miembro del Secretariado del Comité Central del PCC, responsabilidad desde la cual atendía a los órganos globales de la economía. Liberar al compañero Fernando Acosta Santana del cargo de Ministro de la Industria Sideromecánica y promover en su lugar al general de brigada Salvador Pardo Cruz, quien se desempeñaba como Director General de la Unión de Industria Militar. Promover al compañero Jacinto Angulo Pardo, Viceministro Primero del Ministerio de Comercio Interior, al cargo de Ministro de este organismo. Liberar al compañero Alfredo Morales Cartaya del cargo de Ministro de Trabajo y Seguridad Social y promover en su lugar a la compañera Margarita Marlene González Fernández, actual Viceministra Primera de este organismo. Designar Ministro de Ciencia, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente, organismo al que se traslada la atención del Polo Científico, al compañero José M. Miyar Barrueco, quien fue liberado con ese propósito de su condición de Secretario del Consejo de Estado. Designar de modo interino, sujeto a la ratificación por la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular en el próximo período ordinario de sesiones, al diputado Homero Acosta Álvarez en el cargo de Secretario del Consejo de Estado, con la función de asistir y auxiliar al Presidente, el Primer Vicepresidente, los Vicepresidentes y demás miembros del Consejo de Estado en el cumplimiento de las atribuciones definidas a este órgano en los artículos 89, 90 y 93 de la Constitución de la República. El cargo de Secretario del Consejo de Estado no constituye en sí mismo una instancia con facultades de decisión en el ámbito estatal, ni desempeña protagonismo alguno en la dirección del Estado. Liberar al compañero Carlos Lage Dávila de su cargo de Secretario del Consejo de Ministros y designar en esta responsabilidad al actual Jefe de la Secretaría del Ministro de las FAR, general de brigada José Amado Ricardo Guerra, con la función de asistir y auxiliar al Presidente del Consejo de Ministros, al Primer Vicepresidente y demás miembros de su Comité Ejecutivo en sus actividades, en correspondencia con el artículo 97 de la Constitución de la República y la legislación vigente, y por tanto este cargo no constituye legalmente una instancia con facultades de decisión en materia gubernamental, ni se le atribuye protagonismo alguno en la dirección del Gobierno. En el marco de estas decisiones el Buró Político y el Consejo de Estado ratificaron la vigencia de los pronunciamientos del compañero Raúl Castro el 24 de febrero de 2008 cuando expresó: “…La institucionalidad es uno de los pilares de la invulnerabilidad de la Revolución en el terreno político, por lo que debemos trabajar en su constante perfeccionamiento. No creernos nunca que lo que hemos hecho es perfecto.” En correspondencia con lo anterior, se convino en la necesidad de continuar estudiando la actual estructura del Gobierno con el objetivo de reducir gradualmente su envergadura y elevar su eficacia.

BTTR Shootdown

2009-02-24T10:51:00.000-05:00

13 years ago today.

They live on in our hearts and minds.

Movin' on up

2009-02-21T17:26:00.003-05:00

Ramiro Valdes, Ulises Rosales del Toro, and Jorge Luis Sierra Cruz have all been promoted to Vice Presidents of the Council of Ministers.

Ramiro Valdes has obviously excelled in his role as technological gatekeeper...he has been able to keep Pandora's Box closed for now.

We might also be able to view this as Raul addressing the 2nd man problem (formerly the 3rd man problem when Fidel was alive, politically that is). Machado Ventura is obviously not the man to fill Raul shoes, most notably because his shoes will likely be 6 feet deep before Raul's. Valdes, on the other hand, is rumored to be in excellent health and has the respect of the military.

Rosales del Toro has done a decent job as agricultural minister (all things considered)...as sugar minister, sugar production increased and as agricultural minister, Cuba is finding a way past the hurricane damage (allbeit with plenty of international aid and loans that will never be repaid).

Sierra Cruz is somewhat unknown to me...he does seem to be an up-and-comer and totally Raul's guy. He was promoted by Raul to be the Transport Minister in 2006 and now we have this promotion. He is a fairly young, especially compared to the gerontocracy that rules Cuba, at 47 years old. Perhaps Raul is taking steps to train someone for a future leadership role...If I were Lage, I'd be worried.

All-in-all, I see these three promotions as Raul's way of solidifying his place in power...more so than he already had. These three are very obviously his guys, despite the differences he and Valdes might have had in the past. They have apparently moved on.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for closed down ice cream parlors

2009-02-16T15:20:00.003-05:00

Well, I've finally realized what will get your everyday Cuban to protest: take away their (or their child's) ice cream and you will apparently get some mobilization.

All jokes aside, I take this as a positive sign that Cubans are not simply willing to conform to everything...who knows, maybe a real erruption can occur from something so seemingly insignificant (in the grand scheme of things).

Cierran heladería
RANCHUELO, Cuba, 13 de febrero (Félix Reyes Gutiérrez, Cubanacán Press / www.cubanet.org) - Una de las cuatro heladerías particulares del municipio Ranchuelo, fue clausurada el pasado 7 de febrero, debido a que la policía decomisó la materia prima con la que se elaboraban los helados.

Alrededor de las 6 de la tarde, agentes uniformados se presentaron en la heladería y dulcería de la calle Ignacio Agramonte No. 64, y después de registrar de arriba abajo la vivienda, cargaron con todo lo que consideraron de procedencia ilícita, como azúcar, leche y harina.

Javier Rodríguez, propietario de la vivienda donde estaba el comercio, fue conducido a la estación de policía y allí permaneció arrestado 48 horas. Fue acusado de adquirir productos en el mercado negro.

Jorge Reyes, vecino del lugar, dijo que el decomiso y cierre de la heladería, situada frente a la escuela primaria José Martí, provocó la protesta de decenas de padres, los cuales compraban allí helados y dulces para la merienda de los hijos.

Getting in Touch with his Roots

2009-02-04T11:52:00.002-05:00

From Russia, Raul has taken a little trip to Angola...think oil...

Raul was hevily pressured to make Venezuela the destination of his first international trip as Cuba's President, pressure to which he was forced to comply since Cuba is so heavily dependant on Venezuela.

This extensive trip Raul is taking is proof to me that he is increasingly worried about the stability of Venezuelan aid. The only thing that I find surprising is that he has not (yet) visited China.

"Just Kidding!"

2009-02-03T12:39:00.004-05:00

So, remember when the newly formed dictatorship decided it would be a great idea to take everyone's land because it is rightfully everyone's and thus, the state should own it so that everyone could own it (confusing!)?

Well, they were just kidding because now they're giving it back. I guess it just took them 50 years to figure out that their system wasn't quite working.

We all heard Raul talk about the new land redistribution but little action had been taken.

The government has now approved 45,518 land grants. Most of these leases are being given to first-time and small family farmers.

While this is a positive step (as any freedom from the government, even economic freedom, is important), it is important to note that the agricultural sector has been specifically targeted for economic reform and the decentralization that it is experiencing (liberalizing the sale of farm equipment and other such changes) is unique.

Gorki and Herbert Released

2009-02-01T15:43:00.001-05:00

Their release has been confirmed.

Let's hope that the regime will soon learn that all this is pointless and that they will not be able to silence PPR!!

Los cabrones arrestan a Gorki, Herbert, y Renay

2009-02-01T15:25:00.002-05:00

Gorki, Herbert, and Renay of Porno Para Ricardo were arrested last night at 10:00. Renay has already been released. Gorki and Herbert remain jailed in the Estacion 21 y C.

It's time to organize once again for our brave friends in Cuba who have never let the regime silence them.

Here is a note from Charlie Bravo:

A todos,
Nuestros amigos, Gorki, Hebert, y Renay de Porno Para Ricardo fueron arbitrariamente arrestados anoche en la Habana
Ellos necesitan de toda nuestra solidaridad, ellos necesitan toda nuestra ayuda para denunciar el acoso por parte del gobierno comunista de Cuba contra estos músicos sin miedo.
Contacte su periódico local y hágales saber que Gorki, su bajista Hebert, y su baterista Renay fueron arrestados sin orden de captura en la Habana, Cuba. Eso no es mas que un secuestro promovido por el estado de terror del régimen cubano.
Por favor, únase a nosotros denunciando la violación de los derechos humanos de estos músicos.
Gracias
Charlie Bravo
CubaUnderground, miembro virtual de Porno Para Ricardo.

Cheers!

2009-01-30T15:21:00.002-05:00

Well, it's no longer speculation, the BBC has confirmed that Raul is on his 5th liver, oh wait, no, they just confirmed that he's drinking again...

All I can say is, "drink up!"...his liver might be saying otherwise, but I have a feeling Raul will ignore it.

