Americans traveling to Cuba in record numbers

where are the restrictions on travel to cuba? the trick  Here >>

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chicagotribune.com

Marc Frank Reuters

9:11 a.m. CDT, October 18, 2013

HAVANA (Reuters) - Americans are visiting Cuba in record numbers despite strict travel restrictions, joining the hundreds of thousands of Cuban Americans who travel home each year, according to Cuban government figures published on Friday.

Just over 98,000 U.S. citizens visited Cuba in 2012, up from 73,500 in 2011 and twice the number compared with five years ago, according to an online report by the National Statistics Office (www.one.cu).

The numbers do not include more than 350,000 Cuban Americans estimated by travel agents and U.S. diplomats to have visited the island last year. Because Cuba considers them nationals, they are not listed in its tourism statistics.

U.S. citizens are barred from traveling to Cuba without government permission under a U.S. trade embargo imposed half a century ago that can only be lifted by Congress.

The rise in U.S. visitors partly reflects a loosening of travel restrictions by President Barack Obama's administration and allow "people-to-people" contact aimed at speeding political change on the communist-ruled island 90 miles from Florida.

As well as allowing Cuban Americans to travel to Cuba freely, Obama authorized licenses for "purposeful" travel to more than 250 Cuba travel agents and allowed more airports to provide charter service between the two countries.

The program, which began in 2011 and requires annual renewal of permission to bring groups to Cuba, allows for educational and cultural travel. The regulations require detailed itineraries of each traveling group.

Cuba hosted 2.8 million tourists in 2012, with arrivals down 2 percent so far this year.

"Cuba has so much to offer in terms of culture, history and issues of mutual concern - healthcare, education and the environment - and students, professionals, people of faith are curious," said Collin Laverty, head of travel provider Cuba Educational Travel.

In the years following Cuba's 1959 revolution when Fidel Castro took power, the highest known number of U.S. visitors peaked at 70,000 under President Bill Clinton, but dropped to an average of 30,000 in the last term of President George W. Bush.

Travel to Cuba is seen as a key political issue by both embargo supporters and opponents in Washington.

"This is not about promoting democracy and freedom in Cuba. This is nothing more than tourism ... a source of millions of dollars in the hands of the Castro government that they use to oppress the Cuban people," Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida told a congressional hearing soon after Obama instituted the policy.

Theodore Piccone, deputy director of foreign policy at the Washington-based Brookings Institute that advocates engagement, said Obama should do more to open travel to Cuba. He said it was ironic that Cubans, due to reforms on the island, were now free to travel where they pleased while U.S. citizens were not.

"American travel to Cuba will remain a small fraction of its potential as long as President Obama avoids a further liberalization of travel," he said. "If the Cuban government can open travel of its citizens, which it now has, why can't we?"

(Reporting by Marc Frank; editing by Christopher Wilson)

Company pitches idea for ferry service from Port Manatee to Cuba

By SARA KENNEDY — skennedy@bradenton.com

Leonard Moecklin, left, vice president of Havana Ferry Partners LLC, and his colleague, Capt. Phillip Richards, appear Thursday before the Manatee County Port Authority to pitch ferry service between Florida and Cuba. SARA KENNEDY/Bradenton Herald

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2013/10/18/4778859/company-pitches-idea-for-ferry.html#storylink=cpy

PORT MANATEE -- Fast ferries carrying passengers and cargo highlighted plans outlined Thursday by a company that hopes to launch service between Port Manatee and Cuba.
Leonard Moecklin, vice president of Havana Ferry Partners LLC, said once legal difficulties posed by the U.S. embargo against Cuba are resolved, his company could operate ferries to the island nation 90 miles south of the United States.
Each Damen Sea Axes ferry boat could carry 150 passengers plus tons of cargo, he said.
"It's time to go to Cuba," he told the Manatee County Port Authority.
Business opportunities would cross many economic sectors, including transportation, construction, tourism, real estate, automotive, food, clothing and medical supplies, he said.
Port Manatee could be a hub for shipping construction materials to Cuba, where the infrastructure of the Communist country needs extensive rebuilding, Moecklin said.
As for the political change needed to accomplish such an enterprise, Moecklin said it's difficult when the two governments are still not speaking with each other.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2013/10/18/4778859/company-pitches-idea-for-ferry.html#storylink=cpy

Embargo: Crónica de una votación anunciada

Cuba Encuentro

Eugenio Yáñez

Dentro de pocos días, en la Asamblea General de la ONU, como ha ocurrido durante las últimas dos décadas, se votará una resolución condenando “el bloqueo de Estados Unidos contra la República de Cuba”.

Como ha sucedido en los últimos años, es de esperar que se produzcan más de 180 votos condenando a Estados Unidos, y los únicos votos en contra serían los de esos mismos Estados Unidos, Israel, y dos o tres islas-países de los Mares del Sur, que en conjunto tienen menos habitantes y no mucho más territorio que Guanabacoa, y que declaran abiertamente que no desean buscarse problemas con Estados Unidos, porque dependen de su ayuda para subsistir.

