U.S. Senator Menendez denies all the allegations.
Go to PolkCubiche @ twitter for more links to articles tweeted today.
My opinion is that Menendez is a typical Mafia hoodlum from New Jersey, a state which, like Nevada, is under the control of Organized Crime.
Menendez may end up resigning, just like his teacher, Torricelli.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Cuba's Version of Murderers Row
Jose Dariel Abreu
Alfredo Despaigne
Frederich Cepeda
If they hit well in World Baseball Classic III, Cuba will be a contender.
Speech of Cuban President, Raul Castro, at the CELAC Summit
CELAC has
emerged from the heritage of 200 years of struggle
for independence and is based on a profound
community of objectives
• Speech given by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of State and Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, at the 1st Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Santiago de Chile, January 28, 2013
We know that among us there are distinct ways of thinking and even differences, but CELAC has emerged from the heritage of 200 years of struggle for independence and is based on a profound community of objectives. Thus, CELAC is not a succession of mere meetings or pragmatic agreements, but a shared vision of the Latin American and Caribbean Patria Grande (Greater Homeland), which is owed only to its peoples.
Thank you very much. (Applause)
• Speech given by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of State and Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, at the 1st Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Santiago de Chile, January 28, 2013
Your Excellency Mr. Sebastián Piñera,
President of the Republic of Chile:
Esteemed Presidents, Prime Ministers
and Heads of Delegation:
Sister people of Chile:
Let it be my first thought to honor
the memory of Salvador Allende, a distinguished
Latin American and patriot who gave up his life for
the independence of his nation and social justice.
We think like him, when he said, "History is ours
and is made by the peoples."
 With the Cuban President, Council of Ministers Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel, and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez. |
The existence of CELAC allowed us to
face the challenges of 2012 with more awareness of
who we are and where we are headed, in the midst of
volatile and complicated circumstances.
We are building, in harsh reality,
laboriously, the ideal of a diverse Latin America
and Caribbean, but united in a common forum of
political independence, of sovereign control over
our enormous natural resources in order to advance
toward sustainable development, regional integration
and enrichment of our culture.
The obstacles have not been, nor
will be, minor. Threats to peace are growing and
interference in the affairs of our region continues.
The transnationals, fundamentally United States ones,
are not going to relinquish control of energy and
water resources and strategic minerals on the way to
extinction. NATO’s strategic conception is
constantly more aggressive and clearly directed in
this context. Twenty years after the end of the Cold
War, the enormous nuclear and conventional arsenals
are growing and these, as Fidel has said, cannot
kill hunger or poverty.
The international economic order is
unjust and exclusive, and trapped in a global crisis
to which, for now, no solution can de discerned.
Climate change is advancing inexorably, given the
lack of political will on the part of developed
countries.
Without our unity, nothing is
possible and everything achieved will be lost. In
the so-called Summit of the Americas in Cartagena,
Our America took a decisive step, based on the solid
foundations of Mar del Plata where, in 2005, the
FTAA was defeated. With the dissipation of United
States siren songs at the 2009 Summit in Trinidad &
Tobago, Latin America and the Caribbean excelled in
their unity and independence when they reclaimed the
Malvinas as Argentine and demanded an end to the
blockade and exclusion of Cuba, an event that the
Cuban people will always remember with profound
gratitude.
The exercise of self-determination
and sovereignty of the peoples and the sovereign
equality of states established in the Caracas
Declaration, are CELAC principles which cannot be
waived.
We know that among us there are distinct ways of thinking and even differences, but CELAC has emerged from the heritage of 200 years of struggle for independence and is based on a profound community of objectives. Thus, CELAC is not a succession of mere meetings or pragmatic agreements, but a shared vision of the Latin American and Caribbean Patria Grande (Greater Homeland), which is owed only to its peoples.
The unquestionable victories won by
the patriotic forces in the presidential and
regional elections in Venezuela and recent
mobilizations demonstrate the exceptional leadership
of President Hugo Chávez Frías, and the enormous
popular support for the Venezuelan process.
Alongside the pain and concerns related to the
health of the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution,
this sister people is giving, together with Chávez
government leaders, an outstanding example of
loyalty, conviction and unity with which to further
confirm their irreversible victories.
The Bolivarian government is facing
a constant campaign of intrigue and discredit on the
part of the empire and pro-coup oligarchy; but it
has continued its work, dedicated to the defense of
the legitimate interests of workers and all
patriotic Venezuelans, of the Constitution and its
revolutionary democracy.
From here, we reiterate to Chávez
our affection, respect and admiration, and to his
valiant people, who are fighting for the greatest
sum of political stability, social security and the
greatest sum of happiness, the dream of the
Liberator Simón Bolívar.
We share and support the resolution
and expediency with which UNASUR has acted in
response to the parliamentary coup in Paraguay. In a
region which has suffered decades of bloody
dictatorships, imposed and sustained by the United
States, impunity for violent and pro-coup sectors
cannot be allowed.
Our community is incomplete while
lacking a seat for Puerto Rico, a genuinely Latin
American and Caribbean sister nation, which is
suffering from its colonial condition.
We cannot forget that close to 170
million Latin Americans and Caribbean people are
living in poverty, of them, 75 million children; 66
million people in the region are living in extreme
poverty, of which 34 million are minors. What can
CELAC signify for them?
It is a fact that we have advanced
in the development of economic and social
development programs within various countries, such
as Brazil. The experience of ALBA and PETROCARIBE in
cooperation based on solidarity and complementarity
among our nations is considerable.
CELAC is in a position to draft its
own conception of cooperation, adapted to our
realities and the finest experiences of the last
decade.
Despite advances, we could do more
in support of Haiti, whose government needs
resources for reconstruction and development. It is
possible to do this among all of us, on the basis of
decisions made by the Haitian government.
We are morally bound to achieve
considerable progress in education as the basis of
economic and social development. Nothing that we
propose, from decreasing inequality to reducing the
technological and digital gap will be possible
without education. The elimination of illiteracy, as
a primary goal, is totally achievable.
With
appropriate policies and regional cooperation in the
provision of a minimum of resources to the most in
need, we could make a leap forward within a few
years.
We must be capable of promoting our
own regional architecture, adapted to the
particularities and needs of Latin America and the
Caribbean.
We can also combine efforts against
drug addiction, as proposed in the last two days of
this meeting, and illicit drug trafficking.
It was stated here yesterday that
there are drugs in all the countries of the
continent. I want to clarify that there are no drugs
in Cuba; there was an attempt to introduce them,
more than 250 foreigners from different countries on
the continent have been detained (*) for attempting
to smuggle in drugs. There is just a small amount of
marijuana, which can be cultivated on any balcony in
any Cuban city; but there are no drugs, nor will
there be.
I only wish to comment on this issue
– departing from the text – that measures can be
taken.
As is known, Cuba is not an
attractive country for drugs, for drug traffickers;
but when tourism began to increase, and this past
year we were getting close to three million foreign
visitors, it did become a focus of traffickers.
Additionally, along our coastline, especially our
northern coast, packages of differing sizes and
weights began to appear, which traffickers had
thrown overboard when pressured or pursued by U.S.
agents and, approaching our coasts, by us.
Different
currents, especially from the northeast, deposited
the packages on our beaches – to a lesser degree in
the south. Consumption began to increase and there
were citizens of some Latin American countries who
began to freely provide, give away, individual
portions.
I personally had a meeting with all
the bodies which have some relevance to the problem
and we made a decision, "We are going to fight drug
use, which was beginning to threaten us, tooth and
nail." All the relevant factors were coordinated; we
used our mass organizations, closely tied to the
people, to our governing party and the government;
that is to say, the Cuban Workers Federation, the
national campesino association, the Federation of
Cuban Women, Committees for the Defense of the
Revolution. And we appealed to families, saying that
the collaboration of the entire country was needed
to locate and legally prosecute those beginning to
attempt to introduce drugs to our youth, ranging
from marijuana to a few samples of cocaine, as we
said.
They were arrested. If we want to
win, these are the types of problems which must be
confronted when they are small, or better yet,
before they emerge. This is the best time; if we
allow them to gain strength – we said and thought –
well, you have the example of other sister countries
on the continent. Therefore, the battle must be
tooth and nail.
Our laws allow for the death penalty,
it has been suspended, but it is on reserve, because
once we suspended it and the only thing we
accomplished was to encourage aggression and
sabotage against our country throughout the last 50
years, as you all know.