Castro en Moscú: cena con cerdo y vodka
Redacción BBC Mundo
Se prevé que las conversaciones formales entre ambos líderes se lleven a cabo este viernes.
El presidente de Cuba, Raúl Castro, y su homólogo ruso Dmitry Medvedev, reafirmaron los lazos diplomáticos entre sus respectivos países durante una cena tradicional de cerdo.
Castro se encuentra en Moscú en lo que constituye la primera vista que realiza un líder cubano desde el fin de la Guerra Fría.
Medvedev y Castro bebieron vodka y degustaron salo -grasa de cerdo salado- en una cabaña de cazadores en el oeste de Moscú.

Being Spanish, it's all the Rage these Days

2009-01-29T15:55:00.005-05:00

At least temporarily, Spain has solved its low population growth rate problem (.096 in 2008). As previously posted, Spain has passed legislation allowing the children and grandchildren of Spaniards forced into exile between 1936 and 1955 to apply for Spanish citizenship.

Well, the grandchildren's law has already taken affect and the Spanish Consulate has received over 20,000 applications. So far, 40 Cubans have received citizenship and the rest of these applications should be processed by June.

Alvaro Kirkpatrick, the Spanish Adjunct Consul, says that they "expect some 150,000 new Spaniards through the end of 2010" and they expect some 300,000-400,000 applications.

However, no word yet on why nearly half a million Cubans would like to leave the Communist Island Paradise...guess "resisting" isn't the accomplishment they were looking for, good try though Raul.

From Havana, with Love

2009-01-27T16:21:00.002-05:00

Raul Castro will arrive in Moscow tomorrow to start his week-long visit. This will be his second trip abroad as Cuba's President.

Raul is scheduled to meet with Medvedev on Thursday, informally (think Vodka shots ala-Yeltsin), and then meet again on Friday for official talks as they, or at least Raul, recover from what will likely be quite the massive hangover.

Last week, it was announced that Russia was evaluating the possibility of giving Cuba a $20 million loan, to be spent on Russian goods. I'm sure Raul will do everything he can to nail it down.

It's hard to tell if the increased ties with Russia are just a sign of the times or if they have increased because Raul is now in command. Raul has more of an affinity towards Russia than Fidel ever had.

Weekend at Bernie's...

2009-01-21T16:32:00.003-05:00

What to make of this?...Could she be lying? Could she have met a double? Could he simply still be alive?...time will tell.

However, her report of Fidel thinking Obama is sincere does clash with what Chavez has been saying...it would be odd for Fidel and Chavez to clash in that way.

Well, my guess is that if Fidel is alive, he is not too present mentally and, as I've repeatedly stated, he has been dead politically for over 2 years now.

Fidel Castro looks well, Argentine president says
BY FRANCES ROBLES
frobles@MiamiHerald.com
Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirschner met for 30 minutes Wednesday with Cuba's Fidel Castro, debunking rumors that the aging former dictator was on his deathbed.
''I thought he looked very well,'' Fernández told the Argentine government news agency Telam.
She said Castro watched Tuesday's presidential inauguration ceremony and said he thought Barack Obama was a ''sincere man'' with ``good ideas.''
Rumors began to swirl last week that Castro was gravely ill. Cuba-watchers noted that Castro, 82, had stopped writing his regular newspaper columns and that no videos or pictures had been released of him for months.
''He thinks Obama is sincere in what he is saying and doing,'' she said.

The More Things Change...

2009-01-14T15:49:00.004-05:00

The more they stay the same.

According to the Cuban Commission on Human Rights, Cuba has 207 political prisoners. In July of 2006, when Raul was left in charge, Cuba had 316 political prisoners, according to the same group, headed by Elizardo Sanchez. This is a drop of over 34%. We might be tempted to assume that this means that Raul is warm and cuddly compared to his brother.

However, we must look at the short-term incarcerations that Cuba has been implementing since Raul took charge. In 2007, at least 325 (according to the CCPDH)people were arrested and released in a few hours, a few days at most. This kind of catch-and-release policy is used to scare people back into line.

The numbers for 2008 and more startling. The Council of Human Rights Rapporteurs of Cuba reported that from Jan-Nov 2008, there have been 1,107 arbitrary arrests, 139 instances of arbitrary house arrest, 72 activists tried for political activism, and 58 deaths in prison resulting from beatings or negligence.

The decrease in the number of political prisoners is an illusion. Simply because repression in Cuba has changed in appearance, that doesn't mean it's gone. The only difference is that this form of repression lets Raul look a lot better internationally and it may or may not be more effective in controlling political dissent, that is something that remains to be seen.

Moneda Dura

2009-01-13T22:45:00.002-05:00

It's come to my attention that I haven't mentioned Moneda Dura on this blog...a Cuban band that I have been completely obsessed with of late. This song, Hablame de Amor, is (in my humble opinion) one of the best on their cd "Alma sin Bolsillos." But I recommend just about every song on the CD. But here's my fave!

What Global Recession?

2009-01-13T08:37:00.002-05:00

Yesterday it was reported that Venezuela donated $30.4 million to fund social projects in Cuba. These social projects will be in Cienfuegos, where Venezuela has already invested a great deal of money in the refurbishment of the Cienfuegos oil refinery.

So, this donation doesn't come completely out of the blue, however it is somewhat unprecedented considering the plummeting price of oil.

It has been reported that Venezuela's 2009 budget was based on the price of oil maintaining itself above $60 per barrel. Now that the price is below $40 per barrel, one has to wonder from where Chavez will get this money.

Well, an idealist might wonder. The fact is that the Venezuelan people will simply have to do with less as Chavez continues to bail out the failing Revolutionary government. In order to have any sort of political credibility for his "Socialism of the 21st Century," Chavez simply cannot allow the Cuban economy to sink (sink any further than it already has, that is).

So, even though Chavez cannot meet his own people's needs, he will continue giving the Cuban government billions of dollars worth of aid. After all, this $30 million is nothing compared to the billions worth of oil subsidies and credit that he extends to the Communist government.

Thanks, but we had Already Figured it Out

2009-01-12T11:53:00.003-05:00

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday it is unlikely that ailing former Cuban leader Fidel Castro will ever appear in public again.

"That Fidel in his uniform who walked the streets and towns late at night, hugging the people, won't return," Chavez said during his Sunday television and radio program. "That will remain in memories."

He did not discuss the 82-year-old Castro's current medical condition or say why he thought Castro would not return to the public stage.

Chavez has continued to meet occasionally with his friend Castro in private since the former Cuban leader underwent emergency intestinal surgery about 2 1/2 years ago. Castro was last seen in public on July 26, 2006, at a celebration in eastern Cuba.

Since then, Cuban authorities have periodically released photos and videos of Castro meeting with Chavez and other foreign leaders.

Fidel has ceded power to his younger brother Raul Castro, but continues to write essays published in official Cuban media.

Chavez, who says he is steering Venezuela toward socialism, fondly recalled the last time he and Castro appeared in public together during a trip to Argentina in July 2006.

"He walked to the door of the plane and we hugged. My God. I didn't think it would be the last time."

"Fidel will live forever, beyond the physical life," Chavez said Sunday.

Since taking office in 1999, Chavez has forged strong ties with Cuba. Venezuela ships 190,000 barrels of crude oil a day to the communist-led island at preferential rates while Cuba has sent thousands of doctors and sports trainers to Venezuela.

Assessment of the 50 Years

2009-01-01T12:05:00.004-05:00

Over the past month there have been a series of assessments of the past 50 years of the Cuban Revolution.

Today on this anniversary, I would like to give my own.

I do not think the Revolution, throughout it's 50 years of existence, has merrited very many words for this day. I can sum its failures and successes in only a few words:

Healthcare, education, indoctrination, political prisoners, repression, lack of freedom...that list word association game is endless.

To sum the Revolution's 50 years, I'd simply say that they improved the lives of a small minority of people, but at a significant cost (in lives, standard of living, family, money, and much else) to the vast majority.

If given a second chance, with the benefit of hindsight, I'm sure the Cuban people would not choose this path.

There, that's your splendid 50.

May there not be another.

It's No Peru, but...

2008-12-30T21:15:00.003-05:00

The Spanish Embassy in Cuba was mobbed by 400 people today, according to a Miami Herald article, see excerpt below for more information.

Over 400 Cubans wait to seek Spanish citizenship

By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press Writer
HAVANA --

More than 400 Cubans of Spanish ancestry mobbed that country's stately embassy in Havana on Monday, waiting to apply for citizenship under the newly enacted "law of grandchildren."

Spain has begun accepting citizenship applications from the descendants of people who went into exile after its brutal 1936-39 Civil War, part of a 2007 law meant to address the painful legacy of the conflict and the ensuing right wing dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco. But a new provision approved Friday also allows anyone whose parents or grandparents were born in Spain but went overseas because of their political beliefs or economic hardship to become Spaniards.

Those accepted do not have to renounce their current citizenship.

Officials in Madrid have estimated that as many as half a million people worldwide could be eligible to become citizens, although it is unclear how many of those are in Cuba. Some 300,000 people in Argentina alone may qualify.

