Friday, May 31, 2013

El Cafe Cubano under Construction






El Cafe Cubano blog has been under construction for the last several months. Due to the format change and the constant hack job attempts by the commies, most of my original links have been lost.
If you don't see your link, I apologize and I am slowly adding the links that had been removed. If you don't see your link, please shoot me a quick email with your blog or website, and I will add it ASAP.


Thanks and Viva Cuba libre!

"Cuba still on U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism"





 

Cuba a sponsor of terrorism?


No way.....I am shocked.......no...no...I am stunnned....


click here for the article.


Friday, May 24, 2013

“Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You”



Comunicado de Prensa                                                        Para divulgación inmediata

Contacto: Ileana Fuentes                                                                Telef: 305-667-9007


 

Coral Gables, 22 mayo 2013.-  El Museo Cubano se une a la celebración del Día del Teatro Cubano en el Exilio este 30 y 31 de mayo con la presentación de la obra “Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You” del teatrista cubano-americano Jay Álvarez. La obra reconstruye la travesía en balsa del autor y su familia para llegar a Estados Unidos.

 

La presentación es parte de la serie Sweet Home Museo Cubano, que se realiza mediante el patrocinio de la Knight Foundation y el Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, con fondos adicionales de Memorial Plan, Bank of America y contribuciones privadas. Sweet Home Museo Cubano es un proyecto que pretende atraer a artistas cubanos de la diáspora hacia el hogar virtual –y capital de los exiliados cubanos- que es Miami.

 

“Teatro conmovedor”. Ron Cohen, Backstage

“Maravilloso…increíble”. Bob Leggett, The Examiner

“Sorprendente… Una experiencia única”. Liz Beliloyskaya, TimeSquare.com

“Una celebración hermosa”. Jacqueline Cutler, Tribune Media Services

“Un espectáculo impecable y lleno de humor”. Trish Vignola, BroadwayWorld

“Una obra maestra, genuina y mágica”. Alexandria News

“Una actuación regia y fascinante”. Deirdre Donovan, CurtainUp.com

“Teatro grandioso y enérgico”. Lynn Berg, NYTheatre.com

 

Aclamada por la crítica, la obra se presenta en Miami al tiempo que se desarrollan los preparativos para lanzarla en un futuro cercano como musical de Broadway, con música original del afamado y laureado jazzista cubanoamericano Paquito D’Rivera.

 

Lugar: Teatro “Onstage Blackbox” del Miami Dade County Auditorium

Fecha: 30 y 31 de mayo 2013           Hora: 8 pm

Dirección: 2901 W. Flagler, Miami, Florida 33135

Entrada general: $25

 

Boletos: 305-547-5414  / 800-745-3000
Ticketmaster link

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Our Prayers are with you Oklahoma!







Our thoughts and prayers are with you Oklahoma! Words can not describe what you are going through!

13 years ago my family survived a tornado that ripped through the Dallas-Forth Worth area and destroying our neighborhood. That day we just got home from the hospital after the birth of our 3rd child. By the grace of God, the baby and my family survived after jumping into the bathroom and covering themselves with mattresses.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Cuba's Independence




Today is Cuba's Independence Day in which Cuba gained its independence from Spain on May 20, 1902. Sadly today Cuba is NOT free, and for the last 54 years Cuba has suffered under a communist dictatorship.

The day WILL come when Cuba again will be FREE!

Abajo el hambre


Thursday, May 16, 2013

Damas de Blanco en el Día de las Madres


Shortage of Toilet Paper in Venezuela




Folks I am not making this up! It appears that their is such a shortage of toilet paper in Venezuela, that the Venezuelan dictatorship has to import 50 million rolls! It's the Embargo's fault for this fiasco......wait a minute their is NO embargo, but... but... how is it their is a shortage on butter, milk, coffee, etc???

Is it the CIA's fault?

Is it Bush's fault?

Is it those those pesky Cuban exiles fault?

Could it be 21st century socialism at its best!!!!

Click here for the story.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

I thought playing Golf was for the bourgeois?