I reasoned with my colleagues:
there’s the case of Mexico. We deeply love Mexico,
we said: Mexico is Mexico, its history, the ties
between our countries. We received generous refuge
there in 1955 and 1956. Our expedition departed from
there, surely violating some Mexican laws, but we
never violated our friendship with Mexico and they
exercised their right to arrest all of the
compañeros, including Fidel. I was one of the
few who managed to escape. Given the natural
pressure we felt as our departure for Cuba drew near,
we left during a small storm, part of a powerful
front which almost led to a shipwreck and the death
of the 82 expeditionaries on board. We had only one
day of calm waters south of the Cayman Islands. The
storm was so bad that one of the experienced sailors
who was trying, from the prow, on the stormy night
of our departure, to see the Cabo Cruz lighthouse in
southeast Cuba, was carried away by a wave. We lost
almost an hour recovering him, until we finally
headed toward the coast and disembarked into a
terrible swamp. Before we could get out of it, the
dictator Batista’s air force was on to us.
I was reasoning with my colleagues,
I was wracking my brain thinking of a solution for
Mexico. It is no accident that it is Mexico, not
because Mexicans have caused this situation, but
rather, as a former Mexican President said during
the last century, "Poor Mexico, so far from God and
so close to the United States!" This is where the
problem lays – the fundamental problem, where drugs
are being sent. I have never read about a large
operation against traffickers in the United States,
I’ve never read about this, just seen films of small
gangs of traffickers. And weapons to be sold enter
via the same route through which drugs enter; this
is the problem.
I spoke about this issue with
President Calderón during the Sauipe meeting in
Brazil, in 2008, when this magnificent organization
which is now celebrating its first meeting, after
the foundational meeting in Venezuela, was being
developed. I spoke extensively with President
Calderón about these issues. We have continued, and
continue, to be concerned. But this problem is
advancing south like a terrible tide; there are
problems in Guatemala, problems in other Central
American countries. And I can only give one opinion
to those where this nefarious and tragic tide has
yet to arrive – because it is truly tragic when drug
addicts, as you know, are capable of killing even a
family member to obtain money to buy drugs. That’s
why our population supports this measure and why it
has been easy for us to capture close to 5,000,
sentenced according to everything allowed within the
Penal Code, and we were mistaken in very few cases,
which were resolved immediately.
How? Because of collaboration on the
part of the population, which was extremely
interested in containing the problem. The lesson we
can draw from this, which we suggest to other
countries not yet victimized by this scourge – these
problems are the types of problems which must be
confronted when they first emerge, or better yet,
before they emerge. That is why there are not, and
will not be, drugs in Cuba.
Forgive my digression on this issue.
As you can see, I also improvise
speeches up to two, even three hours, but I don’t
want to do that. I did it when I was young, but at
this point, I prefer to read my remarks. I don’t
criticize those who improvise; the first improviser
was my Jefe, Fidel Castro, who has the record
for the longest speech ever in the United Nations.
He has a record that not even Chávez has beat. (Laughter)
We cannot renounce our demands for
the protection of our immigrants, victims of the
current situation of xenophobia and discrimination
which is worsening in the industrialized world.
We also have the very real
opportunity to constitute ourselves on the basis of
appropriate and concrete foundations, within a
peaceful context, in which we can build on our
traditional rejection of nuclear weapons of mass
extinction and those being developed today which are
increasingly lethal, with the expressed, firm
commitment to resolve our differences through
peaceful means, through negotiation and dialogue.
I conclude with a heartfelt tribute
to José Martí, today – as compañero Maduro
has said – on the 160th anniversary of his birth. We
have learned from his thinking that in difficult
times such as these,
"The trees must form
ranks to keep the giant with seven-league boots from
passing! It is the time of mobilization, of marching
together, and we must go forward in close ranks,
like silver in the veins of the Andes."
Thank you very much. (Applause)
(*) Of the number
mentioned, 114 currently remain imprisoned.
Source and Translation: Granma International
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Four Teams Have Classified For The Second Phase of Cuba's 52nd National Baseball Series
Alexander Malleta - Industriales
Photo: Ricardo Lopez Hevia
Sigfredo Barrios, of Granma
daily, reported on Monday that four teams have already classified for
the second phase of Cuba's 52nd National Baseball Series.
They are: Cienfuegos, 28-14; Sancti Spirtitus, 27-14; Industriales,
26-16; Matanzas, 25-17. The first number is the number of wins, and
the second one is the number of losses.
The first phase is composed of 45
games. The top eight teams will advance to the second phase.
GO INDUSTRIALES!
An Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
113TH
CONGRESS
1ST
SESSION
S.
J. RES. ___
Proposing
an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to expressly exclude
for-profit corporations from the rights given to natural persons by
the Constitution of the United States, prohibit corporate spending
in
all elections, and affirm the authority of Congress and the States to
regulate corporations and to regulate and set limits on all election contributions
and expenditures.
______________________________
IN
THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
__________
Mr.
SANDERS (for himself and Mr. BEGICH) introduced the
following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on __________
JOINT
RESOLUTION
Proposing
an amendment to the Constitution of the United
States
to expressly exclude for-profit corporations from
the
rights given to natural persons by the Constitution
of
the United States, prohibit corporate spending in all
elections,
and affirm the authority of Congress and the
States
to regulate corporations and to regulate and set
limits
on all election contributions and expenditures.
Resolved
by the Senate and House of Representatives
of
the United States of America in Congress assembled
(two-thirds
of each House concurring therein),
That
the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution
of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and
purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the
legislatures of
three-fourths of the several States
within seven years after the date of its submission for
ratification:
ARTICLE—
SECTION
1. The rights protected by the Constitution
of
the United States are the rights of natural persons and do
not extend to for-profit corporations, limited liability companies, or
other private entities
established
for business purposes or to promote business interests under
the laws of any state, the United States, or any foreign state.
SECTION
2. Such corporate and other private entities
established
under law are subject to regulation by the people through
the legislative process so long as such regulations are
consistent with the powers of Congress and the States and
do not limit the freedom of the press.
SECTION
3. Such corporate and other private entities
shall
be prohibited from making contributions or expenditures in
any election of any candidate for public office or
the vote upon any ballot measure submitted to the people.
SECTION
4. Congress and the States shall have the power to
regulate and set limits on all election contributions and
expenditures, including a candidate’s own spending, and
to authorize the establishment of political committees to
receive, spend, and publicly disclose the
sources of those contributions and expenditures.
------
JG: True
democracy is rule by the people, and not rule by corporations.
Democracy and Fascism are two very different and opposing ideologies.
One thing
that is sorely needed in the U.S. current political and
economic system is a National Plebiscite, where proposed
constitutional amendments and other important proposals would be
voted upon directly by the people.
That course of action is
necessitated by the fact that the current U.S. Congress is sometimes
under the influence of corporate lobbyists. The irresponsibility of
our politicians is revealed by major polls; only 12 to 18 % of
the population feels that our top legislative body is doing a very
good job.
Direct
democracy will put an end to the corruption culture in Washington, D.C.
They do not behave like responsible people. The big thing right now
is 'government by crisis.' The two major political parties are
failing the people of the United States.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Seven Actions Obama Should Take On Cuba Now
The Nation
January 24, 2013
In US foreign relations with hostile states, President Obama declared in
his inauguration speech this week, "engagement can more durably lift
suspicion and fear." With his reelection behind him--in which he
garnered more Cuban-American votes in Florida than any Democrat in
history--and his legacy in front of him, here are steps the president
should take to engage the Castro government and forge a sensible, sane,
and productive US policy toward Cuba.
(1) Remove Cuba from the State Department list of nations that support terrorism. Among The Nation’s list
of twenty ways the president should exercise his executive power is
this long-overdue action. Cuba’s designation as a supporter of terrorism
is an enduring injustice. Yes, Cuba has some criminal fugitives living
on the island. But it is hard to accuse Cuba of harboring terrorists
while Luis Posada Carriles, a prolific lifelong terrorist, is living
freely in Florida. Moreover, Cuba’s current efforts to host and mediate a
cease-fire and permanent peace accord between the FARC and the
government of Colombia is hard evidence that it is playing a
constructive role in seeking to end conflicts that breed terrorism in
the region.
(2) While we are on the subject, Obama should order the arrest of Luis Posada Carriles and hold him under the Patriot Act until his extradition to Venezuela, from which he is a fugitive for the terrorist crime of blowing up a civilian airliner in October 1976, can be arranged. When the Bush administration let Posada set up residence in Miami in 2005, Venezuela sent a formal extradition request. If Obama is serious about fighting terrorism, he should finally grant that request.
(3) With Cuba off the terrorism list, Obama should end the economic and commercial sanctions that have accompanied its designation as a terrorist nation. The Department of the Treasury would thus cease to fine international banks for doing business with Cuba, which has undermined Cuba’s slow evolution toward a more capitalist-oriented economic system.