La prensa oficial en Cuba, como todos los años, hace semanas publica diariamente reportajes sobre supuestas afectaciones “del bloqueo” en todas y cada una de las ramas de la depauperada economía, desde la industria azucarera y la biotecnología hasta la producción de boniatos o pirulíes. Una de las más recientes cantaletas, según el periódico “Granma”, es que el bloqueo afecta las construcciones en Cuba. Así que los desvíos y robos de materiales, la baja calidad de las obras terminadas, las constantes filtraciones, la poca productividad, las obras entregadas sin terminar, las demoras en los cronogramas, los programas sin aseguramiento, los planes faraónicos del Comandante finalizados en agua de borrajas, los muchos proyectos sin terminar, las promesas incumplidas, los almacenes sin control, la contabilidad no confiable, la corrupción, el amiguismo, la rotura de equipos, herramientas y medios de protección, las interrupciones del trabajo para movilizaciones, mítines de repudio, desfiles de apoyo a los cinco espías o marchas del pueblo combatiente, no son producto de una permanentemente absurda gestión del modelo totalitario, actualizado o no, en todas las ramas y sectores de la economía, sino de acciones de los malos de siempre.

Esa letanía no tiene mucho peso en la arena internacional a nivel de gobiernos, pero influye en la izquierda rencorosa, las viudas de Marx y los tontos por cuenta propia: todos ellos justifican los fracasos del castrismo con el susodicho bloqueo. Además, como el régimen, en vez de pan y circo, a falta de pan, prefiere alcohol y circo, no puede desconocerse la importancia y efectos de estas obscenas campañas en la consolidación del totalitarismo, que se utilizan sistemáticamente para decirle a los cubanos de la Isla, cuando se conocen los resultados de la votación en la ONU, que las miserias y dificultades que se viven en el país son provocadas por la soberbia de Washington, que todo el mundo condena.

Y hay algo que los cubanos fuera de Cuba debemos aceptar aunque resulte incómodo, y mientras no se entienda seguiremos tropezando con la misma piedra: el castrismo ganó hace tiempo la batalla de la propaganda sobre “el bloqueo contra Cuba”. Al extremo de que muchas personas en el mundo, desde académicos y políticos hasta ciudadanos de a pie, no lo ven como lo que realmente es: un embargo contra el gobierno cubano, y no un bloqueo contra Cuba.

Que gobiernos marrulleros como los de Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Irán, Corea del Norte, Rusia, Arabia Saudita, Kazajstán, Zimbabwe, Belarús, Pakistán, Siria, Angola, Somalia, Eritrea, China o Vietnam apoyen a “Cuba” y condenen a Estados Unidos, es parte de un libreto comprensible en el funcionamiento de eso que se llama “comunidad internacional”: al fin y al cabo, y dejando detalles a un lado, esos regímenes —sean teocracias, democracias bolivarianas, monarquías o dictaduras puras y duras— tienen más puntos en común con el gobierno de Cuba que con el de Estados Unidos.

Que otros gobiernos tercermundistas se sientan obligados a respaldar a La Habana en agradecimiento a misiones de médicos, maestros, técnicos, entrenadores y cooperantes cubanos en sus países que le garantizan popularidad ante los votantes, o en intercambio de favores por algún apoyo del gobierno cubano en los No Alineados o la ONU, alguna oportuna información de inteligencia, atención médica a gobernantes o familiares, o porque le temen a una larga mano de La Habana que pudiera hacerles la vida difícil, no es algo encomiable en un mundo ideal, pero es inevitable en el real, donde tantos “antiimperialistas” gritan en el Sur y compran y se visten en el Norte, condenan eventuales violaciones de derechos humanos en Washington o Berlín, pero no en sus países, y exaltan traidores que publican información sensible del “imperio”, pero reprimen a quienes se atrevan a decir lo que no gusta al caudillo de turno.

Lo más triste de este macabro circo en la ONU, sin embargo, es ver a muy respetables democracias como Suiza, Suecia, Canadá, Noruega, Australia, Japón, Dinamarca, República Checa, Polonia, Nueva Zelanda, Alemania, Finlandia, Chile, Costa Rica, Islandia, Austria, Bélgica, Holanda, Hungría, Luxemburgo, y muchas más, así como otras no tan respetables o plagadas de corrupción, condenar “el bloqueo de Estados Unidos contra la República de Cuba”, sin siquiera mencionar ni de pasada la sistemática violación de derechos humanos en Cuba, la constante represión contra el pensamiento independiente y la libertad de expresión, la negación a los cubanos de los derechos de asociación o de organizar partidos políticos u órganos de prensa independientes, o que el régimen no renuncie a la aplicación de la pena de muerte o a enviar a prisión a personas con ideas políticas diferentes, o incluso que no acabe de ratificar Pactos de Naciones Unidas que firmó hace varios años.