From the BBC news:


 

Cuba golf project gets green light

Varadero golf club in Cuba shortly after it opened on 20 November 2000 Varadero is currently the only 18-hole course in Cuba, but it will now be joined by others after the government approved a new multi-million dollar golf project

 


Five decades after Fidel Castro ordered Cuba's golf courses to be closed down because he considered them "elitist", the island's communist government has approved the construction of a luxury golf resort, complete with an 18-hole course.

The $350m (£227m) Carbonera Club proposed by British firm Esencia is the first of a dozen similar initiatives that have long been under consideration.

The move is a sign of the changing times here, as the government seeks new revenue sources to fund its socialist revolution.

"It will be a major complement to the tourist offering of [the resort town of] Varadero and the start of a whole new policy to increase the presence of golf in Cuba," Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero told the BBC during a visit to Varadero.
Long wait

 

CEO of Esencia Andrew McDonald
Golfers are renowned for travelling to new places, it's a multi-billion dollar industry”
End Quote Andrew McDonald CEO Esencia

He confirmed that a formal deal had been reached for a joint venture between Esencia and the Cuban government to develop the Carbonera resort, a short distance along the coast.

"We've been working on this for seven years, step by step, so we're very excited it's finally going to happen," Esencia's CEO Andrew McDonald said on a tour of the 170-hectare (420-acre) site.

Mr McDonald said he expected building work to begin next year on a design which would transform the area.

As well as the golf course, the plans include the construction of an exclusive, gated community of some 650 apartments and villas.

There will also be a hotel and a country club, complete with tennis courts, spa and a yacht club.

And Carbonera is not the only project in the pipeline. A second golf project, with Chinese investment, is expected to be approved by the end of this year.

Other resorts will then be rolled out gradually across the island with Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian funding.
Property boom
And it is not just golf that is the novelty here.

Foreigners will be able to buy property on the developments, the first time that has been allowed anywhere in Cuba apart from a short-lived experiment in the 1990s.

A photograph at the Varadero golf club shows Fidel Castro and Che Guevara playing golf Che Guevara and Fidel Castro tried their hand at golf once, but later dismissed it as "bourgeois"

"People retiring in Canada and Europe often look for a second home," says Gabriel Alvarez, the Cuban official charged with developing the new sector.

"Cuba has all the conditions to be an option for them: safety, nature, culture. So why not come here?", he asks.

The luxury developments will remain, for now, the only place foreigners can buy in Cuba. Early figures suggest high demand for a market that has been off-limits for decades.

Theplan is to turn the island into a golfing destination to rival nearby alternatives.

"Golfers are renowned for travelling to new places; it's a multi-billion dollar industry," says Mr McDonald.

"I think Cuba will fit very well into that jigsaw, and be very popular," he adds.

But for that to become reality, the island needs more courses. Currently, there is just one 18-hole course in Cuba, at the Varadero Golf Club.

The club opened as tourism to Cuba took off in the 1990s, and some 200 rounds are played there each day.

"There's definitely scope for more golf here," said Canadian Daryl Giles during a recent tournament there.

"You go to Florida and there's lots of choice. Here there's just the one," he said.

With more courses, "you could have a helluva good time here," he added.
Slow progress
But it has taken Cuba a long time to come round to the idea.

"I think golf could have a good future here. We love baseball, and the swing is similar”
End Quote Enrique Nunez Cuban golf enthusiast

In pre-Communist times, there were at least seven golf courses on the island, frequented mainly by wealthy residents and US visitors. locals recall.

Even Fidel Castro famously played a round in Havana once, taking on Che Guevara dressed in military fatigues.

But he was clearly not a convert, ordering Cuba's courses be put to less "bourgeois" use.

Today, one of them lies abandoned just outside Havana; another became a special forces training ground and a third forms the rolling lawns of a city arts school.

But pragmatism has finally overcoming lingering resistance to reversing that move.

Attempts to drill for oil and bring economic independence to Cuba have come up dry and the death of the island's key financial backer, Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, has made the future more uncertain.
Democratic game
So once unthinkable things are happening here. Tourism is now the second biggest source of income on an island once closed to the outside world.