(4) And to support economic changes currently underway in Cuba, Obama should expand the general licensing for travel to Cuba of businessmen, scientists, citizens and others associated with industries like agriculture, travel, construction, oil, automobiles, healthcare and more. While the travel ban itself cannot be lifted without a majority vote in Congress, the president can create categories of general licensing that will allow far more Americans to freely travel to Cuba. Such a decree would instruct the Office of Foreign Assets Control to stop playing the role of travel dictator and simply provide all necessary licenses to travel agencies and educational interest groups involved in promoting travel to Cuba. Now, ironically, Cuban citizens are more free to travel here than US citizens are to travel there, since the Castro government lifted more than fifty years of restrictions on the ability of its citizens to travel freely abroad, earlier this month. If Obama is to be true to his overall commitment to advance civil rights, he can begin with the basic civil right of allowing US citizens to travel freely to Cuba.
(5) The president should also reconfigure the so-called “Cuban Democracy and Contingency Planning Program” mandated by the Helms-Burton Act and run out of USAID, from the failed “regime change” orientation to a set of transparent, non-interventionist “people-to-people” programs. Incoming Secretary of State John Kerry, who knows quite a bit about USAID's misconduct in Cuba from his tenure as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, should immediately move to review and revamp the goals and operations of these misguided and counterproductive regime change efforts.
(6) To engage Cuba with normal diplomacy, Obama should order a bilateral dialogue on all areas of mutual interest: environmental cooperation, counternarcotics operations, counterterrorism, medical support for Haiti and more. On the agenda should be the case of contractor Alan Gross, who was sent to Cuba by the USAID Democracy Program on a quasi-covert mission to set up independent satellite network communications systems, and then abandoned to his predictable fate of being caught and tossed in jail. It’s time to let him return home to his family.
(7) Finally, Obama should commute the sentences of the so-called “Cuban Five”: Fernando González, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, and René González (who is now on parole). These intelligence operatives were actually counterterrorism agents focused on anti-Castro exile groups that, frankly, have posed a threat to Cuban citizens and national security interests alike. All of them have served more than twelve years in US prison. They have been punished enough and also deserve to return home to their families.
Go here for more on how Obama should use his executive power to push a progressive agenda.
(2) While we are on the subject, Obama should order the arrest of Luis Posada Carriles and hold him under the Patriot Act until his extradition to Venezuela, from which he is a fugitive for the terrorist crime of blowing up a civilian airliner in October 1976, can be arranged. When the Bush administration let Posada set up residence in Miami in 2005, Venezuela sent a formal extradition request. If Obama is serious about fighting terrorism, he should finally grant that request.
(3) With Cuba off the terrorism list, Obama should end the economic and commercial sanctions that have accompanied its designation as a terrorist nation. The Department of the Treasury would thus cease to fine international banks for doing business with Cuba, which has undermined Cuba’s slow evolution toward a more capitalist-oriented economic system.
(4) And to support economic changes currently underway in Cuba, Obama should expand the general licensing for travel to Cuba of businessmen, scientists, citizens and others associated with industries like agriculture, travel, construction, oil, automobiles, healthcare and more. While the travel ban itself cannot be lifted without a majority vote in Congress, the president can create categories of general licensing that will allow far more Americans to freely travel to Cuba. Such a decree would instruct the Office of Foreign Assets Control to stop playing the role of travel dictator and simply provide all necessary licenses to travel agencies and educational interest groups involved in promoting travel to Cuba. Now, ironically, Cuban citizens are more free to travel here than US citizens are to travel there, since the Castro government lifted more than fifty years of restrictions on the ability of its citizens to travel freely abroad, earlier this month. If Obama is to be true to his overall commitment to advance civil rights, he can begin with the basic civil right of allowing US citizens to travel freely to Cuba.
(5) The president should also reconfigure the so-called “Cuban Democracy and Contingency Planning Program” mandated by the Helms-Burton Act and run out of USAID, from the failed “regime change” orientation to a set of transparent, non-interventionist “people-to-people” programs. Incoming Secretary of State John Kerry, who knows quite a bit about USAID's misconduct in Cuba from his tenure as Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, should immediately move to review and revamp the goals and operations of these misguided and counterproductive regime change efforts.
(6) To engage Cuba with normal diplomacy, Obama should order a bilateral dialogue on all areas of mutual interest: environmental cooperation, counternarcotics operations, counterterrorism, medical support for Haiti and more. On the agenda should be the case of contractor Alan Gross, who was sent to Cuba by the USAID Democracy Program on a quasi-covert mission to set up independent satellite network communications systems, and then abandoned to his predictable fate of being caught and tossed in jail. It’s time to let him return home to his family.
(7) Finally, Obama should commute the sentences of the so-called “Cuban Five”: Fernando González, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, and René González (who is now on parole). These intelligence operatives were actually counterterrorism agents focused on anti-Castro exile groups that, frankly, have posed a threat to Cuban citizens and national security interests alike. All of them have served more than twelve years in US prison. They have been punished enough and also deserve to return home to their families.
Go here for more on how Obama should use his executive power to push a progressive agenda.
------
JG: Hear! Hear!
TeleSur TV: Raul Castro's Arrival in Chile for the CELAC Summit
Cuba has been named the 2013 President Pro-Temp of CELAC.
160th Anniversary of the Birth of José Martí
Cuba Coin
Today, Cubans in the island, and
throughout the world, celebrate the 160th anniversary of
the birth of José
Martí,
our Apostle of Independence. Today, because of his teachings, Cuba is
a free and sovereign nation, free of the domination of colonialist
Spain and imperialist USA.
¡Honor
a quien honor merece!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Cuban Ajiaco Stew Recipe
Ajiaco Criollo
Cuban Country-Style Stew
By
Prep time: 30 minutesCook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
The traditional favorite of Cuban farm people in the countryside, ajiaco is a complex stew of multiple ingredients – a real tour de force.
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices smoked bacon
6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
3/4 pound pork loin , cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 pound skirt or flank steak, cut into bite-size pieces
3 cups beef stock
3 cups ham stock
1 1/2 cups red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 cup malanga, cubed
1 cup boniato, cubed
1 cup yuca, cubed
1 cup calabaza, cubed
2 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
1 green plantain
1 semi-ripe plantain (starting to get black)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cream
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the bacon until most of the oil is released; remove bacon from pan.
Lightly salt and pepper the chicken, pork, and beef. Dredge in flour; brown the meat (chicken first) in the hot, bacon-flavored oil. Remove the browned meats from the oil.
Put all the meats (including the bacon) in a large, heavy 8-quart stockpot; add the beef and ham stocks and red wine. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and green pepper until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, and tomatoes, and cook for about 5 minutes. At about the 45-minute point in the cooking, add this sautéed vegetable mixture and the bay leaf to the cooking meat and the broth in the stockpot. Let simmer for 15 minutes while you peel and cut the vegetables.
Peel the malanga, boniato, yuca, and calabaza; cut into cubes and add to the broth. Cut the corn and plantains into 2-inch chunks. Add the corn and green plantains to the simmering stew.
After about 20 minutes, add the semi-ripe plantains and the lime juice; continue cooking for an additional 20 to 30 minutes. The plantain and root vegetables need to be tender!
Thicken the stew slightly by whisking in the cornstarch mixed with water.
Just before serving, stir in the cream.
Serve hot in large bowls with Pan Cubano–Cuban Bread.
Historical Photos: The Succesful Guerrilla
Fidel Castro trains his guerrillas at the Sierra Maestra.
Photo: Wall Street Journal
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Report: Cuba Using Undersea Fiber-Optic Cable
Time Magazine
Jan. 22, 2013
HAVANA (AP) — Cuba apparently has finally switched on the first undersea fiber-optic cable linking it to the outside world nearly two years after its arrival, according to analysis by a company that monitors global Internet use.
In a report posted Sunday on the website of Renesys, author Doug Madory wrote that Cuba began using the ALBA-1 cable on Jan. 14.
Until now the island’s Internet service has been through satellite links that are slower than hard-wired fiber-optic connections. Starting a week ago, Madory said, routing data showed significantly faster traffic to the country and the emergence of Spanish telecom Telefonica as a provider of routing service to Cuban state-run communications company ETECSA.
Routing speed is measured by how long it takes to send a data packet somewhere and receive confirmation back at the original server, akin to how submarines “ping” each other with radar to determine location.
Madory wrote that the sudden improvement in latency measurements between Cuba and four cities in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil indicates the cable is in use. But speeds have not reached levels suggesting that the cable is handling all traffic, leading him to conclude that outgoing data is still traveling via satellite.