Wow..."Mad Props!"

2008-12-17T12:04:00.004-05:00

Well, here you have it from the horse's mouth...well, the horse's brother's mouth.

In a speech Raul gave yesterday in Brazil, he let us all in on what he believes to be the Revolution's greatest accomplishment.

I'm sure the suspense is killing you, so here it is: Resistance.

"We resisted, I think that is the greatest accomplishment of our people, our greatest accomplishment; we resisted and we are here."

"Resistimos, creo que es el mérito mayor de nuestro pueblo, el mérito mayor nuestro; resistimos y estamos aquí..."

I mean really, so many things that he could've pointed to: healthcare, education, the international spread of revolution, etc with the typical responses.

But this is very telling. For Raul, the greatest thing to be accomplished is ideological resistance and existence.

Taking Applicants?

2008-12-16T17:52:00.002-05:00

What a response...I know it is a politically sensitive question, but what a response...

Robert Wood, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC. December 15, 2008

…

QUESTION: Talking military, apparently, the Russians have just had some new initiatives here in the Western Hemisphere, especially bringing some of their ships into Cuba, I assume to Venezuela and possibly even to Nicaragua.

MR. WOOD: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: What is your attitude with all this activity by the Russians? Do you see it as a payback for what we’re attempting to do with our missile shields in Poland and Czech Republic?

MR. WOOD: Look, we don’t have any problem – any fundamental problem with Russia having military relationships with countries of the hemisphere. I mean, that’s quite fine. You know, we have what I’d like to say is a very productive agenda in trying to help the region, democratize the region, bring economic prosperity. But in terms of Russia having military relationships with other countries of the hemisphere, that’s fine. I don’t think there’s any question about where the preponderance of military power comes from in the hemisphere, so, you know, it’s --

Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are...

2008-12-16T16:04:00.007-05:00

OH!!!
Well, I hadn't bothered to check there...

According to an article in Penultimosdias.com, Carlos Valenciaga, formerly Fidel Castro’s personal secretary and head of his Coordination and Support Staff, has a new post working at the National Library, in the manuscript department.

Wonder if maybe he'll be writing one to let us in on some of the secrets?...you're right, probably not, but hey, it's a thought.

How the great do fall.

I have to wonder, though, if this is one of the reasons that Fidel's Reflections (once upon a time pet-named Valenciagas by more than a few Cubans) have changed so much recently.

Benicio Del Toro, Comiendo...

2008-12-15T12:35:00.001-05:00

Yoani Questions Mariela

2008-12-12T10:25:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Yoani Sanchez posted about her encounter with Mariela Castro...Yoani posed Mariela a very interesting question, basically, will the campaign and struggle to accept people's sexual preferences pass to other aspects and will there be a campaign for tolerance of people's political and ideological opinions?

Mariela responded that she doesn't know because she doesn't work in that area and that she thinks she's doing the best she can in her capacity...whatever that means.

Below is the video of the encounter:

The fact that she would say that she isn't political and therefore can't respond to a political question is somewhat odd considering the interview she gave to El Pais saying that she believes that in 15 years, Cuba will be a Socialist Democracy with more participation and more maturity.

Could it be that she is a reformer when her father is acting as such and when he's not, she' not?

Repressing at Home, Raul to Travel Abroad

2008-12-10T10:14:00.003-05:00

According to Jesse Chacon, Venezuela's Minister of Information, Raul Castro will visit Venezuela on Dec 14th for a meeting of ALBA. This, before he is scheduled to visit Brazil, whose president said he wanted to be Cuba's largest trading partner, the 17th.

Raul will be leaving Cuba at a time where he will likely be getting some flack from the international community (of course not from the countries he will be visity) for the repression that occurred yesterday and is occuring today in Cuba.

There are various reports of police roundups throughout Cuba. Frances Robles has a nice overview in today's Herald, you can find it below.

Cuban police are detaining activists prior to Human Rights Day
Cuban activists are being stopped from attending Human Rights Day events in Havana, exile groups said.
BY FRANCES ROBLES

Up to a dozen human rights activists have been detained in Cuba in police operations apparently intended to keep them from attending Human Rights Day events in Havana on Wednesday, according to exile groups in Miami.

Wednesday's events are being organized to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

Protests are planned by various Cuban dissident groups, including the Ladies in White organization formed by wives and female relatives of 75 dissidents and independent journalists who were rounded up during a 2003 crackdown on political dissent.

SECURITY AGENTS
The Federation of Latin American Women, a group that lobbies for an end to Cuba's dual currency, said Cuban State Security agents beat their members and broke one woman's hand.

''They did not even ask for identification,'' FLAMUR President Belinda Salas said in a statement. ``My husband Lazaro got such a beating that he was bleeding profusely through his mouth and head, plus he was struck hard on his testicles. . . . They ripped my blouse, leaving me naked, and the beating left me with a fractured hand.''

The incident occurred when several state patrol cars arrived in Havana's Vedado neighborhood, FLAMUR said.

The whereabouts of some who were picked up by police cruisers was unknown.

The Democratic Directorate, a Miami exile group that works with dissidents in Cuba, said they knew of about a dozen people in cities across Cuba that had been arrested since Monday.

Last year, the Cuban government launched a massive operation at bus stations, train stations and highways where dissidents were trying to catch rides to Havana Human Rights Day events. The operation illustrated how well Cuban State Security monitors opposition activities -- and how quickly they were able to snatch people up.

''Right now we have a list of people detained, and it's going to keep going up,'' said the Democratic Directorate's deputy national secretary, Janisset Rivero.

``We are not sure of all the details of what's going on, because every time we get someone on the line, we get cut off. They are cutting off communications.''

She said dissident doctor Darsi Ferrer had organized some kind of march in Havana. When Rivero talked to him, he said: ''I've got a big police operation in front of my house,'' and the call ended.

Arrests have taken place in Cienfuegos, Pinar del Río, Matanzas, Sancti Spiritus, Santa Clara, Placetas and Havana, she said. Among the detained is former political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez, known as ``Antúnez.''

WARNINGS GIVEN
Last week Cuban bloggers reported being taken to police headquarters, where they received warnings against attending a scheduled Internet bloggers conference.

''Amazing: They are violating human rights so people can't celebrate human rights,'' said U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutiérrez, who headed a Bush administration effort to prepare for Cuba's transition to democracy.

''I was reading about the crackdown on the bloggers, and I suppose that's all related. It reminded me of something like rounding people up because they are suspected of witchcraft,'' he said. ``It sounds so crazy and so out of touch with reality and so old-fashioned ---- old-fashioned like centuries ago.''

Yoani Sanchez Quote

2008-12-09T14:31:00.002-05:00

From Roger Cohen's NYT article (which is pretty good...up until the end in which he implies that Guantanamo should be given back)...

“You know, when a nation gets on its knees before a man, it’s all over. When a man decides how much rice I eat a month, or whether or not I can leave a country, that country is sick. This man is human. He commits errors. How can he have such power? Like a lot of people of my generation, I have willed myself to stop thinking about him, as a therapy. I think there will be relief when Fidel dies. We will breathe out. The mystical and symbolic weight of his presence is very heavy, for his opponents and even for his supporters. It’s hard to right his errors while he’s still there.”

Opposition Member Sentenced to 3 Years

2008-12-03T12:59:00.005-05:00

Julián Antonio Monés Borrero, from Baracoa, was arrested and tried for "attacking" a student of a military school.

The trial, held November 26, was a closed-door trial and lasted only three hours. The political police only allowed his closest family members to attend the farce.

On September 28th, Monés Borrero was wearing a shirt that said "CAMBIO." He was attacked by a man wearing civilian clothing who never identified himself. Reacting as any normal person would, Monés Borrero defended himself.

Since September 30th, he has been in jail, meaning he was held for nearly 2 months without a trial. He spent 40 days on a hunger strike protesting his arrest. Alas, the authorities paid it no heed.

The full article from Cubaencuentro is below:

Condenado a tres años de cárcel un opositor en Baracoa
Julián Antonio Monés Borrero fue acusado de 'atentado a la autoridad' por supuesta agresión a un estudiante de una escuela militar.
Redacción CE 02/12/2008

El Tribunal Municipal de Baracoa, Guantánamo, condenó al opositor Julián Antonio Monés Borrero a 3 años de cárcel, el pasado 26 de noviembre, por supuesto "atentado a la autoridad".

Monés fue acusado de agredir a un estudiante de una escuela militar, informó el sitio en internet Cubanet.

El activista de derechos humanos Rodolfo Barthelemy, citado por la publicación, dijo que vista se realizó a puertas cerradas, duró tres horas, y la policía política sólo permitió la entrada a los familiares más cercanos del disidente.