A sign at the Varadero golf club reads "The proceeds made here go to the people" Cuban officials are keen to sell golf as a "democratic sport" benefitting all Cubans

Last year, 2.8 million people visited Cuba, mostly opting for all-inclusive hotel deals along palm-lined golden beaches.

But figures suggest golf tourists spend four times more than pure sun-seekers, and Cuba wants to tap into that potential.

The Carbonera Club deal also suggests other foreign investment could pick up pace now .

"I think there's more openness to bringing people like us in. As long as Cubans are in charge of the speed of the process, then anything is possible," he sys.

As for golf, Cuba is keen to re-style the game as a democratic sport, pointing out that the sport has been included in the next Olympic Games.

"Of course it's not for all Cubans at this moment," admits Enrique Nunez, owner of a successful Havana restaurant and recent golf convert.

A round costs five times the average monthly state wage here.

But there is already talk of creating a golf federation for locals, taking advantage of the new tourist facilities.

"I think golf could have a good future here. We love baseball, and the swing is similar," Mr Nunez suggests.

Even though the sport was banned for so long, "we could be naturals," he says.The evolution of the Cuban cigar

Monday, May 13, 2013

Guillermo Farinas in Miami

From the Miami Herald:


Cuban hunger striker begins tour in Miami

 

From Staff and Wire Reports

A frequent Cuban hunger striker and dissident arrived Sunday in Miami ahead of Cuban Independence Day, as part of a tour that will include several U.S. stops before going to Europe “I have come to the capital of the Cuban exile,” a smiling Guillermo Fariñas said in Spanish. “We will show that we are one nation.”   He is scheduled to meet with community leaders and dissidents in Miami.
Until this year, if Fariñas had been granted permission to leave Cuba, he would have forfeited his right to return. But in January he was told he could leave and return after a new law ended the island’s exit visa requirement.   

Read On Monday, another Cuban opposition leader, Berta Soler, co-founder of the Ladies in White, will be joined in Miami by singer Gloria Estefan to celebrate Cuban Independence Day.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/201El Nuevo Herald staff writer Juan Carlos Chavez contributed to this report.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
3/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hungerEl Nuevo Herald staff writer Juan Carlos Chavez contributed to this report

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
On Monday, another Cuban opposition leader, Berta Soler, co-founder of the Ladies in White, will be joined in Miami by singer Gloria Estefan to celebrate Cuban Independence Day. El Nuevo Herald staff writer Juan Carlos Chavez contributed to this report.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
      

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy

Read He is scheduled to meet with community leaders and On Monday, another Cuban opposition leader, Berta Soler, co-founder of the Ladies in White, will be joined in Miami by singer Gloria Estefan to celebrate Cuban Independence Day.
El Nuevo Herald staff writer Juan Carlos Chavez contributed El Nuevo Herald staff writer Juan Carlos Chavez El Nuevo Herald staff writer Juan Carlos Chavez contributed El Nuevo Herald staff writer Juan Carlos Chavez contributed to this report.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
to this report

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
contributed to this report

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
to this report.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
dissidents in He is scheduled to meet He is scheduled to meet with community leaders and dissidents in Miami.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
with community leaders and dissidents in Miami.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
Miami.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy


 
 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/12/3394425/cuban-hunger-striker-begins-tour.html#storylink=cpy
 

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Happy Mothers Day!!

Happy Mothers Day my dear MOM! It's very hard to put into words how much you have sacrificed and have done for me and I don't know how to express my gratitude and thanks! Growing up we did not have much yet we had everything thanks to your love and hard work. It doesn't matter how many Cuban restaurants we eat in, NOTHING is better than your HOME COOKED CUBAN FOOD! Every Sunday we waited in anticipation for the famous arroz con pollo! I know yo era tremendo, but you always had faith in me and you have never stopped praying for me and my family. I have never forgotten when we were young children all the beautiful songs you used to sing to us in Gallego!


One of most of my treasured memories growing up were simple things like my family sitting at the kitchen table talking (loud!!) and sipping coffee. You would always wake up the house with that sweet aroma of El Café Cubano. To this day, when this viejo goes home to visit, my mom will put on the cafetera and the saying: do you want Café Cubano? OF COURSE!