“We believe it is likely that Telefonica’s service to ETECSA is, either by design or misconfiguration, using its new cable asymmetrically (i.e., for traffic in only one direction),” Madory wrote.
Cuban government officials and Telefonica did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. Cuba has said in the past that it would prioritize the cable for usage deemed in the public interest and for social good.
Dial-up Internet access, essentially the only option for most Cubans who are able to go online, has continued to be slow and creaky in recent days.
Cuba is the last country in the western hemisphere to get a fiber-optic hookup and, according to Akamai Technologies Inc., has the second-lowest Internet connectivity rates in the world.
Havana says about 16 percent of Cubans are online in some capacity, mostly through work or school, but often that’s limited to email and access to an island Intranet. Just 2.9 percent report having full Internet access, though analysts say it’s probably more like 5 or 10 percent due to underreporting of black-market resale of minutes.
“While the activation of the ALBA-1 cable may be a good first step to providing ETECSA a better link to the Internet, the lack of widespread public access to Internet service throughout the island will likely continue,” Madory wrote.
The $70 million cable strung from Venezuela came onshore in eastern Cuba in February 2011 and was supposed to be online as early as that summer.
But officials suddenly stopped talking about the cable amid rumors of arrests at ETECSA and the Ministry of Communications, and whispers of purported mismanagement or embezzlement involving the project.
Last May, Venezuela’s minister of science and technology said the cable was operational and it was up to Cuba to decide how it wanted to use it.
---
JG: Even in this GREAT REPORT, you see the negativity that is the signature of all Yankee imperialism mainstream news-media.
Jan. 22, 2013
HAVANA (AP) — Cuba apparently has finally switched on the first undersea fiber-optic cable linking it to the outside world nearly two years after its arrival, according to analysis by a company that monitors global Internet use.
In a report posted Sunday on the website of Renesys, author Doug Madory wrote that Cuba began using the ALBA-1 cable on Jan. 14.
Until now the island’s Internet service has been through satellite links that are slower than hard-wired fiber-optic connections. Starting a week ago, Madory said, routing data showed significantly faster traffic to the country and the emergence of Spanish telecom Telefonica as a provider of routing service to Cuban state-run communications company ETECSA.
Routing speed is measured by how long it takes to send a data packet somewhere and receive confirmation back at the original server, akin to how submarines “ping” each other with radar to determine location.
Madory wrote that the sudden improvement in latency measurements between Cuba and four cities in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil indicates the cable is in use. But speeds have not reached levels suggesting that the cable is handling all traffic, leading him to conclude that outgoing data is still traveling via satellite.
“We believe it is likely that Telefonica’s service to ETECSA is, either by design or misconfiguration, using its new cable asymmetrically (i.e., for traffic in only one direction),” Madory wrote.
Cuban government officials and Telefonica did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. Cuba has said in the past that it would prioritize the cable for usage deemed in the public interest and for social good.
Dial-up Internet access, essentially the only option for most Cubans who are able to go online, has continued to be slow and creaky in recent days.
Cuba is the last country in the western hemisphere to get a fiber-optic hookup and, according to Akamai Technologies Inc., has the second-lowest Internet connectivity rates in the world.
Havana says about 16 percent of Cubans are online in some capacity, mostly through work or school, but often that’s limited to email and access to an island Intranet. Just 2.9 percent report having full Internet access, though analysts say it’s probably more like 5 or 10 percent due to underreporting of black-market resale of minutes.
“While the activation of the ALBA-1 cable may be a good first step to providing ETECSA a better link to the Internet, the lack of widespread public access to Internet service throughout the island will likely continue,” Madory wrote.
The $70 million cable strung from Venezuela came onshore in eastern Cuba in February 2011 and was supposed to be online as early as that summer.
But officials suddenly stopped talking about the cable amid rumors of arrests at ETECSA and the Ministry of Communications, and whispers of purported mismanagement or embezzlement involving the project.
Last May, Venezuela’s minister of science and technology said the cable was operational and it was up to Cuba to decide how it wanted to use it.
---
JG: Even in this GREAT REPORT, you see the negativity that is the signature of all Yankee imperialism mainstream news-media.
Cuba Postage Stamps: 1959 Liberation Day
Stamp issued by Cuba to commemorate
the overthrow of Cuban dictator in 1959.
After three wars of National Independence,
CUBA WAS FINALLY FREE!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Jamaica: Foreign Affairs Minister Says Cuba Remains Valued Partner
Friday, 18 January 2013 10:25
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. A.J. Nicholson, says Cuba has been and continues to be “a most valued and highly respected brother on the Latin American and Caribbean landscape and beyond”.
He praised Cuba’s invaluable assistance and co-operation towards developing countries, despite the country’s difficulties and challenges.
The Minister was speaking at a reception to mark Cuba’s National Day, held on January 16 at the Cuban Ambassador’s residence in Kingston.
Senator Nicholson said that Jamaica owes a debt of gratitude for the continuous support rendered to the country by Cuba in the fields of education, health, agriculture and culture.
Meanwhile, Cuba’s Ambassador, Yuri Gala Lopez, said his country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to increase to 3.7 per cent in 2013.
“Despite the tensions associated with the global economic and financial crisis and other external challenges, the Cuban economy was expected to close in 2012 with a 3.1 per cent growth of its Gross Domestic Product. For 2013, Cuba foresees a 3.7 GDP growth,” Ambassador Gala said.
The Ambassador said Cuba is gradually recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in October.
He pointed out that Cuba continues to enjoy diplomatic relations with over 180 countries, and that “we keep receiving the moral support of many governments and peoples of the world in our denunciation of the five decade-old blockade.”
The Ambassador informed the large gathering that Cuba will assume chairmanship of the 33-country Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) at a CELAC-European Union summit in Chile at the end of this month.
The function was also attended by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller; former Prime Minister, P.J. Patterson; and members of the Diplomatic Corps.
A Message To Capitalism
“Only after the
last tree has been cut down
Only after the last
river has been poisoned
Only after the last
fish has been caught
Only then will you
find that money cannot be eaten”
Cree Prophecy
Barbara H. Hahn
The Nation
January 28, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Cuba's 28-Man Roster For The WBC III
Havana, Jan 16 (Prensa Latina) A combination of established figures and newcomers stands out on the list of the selection of Cuba to the Third World Baseball Classic, to be held from March 2 to 19 in several countries.
The Cuban Baseball Federation, chaired by Higinio Velez, the manager Victor Mesa and head coach combined, Jorge Fuentes, said the group of 28 players chosen can be considered the national team but there could be future changes.
The team chosen is subjected to be changed for various reasons or "injury or poor performance", and participant teams have until February 20 to make moves if necessary.
Cuban authorities announced roster of Cuba on Wednesday:
Catchers: Yulexis La Rosa, Frank Camilo Morejon and Eriel Sanchez.
Infielders: José Dariel Abreu, Luis Felipe Rivera, José Miguel Fernández, Andy Ibañez, Yulieski Gourriel and Barbaro Arrebarruena.
Outfielders: Frederich Cepeda, Alfredo Despaigne, Rusney Castillo, Alexei Bell, Guillermo Hernandez Heredia and Yadiel Hernandez.
Pitchers: Freddy Asiel Alvarez, Ismel Jimenez, Raciel Iglesias, Odrisamer Despaigne, Norberto Gonzalez, Darien Nuñez, Wilber Perez, Yulieski Gonzalez, Vladimir Garcia, Alexander Rodriguez, Danny Betancourt, Vichyoandri Odelín and Yander Guevara.
Manager: Victor Mesa
Head Coach: Jorge Fuentes
Technical Staff: Primitivo Diaz, Angel Castillo, Juan de Dios Peña, José Ramón Riscart, Pedro Jose Rodriguez and Victor Figueroa.
Cuba will meet Japan, Brazil and China in the qualifying group A in Fukuoka, Japan.
The Cuban Baseball Federation, chaired by Higinio Velez, the manager Victor Mesa and head coach combined, Jorge Fuentes, said the group of 28 players chosen can be considered the national team but there could be future changes.
The team chosen is subjected to be changed for various reasons or "injury or poor performance", and participant teams have until February 20 to make moves if necessary.
Cuban authorities announced roster of Cuba on Wednesday:
Catchers: Yulexis La Rosa, Frank Camilo Morejon and Eriel Sanchez.
Infielders: José Dariel Abreu, Luis Felipe Rivera, José Miguel Fernández, Andy Ibañez, Yulieski Gourriel and Barbaro Arrebarruena.