La próxima votación en la ONU no cambiará la política de Estados Unidos hacia la dictadura, pero esa batalla, sin dudas, guste o no, la ha ganado La Habana. Y dentro de unos días la volverá a ganar otra vez.

Podemos resignarnos a esa realidad, llorar por lo sucedido, buscar culpables externos, o pensar en maneras de cambiar este escenario en un futuro. Pero, lamentablemente, los cubanos miramos mucho más hacia el pasado que hacia el futuro.

Así llevamos ya cincuenta y cuatro años. ¿Cuántos más habrá que esperar?

Odebrecht Distracts Miami, While Deepening Castro Ties

capitolhillcubans

Earlier this week, Odebrecht's public relations team placed a story in The Miami Herald seeking to clean up its image.

The article gushes about how Odebrecht supposedly "cares" about Miami-Dade County (by partnering with the Cuban dictatorship that has tortured, imprisoned, executed and/or exiled its constituents and their families).

Aren't they considerate?

Now -- to add insult to insensitivity and injury -- it's clear that this story was just a timely distraction, as Odebrecht's executives are currently huddled in Havana in a two-day meeting with Cuban regime officials over how to develop the Castro's sugar and renewable energy sector.

Odebrecht did such efficient work for the Castro regime on its new $900 million Port of Mariel container facility, that it has since been granted (decreed) projects in Cuba's airport and sugar sectors.

Today, they are the Castro regime's single-most reliable foreign business partner.

And yet, Odebrecht still feels it deserves the gratitude (and money) of the Cuban-American community, from which it has extracted billions in taxpayer funds, all while exploiting our friends and families on the island.

How Castro's Bio-Scam Works

capitolhillcubans

It's no surprise that former U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA), now a federal lobbyist, is trying to pitch Members of Congress and the Obama Administration on Castro's latest commercial bio-scam: a diabetic foot treatment.

As a Congressman, Delahunt pushed for a similar bio-scam nearly a decade ago regarding a purported Cuban cancer vaccine. He did so alongside some of the same faces from Castro's fan club on Capitol Hill -- namely U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY).

At the time, believe it or not (with the help of a powerful pharmaceutical lobby that has apparently learned its lesson), they managed to successfully pitch the Bush Administration.

Today, Delahunt sold the same scam to U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia (D-FL).

Here's how it works:

In 2004, Castro's cancer vaccine was licensed to U.S.-based CancerVax -- for a pretty sum of cash.

Pursuant to intense lobbying, the Treasury Department caved and authorized U.S. trials for the cancer vaccine. This news, coupled with Castro's intense propaganda, helped CancerVax's stock explode -- making some people very wealthy.

Two years later, the scam was on us -- Castro's cancer vaccine was some sort of placebo.

Fast forward today, Delahunt, now a federal lobbyist, is engaged by Healiance Pharmaceuticals, a rather obscure U.S. company owned by an equally obscure foreign parent company, Digen Pharmaceuticals.

Through Delahunt's relationships with the Castro regime, the diabetic foot treatment is licensed to Healiance Pharmaceuticals -- surely, for a healthy sum (to be paid now through the foreign parent company or contingent upon Treasury approval).

Then, the lobbying campaign begins -- and if approved by Treasury, the propaganda campaign will intensify and small fortunes will be made (regardless of the results).

(As a reminder, this so-called treatment, has only been "tested" in totalitarian Cuba and authoritarian Venezuela. No developed country has commercialized it -- for a reason.)

The scam will be on us (again).

Lopez Levy & Hugo Cancio: Obama speaks to Rouhani. Is Raul Castro next?

pushing and pushing and pushig, these motherfuckers agents of the cuba regime.
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Last Friday, President Obama made a historical phone call to President Hassan Rouhani of the Islamic Republic of Iran. For millions of Americans and Iranians this conversation of minutes offers an opportunity to think on past decades of confrontations and a hope for less antagonistic relationships in the future. The Presidents' phone conversation was possible because of some important leadership transitions in Washington and Teheran. In 2008, president Obama proclaimed his flexibility to establish a dialogue not only with friends but also with adversaries. During the Iranian presidential elections, president Rouhani declared his will to negotiate and compromise with the West about his country's nuclear program. Although the U.S.-Cuba relationship is lower in American priorities than Washington's policy towards Teheran, the positions presented by president Obama and Secretary Kerry make the public wonder why there are not similar bold steps of dialogue with the Raul Castro's government. As Cuban-Americans committed to better relations between Cuba and the United States, we believe that there are favorable conditions in Havana, Washington and Miami to build greater understanding and direct communication between government, civil society, business and social leaders on both sides of the Strait of Florida. The processes of economic reform and political liberalization in Cuba and the generational change in Miami are showing a Cuban nation that is eager to engage and for the links between the U.S and Cuba to grow. 