Thank you God for blessing me with such a wonderful MOM!

Happy Mothers day MOM!

Friday, May 10, 2013

El ajedrez bolivariano

Dr. Darsi Ferret
Miami, Florida. 9 de mayo de 2013.
¿Cúal es la ruta a seguir por el escúalido guaguero, Nicolás Maduro, al frente del poder en Venezuela? No tiene opción, más allá de las apariencias y piruetas el descalabro del chavismo es un hecho predecible. Así es, no hay posibilidad alguna de que el Socialismo del Siglo XXI sobreviva y pueda consolidarse luego de la muerte de su creador, el lindoro incapaz Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías. Tomemos encuenta que el aberrante régimen de los Castro aún respira gracias a que siempre ha contado con un subvencionador que lo mantenga como hijo bobo, o en el actual caso como chulo. La URSS, enclavada en uno de los territorios más ricos del mundo en recursos naturales, estiró la liga por más de siete décadas hasta que su economía quebró, agotada por la infuncionalidad del modelo estatista centralizado. El derrumbe de ese gigante fue estrepitoso e indetenible. China coletea con cierta aparente estabilidad amenazada por las crecientes contradicciones internas, que genera su dicotomía de sustentarse de una economía francamente capitalista, en su versión más explotadora y arcaica, regida por un desenvolvimiento político de supuesta ideología socialista controlado por la élite gobernante del exclusivo Partido Comunista Chino. El atorrante y esquizofrénico régimen de Corea del Norte baila en la cuerda floja, con tendencia a perder el equilibrio, porque está resultando una carga demasiado onerosa y conflictiva para los intereses geopolíticos de Beijing, que es al final quien le extiende el cheque de la sustentación. Pues el agresivo Pyongyang de la disnastía Kim sigue enfrazcado en aterrorizar a Occidente con su programa nuclear, pero es incapaz de autofinanciarse y ni siquiera de producir alimentos para que su población no muera afligidos por el hambre. Y la corriente populista enrraizada en Latinoamérica durante los últimos años anda desaforada y a golpe de infusiones de Tilo y Paciflora, estresada por el temor no infundado de irse al descalabro y extinción, junto con toda esa madeja de instituciones artificiosas (ALBA, UNASUR, CELAC...) con las que han pretendido legitimarse en la arena internacional. Y sucede que el pequeño problemita que afrontan todos esos gobernantes de izquierda y tendencia antidemocrática (Evo, Ortega, Correa, Kischner, Mujica...) es que tanto sus gobiernos populistas como esa telaraña de instituciones regionales son financiados con los cada vez más escasos petrodólares de PDVSA. ¿A dónde vamos con este recorrido? A la conclusión de que los herederos del Libertador Simón Bolivar tienen que costearse su existencia por sí mismos y, además, sufragar la de sus aliados políticos engachados sobre sus espaldas. ¿De cuánto dinero estamos hablando? De cifras astronómicas, miles de millones de dólares anuales, que no cuentan con el modo de producir ni con la magia del Mago Mandraca. A raiz de los resultados de las pasadas elecciones, Venezuela quedó dividida en dos bandos opuestos y en conflicto. Presenta una situación de parálisis nacional, con riesgos de estallido social e ingobernabilidad, devenida de la profunda crisis política que generó las irregularidades, con sobradas sospechas de fraude electoral e irrespeto de la soberanía popular, que dieron como ganador al heredero Maduro, con una ventaja menor de 1% sobre los votos alcanzados por su contendiente, Henrique Capriles. Para más complicaciones, a ese escenario se le añade el lastre de la alarmante inseguridad ciudadana, que hace a Venezuela uno de los paises más peligrosos del mundo. La sofocante inflación, con pérdida progresiva del poder adquisitivo del dinero, supera el 20% y amenaza con subir a niveles escalofriantes. También es golpeada por el creciente desabastecimiento hasta de productos básicos, que van desde una escaces del 20% hasta el 50% en muchos productos. De la mano del chavismo camina una rampante corrupción, malversación de los recursos del Estado, ineficiencia e improductividad. Pero lo más importante es el estado depauperado de las finanzas venezolanas, sin futuro de mejoría sino todo lo contrario. El chavismo arrastra un enorme gasto público, comprando voluntades mediante programas de subvención social, que ya resultan insostenibles. Su mayor renglón de entrada de divisas, PDVSA, está en franca decadencia y ha disminuido de modo significativo la explotación de pozos petroleros y la cantidad de barriles de petróleo que extraen diariamente. Lo peor de ese sombrió panorama económico es que viene agudizándose con precios históricos del crudo, que superan los 100 dólares el barril. La trampa para el usurpador y gobernante ilegítimo, Nicolás Maduro, es que su falta de carisma le obliga a sostener las costosísimas políticas de subvención implementadas por Chávez para fabricarse liderazgo en el plano nacional, y de cara al exterior requiere de continuar con el desangre económico hacia sus vampirezcos aliados para que le garanticen legitimación internacional. El otro aspecto significativo es que el chavismo ha quedado descabezado tras la muerte del Caudillo, con visibles luchas entre las distintas facciones que lo integran, y con marcado uso de la violencia, desconocimiento de la institucionalidad y de las reglas democráticas del Estado de Derecho. En cambio, la oposición cuenta con el respaldo de algo más de la mitad de la población, tiene una agenda política que reclama respeto por la institucionalidad y la soberanía popular, apelando al cumplimiento de la legalidad. Pero sobre todo, está nucleada entorno al liderazgo unitario de Capriles. Estas son razones que demuestran que por el despeñadero que transita el camarada Maduro encontrará su suicidio muy pronto. La otra ruta que le queda, un poco más objetiva pero casi imposible de materializar, es terminar con el conflicto que lo enfrenta a la oposición, llamar a un diálogo nacional, repartir cuotas de poder a sus adversarios políticos y abrirse a negociaciones con los norteamericanos. Todo esto incluye zafarse de los impresentables Castro cuanto antes, convencer y seducir a los opositores y cuidarse mucho de que sus compañeros de fila no le den un golpe de estado antes de llegar a la meta. ¿Quieren saber mi opnión? Este trozo de ceboruco y manejable bufón va a durar al frente del poder en Venezuela lo que el merengue en la puerta del colegio. Sin él, en la isla el régimen de los Castro menos todavía.