Outfielders: Frederich Cepeda, Alfredo Despaigne, Rusney Castillo, Alexei Bell, Guillermo Hernandez Heredia and Yadiel Hernandez.
Pitchers: Freddy Asiel Alvarez, Ismel Jimenez, Raciel Iglesias, Odrisamer Despaigne, Norberto Gonzalez, Darien Nuñez, Wilber Perez, Yulieski Gonzalez, Vladimir Garcia, Alexander Rodriguez, Danny Betancourt, Vichyoandri Odelín and Yander Guevara.
Manager: Victor Mesa
Head Coach: Jorge Fuentes
Technical Staff: Primitivo Diaz, Angel Castillo, Juan de Dios Peña, José Ramón Riscart, Pedro Jose Rodriguez and Victor Figueroa.
Cuba will meet Japan, Brazil and China in the qualifying group A in Fukuoka, Japan.
Cuba To Release Today Its 28-Man Roster for the 2013 World Baseball Classic III
The news that all Cuban baseball fans
have been waiting for – who will be the designated members of Team
Cuba to the WBC III – will be released today. It will be published by
the Federación Cubana de
Béisbol Aficionado
(FCBA), a Spanish acronym that stands for the Cuban Federation of
Amateur Baseball.
In Cuba professional baseball was
abolished in 1961. There is no capitalist exploitation of players by team “owners,” since
Cuba is a sane Socialist country. The players play for the love of
the game and for the love of their country.
Come back later on today. I will
publish the list as soon as it is published, either in Spanish or in
English.
Source: Zona de Strike
BaseballDeCuba.com: III Clásico Mundial de Béisbol: Perspectivas del Cuba
Source: Zona de Strike
BaseballDeCuba.com: III Clásico Mundial de Béisbol: Perspectivas del Cuba
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Text: H.R. 214
HR 214 IH
January 4, 2013
Mr. SERRANO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways
and Means, Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, the Judiciary,
Oversight and Government Reform, and Agriculture, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned- Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
- This Act may be cited as the `Cuba Reconciliation Act'.
SEC. 2. REMOVAL OF PROVISIONS RESTRICTING TRADE AND OTHER RELATIONS WITH CUBA.
- (a) Authority for Embargo- Section 620(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2370(a)) is repealed.
- (b) Trading With the Enemy Act- The authorities conferred
upon the President by section 5(b) of the Trading with the Enemy Act,
which were being exercised with respect to Cuba on July 1, 1977, as a
result of a national emergency declared by the President before that
date, and are being exercised on the day before the effective date of
this Act, may not be exercised on or after such effective date with
respect to Cuba. Any regulations in effect on the day before such
effective date pursuant to the exercise of such authorities, shall cease
to be effective on such date.
- (c) Exercise of Authorities Under Other Provisions of Law-
- (1) REMOVAL OF PROHIBITIONS- Any prohibition on exports
to Cuba that is in effect on the day before the effective date of this
Act under the Export Administration Act of 1979 (as continued in effect
under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act) shall cease to be
effective on such effective date.
- (2) AUTHORITY FOR NEW RESTRICTIONS- The President may, on and after the effective date of this Act--
- (A) impose export controls with respect to Cuba
under section 5, 6(j), 6(l), or 6(m) of the Export Administration Act of
1979 (as continued in effect under the International Emergency Economic
Powers Act); and
- (B) exercise the authorities he has under the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act with respect to Cuba
pursuant to a declaration of national emergency required by that Act
that is made on account of an unusual and extraordinary threat, that did
not exist before the enactment of this Act, to the national security,
foreign policy, or economy of the United States.
- (d) Cuban Democracy Act of 1992- The Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 (22 U.S.C. 6001 and following) is repealed.
- (e) Repeal of Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996-
- (1) REPEAL- The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 is repealed.
- (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS- (A) Section 498A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295a) is amended--
- (i) in subsection (a)(11), by striking `and
intelligence facilities, including the military and intelligence
facilities at Lourdes and Cienfuegos,' and inserting `facilities,';
- (ii) in subsection (b)--
- (I) in paragraph (4), by adding `and' after the semicolon;
- (II) by striking paragraph (5); and
- (III) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (5); and
- (iii) by striking subsection (d).
- (B) Section 498B(k) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295b(k)) is amended by striking paragraphs (3) and (4).
- (C) Section 1611 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (c).
- (D) Sections 514 and 515 of the International Claims Settlement Act of 1949 (22 U.S.C. 1643l and 1643m) are repealed.
- (f) Termination of Denial of Foreign Tax Credit With
Respect to Cuba- Subparagraph (A) of section 901(j)(2) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to denial of foreign tax credit, etc.,
with respect to certain foreign countries) is amended by adding at the
end thereof the following new flush sentence:
- `Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, this subsection
shall not apply to Cuba after the date which is 60 days after the date
of the enactment of this sentence.'.
- (g) Sugar Quota Prohibition Under Food Security Act of 1985- Section 902(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 is repealed.
- (h) Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of
2000- The Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (22
U.S.C. 7201 and following) is amended--
- (1) in section 906(a)(1)--
- (A) by striking `Cuba,'; and
- (B) by inserting `(other than Cuba)' after `to the government of a country';
- (2) in section 908--
- (A) by striking subsection (b);
- (B) in subsection (a)--
- (i) by striking `Prohibition' and all that follows through `(1) IN GENERAL- ' and inserting `In General- ';
- (ii) by striking `for exports to Cuba or';
- (iii) by striking paragraph (2); and
- (iv) by redesignating paragraph (3) as subsection (b) (and conforming the margin accordingly); and
- (C) in subsection (b) (as redesignated), by striking `paragraph (1)' and inserting `subsection (a)';
- (3) by striking section 909; and
- (4) by striking section 910.
- (i) Repeal of Prohibition on Transactions or Payments With
Respect to Certain United States Intellectual Property- Section 211 of
the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999
(as contained in section 101(b) of division A of Public Law 105-277;
112 Stat. 2681-88) is repealed.
SEC. 3. TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES.
- Any common carrier within the meaning of section 3 of the
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153) is authorized to install,
maintain, and repair telecommunications equipment and facilities in
Cuba, and otherwise provide telecommunications services between the
United States and Cuba. The authority of this section includes the
authority to upgrade facilities and equipment.
SEC. 4. TRAVEL.
- (a) In General- Travel to and from Cuba by individuals who
are citizens or residents of the United States, and any transactions
ordinarily incident to such travel, may not be regulated or prohibited
if such travel would be lawful in the United States.
- (b) Transactions Incident to Travel- Any transactions
ordinarily incident to travel which may not be regulated or prohibited
under subsection (a) include, but are not limited to--
- (1) transactions ordinarily incident to travel or maintenance in Cuba; and
- (2) normal banking transactions involving foreign
currency drafts, traveler's checks, or other negotiable instruments
incident to such travel.
SEC. 5. DIRECT MAIL DELIVERY TO CUBA.
- The United States Postal Service shall take such actions as
are necessary to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba,
including, in the absence of common carrier service between the 2
countries, the use of charter providers.
SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.
- This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, shall take effect 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
An Open E-mail To the President of the United States
From: Cuba Journal
To: The White House
Subject: Isolated United States
Sir:
On November 13, one week after your
re-election, the General Assembly of the United Nations — where you have no veto power — approved a resolution titled
“The necessity of putting an end to the economic and
financial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba.”
The vote, as you and the world know,
was 188-3.
On the Cuba issue, how does it feel to
have no friends? How do you feel about the total isolation of the
United States, who hasn't learned yet that the Cold War is over?
Only warmongering Zionist Israel and
some island specks in the Pacific sided with you. Even all of your
NATO allies condemned your policy of continuing the genocidal
blockade against people who do not seek to harm you.
This was the twenty first consecutive
year that the U.N. General Assembly has rebuffed the United States on
the Cuba issue.
ENOUGH!
Friday, January 11, 2013
Cuba Reaches Record Number of Visitors in 2012
Havana, Jan 11 (Prensa Latina)
In 2012 Cuba received 2,838,648 visitors, a record that shows the consolidation of Cuban tourist product despite the difficult economic situation in the world.
With the increasing flow of tourists, the country achieved a growth of 4.5 percent, which places it rigged to the general trend in the Caribbean area and slightly above the world average, estimated at between three and four percent.
According to the newspaper Granma, sun and beach product continue in the preference of visitors, with an increase in tourist resorts in Varadero, in the western province of Matanzas, Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria, both located in the north and center of the island.
Similarly, the interest in cultural, historical and natural heritage programs have increased, as well as events and incentives, besides health tourism.