Keep reading on Hola Arkansas >>

Congressman Joe Garcia breaks with Cuban-American lobby to support testing of Cuban diabetes drug in US

Daily Journal

El Joe con los All Stars

MIAMI — Miami Congressman Joe Garcia is supporting the efforts of a Cuban research institute that wants to test and market a diabetes treatment in the U.S.

The drug is intended to help people who suffer from diabetic foot ulcers, and, if successful, could help the estimated 70,000 Americans who undergo an amputation due to diabetes complications each year, Garcia said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.

But because of U.S.-Cuba trade restrictions, the Office of Foreign Assets Control would first need to approve whether to grant a license for the drug to be put to clinical trials in the United States.

The drug was developed by Cuba's Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, and the 51-year-old embargo prohibits nearly all trade until there are democratic changes on the island, though a clause allows for the sale of food products and some pharmaceuticals.

Garcia's support for the drug, called Heberprot-P, is one of the first if times that a Cuban-American representative in Congress has publically supported a measure critics would say undermine the embargo. Garcia, a Democrat, has largely stayed away from discussing Cuba issues, both during his campaign and in office, though he has stated his support for humanitarian travel and the "people-to-people" exchanges re-established under the Obama administration.

Garcia said Tuesday he remains in favor of the embargo, and that the drug's entrance into the U.S. market isn't about politics but potentially saving lives.

"I'm all for the embargo," he said. "I'm all for being against the Cuban regime. But what I'm not for is people suffering if they don't need to. Certainly not Americans."

The Miami Herald first reported Garcia's stance on the diabetes treatment.

Garcia said chronic diabetes runs throughout his family, and recalled how his grandfather, a gardener who suffered from the disease, constantly worried about getting cuts on his hands and feet. According to the National Institutes of Health, diabetics are at an increased risk of developing foot sores that can take months to heal and often result in hospital stays.

According to the Cuban institute that developed the drug, Heberprot-P has been registered in 15 other countries, treating more than 100,000 patients. The medication contains recombinant human epidermal growth factor to accelerate the healing of deep and complex ulcers.

An article published in Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde earlier this year stated that nations including Russia, Brazil and China were in the process of applying to use Heberprot-P in their hospitals. The story quoted a lawyer affiliated with the research center stating the drug had helped more than 200,000 people in Cuba.

Recently, former Republican New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu and former Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt, a Democrat who now lobbies for Healiance Pharmaceutical, spoke with Garcia about drug trials for the Cuban medication in the U.S.

After their meetings, Garcia joined other representatives in supporting a draft letter circulating in Congress requesting the U.S. Treasury Department grant authorization if a U.S. company seeks a license to conduct clinical trials of the drug.

"The lack of access to an effective treatment for this life threatening condition, which afflicts millions of Americans and results in billions of dollars in direct medical costs, is a serious unmet medical need for the American people that should be viewed as a human issue and not as part of a Cold War era political one," the letter states.

Polling of the Cuban-American community has shown support for the embargo against Cuba has waned, especially as Miami becomes increasingly populated with Cubans who grew up on the island after the revolution and travel back to visit relatives.

Garcia said he didn't have the changing face of the Cuban-American electorate in mind when he decided to support the drug's entrance into U.S. markets.

"This is something that's right," he said. "This is something that could benefit up to 70,000 Americans. I'm a member of the United States Congress and my job is to represent those folks."

Jorge Duany, director of Florida International University's Cuba Research Institute, said he believed there would likely be some support in the Cuban-American community for treating issues like medications as a special issue with humanitarian implications, rather than in the context of the continuing political conflict between Cuba and the United States.

"I think he's gambling that, in fact, it's not going to cost him any significant number of votes," Duany said in an interview on Tuesday.

At least two other members of the Cuban-American congressional delegation have voiced their opposition to allowing the drug entrance into the U.S. market.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said it shouldn't be permitted because Cuba remains on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and because he said the drug has not been commercialized in any developed nation.

"This is the (latest) shiny object the regime is trying to use to weaken sanctions," Diaz-Balart said.

Canadian Golf Project in Cuba Hits Snag

capitolhillcubans

From The Miami Herald:

Canadian golf project in Cuba hits a snag

A Canadian real estate company planning a golf resort in Cuba has filed a $25.5million suit against the PGA of America in Palm Beach County, alleging that the group blocked its right to use the valuable brand on the island.

The firm, 360 Vox Corp., formerly Leisure Canada, claims it lost $20 million in anticipated profits, $5.5 million in feasibility studies, the $80,000 licensing fee it paid to the British-based PGA Ltd (PGAL), and other expenses.

Leisure Canada was one of 16 foreign companies that eagerly rushed to propose golf and marina resorts in Cuba after the government announced that it wanted to expand the island’s tourist offerings. None has started construction to date.

The lawsuit alleges that PGA of America, which represents teaching professionals and is not linked to the PGA Tour, pushed PGAL to cancel the license because of criticism, including from the blog Capitol Hill Cubans.