Updated: Glossary of terms for El Cafe Cubano

Updated: Glossary of terms for El Cafe Cubano



Alfredo, who are you talking about concerning Mini-me #2 or #3? Well guys here is a Glossary of terms for El Cafe Cubano speak. Now you can dissect my anti-communist blog with fervor!We Cubans or at least here at El Cafe Cubano love to use nicknames when describing the colorful cast of oppressive regimes! We have added a few lately, hey that's the least I could do because the propaganda of the dictatorship has had the media using "Mafia" and "gusanao" for the last 54 years! Now would a blog like El Cafe Cubano and those to my right be responsible if we did not return the favor?

Glossary(Now repeat after me):

El Cafe Cubano:-- Translation:




Reconciliation-----Term used by those who WANT to forget ALL the atrocities committed by the castro dictatorship, yet blame exiles for everything and paint exiles as bad.
 
Stop the comemierderia-----Jay-Z's Cuban rap and visit to Cuba

The Dictator -----Castro

Mr. Evil----- ----- Castro

Raulita------------Raulita Castro

El mariachi--------Manuel Zelaya

Hispanic Czar-----"Wild" Bill Richardson
 
Lap Dog-----------Felipe Perez Roque

Tricky Ricky------Ricardo Alarcon
"
Mini-me #1 or (thing 1)--- Hugo Chavez, but now replaced with "El Guaguero" Maduro