For 2013, the country intends to continue increasing its contribution to the development of the Cuban economy, and to reach that it is guaranteed a quality product based on natural attributes, improving service, and especially in the hospitality and joy characteristics of the Cuban people.
In 2012 Cuba received 2,838,648 visitors, a record that shows the consolidation of Cuban tourist product despite the difficult economic situation in the world.
With the increasing flow of tourists, the country achieved a growth of 4.5 percent, which places it rigged to the general trend in the Caribbean area and slightly above the world average, estimated at between three and four percent.
According to the newspaper Granma, sun and beach product continue in the preference of visitors, with an increase in tourist resorts in Varadero, in the western province of Matanzas, Cayo Coco and Cayo Santa Maria, both located in the north and center of the island.
Similarly, the interest in cultural, historical and natural heritage programs have increased, as well as events and incentives, besides health tourism.
For 2013, the country intends to continue increasing its contribution to the development of the Cuban economy, and to reach that it is guaranteed a quality product based on natural attributes, improving service, and especially in the hospitality and joy characteristics of the Cuban people.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Superb PBS Video About Cuba
Last night, my PBS station aired the one hour program titled "Cuba: The Accidental Eden."
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
The photography was superb. Do not miss seeing the bee hummingbird, the smallest bird in our planet. It weighs less than a copper penny.
The story about the Florida turtle, who travels to Cuba in violation of Obama's embargo to lay her eggs in a Cuba beach was beautiful.
Another Yankee Imperialist Mercenary QUACKS in Cuba
The number one mouthpiece of the Miami Fascists and of Yankee imperialism in Cuba, The Miami Herald, reports the following:
"Cuban dissident and former political prisoner Oscar Elias Biscet on Wednesday called for a new mass movement that will demand democracy and human rights “in public places, in a non-violent political defiance” of the government."
---
JG: Ha! Ha! Ha! Oscarito: ustedes los comemierdas que reciben su cheque de welfare en USIS, en el Malecon de la Habana, no ponen una!
¡EL PUEBLO LOS REPUDIA!
Perezoso, trabaja, en lugar de chuparle la teta a los Americanos.
"Cuban dissident and former political prisoner Oscar Elias Biscet on Wednesday called for a new mass movement that will demand democracy and human rights “in public places, in a non-violent political defiance” of the government."
---
JG: Ha! Ha! Ha! Oscarito: ustedes los comemierdas que reciben su cheque de welfare en USIS, en el Malecon de la Habana, no ponen una!
¡EL PUEBLO LOS REPUDIA!
Perezoso, trabaja, en lugar de chuparle la teta a los Americanos.
After “Miami Vice” Came “Miami Necrophiliacs”
I used to watch, at times, the popular
TV program of the nineteen-seventies, not because it was any good,
but because I particularly liked the introductory musical
arrangement.
Life in the United States is mostly
about crimes and vices. It is a life that is devoid of any redeeming
values. Americans do not know how to enjoy life. Their lives are a
never-ending chase after a pile of dollar bills, preferably those
with a high denomination.
The current “thing” in Miami is
waiting for someone to die. What a bunch of sick people!
They must also belong to the NRA, another group of demented people.
Imagine, being “happy” when someone
dies. The dummies in Calle Ocho, when they get up in the
morning, don't ask “how is the weather going to be today?” They
ask “has he died yet?” They are waiting for their ultimate orgasm
of hate.
I do not need to explore or tell you
why they have so much hate in them. You know the answer to that.
Their lives do not amount to much. They can never forget that they
were forced to leave the island, with their despretigiado
general Batista.
The Supreme and Historical Leader of
the Cuban Revolution, like all mortals, one day will pass away.
Millions and billions of written and spoken words will spring alive
with energetic force, telling and retelling the world about the life
of the most important Cuban that ever lived.
José
Martí
was a great inspiration for us Cubans. He was The Apostle and our
Great Teacher. He planted the seed and showed succeeding generations
of patriots the trail to follow in the future. He told us, shortly
before his death, about his life “inside the entrails of the
monster.” His life was cut short, before his dream could come true.
His example and his teachings will never wither.
But
the generation of the Centenary of Apostle's Birth, the generation of
the 1950's, knew what they had to do, and they accomplished it 100%,
under the courageous leadership of Fidel Castro Rúz.
Fidel
will never die. He will always live on, forever and ever, in the
lives of the next succeeding generation of Cubans.
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
APPLAUSE! Chuck Hagel Worked To Lift The Cuba Embargo
Source: BuzzFeed Politics
Jan 9, 2013 3:17pm EST
Andrew Kaczynski - BuzzFeed Staff
Add the Cuba embargo to the growing list of hot-button issues Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel may have to address during his impending confirmation hearings.
Hagel first wrote to President Clinton in 1999 after Clinton announced he was loosening restrictions on humanitarian aid and travel to Cuba, calling it a "good first step." But Hagel added "he should have done more."
When calling for a bipartisan commission to review the U.S. policy toward Cuba, Hagel called it "outdated and ineffective, and not relevant for the next century."
In 2001, Hagel and former Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd introduced a bill to open the Cuban market for the export of American agricultural and medical products.
"The exports of American food and medicine is not just an economic issue, it is also a humanitarian undertaking. Blocking exports in these commodities harm the health and nutrition of the people of the sanctioned nation. It does nothing to harm governments and the government leaders with which we disagree," said Hagel.
"Passage of this provision, and the one last year, acknowledges what most Nebraska grain and livestock producers have always known – when the United States places unilateral sanctions on other nations, American producers are hurt, not the sanctioned nation," Hagel continued.
In March 2003, Hagel and Senator Max Baucus introduced a bill known as the United States-Cuba Trade Act of 2003 that sought to lift the embargo.
The bill, which died before gaining much traction, said, "the continuation of the embargo on trade between the United States and Cuba that was declared in February of 1962 is counterproductive, adding to the hardships of the Cuban people while making the United States the scapegoat for the failures of the communist system."
In a letter to colleagues on the bill, Hagel wrote "trading with and traveling to Cuba does not represent an endorsement of the Castro regime. To the contrary, it helps ensure that children in Cuba will be afforded more opportunity than their parents to have lives that are more full, free and just by opening Cuban society to democratic ideals."
In October 2003, Hagel succeeded in co-sponsoring an amendment that passed which ensured Americans were not punished for traveling to Cuba to do business or study.
"It does not serve U.S. interest to isolate ourselves from the people of Cuba. The current U.S. policy places our farmers, workers, and companies at an international competitive disadvantage. Nebraska’s agriculture producers should have open access to the Cuban market," Hagel said.
Hagel's work to lift the embargo could rankle some Senate Republicans, who maintain the U.S. should not trade with a country that is under the rule of a Communist regime.
[JG: But republicans in Washington D.C. approve of trading with Vietnam and the People's Republic of China! Is there no end to the hypocrisy of the Republican Party? The GOP, and Barack Obama too, forget that the United Nations, by a vote of 188-3 repudiated and condemned the Cuba embargo seven days after Obama's re-election on November 6th.]
Barack Obama wants North Korea to obey United Nations resolutions, but he himself, with his never-ending arrogance at full blast, ignores United Nations resolutions when it suits him.
He is a typical mediocre POTUS whose main pronoucement is "Do as I say, but not as I do." And we thought that Obama would be an improvement over Dubbia? How wrong we were! ]
One leading Republican on these issues, however, held his fire when asked by BuzzFeed about Hagel's position.
A spokesman for Florida Senator Marco Rubio commented said, "We have a process for nominations, and Senator Rubio won’t prejudge these nominees. Senator Rubio hopes he will be able to meet with Senator Hagel prior to his confirmation vote. We’ll have questions about some of Senator Hagel’s past positions, including sanctions on Iran and promoting democracy in Latin America, since that’s long been a priority for Senator Rubio."
JG: Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Robert Menendez are right wing extremists. The Cuban people laugh at them. They are self-promoting U.S. politicians.
Jan 9, 2013 3:17pm EST
Andrew Kaczynski - BuzzFeed Staff
Add the Cuba embargo to the growing list of hot-button issues Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel may have to address during his impending confirmation hearings.
Hagel first wrote to President Clinton in 1999 after Clinton announced he was loosening restrictions on humanitarian aid and travel to Cuba, calling it a "good first step." But Hagel added "he should have done more."
When calling for a bipartisan commission to review the U.S. policy toward Cuba, Hagel called it "outdated and ineffective, and not relevant for the next century."
In 2001, Hagel and former Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd introduced a bill to open the Cuban market for the export of American agricultural and medical products.