On March 14, 2011, Leisure Canada announced it had signed the licensing agreement with PGAL, which has the right to the PGA brand in Cuba, for the future use of names such as PGA Village Cuba and PGA National Golf Academy Cuba.

But three days later the blog “suggested that PGAL was using its British brand to ‘skirt sanctions’ ” imposed on Cuba by the half-century-old U.S. trade embargo, according to the lawsuit.

The following day, PGA of America, by far the largest and most powerful member of PGAL, disavowed any role in the Cuba project and four months later met with PGAL officials to discuss the Cuba licensing issue, the lawsuit noted.

“Succumbing to pressure from the PGA of America … on Dec. 18, 2012, PGAL sent 360 Vox a letter stating that it was terminating the agreement and would no longer agree to work with 360 Vox in Cuba,” according to the lawsuit.

“PGA of America strong-armed the PGA in England, that’s what they did,” said Glen H. Waldman, the lawyer who filed the 360 Vox lawsuit on Sept. 9 in Palm Beach County Court. “They caved, and my client is out millions of dollars.”

Leisure Canada, a publicly traded company, has launched several development projects in Cuba since the late 1990s and a subsidiary, Wilton Properties Ltd., has a joint venture in hotels with the Cuban government’s Grupo Hotelero Gran Caribe S.A.

In 2010, it announced it was updating its plans for a golf course, condos and marina in the fishing village of Jibacoa, on Cuba’s north coast about 50 miles east of Havana.

Mauricio Claver-Carone, of the U.S.-Cuba Democracy Political Action Committee and who runs the Capitol Hill Cubans blog, wrote Friday that Leisure Canada has been talking about building golf resorts in Cuba since 1999 but has never begun construction.

“So why doesn’t Leisure Canada... sue the Castro regime?” he wrote. “Do business with a bloody dictatorship, and then seek relief in the good ol’ democratic U.S.A. when you get scammed.”

Cuba unleashed a frantic wave of interest from foreign developers in 2010 when word began to leak that it was considering approving foreign investments in golf and marina resorts. The communist-run island now has one 18-hole and one nine-hole course for the “bourgeoisie” sport.

But only four projects were reported in the summer of 2011 to be in the group that had finished negotiations with the government.

The Tourism Ministry has publicly mentioned final approval for only one of the four, The Carbonera Club, a $350 million project near Varadero beach east of Havana proposed by the British investment firm Esencia.

The three others were a Spanish project in Pinar del Rio province; a proposal in Holguin by Canada’s Standing Feather company; and a Bellomonte proposal by the British Coral Capital firm for a beach 15 miles east of Havana.

Bellomonte’s current standing is unclear because Coral Capital Executive Director Amado Fakhre and Chief of Operations Stephen Purvis were freed from a Cuban prison in June after two years under investigation for corruption.

Cruises to Cuba announced by U.S. tour company

San Jose Mercury News

By Beth J. Harpaz

covenantharbor.org

A U.S.-based tour company has announced it plans to launch new people-to-people trips to Cuba that would transport U.S. citizens there by ship.

Road Scholar, a Boston-based company, is offering the trips from Jamaica and Miami, with stops in Havana and other parts of Cuba.
Most travel by U.S. citizens to Cuba is outlawed, but tens of thousands of Americans now visit the island legally each year on people-to-people tours, which are licensed by the U.S. Treasury Department. People-to-people trips must have educational and cultural exchange itineraries in order to be approved by the U.S. government.
Typically, people-to-people tours fly from U.S. airports to Havana on chartered planes. But Road Scholar's director of international programs, Yves Marceau, said that "there's nothing in the regulations or guidelines" that preclude traveling by ship on a people-to-people tour.
The U.S. Treasury Department confirmed that transportation, "whether by bus, boat or taxi" in Cuba, is permitted as part of the people-to-people programs, as long as it does not detract from a "full-time schedule of educational activities that will result in meaningful interaction between the travelers and individuals in Cuba."
Marceau said Road Scholar had "designed all the port programs to be consistent" with those regulations, including a visit to an agricultural cooperative and meetings with artists.
The Road Scholar trips are among several seaborne voyages planned by U.S.-based entities to Cuba. This fall, Semester at Sea plans its first stop in Cuba since 2004, according to Semester at Sea spokesman Andrew Centofante. Semester at Sea allows college students to earn credit on multicountry study abroad programs that take place on a ship, and Centofante said the Cuba stop was approved by the U.S. government as part of an itinerary in which students will visit various ports around the Atlantic.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York had advertised a people-to-people cruise from Jamaica to Havana this past April, but it did not take place. A spokesman for Academic Arrangements Abroad, which was organizing the museum trip, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but it's not unusual for tours sponsored by museums or universities to be canceled if they don't get enough participants.
The Road Scholar trip will use a cruise ship operated by a Canadian company, with Canadians and Europeans making up most of the other 1,000 passengers on the ship, Marceau said. The Road Scholar group has room for 24 participants and will adhere to its own itinerary in Cuban ports.
One of the Road Scholar tours is an 11-night trip beginning in Montego Bay, Jamaica, which heads to Punta Frances, on a small Cuban island south of Havana called Isla de la Juventud, and concludes with five nights in Havana. A second 10-night trip starts in Miami, then heads to Cuba, with stops including rural areas and the western part of the country, and a final stop in Montego Bay. The third Road Scholar voyage runs 12 nights, traveling from Miami to Havana and around the island before returning to Havana. The Road Scholar seaborne trips to Cuba have departure dates in December through March.
Road Scholar, formerly known as Elderhostel, is a nonprofit group that is broadening its focus after years of specializing in Baby Boomer travel and intergenerational programs for grandparents and grandchildren. The group now also offers family travel programs for multiple generations.
People-to-people cultural exchange licenses for trips to Cuba were reinstituted by the Obama administration in 2011, after being halted by the Bush administration. But requirements were tightened last year after criticism that many of the trips were masking recreational tourism to the Communist island. Cuban-American Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida criticized the government for approving licenses for groups that included activities like salsa dancing. 