Mini-me #2----------------- Diego Maradona

Mini-me #3 or (thing 2)------ Evo morales

Cocaine---------------------Evo Morales

Acid Ventura...........................José Ramón Machado Ventura

Commie--------------------- Communist

lefty 666 --------------------play in the communist playbook

Cuber-----------------------Cuba

Anita "snow job"-------------Anita Snow

Jose"can't see you see I am communist"--------Jose Serrano

"Raspy Rangel"--------------Charles Rangel

ramon "el jamon"...............Ramon Castro


Ramiro"cuidado que te voy a dar un tiro"-------Ramiro Valdez

Uncle Buck--------------------Buck

Leche Guevara----------------Che guevara

Pastors for the dictator----------Pastors for Peace

Code Commies------------Code Pink

Michael "el gordo mierda" -------Michael Moore

Matt ‘DQ” -----------------Matt Lauer

Kumbaya concert..............Juanes concert in Cuba

El Cafe Cubano slogans:

" If Cuba is so great, why do they all want to vacate."

" Free healthcare, so why all the despair."

"Castro lives like a king, but the Cuban people have nothing."


" Everyone wants to trade, but no one wants to aide"


" Florida recount, Carter is in Venezuela one day and out"


" Castro supporters how you flex, where did you get your rolex."


" Many have tried to shut us up, but we will never give up!"


"Rafters are intercepted at sea, yet are returned to Cuba with glee"


"What happens in Havana, stays in Havana especially if you speak out against the dictator"


"Everyone knows about cuber's trials, except the cuban exiles?"


"so what about the two-way radio, I'm just a collaborator"

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Berta Soler con El Papa

 
 
From Pedazos de la Isla:
 
 
La representante de las Damas de Blanco, Berta Soler, asistió a una misa ofrecida por el Papa Francisco en el Vaticano tras una invitación especial para estar sentada en primera fila.
Según la pagina oficial de las Damas de Blanco, al concluir la misa el Papa saludo a todos los que estaban en primera fila, entre ellos a Soler.
La activista estuvo presente con una bandera cubana y la misma le comunico al Papa que vino en nombre de las Damas de Blanco, familiares de los presos políticos y de Cuba.
Tras darle su bendición, el Papa le dijo: “Sigan adelante”.
Palabras simples, pero profundas.
El Papa Francisco ha hecho lo que su predecesor, Benedicto XVI, escogió no hacer cuando estuvo en Cuba en Marzo del 2012: dedicarle un momento a los que luchan por la libertad de la isla.
Berta Soler ha dicho que este encuentro ha sido uno de lo más emotivos que ha tenido durante su estancia fuera de Cuba.

Monday, May 06, 2013

"Wild" Bill Richardson:"Ted Cruz should not ‘be defined as a Hispanic"







It has come to our attention that 'Wild" Bill Richardson is NOW the self appointed Hispanic Czar. He has the power and the comemierderia to DEEM anyone His PANIC solely by superior intellect. Are those in his Hispanic Club superior to those from certain backgrounds(Cuban) and political persuasion(conservative)?

Never mind that his LAST name is RICHARDSON


Hispanic or Latino is NOT a race.....




Saturday, May 04, 2013

West Point Alumni Travel Program - Cuba 2013

Here's another head scratcher and WTF moment. Check out the terminology and flowery language to describe not only the program, but to sidestep that Cuba is a brutal communist dictatorship.

Mystery??? Just ask the over millions in exile about Cuba.

Turbulent past? Are we talking about the past 54 years of the mafia dictatorship?

Vintage 1950's cars? Are you saying it's cool, but overlooking it's REALLY SAD that's what the Cuban people are stuck with and have to survive on!

Economic and political heritage? communist dictatorship for the last 54 years and millions prefer to flee BECAUSE of the POLITICAL and ECONOMIC conditions!