"The exports of American food and medicine is not just an economic issue, it is also a humanitarian undertaking. Blocking exports in these commodities harm the health and nutrition of the people of the sanctioned nation. It does nothing to harm governments and the government leaders with which we disagree," said Hagel.
"Passage of this provision, and the one last year, acknowledges what most Nebraska grain and livestock producers have always known – when the United States places unilateral sanctions on other nations, American producers are hurt, not the sanctioned nation," Hagel continued.
In March 2003, Hagel and Senator Max Baucus introduced a bill known as the United States-Cuba Trade Act of 2003 that sought to lift the embargo.
The bill, which died before gaining much traction, said, "the continuation of the embargo on trade between the United States and Cuba that was declared in February of 1962 is counterproductive, adding to the hardships of the Cuban people while making the United States the scapegoat for the failures of the communist system."
In a letter to colleagues on the bill, Hagel wrote "trading with and traveling to Cuba does not represent an endorsement of the Castro regime. To the contrary, it helps ensure that children in Cuba will be afforded more opportunity than their parents to have lives that are more full, free and just by opening Cuban society to democratic ideals."
In October 2003, Hagel succeeded in co-sponsoring an amendment that passed which ensured Americans were not punished for traveling to Cuba to do business or study.
"It does not serve U.S. interest to isolate ourselves from the people of Cuba. The current U.S. policy places our farmers, workers, and companies at an international competitive disadvantage. Nebraska’s agriculture producers should have open access to the Cuban market," Hagel said.
Hagel's work to lift the embargo could rankle some Senate Republicans, who maintain the U.S. should not trade with a country that is under the rule of a Communist regime.
[JG: But republicans in Washington D.C. approve of trading with Vietnam and the People's Republic of China! Is there no end to the hypocrisy of the Republican Party? The GOP, and Barack Obama too, forget that the United Nations, by a vote of 188-3 repudiated and condemned the Cuba embargo seven days after Obama's re-election on November 6th.]
Barack Obama wants North Korea to obey United Nations resolutions, but he himself, with his never-ending arrogance at full blast, ignores United Nations resolutions when it suits him.
He is a typical mediocre POTUS whose main pronoucement is "Do as I say, but not as I do." And we thought that Obama would be an improvement over Dubbia? How wrong we were! ]
One leading Republican on these issues, however, held his fire when asked by BuzzFeed about Hagel's position.
A spokesman for Florida Senator Marco Rubio commented said, "We have a process for nominations, and Senator Rubio won’t prejudge these nominees. Senator Rubio hopes he will be able to meet with Senator Hagel prior to his confirmation vote. We’ll have questions about some of Senator Hagel’s past positions, including sanctions on Iran and promoting democracy in Latin America, since that’s long been a priority for Senator Rubio."
JG: Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Robert Menendez are right wing extremists. The Cuban people laugh at them. They are self-promoting U.S. politicians.
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Barack Obama's FBI Is Thoroughly Incompetent when Dealing With Miami Terrorists
We are approaching the one year anniversary of the bombing of the offices of Airline Brokers in Coral Gables, Florida.
The FBI has not made any arrests. It hasn't even named suspects. No news have been published about the "investigation." Total silence.
Is the Barack Obama administration's FBI incompetent, or is it that it does not want to compromise the thousands of dollars that the Miami fascists send to the various political campaigns of Barack Obama?
The FBI has not made any arrests. It hasn't even named suspects. No news have been published about the "investigation." Total silence.
Is the Barack Obama administration's FBI incompetent, or is it that it does not want to compromise the thousands of dollars that the Miami fascists send to the various political campaigns of Barack Obama?
U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel: "Our Cuba Policy Is Outdated and Unrealistic"
Outdated policy
Chuck Hagel’s comments about engagement with Cuba a when he was questioned on CNN a week ago.
“On Cuba, I’ve said that we have an outdated, unrealistic, irrelevant policy,” he said.
“It’s always been nonsensical to me about this argument, well, it’s a communist country, it’s a communist regime.
“What do people think Vietnam is? Or the People’s Republic of China? Both those countries are WTO members. We trade with them. We have relations.
“Great powers engage,” Hagel said. “Great powers are not afraid. Great powers trade.”
Source: Journal Star
Chuck Hagel’s comments about engagement with Cuba a when he was questioned on CNN a week ago.
“On Cuba, I’ve said that we have an outdated, unrealistic, irrelevant policy,” he said.
“It’s always been nonsensical to me about this argument, well, it’s a communist country, it’s a communist regime.
“What do people think Vietnam is? Or the People’s Republic of China? Both those countries are WTO members. We trade with them. We have relations.
“Great powers engage,” Hagel said. “Great powers are not afraid. Great powers trade.”
Source: Journal Star
US Government: “We Know You Guys Are Crooks. We Will Help You Along.”
During the two terms of the George W.
Bush administration, the largest and the biggest scam/fraud ever
perpetrated by American capitalism was foisted upon the unsuspecting
American population.
It was directed and choreographed by
capitalist banks, mortgage companies, and stock-peddling Wall Street
brokers. The “project” was aided and abetted by the real estate
industry. Add bankers and Realtors to your ever-growing and
never-ending list of capitalist crooks, which have always included
lawyers, doctors and politicians.
Comes now the Barack H. Obama
administration and slaps lightly the writs of all these capitalist
crooks with a mere $8.5 billion fine.
The news was carried in the front page of a
newspaper report by Daniel Wagner of the Associated Press. The
Associated Crooks made trillions of dollars in illegal profits. The
victims of the greed of American capitalism, on average, will receive
around $2,00.00. The fools will probably be happy with that amount.
There is a sucker born every minute in American capitalism.
Mr. Wagner's states in his report that
“the agreements are the bank's latest step toward eliminating
hundreds of billions of dollars in potential liabilities
related to the housing crisis that crested in 2008 ... Regulators
are settling at too low a price and possibly at the expense of the
consumer.”
Here
are the new inductees into the American
Capitalism Hall of Shame:
Bank of America
JP Morgan Chase
Wells Fargo
Citigroup
MetLife Bank
PNC Financial Services
Sovereign
SunTrust
U.S. Bank
Aurora
The 2011 action also included:
GMAC Mortgage
HSBC Finance Corp
EMC Mortgage Corp
Until such a time that the American people wise up and stop sending
Republicans and Democrats to the White House and U.S. Congress, the
scams/frauds of American capitalism will continue.
Their
slogan is “We
screw you better!”
Monday, January 07, 2013
Cuba boasts lowest infant mortality rate in Latin America
English.news.cn 2013-01-04 14:30:59
HAVANA, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Cuba ended 2012 with an infant mortality
rate of 4.6 per thousand live births, the lowest in Latin America, the
Cuban News Agency reported Thursday.
2012 marked the fifth year in a row that Cuba had kept its infant mortality rate below 5 per thousand, thanks mainly to the government's free universal health care programs, the news agency said.
According to figures from the Public Health Ministry, the country's infant mortality rate was 4.9 in 2011, 4.5 in 2010, 4.8 in 2009 and 4.7 in 2008.
Cuba's central province of Sancti Spiritus registered the lowest rate of 2.8 per thousand live births, while 26 of the country's 168 municipalities ended the year with zero infant mortality.
The ministry also reported a fall in birth rates, with 125,661 babies born in 2012, 7,400 less than the year before.
The latest infant mortality report from the United Nations Children Fund, released in September 2012, shows that Cuba leads the Western Hemisphere, followed by Canada, the United States, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay.
2012 marked the fifth year in a row that Cuba had kept its infant mortality rate below 5 per thousand, thanks mainly to the government's free universal health care programs, the news agency said.
According to figures from the Public Health Ministry, the country's infant mortality rate was 4.9 in 2011, 4.5 in 2010, 4.8 in 2009 and 4.7 in 2008.
Cuba's central province of Sancti Spiritus registered the lowest rate of 2.8 per thousand live births, while 26 of the country's 168 municipalities ended the year with zero infant mortality.
The ministry also reported a fall in birth rates, with 125,661 babies born in 2012, 7,400 less than the year before.
The latest infant mortality report from the United Nations Children Fund, released in September 2012, shows that Cuba leads the Western Hemisphere, followed by Canada, the United States, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay.
Editor:
Hou Qiang
U.S. Representative Jose Serrano Introduces H.R. 214, To Lift the Trade Embargo on Cuba
The text of H.R. 214 has not yet been received from GPO
Bills are generally sent to the Library of Congress from the Government Printing Office a day or two after they are introduced on the floor of the House or Senate. Delays can occur when there are a large number of bills to prepare or when a very large bill has to be printed.Latest Major Action: Introduced on 1/4/2013. Referred to House committee.