American Express Fined $5 Million for Cuba Sanctions Violations

capitolhillcubans

From the U.S. Treasury Department:

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. Settles Potential Civil Liability for Apparent Violations of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations

American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (“TRS”), New York, NY, has agreed to pay $5,226,120 to settle potential civil liability for apparent violations of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 515 (the “CACR”). From on or about December 15, 2005, through on or about November 1, 2011, TRS dealt in property in which Cuba or its nationals had an interest when its foreign branch offices and subsidiaries issued 14,487 tickets for travel between Cuba and countries other than the United States, many of which had adopted “antidote” measures (blocking statutes) prohibiting compliance with the CACR, without authorization from OFAC.

OFAC determined that TRS voluntarily self-disclosed this matter to OFAC and that the apparent violations occurred “subsequent to agency notice” in 1995.

TRS was investigated by OFAC in 1995 and 1996 for similar apparent violations of the CACR arising from the provision of travel services to and from Cuba by a recently acquired subsidiary at the time. OFAC provided written notice to TRS that such conduct constituted apparent violations of the CACR.

Under the Cuba Penalty Schedule, 68 Fed. Reg. 4429 (Jan. 29, 2003), the base penalty for the apparent violations is $3,629,250.

American Express Agrees to Cuba Travel Settlement

ABC News

By CHRISTINE ARMARIO Associated Press

MIAMI July 22, 2013 (AP)

American Express has reached a settlement with the U.S. Treasury Department over more than 14,000 tickets that were issued for travel between Cuba and countries outside the U.S., officials announced Monday.

American Express Travel Related Services, Inc. has agreed to pay $5.2 million to settle potential civil liability for apparent federal violations. The Treasury Department found that foreign branch offices and subsidiaries of American Express issued about 14,487 tickets for travel to and from the island between December 2005 and November 2011.

Those bookings were an apparent violation of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations. The rules issued in 1963 prohibit financial transactions by banking institutions under U.S. jurisdiction in which Cuba or its citizens have an interest.

"We voluntarily self-disclosed these bookings to OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control), and put in place robust controls to ensure it would not recur," American Express spokeswoman Diana Postemsky said in a written statement.

American Express can provide travel service arrangements for authorized trips to the island, but the bookings in question were never approved by the federal government.

It's not the first time American Express has come under federal scrutiny for its handling of Cuba-related travel. The company was investigated in 1995 and 1996 for similar violations committed by a subsidiary that had recently been acquired, according to the Treasury Department.

Federal officials said American Express showed "reckless disregard" for the regulations.

"The apparent violations caused significant harm to U.S. sanctions program objectives regarding Cuba," the Treasury Department said in announcing the settlement.

The Treasury Department said American Express continued to book travel to and from Cuba for many of its corporate clients following the 2010 disclosure of the violations. The department said the company also never implemented the remedial measures it pledged to implement after the 1995 and 1996 investigation.

American Express is one of the largest travel service providers for authorized Cuba travel, according to the Treasury Department.

U.S. citizens are prohibited from traveling to Cuba as tourists, though they can travel for religious, educational or cultural visits if granted a specific license by the Treasury Department. So called "people-to-people" travel was reinstated by the Obama administration in 2011.

Los envíos a Cuba desde Estados Unidos en ascenso

TVMartiNoticias

Raul Counting on U.S. and Europe to Save Regime

capitolhillcubans

This week, Cuban democracy activist Guillermo Fariñas visited the headquarters of the Belorussian opposition movement, Charter 97, in Warsaw, Poland.

According to Charter 97:

For his civic and political activities Guillermo Fariñas spent over 11 years in Cuban prisons. He went on hunger strikes 23 times. During one of the hunger strikes he nearly died and was taken to a resuscitation department. The Cuban regime was compelled to make concessions and fulfill his demands for the release of 52 dissidents from prisons.