De acuerdo con el relato de los hechos, Monés, presidente del Movimiento de Derechos Humanos Miguel Valdés Tamayo y residente en Baracoa, se encontraba el domingo 28 de septiembre un centro recreativo con un pulóver que llevaba la palabra "Cambio" impresa, y fue agredido físicamente por un joven vestido de civil, que no se identificó. El disidente se defendió. Su agresor resultó ser un estudiante de una escuela de cadetes.

La esposa del opositor condenado, Matilde Duportal, dijo que en el juicio "quedó demostrado" que Monés "no cometió ningún atentado, puesto que ningún testigo que fue allí declaró que ellos vieron que el muchacho se identificó como oficial del Ministerio del Interior, ni que tampoco Julián le proporcionara ningún golpe (...) Quedó demostrado así también ante el abogado, quien demostró allí que habían hasta testigos falsos", dijo la mujer, informó el Directorio Democrático Cubano, son sede en Miami.

Según Cubanet, Monés Borrero, encarcelado el pasado 30 de septiembre, estuvo más de 40 días en huelga de hambre para protestar por su arresto.

El Directorio indicó que desde la noche anterior al juicio se registraron operativos policiales para impedir la asistencia de activistas de derechos humanos.

Varios disidentes fueron detenidos o puestos bajo arresto domiciliario. Efectivos de la Seguridad del Estado y de la Policía detuvieron a los opositores Roberto Ortiz y Francisco Manzanés en la noche del martes 25, según dijo Rodolfo Barthelemy, coordinador en Oriente del Comité Ciudadano contra los Malos Tratos.

El mismo día del juicio fue arrestado Keyber Rodríguez Fernández, presidente del Movimiento pro Derechos Humanos Juan Pablo II.

© cubaencuentro

Kicking Off his Sunday Shoes

2008-11-30T16:42:00.004-05:00

So, there has been some chatter about Raul's upcoming trips.

It has been confirmed that Raul will be traveling to Brazil for the Latin America and Caribbean Summit at Costa de Sauipe scheduled for December 17th.

It was in yesterday's Granma that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev extended an invitation to Raul to visit Moscow soon, word is he'll be going in January, but it's not official yet.

The Chinese also invited the Cuban President to Beijing...an invitation that would be very hard for Raul to decline since China is Cuba's 2nd largest trading partner.

Furthermore, Raul stated last week that he would be going to Venezuela in his first international trip since coming to power nearly 2 and a half years ago. Raul said "When do we have to go to Venezuela? I do not know anything. But if the nephew said that, we have to go and visit him."

So, it seems Raul will soon be Mr. Footloose. If Venezuela is to be his first trip, he will need to travel there before the 17th, when he is scheduled to be in Brazil. Although he could do both as two legs of the same trip. Which is what I'd expect to see for a Russia and China trip...and I wouldn't write Vietnam off while he's on that sojourn or India, who just donated 2 million USD to Cuba as hurricane relief.

Going further, I'd suggest that these trips he will soon be taking imply that Raul is feeling pretty comfortable at Cuba's helm.

Raul Warms up to Obama

2008-11-26T12:41:00.003-05:00

Raul told Sean Penn (let's not get started on the fact that Penn was conducting an interview for The Nation, who had just met with Chavez in Venezuela before traveling to Havana) that he would be willing to meet with Obama on neutral territory, suggesting Guantanamo.

The Reuters report is below...I wouldn't take this too seriously as Obama is still the President Elect so this is all pretty preliminary, oh, and this was an interview by Sean Penn.

Cuba's Raul Castro open to meet Obama: report

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban President Raul Castro is open to meeting U.S. President-elect Barack Obama on neutral ground to try to resolve the island's four-decade-old feud with Washington, according to an interview with a U.S. magazine.

The interview for The Nation was conducted by U.S. actor Sean Penn, who traveled to Havana after meeting Cuban ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and before Obama won the U.S. presidential election on November 4.

"You asked if I would accept to meet with (Obama) in Washington. I would have to think about it. I would discuss it with all my comrades in the leadership," Castro tells Penn in the interview for a December 15 issue published on its website.

"Personally, I think it would not be fair that I be the first to visit, because it is always the Latin American presidents who go to the United States first. But it would also be unfair to expect the president of the United States to come to Cuba. We should meet in a neutral place."

Obama has said he will reverse the Bush administration's policies that restricted Cuban Americans visiting Cuba and sending cash to their families there. He is willing to talk to Castro but would keep the 46-year-old trade embargo as leverage to influence democratic changes in the one-party state.

"Perhaps we could meet at Guantanamo," Castro says, referring to the bay where the U.S. maintains a naval base, which Cuba considers a violation of its sovereignty.

"We must meet and begin to solve our problems, and at the end of the meeting, we could give the president a gift ... we could send him home with the American flag that waves over Guantanamo Bay."

"Che"--Good Enough to be Propaganda

2008-11-14T15:21:00.002-05:00

Stephen Soderbergh's "Che" will be screened in the upcoming New Latin American Film Festival in Havana. According to this report, it was said in July that the movie would not be screened if it attacked Fidel in any way. How good to see that Soderbergh accomodated the Cuban government.

Say it with me now...BOYCOTT

The Reuters article is below.

Movie 'Che' to be shown at Cuba film festival

HAVANA, Nov 13 (Reuters) - "Che," the movie about Argentine Ernesto "Che" Guevara who fought alongside Fidel Castro in the Cuban revolution, will be shown next month in Cuba, the director of Havana's New Latin American Film Festival said on Thursday.

Ivan Giroud told reporters the movie, made by U.S. director Stephen Soderbergh, would be a special presentation not eligible for any of the festival awards.

Festival president Alfredo Guevara said in July that "Che" would not be shown if it included any "attacks" against Castro, the ailing 82-year-old who led Cuba for 49 years after taking power in the 1959 revolution. His brother Raul Castro replaced him as president in February.

Puerto Rican-born actor Benicio Del Toro played the role of Che, who was captured and executed Oct. 9, 1967, while trying to lead a leftist insurgency in Bolivia.

Del Toro won the best-actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where the film premiered.
The film was shot in Spain and Bolivia because, according to Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, the U.S. government, which has a 46-year-old trade embargo against Cuba, would not allow Soderbergh to make the movie on the Communist-led island.

Giroud said the film's principals would have to get U.S. permission to attend the showing.
He said the New Latin American Film Festival will show 114 films this year from countries throughout Latin America. (Reporting by Rosa Tania Valdes; editing by Jeff Franks and Todd Eastham)

The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming

2008-11-14T11:49:00.004-05:00

Medvedev to visit Cuba: Kremlin
14 November 2008
Agence France Presse

President Dmitry Medvedev will visit Cuba later this month, the Kremlin said Friday, in Russia's latest move to fortify relations with outspoken US adversaries in Latin America.

Kremlin spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said the visit would take place on November 27 at the tail end of Medvedev's swing through the region that will also include a stop in Venezuela for talks with US arch-foe Hugo Chavez.

It will be the first visit to Cuba by a Kremlin leader since then-president Vladimir Putin went there in December 2000 nearly a decade after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's Cold-War sponsor.

Though relations cooled dramatically during the 1990s as Russia reeled from the collapse of the communist economy and cut support for Cuba, the two countries have recently shown renewed mutual interest.

"Relations between Russia and Cuba are developing very dynamically," Medvedev said on Tuesday as he met the Cuban foreign minister, Felipe Perez Roque, at the Kremlin.

"We have moved past the pause of the last decade. Our contacts are very intense. Our relations are very friendly."

The Russian leader used the occasion to announce that Cuban leader Raul Castro, brother of Fidel Castro, would pay a visit to Russia next year.

News of the visit came as a flotilla of Russian warships led by the nuclear-powered destroyer Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) was steaming toward Venezuela for joint naval exercises expected to coincide with Medvedev's visit.

Russian officials have said those manoeuvres, the first high-profile Russian naval presence on the United States' doorstep in generations, would take place sometime in late November.

Timakova said the Russian president would stop in Cuba after attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima followed by an official visit to Brazil and his stop in Venezuela.

She said the APEC leaders would discuss a range of issues focusing on economic and trade integration in the Asia-Pacific basin but also including talks on "important and current" security and stability issues there.

Russia has for years been quietly developing its relations with various countries in Latin America, notably Brazil and Venezuela, where cooperation deals have been struck on everything from agriculture to space exploration.

Russian media reported last Sunday that five Russian oil companies had taken equal shares in a deal to produce and refine Venezuelan oil, with the focus on a series of projects in Venezuela's Orinoco region.

A day earlier, the flamboyant Venezuelan leader said he was looking forward to signing nuclear cooperation agreements with Russia.

"Atomic energy. Technology for Venezuela. We are going to have atomic reactors, and they'll soon accuse us of building 100 atomic bombs," Chavez told a rally of supporters in Caracas.

He said Venezuela, one of the world's largest oil exporters, was interested in developing nuclear energy strictly "for peaceful purposes." cb/njc/mjs

Minister of Foreign Investment Replaced

2008-11-13T12:00:00.003-05:00

Marta Lomas Morales has been replaced by Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz as Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Colaboration. This was announced in today's Granma (The notice is below, in Spanish).