Status: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Oversight and Government Reform, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Come back to Cuba Journal in about a week. As soon as the Government Printing Office prints the bill, it will be posted here.
Contact your two U.S. Senators and U.S. House Representative and ask them to support and/or co-sponsor H.R. 214.
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Can the future Secretary of State, John Kerry, make friends with Cuba?
Probably not. While he is a critic of US policy toward Havana, he’ll have a hard time actually changing anything.
By: Nick Miroff - January 2, 2013 06:00 - www. globalpost.com
HAVANA, Cuba — At the last Summit of the Americas, held in Colombia in April, Washington’s rivals in Latin America and its political allies had the same piece of advice for better US diplomacy in the region: get over your Cuba fixation.
Now, with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) likely to be confirmed as the next secretary of state, the United States will have a top diplomat who has been a frequent critic of America’s 50-year-old effort to force regime change in Havana.
In recent years, Kerry has been the Senate’s most prominent skeptic of US-funded pro-democracy efforts that give financial backing to dissident groups in Cuba and beam anti-Castro programming to the island through radio and television programs based in Miami.
Kerry has also favored lifting curbs on US travel to the island, and opening up American tourism to the only country in the world the US government restricts its own citizens from visiting.
For the rest of Latin America, where leaders say they're eager for Washington to modernize its view of the region and engage in new ways, Cuba remains “a litmus test” for the Obama presidency, according to Julia Sweig, director of Latin American Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“The strategic benefits of getting Cuba right would reverberate throughout the Americas,” said Sweig, calling Kerry “ideally suited to the task.”
“Kerry's instincts and experience in Latin America are to see past lingering and often toxic ideology in the US Congress and bureaucracy in favor of pragmatism and problem solving,” she said.
Regardless of Kerry’s record on Cuba policy in the Senate, analysts say he will face several obstacles to major change, not least of which will be the man likely to replace him as chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey), a Cuban American.
If Menendez becomes chairman, then the committees responsible for shaping US foreign policy in both branches of Congress will be led by Cuban Americans who want to ratchet up — not dial back — US pressure on Havana. The chair of the House Committee on Foreign Relations is Miami Republican Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen.
So while Kerry may have some latitude to adjust Cuba policy from inside the White House, Latin America experts don’t expect sweeping change — like an end to the Cuba Embargo — which requires Congressional action.
“On Latin America, in general, I think Kerry has a longer and broader vision,” said Robert Pastor, professor of international relations at American University. But when it comes to Cuba, he cautioned, “Kerry is also a political realist.”
“Changing US policy is not a high priority for him, but not changing US policy is the only priority for Bob Menendez,” Pastor said.
In 2011, Kerry delayed the release of nearly $20 million in federal funds for pro-democracy Cuba projects run by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), questioning their effectiveness and insisting on greater oversight.
“There is no evidence that the ‘democracy promotion’ programs, which have cost the US taxpayer more than $150 million so far, are helping the Cuban people,” Kerry said at the time. “Nor have they achieved much more than provoking the Cuban government to arrest a US government contractor.”
The US government contractor is Alan Gross, jailed on the island since December 2009. Cuban authorities arrested Gross while he worked on a USAID project to set up satellite communications gear that would allow members of Cuba’s Jewish community to connect to the internet without going through government servers.
Cuba sentenced him to 15 years in prison, but now says its willing to work out a prisoner swap for the “Cuban Five,” a group of intelligence agents who have been serving time in a US federal prison.
The Obama administration has refused to negotiate, calling on Havana to release Gross unconditionally, and even US lawmakers who advocate greater engagement with Cuba say no change will be possible as long as he’s in jail.
The Castro government insists it’s not willing to give up Gross for nothing.
Carlos Alzugaray, a former Cuban diplomat and scholar of US-Cuba relations at the University of Havana, said a resolution to the Gross case and other significant changes in US policy would “require a big investment of political capital” by Kerry and Obama.
“The question is if Kerry will be willing and able to convince Obama that he should push for change, and if they can neutralize Menendez,” Alzugaray said.
“If that happens, then we will see change,” he said. “If not, it will be more of the same: minimal and timid changes but nothing big.”
-----
JG: I personally like John Kerry, but Barack Obama has become the favorite whore of the Miami fascists. And with Cuban Mafia Boy, Robert Menendez, assuming the chairmanship of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, nothing much will change for the betterment of our failed Cuba policies. Menendez and Ros-Lehtinen are purely motivated by Nazi-like hate.
The Cuban government must continue to protect the island's national sovereignty and independence. If they survived George W. Bush, they will survive the current mediocre president of the U.S.
By: Nick Miroff - January 2, 2013 06:00 - www. globalpost.com
HAVANA, Cuba — At the last Summit of the Americas, held in Colombia in April, Washington’s rivals in Latin America and its political allies had the same piece of advice for better US diplomacy in the region: get over your Cuba fixation.
Now, with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) likely to be confirmed as the next secretary of state, the United States will have a top diplomat who has been a frequent critic of America’s 50-year-old effort to force regime change in Havana.
In recent years, Kerry has been the Senate’s most prominent skeptic of US-funded pro-democracy efforts that give financial backing to dissident groups in Cuba and beam anti-Castro programming to the island through radio and television programs based in Miami.
Kerry has also favored lifting curbs on US travel to the island, and opening up American tourism to the only country in the world the US government restricts its own citizens from visiting.
For the rest of Latin America, where leaders say they're eager for Washington to modernize its view of the region and engage in new ways, Cuba remains “a litmus test” for the Obama presidency, according to Julia Sweig, director of Latin American Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“The strategic benefits of getting Cuba right would reverberate throughout the Americas,” said Sweig, calling Kerry “ideally suited to the task.”
“Kerry's instincts and experience in Latin America are to see past lingering and often toxic ideology in the US Congress and bureaucracy in favor of pragmatism and problem solving,” she said.
Regardless of Kerry’s record on Cuba policy in the Senate, analysts say he will face several obstacles to major change, not least of which will be the man likely to replace him as chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey), a Cuban American.
If Menendez becomes chairman, then the committees responsible for shaping US foreign policy in both branches of Congress will be led by Cuban Americans who want to ratchet up — not dial back — US pressure on Havana. The chair of the House Committee on Foreign Relations is Miami Republican Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen.
So while Kerry may have some latitude to adjust Cuba policy from inside the White House, Latin America experts don’t expect sweeping change — like an end to the Cuba Embargo — which requires Congressional action.
“On Latin America, in general, I think Kerry has a longer and broader vision,” said Robert Pastor, professor of international relations at American University. But when it comes to Cuba, he cautioned, “Kerry is also a political realist.”
“Changing US policy is not a high priority for him, but not changing US policy is the only priority for Bob Menendez,” Pastor said.
In 2011, Kerry delayed the release of nearly $20 million in federal funds for pro-democracy Cuba projects run by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), questioning their effectiveness and insisting on greater oversight.
“There is no evidence that the ‘democracy promotion’ programs, which have cost the US taxpayer more than $150 million so far, are helping the Cuban people,” Kerry said at the time. “Nor have they achieved much more than provoking the Cuban government to arrest a US government contractor.”
The US government contractor is Alan Gross, jailed on the island since December 2009. Cuban authorities arrested Gross while he worked on a USAID project to set up satellite communications gear that would allow members of Cuba’s Jewish community to connect to the internet without going through government servers.
Cuba sentenced him to 15 years in prison, but now says its willing to work out a prisoner swap for the “Cuban Five,” a group of intelligence agents who have been serving time in a US federal prison.
The Obama administration has refused to negotiate, calling on Havana to release Gross unconditionally, and even US lawmakers who advocate greater engagement with Cuba say no change will be possible as long as he’s in jail.
The Castro government insists it’s not willing to give up Gross for nothing.
Carlos Alzugaray, a former Cuban diplomat and scholar of US-Cuba relations at the University of Havana, said a resolution to the Gross case and other significant changes in US policy would “require a big investment of political capital” by Kerry and Obama.
“The question is if Kerry will be willing and able to convince Obama that he should push for change, and if they can neutralize Menendez,” Alzugaray said.
“If that happens, then we will see change,” he said. “If not, it will be more of the same: minimal and timid changes but nothing big.”
-----
JG: I personally like John Kerry, but Barack Obama has become the favorite whore of the Miami fascists. And with Cuban Mafia Boy, Robert Menendez, assuming the chairmanship of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, nothing much will change for the betterment of our failed Cuba policies. Menendez and Ros-Lehtinen are purely motivated by Nazi-like hate.
The Cuban government must continue to protect the island's national sovereignty and independence. If they survived George W. Bush, they will survive the current mediocre president of the U.S.
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