Here is the West Point Alumni travel Program:

CUBA. Historically rich. Culturally diverse. Environmentally magnificent. For decades, the Caribbean's largest island--roughly 90 miles away from U.S. soil--has been but a mystery, perceived through secondhand sources and beyond the grasp of American travelers.
Embark on a captivating tour of Cuban culture and history, designed to broaden your understanding of a country that has long been inaccessible. Discover a nation of sheer contradictions molded by a turbulent past. Here, time seems to have come to a standstill as you watch vintage 1950s-era automobiles drive past preserved Spanish colonial architecture along cobbled streets. As a hub for economic and political heritage, Havana presents an ideal setting to engage with local citizens and uncover new perspectives.
Gain insight into the country's thriving arts community through discussions with independent artists and visits to performing arts schools and studios. Just beyond the spirited capital, fertile tobacco and sugar can fields permeate the countryside revealing a glimpse into rural Cuban life. Along the southern coastline, lies the beautifully-preserved colonial cities of Trinidad and Cienfuegos--both UNESCO World Heritage sites.
This exclusive opportunity to explore Cuba is organized and operated by Go Next, Inc., who has been issue a People-to-People license by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that authorizes registered travelers of the educational exchange program to visit Cuba. Go Next invites you to personally experience the people, culture, landscape and architecture of this distinct Caribbean nation on a week-long journey developed for the West Point Association of Graduations Alumni Travel Program.
With an intimate group of only 25 travelers, share enriching activities that illuminate the realities of Cuban citizens and provide an ideal gateway into their daily lives. Through informative and educational People-to-People exchanges, uncover Cuba's sheer beauty, paradoxes and remarkable intrigue on this unforgettable adventure. Space is limited, so sign up now. Don't miss this unique opportunity to unravel the mysteries of a fascinating country through its most candid, inspiring source--its people.
Curious? Take a look at the brochure to read more about this Cuban Discovery. Still more questions? Call Go Next at 800.842.9023 for more information.

Friday, May 03, 2013

Berta Soler at the Institute for Cuban & Cuban-American Studies



An Information Service of the
Cuba Transition Project
Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies
University of Miami
 
Issue 189
May 2, 2013

Berta Soler at the Institute for
Cuban & Cuban-American Studies
Berta Soler, Head of the Ladies in White in Cuba, is visiting Europe and the U.S. On April 27th, she held a press conference at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies/Casa Bacardi.
Following are the highlights of Berta Soler’s statement to the media:
  • There is growing solidarity with the Ladies in White on the streets, specifically “anonymous solidarity” as many remain fearful of the repercussions of speaking publicly in support of the Damas.
  • The U.S. should maintain the U.S. trade embargo and limit travel to the island until the Raul Castro government respects human rights.
  • Castro’s economic and migration reforms are merely “cosmetic.” She acknowledged that her hard-line views differ from those of other government critics.
  • All dissidents agree that the Castro system must end. Wearing the traditional white clothes that the Ladies in White use during their protests, the 49-year old microbiology lab technician called for "harsh treatment" of the Castro regime, including maintaining the half-century old U.S. embargo "to take away the Cuban government's oxygen."
  • While Cuban-American visitors deliver some cash and other benefits to their relatives on the island, Soler argued that other U.S. visitors spend most of their money on state-owned hotels and tourist facilities. Castro's economic reforms are “nothing more than cosmetic.” She called the changes in the immigration system-credited with allowing her and half a dozen other dissidents to travel abroad for the first time in years- “the same dog with a different collar.” Although the government removed the requirement for the much hated “exit permit” in January, authorities can still deny passport applications or put “no travel” flags on the official records of any Cuban.
  • Dissidents in Cuba require more financial support from abroad because the government, which is almost the island’s only employer, denies them jobs and other income yet calls them “mercenaries” paid by the U.S. government.
  • “Nobody pays us” to oppose the government. Soler said the Ladies in White distribute assistance from abroad to women with relatives in prison or who need help with transportation, food, clothes, and medical care.
  • Soler blamed the Cuban government for the October 14, 2011 death of Laura Pollán, who founded the Ladies in White in 2003 to bring together the female relatives of dissidents arrested in the Black Spring crackdown. Pollán, who suffered from diabetes but did not require insulin, was feeling ill for several days and went into a hospital for treatment. “She was doped up in order to kill her,” Soler declared. The official cause of death was listed as cardio-respiratory failure.
  • The primary entity that promotes and perpetuates racism in Cuba is the Cuban government, she emphasized.
  • Berta discussed the growing role of the Catholic Church but noted that as of late Cardinal Ortega is either out of the country or too busy to see them.
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