They do not provide a reason for her dismissal, however, they do say it was a decision made by the Council of State ata the behest of the Polit Bureau of the PCC. The 62 year old was previously the permanent embassador to the UN.

Here is the Official Note:

El Consejo de Estado, a propuesta del Buró Político del Comité Central del Partido, acordó liberar del cargo de Ministra para la Inversión Extranjera y la Colaboración Económica a la compañera Marta Lomas Morales y en su lugar promover al compañero Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, quien culminó exitosamente su misión como Embajador Permanente de Cuba ante la ONU.

El compañero Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz es licenciado en Economía y ha ocupado importantes responsabilidades de dirección, todas con resultados positivos. Dentro del Ministerio para la Inversión Extranjera y la Colaboración Económica ha sido Especialista, Consejero Económico, Director y Viceministro.

Where's Waldo?

2008-11-11T10:28:00.004-05:00

Fidel with Kiril Gundjaev when the Russian Orthodox bishop was visiting Havana last month. The photo was published on a Rususian Orthodox website. Granma had published a picture of Raul at the inauguration, it has not published any picture of Fidel meeting the bishop.

And just a few comments on Fidel:
1) He appears to be completely supporting himself on the arm of Gundjaev
2) He looks emaciated
3) His beard is increadibly thin
4) He has crazy eyes...not even looking into the camara.
and most importantly
5) It appears he's switched to Nike..."Just do it"...and to white, as it brings out his softer side.

Russians and Hurricanes

2008-11-08T21:10:00.003-05:00

Not only has Paloma chosen today to visit, Cuba is also being visited today by the Vice President of Russia, Igor Ivanovich Sechin.

According to an article in today's Granma, Sechin is leading a delegation of high-level dignitaries and executives of important Russian institutions and businesses.

This as, according to another Granma article, Felipe Perez-Roque is in Russia, saying that Cuba and Russia should raise the level of their economic ties to that of their political ties. Is it just me, or is it getting a little Cold?

Closer

2008-11-08T18:04:00.002-05:00

Strong cat. 4. Gusts at 170. 3rd major hurricane in a little over 2 months.

This will be nearly impossible to deal with. As a political note, it would be an excellent excuse for Raul to extend an olive branch to a new US administration.

PA-LO-MA

2008-11-07T10:42:00.003-05:00

After having been devastated by 2 hurricanes earlier this year, it looks as though Cuba will be facing one more.

FYI--Hurricane season ends Nov 30.

Who's Going to Visit?

2008-11-04T11:30:00.003-05:00

China's president Hu Jintao will be visiting Cuba this month. See the Reuter's article below for more info.

I have suspected for some time that Raul would turn to China for aid to become less dependent on Venezuela. It might happen more quickly than it would otherwise due to the plummiting price of petroleum and Venezuela's consequential potential inability to support Cuba's needs.

China's Hu to visit Washington, Cuba
BEIJING, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Chines President Hu Jintao will attend the G-20 summit of government leaders in Washington later this month, to discuss tackling the world financial crisis, before heading south to visit U.S. ideological foe Cuba.
The meeting may bring Hu's first chance to meet the new U.S. President-elect, but he will also face pressure for China to play a larger role in efforts to soften the impact of the worsening financial storm, particularly on the most vulnerable economies.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and others have called for countries with "substantial reserves", such as China, to contribute more to the International Monetary Fund.
Beijing has kept the door open to greater participation, with a vague yet positive offer last week to consider pitching in, but has not spelled out what it might expect in return.
After the Washington Summit Hu will head south to Peru for the meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular news conference on Tuesday.
He will also pay state visits to Greece, Costa Rica and Cuba, where he will meet fellow Communist leader Raul Castro.
Castro may be hoping for Chinese help to weather the global financial crisis, which has come as a painful blow to the small island nation, already reeling from two powerful hurricanes and soaring import prices. (Reporting by Emma Graham-Harrison and Liu Zhen)

Not Worth a Dime

2008-10-31T14:52:00.005-04:00

The price of Nickel is down...

Way down.

Cuba holds 16 percent of the world’s nickel reserves and is currently the world’s sixth largest nickel exporter. In 2005, nickel export revenues totaled $1 billion. In 2007, the profit from nickel exports surpassed tourism profits with a gross of $2.2 billion.

However, with the price of Nickel having fallen by nearly 65%, from $34,000 to $12,000 a ton, Cuba's hard currency shortage will be even more severe than previously expected.

Who Was Chosen to Play with the Brazilians?

2008-10-31T09:55:00.005-04:00

Today's Granma published an article describing a cordial visit between Lula at Raul. They brought some other government officials to the table as well.

It’s interesting to see who else was there from the Cuban side…specifically Lage, who was recently thought to be on the outs; Perez Roque, thought to be increasingly obsolete; and Cabrisas Ruiz, who has been taking an active role since being promoted to a VP of the Council of Ministers.

More on the USSR...scratch that, Russia ties

2008-10-29T16:31:00.005-04:00

"The Cuban army air defences see planes taking off from Florida, but have nothing with which to shoot them down - the Osa fires to 45 km, the Kvadrat (Kub in the Russian version), to 25 km."

Yes, well, how good of the Russians to come to Cuba's rescue and finally allow them the ability to shoot down the planes they see take off from Florida. Until now, Cuban pilots have had to give chase to aircraft to shoot it down the old fashioned way, and Cuba just can't have that in this day-and-age.

Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring

Russian officers' Cuba visit seen portending more than just maintenance

[Liliya Biryukova, Denis Telmanov report: "Far-Off Air Defences, Nearby Missile Defences: Russian Military Officers Are Studying the Possibilities of Cuban Air Defences"]

A delegation led by Lieutenant-General Aleksandr Maslov, chief of staff of tactical air defence of the Armed Forces, flew to Cuba yesterday. As your Gazeta correspondent was told in the Ground Troops' press service, Russian officers will be on the island until 3 November and will meet with General Alvaro Lopez Miera, chief of the Revolutionary Armed Forces Main Staff, and General Pedro Mendiondo Gomez, commander of air and air defence. "It is planned to discuss a consolidation of ties between the Armed Forces of Russia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba. There will also be an exchange of experience in the organization of the air defence of the troops and the training of officer personnel," the spokesman for the defence department announced.

The military officers will study the possibility of the instruction of Cuban officers in Russia in work with modern equipment. Representatives of the country's sole Armed Forces Tactical Air Defence Military Acad-emy (Smolensk) were included in the delegation to this end.

This is the first visit to Cuba of high-ranking Russian military officers since 2001, when the Lourdes base was closed. The MoD announced that it is of a purely technical planning nature involving the operation of the Igla manpad, the Osa-K and Kvadrat mobile SAMs, and the P-18 Terek and P-19 mobile radars in service with Cuba.

The P-19 sees an area in a radius of up to six kilometres and is a resource for the detection of low-altitude small and low-speed targets - helicopters and drones. The P-18 is capable of fixing a target at an altitude of 35 km at a distance of up to 250 km. The Cuban army air defences see planes taking off from Florida, but have nothing with which to shoot them down - the Osa fires to 45 km, the Kvadrat (Kub in the Russian version), to 25 km.

Nonetheless, the Russian command's attention to Cuba's army air defences is not fortuitous. It is such SAMs and radars that usually defend airfields and also other air-defence assets of greater range and power. The S-300 or S-400, for example.

Russian military experts believe that things will hardly be confined to maintenance of the old anti-aircraft guns on Cuba. Anatoliy Tsyganok, director of the Military Forecasting Centre, tied General Maslov's trip to the United States' plans to deploy missile defences in Europe. He believes that a natural consequence of this visit will be the appearance on Cuba of Russian planes, ships, and submarines. "It is likely that joint exercises will be planned for starters, after which we could be talking about arms deliveries," Tsyganok said.

Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, believes that it is as yet too soon to be forecasting the consequences of the Russian air-defence generals' visit. "Down the road, possibly, Russia will attempt to restore the ports at which naval vessels can call," Ivashov told your Gazeta correspondent. "But direct arms deliveries would appear to me to be impossible if only because of Cuba's insolvency."

We would note that Deputy Premier Igor Sechin and Nikolay Patrushev, head of Russia's Security Council, were in Havana in August. They held talks with Raul Castro on the development of Cuban oilfields by Russian companies, and the press service of the Security Council subsequently announced that the leader-ship of the two countries intended to "work consistently on the restoration of traditional ties in all fields of cooperation and on their utmost expansion and intensification."

Lookin' Good

2008-10-29T09:48:00.012-04:00

Raul was pictured on the front page of today's Granma. He is pictured here at the inaugural night of the 21st International Ballet Festival in Havana.

This should put an end to the rumors that have been swirling about his health. He looks pretty good for a man his age. He even looks like he has lost some weight.