In October 2010 Guillermo Fariñas became the winner of Andrei Sakharov prized, founded by the European Parliament. Cuban authorities for long refused to let him out of the country. Only this year, under the pressure of international community, the dissident was allowed to go abroad. The award ceremony will take place in Brussels on 2 June. Before this event Guillermo Fariñas visited Poland.

“You are all heroes for me”, the Cuban dissident said, when the meeting’s participants were introduced to him.

Guillermo Fariñas told about the current situation in his country and how Cuban authorities fight the opposition. It turned out the situation was identical to the Belarusian.

“Special services are constantly trying to separate their opponents. They create artificial competition and play off dissident groups one against another. It is important for Raul Castro for the opposition to remain scattered”, the dissident said.

He noted that the Cuban regime has been lately compelled to somewhat soften the repression against the opposition and make certain concessions in social and economic spheres. According to him, the authorities are preparing for a “transition stage” and counting on Western loans and lifting of the US sanctions. It is exactly for this reason that they are studying the experience of other dictatorial countries in Havana, including Lukashenka’s Belarus. At the same time Guillermo Fariñas is convinced that Raul Castro can take the reformer’s mask off any moment. There are still dozens of political prisoners in Cuba’s prisons. The dissident does not rule out new provocations against him.

EEUU congeló a Cuba $253 millones el pasado año

Por Wilfredo Cancio Isla

Estados Unidos le congeló a Cuba $253 millones de dólares durante el 2012, la segunda cifra más alta entre los países sancionados como patrocinadores del terrorismo, indicó un informe gubernamental.

El reporte anual del Departamento del Tesoro al Congreso sobre los activos embargados a estados y organizaciones terroristas (TAR-2012), indicó un incremento del 3 por ciento con relación a los $245 millones reportados el pasado año, pero muy por debajo de los $1,936.4 millones retenidos a Irán.

El monto total retenido en el 2012 a Estados y grupos considerados como terroristas ascendió a los $2,292.8 millones.

Continuar leyendo en cafefuerte >>

Regime Official Pitches Golf Resorts as People-to-People Travel

capitolhillcubans
It is abundantly clear that the Castro regime is desperate for U.S. tourists to salvage its dictatorship.

This week, in pitching the Castro regime's new golf project, Jose Tova-Pineda, director-general of the Varadero golf course, stated:

"American may have a problem with us, but we have no problem with Americans, the more who visit us, the better."

Of course, U.S. tourism to Cuba is illegal (was codified into law as such in 2000) and the U.S. Congress is unlikely to unilaterally change that policy.

So Tova-Pineda aimed his pitch at the Obama Administration instead, hoping to package its new resorts as "cultural tours" for so-called "people-to-people" travelers:

"Our resorts will be at historic cross-centers across the country.  That way people get their suntan, enjoy our country and learn about the culture."

Any bets that a "golf itinerary" will soon find its way to OFAC for "people-to-people" approval

Cuba Embargo in Florida Goes Too Far, Court Says

Courthouse News Service
By IULIA FILIP

Florida cannot stop companies with remote business ties to Cuba from bidding on state or local public contracts, the 11th Circuit ruled.

     Florida passed the Cuba Amendment in May 2012 to ostensibly prevent companies that did business in Cuba or Syria, or were related to such companies, from bidding on state or local public contracts worth at least $1 million. Slated to take effect on July 1, 2012, the law would have applied to any company whose subsidiaries, parent companies or affiliates had business ties to Cuba or Syria, including distant foreign affiliates.

     It also would have required companies to certify that they did not have business operations in any of the two countries when submitting a bid or renewing a contract with a government agency. Any agency or local government entity participating in the contract could impose a civil penalty of $2 million or twice the amount of the contract against companies that filed false certifications.

     Coral Gables-based company Odebrecht Construction sued the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in June 2012 to prevent it from enforcing the amendment against the company. Odebrecht, whose Brazilian parent company had unrelated foreign subsidiaries that did business in Cuba, was one of more than 200 Florida businesses potentially affected by the amendment.

     Claiming that most of its income comes from infrastructure and transportation projects, Odebrecht said the law would prevent it from bidding on high-value public contracts in Florida, including several FDOT contracts worth up to $1.8 billion for which it qualified.

     Odebrecht argued that the law violated the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution because it conflicted directly with the federal regime of sanctions against Cuba, and weakened the president's ability to formulate uniform policies concerning Cuba. A federal judge agreed last year and blocked the amendment before it took effect.

     A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit refused to lift the injunction last week, finding that the state law conflicted with the comprehensive economic sanctions the federal government had imposed for decades to limit American companies from doing business in Cuba.