Blast from the Past

2008-10-28T10:14:00.002-04:00

Ever slipped through a worm hole and ended up travelling 30 years into the past? Well, apparently Cuba did, oh and Russia too. Yesterday a Russian air-defense delegation started its Cuba visit.

"The Russian and Cuban military will exchange experience in organising tactical air defense and in training officers," said Russian Land Forces spokesman Igor Konashenkov. He also stated that there would be discussions to further bolster the ties between both air forces.

In the forward-looking spirit of Cold-War diplomacy, they will "study the possibilities of training Cuban military personnel at Russian academies and battleground air-defense training centres using modernized hardware of Russian production," says Konashenkov...But hey, at least their hardware will be modern!

During this time of an ebbing global economy, one would think that Russia, a huge oil exporter, might want to be a little tighter with its money. Cuba stands to benefit by increasing the satisfaction of its military personnel. Aside from that, however, it seems that building up Cuba's air defense is a truly pointless move. Who are you building it up agains? The US? Please...that's truly delusional.

So what is behind Russia's move?

I can think of a couple things.

1) Increasing military ties to Cuba and Venezuela, you create the illusion of regional instability involving 2 major oil exporters. Instability = higher prices. This could be a long shot in actually raising the price of oil, but hey, why not try.

2) Military ties with Cuba give Russia an important friend near its largest potential rival (I wouldn't say the US is currently a rival, but they could be in the future, so Russia is being forward thinking).

and 3) Of course, it also serves to anger the US, which Russia loves to do lately.

Ricardo Cabrisas designated VP of the Council of Ministers

2008-10-14T11:00:00.005-04:00

The title pretty much says it all...

Ricardo Cabrisas was born in 1937 and is Afro-Cuban. He had been a Minister of Government, having previously been Minister of Foreign Trade. He worked closely with Fidel and enjoyed his support.

I don't see the move as being too important on the face of things. He went from Minister of Government to one of the VPs...not that big of a shift. I think this could be Raul trying to placate some Fidelistas.

However, this could be a simple substitution. Osmany Cienfuegos has not been an active VP in years, but he had never been replaced. Although it has not been confirmed, that is likely to be the person Cabrisas is replacing.

Namibia Donation

2008-10-10T10:24:00.004-04:00

"Granma" just printed that Namibia will be donating $1,000,000 to Cuba. Namibia. Donating 1 million dollars.

The UNDP's 2005 Human Development Report indicated that 34.9% of the Namibian population live on $1 per day and 55.8% live on $2 per day. They are donating 1 million dollars.

Cuba has repeatedly denied US offers of aid, jeopardizing the welfare of its own people. To make up for the millions in hard currency and supplies that Cuba will not be getting from the US, other countries must step in and fill the void of aid being created by the Cuban government; some of the poorest countries feel obligated to donate their scarce resources.

It is unethical for the Cuban government to deny US aid and then have to accept aid from countries with a starving population.

I wonder how Namibians feel--you know, the third of the population that live in severe poverty--about their government donating $1 million dollars that could otherwise be going to them.

Raul Comes Out to Play

2008-09-20T08:10:00.002-04:00

Nearly 20 days after Pinar del Rio and Isla de la Juventud were battered by hurricane Gustav and subsequently thrashed by Ike, Raul Castro FINALLY visited these devastated areas.

His audience appears to be happy to see him. Some suggest that this is because people view Raul as Cuba's executioner--literally and figuratively. They think he can get things done. He did, after all, establish the FAR, Cuba's most successful apparatus.

These devastated people think that if Raul is there, if the government is there, they will receive aid, and right now, that is all that they care about. For most, politics becomes a quick second to survival--if politics doesn't stand in the way of that survival, that is.

In this case, the sight of Raul Castro gives people hope (it must be really weird for him). Some expected that there might be riots, heckling, or at least some booing for all the time the people had to wait before Raul arrived, but there appeared to be none of that. Faults are quickly forgiven when there is hope for a better future.

But what of all the places he has not visited? Do they have hope? Will they receive aid? The government has already stated it simply does not have the resources to deal with this $5 billion catastrophe. Will these forgotten people feel abandoned, betrayed, or disregarded? and if so, will they just conform?

All my thoughts point to a 'yes.' A Freedom House survey, taken in April, says that most of their respondents stated that so long as their living situation was not as difficult as it was during the Periodo Especial, that they would simply conform.

On a brighter note, though, Raul might feel forced to institute reforms at a faster pace than he has been. Unfortunately, these reforms will likely deal exclusively with economic decentralization and increased economic freedoms. On a larger scale, though, any freedom from the government is a step in the right direction.

Cuba Says "NO"

2008-09-15T14:21:00.005-04:00

The US increased its no-strings-attached offer from $100,000 to $5 million and the Cuban government hastely refused it, instead insisting that the US lift, at least temporarily, its embargo on Cuba and give Cuba access to credits to purchase much-needed food and reconstruction supplies.

Having said "no" to the US indicates the government's unwillingness to put the Cuban people first. Raul's administration is showing profound similarities, to Fidel's by chosing to play politics at a time like this...the only problem for Raul is that he is not nearly as good as Fidel when it comes to playing politics. By chosing to emulate his brother instead of walking his own path, I believe Raul condemns his himself. Hopefully, he will not at the same time condemn the Cuban people (more than they've already been).

Cuba rejects U.S. aid, asks embargo rules be lifted
Posted on Mon, Sep. 15, 2008
BY FRANCES ROBLES
frobles@MiamiHerald.com
Cuba has rejected a $5 million offer for relief assistance from Washington, saying it cannot accept help from a country with an economic embargo against it, and instead renewed its request to allow the communist country to make purchases with credit.

In a statement made public Monday, the Cuban government asked Washington for a six-month reprieve on embargo rules that prohibit the communist country from making purchases from American companies, saying devastation from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike make it critical.

Washington and Havana have been embroiled in a diplomatic dispute over hurricane aid since Hurricane Gustav smashed into western Cuba on Aug. 30. Washington offered $100,000 and a humanitarian assessment team, and the Cuban Foreign Ministry answered by saying what it needed was purchasing credits.

Havana sent a second, more harshly worded note last week when Washington made the same offer after Hurricane Ike devastated eastern Cuba. The statement released Thursday called U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutiérrez a hypocrite, and said U.S. diplomats were cynical liars.

Washington's decision to limit the offer to $100,000 was criticized in some circles, who noted that the U.S. government normally spends millions in such disaster relief.

On Saturday, U.S. diplomats met in Washington with Cuban counterparts, and upped the offer to $5 million.

''We regret that they have not accepted this offer,'' State Department spokeswoman Heide Bronke said. ``We are considering Cuba's request to purchase other reconstruction materials on case by case consistent with U.S. law.''

United States law allows Cuba to make cash agricultural purchases, but does not allow Cuba to buy with credit. Cuba's request for a six-month reprieve would likely require an act of Congress.
Cuba's diplomatic note Sunday, released Monday, takes a much softer tone.

''The Cuban Interests Section in Washington wishes to communicate to the government of the United States that our country cannot accept a donation from the country that blockades us, although it is willing to purchase the indispensable materials that the North American companies export to the markets, and requests authorization for the provision of same, as well as the credits that are normal in all commercial operations,'' the statement said.

``If the government of the United States does not wish to do so permanently, the government of Cuba requests that at least it do so during the next six months, especially if the damage caused by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike is taken into account, as well as the fact that the most dangerous months of the hurricane season are still ahead.''

Last week Gutiérrez said the Cuban government is behind on payments to many of its creditors, and suggested that the request for credits was a pretext.

''Do they really want us to extend their credits?'' he said.

Recaps of Destruction

2008-09-15T09:31:00.001-04:00

Dispute delaying U.S. aid to Cuba
A diplomatic confrontation has mired efforts to provide aid for the victims of Hurricane Ike in Cuba, and many say U.S. assistance is falling short.
Posted on Fri, Sep. 12, 2008
BY FRANCES ROBLES
frobles@MiamiHerald.com

"Diplomatic spat slows U.S. storm aid to Cuba
In contrast to millions of dollars in relief aid sent to Haiti, the U.S. government has funneled just $100,000 to Cuba so far -- even as reports surface that the communist country's hurricane wreckage is far worse than the Castro government is letting on.
Cuba suffered island-wide destruction when Hurricane Ike smashed buildings and homes in 169 municipalities coast to coast. A new report by a Miami-based group made public Thursday indicates that 537,000 homes were damaged across the island, and 3.2 million people remain without power.
Haiti, also hit in the past weeks by a devastating string of storms that left hundreds dead and one million homeless, has received $20 million in U.S. aid.
The funding discrepancy comes as a diplomatic spat between Cuba and the United States mires relief efforts.
Although the U.S. government said Cuba's refusal to accept a disaster assesment team prevents it from doing more, criticism against Washington is beginning to mount."

Cuba says sugar cane damaged across country
HAVANA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - "Hurricane Ike flattened 156,000 hectares of Cuban sugar cane and flooded more when it churned along the island for two days this week, state-run radio reported on Friday.
Cuba harvested 330,000 hectares of cane during the 2008 harvest, producing almost 1.5 million tonnes of raw sugar.
There are 700,000 hectares devoted to sugar cane in the country.
The president of the Cuban sugar technicians said the preliminary figures would no doubt increase as workers gained access to plantations where roads were washed out. (Reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by John Picinich)"

How You Can Help

2008-09-10T08:42:00.006-04:00

The Federation of the International Red Cross will be sending aid to Cuba. They started a petition for $5.8 million USD to support operations in Cuba as a direct responce to hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

These funds will be used to support 8,000 families that have been devastated by either, or both, hurricane for the next 9 months.

The IFRC has issued a press release, where you can find more information. The page for donations is here.

It is a time to be generous. Cuba has been completely devastated from not one, but two hurricanes. There are rumors that during preparations for Gustav, the government distributed food from stores for people, and now there is nothing. Certainly this would only be in Western Cuba, but if it is true, it would likely have been repeated during Ike in the East.

Our Cuban brothers and sisters need our help; it is time for us to offer it without regard to politics.

Las Hijas de la Caridad are also petitioning for supplies to send to Cuba. They are asking for primary necesities like powdered milk, canned salchichas, dry beans of any variety, and cooking oil. Donations can be taken to 500 NW 63 Ave. Call 305-266-6485 if you would like more information.

Declaration from Consenso Cubano about Hurricane Gustav

2008-09-06T12:28:00.008-04:00

As we all know, Hurricane Gustav demolished many parts of Cuba. Cubans are in dire need of aid. Policies in place by both the US and Cuban governments make then sending and receiving of such aid difficult. In this light, Consenso Cubano has issued a declaration about what it has agreed should be done during these trying times.

Declaration of Consenso Cubano

Regarding the Present Humanitarian Emergency in Cuba
In relation to the disaster caused by Hurricane Gustav and the possibility this situation can get even worse during the present season, Consenso Cubano declares the following:

1) Consistent with the foundational Pillars of Consenso Cubano, we consider ourselves called upon to extend unconditional and generous solidarity to our sisters and brothers on the island, guided exclusively by a humanist and humanitarian spirit.

2) We call on Caritas, and other institutions that enjoy credibility before all parties, to assum the leadership in these works. We also call upon the rest to offer their support in obtaining the donations and to facilitate the deliveries and distribution. No one should attempt to politicize the aid.

3) Inspired by our Humanitarian Agenda for the Cuban Family, we identify ourselves with and wholly support the initiatives soliciting the President of the United States to lift, at least temporarily, all U.S. restrictions that could impede these humanitarian efforts and create difficulties for affected families to communicate and support one another.

4) We solicit the Cuban Government to lift, at least temporarily, all restrictions in place that could hinder or impede these humanitarian efforts and impose difficulties for affected families to communicate and support one another. We also ask that, in the same manner, they support the gestures of Caritas and other humanitarian organizations without reserve, accepting their disinterested donations, taking any other measures that further this solidarity among Cubans.

With the highest spirit of national unity, we exhort all sectors of the Cuban Diaspora to further these humanitarian gestures. We ask all Cubans, everywhere, along with all peoples of the world, to do the same.

September 2008
Miami, FL. United States

Gorki! Gorki! Gorki!

2008-09-06T08:35:00.005-04:00

As we know, during to Pablo Milanes concert, many of Gorki's friends started shouting his name, after which they received blows from State Security. Well, although no video of that has yet been made public, Yoani has posted a link on her blog to a youtube clip of audio from that moment. About two minutes long, it is long enough to get some sense of what was occurring.

Gustav's Wrath Unfolds

2008-09-02T16:51:00.010-04:00

The damage left by Hurricane Gustav is slowly beginning to unfold. As reported in today’s Granma (www.granma.cubaweb.cu), Pinar del Rio’s Provincial Defense Committee's preliminary assessment reveals that 120,000 homes are without roofs or have otherwise been severely damaged…that’s more damage than the last four hurricanes to have hit Pinar del Rio, total.

Restoring energy to Pinar del Rio will also be challenging, with 80 electric towers and 600 electric posts down. The situation is actually worse in Isla de la Juventud, which is completely without power. ''100 percent of the electrical grid is damaged,'' de la O (head of Cuba’s electric company) said. ``Totally destroyed.'' Officials have said that it may take over a month to restore power to the island.

Thankfully, no casualties have been reported. Homes have been demolished. Places of work have been crippled. The damage is evident now, but it might be even more evident in the future. The agricultural sector (the prime target of Raul’s reforms) has been severely damaged by Gustav. For the data on the damage to this sector, see Juventud Rebelde’s article on the subject: http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/cuba/2008-09-02/lo-que-la-bestia-no-arraso/

The only place to go from here is forward. Obviously, Isla de la Juventud’s electric grid will need to be completely rebuilt. This is actually something that ALL of Cuba needs. This catastrophe is forcing the government to do things that it should have done ages ago, which is a good thing. Maybe they’ll take the initiative with other provinces.

For now, the Cuban people face a monumental clean-up effort and also a monumental task of trying to recuperate their losses in the agricultural sector. Let us keep them in our hearts, minds, and prayers.

The Cuban people are strong, they have endured 50 years of totalitarian rule, they will certainly be able to survive this.

GORKI IS FREE!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-29T22:23:00.004-04:00

Pic: Rui Ferreira

GORKI! GORKI! GORKI!

GORKI IS FREE!!! Yes, free.

I just spoke with him to confirm. He is happy, at his house celebrating his release with his friends (and, oh yeah, giving interviews...I'm sure he has ten billion people begging to interview him).

This is simply amazing. I can't think of the last time that a person went before Cuba's political courts as a defendant and then went home.

Gorki sends a huge "thank you" to everyone for their support, along with un abrazo.

He seems to be in excellent spirits.

It looks like he'll just need to pay a fine of 600 pesos.

I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. Everyone who helped made a tremendous difference. Every signature placed, every call made, every status updated, every blog posted...they all made a difference, they all spread the word.

I congratulated Gorki by telling him that he had won. He corrected me, he said that we all had won.

Thank you for all your help. You made a difference!

Un fuerte abrazo,
Vanessa

Click here for more picks of Gorki at trial and after he was let go.

Gorki's Trial Update 1

2008-08-29T11:58:00.003-04:00

Gorki's trial, scheduled for 8:00 AM today, has been delayed. The government pushed it back, to be held lataer in the day, after 2 other trials.

Many of the hundred and some bystanders have left, now about 40 remain, standing outside the courthouse. Those 40 consist mainly of Gorki's friends and foreign press. Let's hope they stay.

Gorki's Dad has been assured that Gorki's lawyer is there, so that is no longer a question.

Penultimos dias has more info: http://penultimosdias.com/2008/08/29/9546/#comments

Gorki's "Trial"

2008-08-29T10:35:00.003-04:00

At 8:00 AM today, Gorki Aguila's trial was supposed to have commenced.

After the spectacle of last night's repression against those who publically supported Gorki (click here for more info from Yoani Sanchez: http://www.pornopararicardo.com/noticias/lo-que-paso-en-el-concierto-segun-yoani-sanchez.html), maybe the regime is feeling a bit of unease about the whole thing. As of 8:30, the trial had still not started.

The courthouse was filled with over a hundred people: Gorki's friends, bandmates, and father; reporters, dignitaries, and dissidents joined the audience as well. The area around the courthouse was allegedly also teaming with reporters.

There is a possibility that they have moved the site of Gorki's trial to avoid commotion.

Let's keep Gorki in our hearts and minds today and hope that the regime might change theirs.

Below, find an article from Cuba Encuentro expanding on the situation of Gorki's trial.

Última Hora: Dudas sobre el juicio a Gorki Águila
Agencias 29/08/2008

Media hora después de lo previsto, el juicio contra el roquero Gorki Águila se mantenía en la incertidumbre, informaron a CUBAENCUENTRO.com testigos que se encuentran frente al Tribunal Municipal de Playa, en Ciudad de La Habana, donde debe realizarse el proceso.

Según las fuentes, en el lugar se ha congregado al menos un centenar de personas, entre las que se encuentran diplomáticos y corresponsales extranjeros, miembros de la disidencia interna, personas del entorno de Porno para Ricardo y curiosos.

Varios detenidos han sido llevados ya al tribunal para procesos distintos. Sin embargo, en el momento de redactar esta información Águila aún no había sido trasladado.

Las fuentes han especulado sobre la posibilidad de que las autoridades hayan decidido realizar el juicio en otro sitio.

El Tribunal Municipal de Playa está ubicado en la Calle 94, esquina a Quinta B, de Miramar.

http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/cultura/noticias/ultima-hora-dudas-sobre-el-juicio-a-gorki-aguila-108459

PPR at Their Finest

2008-08-27T15:44:00.004-04:00

"El General" Live at their clandestine concert this past December

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0iVq49Pa9k

Open Letter to Pablo Milanes

2008-08-27T10:32:00.002-04:00

An open letter to Pablo Milanes has been written to appeal for the release of Gorki Aguila, lead singer of Cuba's most rebellious band, Porno Para Ricardo.

Gorki is supposed to go to trial tomorrow and his father has been told he'll face between 1-4 years imprisonment.

After all Gorki has done, let us not let this go unnoticed. Please sign this letter if you agree with it. Gorki needs our help! Let us not sit in silence. SPEAK OUT!

Here is the link to the letter: http://penultimosdias.com/

GORKI ARRESTED, PLEASE HELP

2008-08-26T10:15:00.004-04:00

Gorki Aguila of Porno Para Ricardo is one of the only Cuban artists to constantly speak out against the regime and its faults, hypocrisies, and abuses. He has been arrested previously, serving about 2 years. He was released under conditional liberty. That didn’t prevent him and his band from releasing its most scrutinizing CD. Now he is under a constant threat from the Cuban government; he has been arrested again. Let’s not let this go unnoticed. His father was told that on Thursday, Gorki will go before a judge and that he faces between 1-4 years in prison. The only reason he was released before is because there was a large public outcry.Please send this on so that others can join the outcry. Gorki needs our help!Please see the article below for more information.

FREE GORKI!
(cobardía y represión)
http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5091133&msgid=150300&act=SRKR&c=145661&admin=0&destination=http://www.pornopararicardo.com/noticias/free-gorki.html

Hace pocos minutos la policía castrista detuvo a Gorki Luis Aguila Carrasco, leader de la banda Porno Para Ricardo en su casa, cuando se disponía a grabar las últimas canciones del proximo disco de la banda.

Ciro, el guitarrista del grupo, siguió al auto policial en bicicleta hasta la estación donde los esbirros de la dictadura han llevado a Gorki, que no se encuentra bien de salud, y que se disponía a hacer un esfuerzo para grabar los temas pendientes.Gorki tiene una inflamación en los pulmones y falta de aire, y fue sacado de su casa por un policía que dijo cumplir órdenes del delegado del poder popular, un tal Jesús y sin orden de arresto, en el mejor estilo comunista.

En la mañana del sábado estuvimos hablando e intercambiando ideas sobre el diseño de la portada del disco y opiniones sobre algunos de los nuevos temas, además de algunos detalles relacionados con la producción de este álbum, el website de la banda y haciendo chistes.Naturalmente, la creación artística independiente en Cuba se premia solo con persecuciones y órdenes de búsqueda y captura por parte de la policía de la dictadura.

El testimonio de Ciro:

Cuando nos disponíamos a empezar a grabar tocan la puerta. Gorki abre y desde el cuarto escucho, "¿Usted es el Ciudadano Gorki Aguila?" era un policia que le pidió que lo acompañara, el preguntó por qué y el policía le dijo que él solo cumplía órdenes.

El policía se dirigió a él siempre en buena forma. Yo los seguí al sector de policia y esperé en la esquina para por si les daba por cargar conmigo también y no quedara quién avisara.Cuando se fueron me acerque al sector de policia y estaba allí el mismo que lo vino a buscar, le pregunté que para donde lo habían llevado y el me dijo que para la estación de 3ra y 62 llamada popularmente la 5ta.

De regreso me encontré con el padre de Gorki que al enterarse se puso muy nervioso y fué a la 5ta a averiguar por su hijo.

Esto no es nada nuevo. Como los aficionados recordarán, se fabricó ya una vez un caso en contra de Gorki, que fué arrestado bajo cargos falsos y condenado a cuatro años de prisión. En aquella ocasión se filmaba Habana Blues y el régimen mantuvo a Gorki encarcelado impidiendole de participar en la película sobre la nueva música independiente y underground de Cuba. En realidad, el delito de Gorki es solo uno: tener los cojones necesarios para denunciar los atropellos de la tiranía contra el pueblo cubano y la ilegitimidad del régimen heredtario impuesto a Cuba.

Esto no es mas que la continuación del acoso al cual ha sido sometido Gorki por parte de la policía y el delegado del Poder Popular, que cuenta con la colaboración de vulgares chivatos barrioteros. Hace solo dos meses, el 17 de junio, Gorki fue llevado a una estación policial por el mismo delegado del Poder Popular, quien lo amenazó con la cárcel por su conducta "antisocial", de un modo bastante gangsteril como quedó recogido en la la grabación clandestina que hicera Gorki de esa citación policial, en la cual tambien puede escucharse su elección de seguir con su arte y el rechazo a la pretensión del delegado a que firmara un acta de peligrosidad.

Este nuevo episodio de acoso y persecución ocurre justo cuando Porno Para Ricardo se encuentra en medio de la grabación de su nuevo disco, lo cual elimina cualquier posibilidad de que este escalamiento represivo pueda calificarse de coincidencia?. En Cuba, la voz de los valientes es silenciada por el régimen, que no vacila en utilizar intimidación y fuerza.

Por tanto, y en consonancia con el clima de opresión que reina en Cuba -según nos informa el padre de Gorki- lo tendrán detenido hasta el jueves, hasta que le hagan un juicio por peligrosidad y la condena que le impongan puede ser de uno a cuatro años. Ese es el precio de vivir con valentía, pensar por si mismo, y de hablar sin pelos en la lengua.

Por favor distribuyan esta noticia a todas sus listas de correos, blogs, programas de radio y televisión.

¡Que liberen a Gorki!

¡Free Gorki!

Subliminal Message?

2008-08-25T22:59:00.002-04:00

Is Granma preparing the island for the day Fidel is finally 6 feet deep? I enjoyed the irony of this, thought maybe you all would too.

The UN Turns the World on its Head

2008-08-05T16:16:00.005-04:00

Miguel Alfonso Martinez, a Cuban diplomat, has just been promoted from president of the Cuban Society for International Law; he will now preside over the UN's Advisory Committee to the Human Rights Council (HRC).

It is apparently not bad enough for Cuba, with its approximately 234 political prisoners (depending on the day, since Cuba has taken a fancy to arresting dozens of its opponents at a time, only to release them later without much of an uproar from the international community) to comprise part of the Council, the UN felt that the largest human rights violator per-capita in the hemisphere ought to head its reformed human rights arm.

The HRC's predecessor, the Committee for Human Rights was largely seen as insignificant and discredited, at best. At worst, it was corrupt and a puppet of human rights violators across the globe. The new and improved HRC is not proving to be far different.

It is only until the UN can fully comprehend and act upon the fact that human rights issues such as the perpetual incarceration of innocent human beings affects people and families and societies and does not serve as a political tool, that it will ever be truly respected.

For the UN to have constructed the HRC so that Cuba can take the helm of and shield itself with the very agency that is supposed to help civilians deal with brutal dictatorships (yes, among other things), is ridiculous. Furthermore, it is insulting. The daily Hell faced by 234 Cuban brothers and sisters is not an issue for political hankering. It is not something to be glossed over simply because Cuba educates its citizens.

Human rights are universal...at least I think that was the gist of the UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. It is time for the UN to take itself seriously and stop condoning the evil actions of its member states.

Hunger Strike in Holguín Prison

2008-08-01T12:21:00.002-04:00

Four political prisoners inside the Provincial Prison of Holguín have declared themselves to be on a hunger strike. Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta began his hunger strike July 18th and Alfredo Domínguez Batista, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, and Luis Mariano Delís joined him on the 21st.

Please see the following link for an article with more information: http://www.miscelaneasdecuba.net/web/article.asp?artID=16447

Vice Minister of Fisheries Arrested for Corruption

2008-08-01T08:44:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Cuba Net (www.cubanet.org) released an article by José A. Fornaris which stated that Cuba's Vice Minister of Fisheries has been arrested, suspected of corruption.

With all the corruption that takes place in Cuba, one has to wonder if there is something more to the arrest of Jesús Benjamín. It is possible that they want to make an example of him, God knows Raul has been harping on the subject of corruption. I wouldn't rule out the fact that maybe they just wanted him out, or maybe he wasn't playing by the political rules Raul wanted.

Benjamín was arrested by State Security Agents, not by the police. He is currently under house arrest as the investigation into the allegation continues.

Raul's Final "Resting" Place

2008-07-30T16:50:00.002-04:00

Although he hasn't died, Raul has already made the location of his tomb public, unlike his brother, who has died politically. Upon his death, Raul will be cremated and his ashes placed in the mausoleum for the combatants of the 2 Eastern Front, which he led. The ashes of Vilma Espin, his (ex?) wife, are currently located there.

This, according to an article (http://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/america_latina/cuba/story/252606.html) by Rigoberto Diaz.

This was just so random, I felt I needed to share. They are really going to need some hefty security around there.