More on Courthouse News Service >>

Cuba-US: For Those Who Oppose Sanctions

capitolhillcubans

In El Nuevo Herald, Roland Behar writes about Cuban pro-democracy leader and Estado de Sats founder, Antonio Rodiles:

Rodiles holds that history has proven that the Cuban government has always used the funds at its disposal for any purpose, except for the improvement of the quality of life of the population and the development of the nation. Rodiles reminds us that during the era of Soviet subsidies, those funds were used to foment subversion throughout the world, instead of to create a productive and industrial base. He also reminds us that during the 1990s, after the disappearance of the USSR, the embargo had a real effect, which led to "concessions" unlike any we have seen during these times of "openings." Once Chavez began cooperating, the "openings" were eliminated, culminating with the horrible Black Spring of 2003.  He sent a clear message to those who from the comfort of Miami, coincide with the Cuban government and advocate for easing economic sanctions, pointing to their responsibility -- [for if sanctions are eased] as the Cuban government once again begins to feel economically stable, the first thing it will do is imprison all those who oppose it.

Cardinal Scolds Dissidents, Pope Blesses Dissidents

capitolhillcubans

Yesterday, Cuba's Cardinal Jaime Ortega (once again) scolded dissidents who support sanctions.
Meanwhile, today in Vatican City, Pope Francis met the leader of Cuba's Ladies in White, Berta Soler, and bestowed his blessing upon her.
Soler supports sanctions against the Castro regime.
Oh, the irony.
In October 2011, upon turning 75-years old, Cardinal Ortega presented his resignation as Archbishop of Havana to then-Pope Benedict XVI.
We pray Pope Francis finally accepts his resignation -- for the Cuban people deserve better.

Cuba-US: The Will of Taxpayers Will Ultimately Prevail

capitolhillcubans

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ("the Court") has upheld a challenge by Brazil's Odebrecht against a Florida law banning contracts with companies with business ties to Cuba and Syria.

This law was passed by a near-unanimous vote in the Florida legislature and approved by over 62% of Miami-Dade County voters.

Sadly, Odebrecht -- a key business partner of Cuba's dictatorship -- chose to legally challenge the will of Florida's taxpayers, rather than sever its ties with the Castro brothers.

In sum, the Court held that the Florida law "conflicts" with federal sanctions towards Cuba because it fails to address some of the current exemptions in U.S. law -- namely the cash-sale of agriculture and medical products.

We respectfully disagree with this decision, for under its controlling precedent in Faculty Senate of Florida International University v. Winn, 616 F.3d 1206 (11th Cir. 2010), the Court had previously upheld a state ban on academic travel to Cuba, despite an explicit exemption for academic travel under federal law.

Furthermore, we believe taxpayers have an inherent right to decide where (and with whom) they want their money spent.

Needless to say, we respect the Court's decision.

Fortunately though, we live in a representative democracy, where the voice and the will of the taxpayer will ultimately prevail.

Tribunal rechaza ley de Florida contra firmas que comercien con Cuba

cafefuerte

Por Redacción CaféFuerte

El gobierno de la Florida perdió una batalla legal por impedir el acceso a contratos estatales y locales a compañías que mantengan vínculos comerciales con Cuba.

El Tribunal de Apelaciones de Atlanta ratificó este lunes el fallo de un juez federal de Miami que echó atrás una ley firmada por el gobernador Rick Scott para bloquear contratos por $1 millón de dólares o más a compañías que mantienen negocios con la isla.

"La ley de la Florida va mucho más allá de la ley federal por numerosas vías y menoscaba el ejercicio del Presidente [de Estados Unidos] sobre una discreción dada por el Congreso", decretó un panel de tres jueces del Onceno Circuito. La decisión fue unánime.

El dictamen judicial consideró inadecuado que la legislación aprobada en Florida "penaliza a las empresas estadounidenses por las actividades de negocios de sus compañías matrices o sus filiales en el extranjero, sin importar lo remoto de la conexión".

En conflicto con Washington

"La ley entra en conflicto directamente con el extenso y altamente calibrado régimen de sanciones contra Cuba, promulgadas por los poderes legislativo y ejecutivo durante casi cincuenta años", agregó el documento.

En otras palabras: que la Florida no puede obstruir las decisiones estratégicas trazadas en Washington sobre asuntos de política exterior y comercio global, ni tiene jurisdiccióin para convertirse en un nuevo brazo legal del embargo.

La decisión constituye un duro golpe a Scott y la Legislatura estatal de la Florida, y le da un espaldarazo legal a la firma Odebrecht Construction USA, radicada en Coral Gables.

Después de amplios debates en torno a la propuesta legislativa, especialmente en el condado Miami-Dade, el gobernador Scott había firmado la ley el 1ro de mayo del 2012.

Apenas semanas después Odebrecht Construction USA apeló la medida ante un tribunal federal de Miami y el juez Michael Moore dictó una orden preliminar congelando la aplicación de la ley. El Departamento de Transporte de Florida (FDOT) ripostó apelando el veredicto ante el Onceno Circuito de Atlanta, a fines del pasado año.

Daños irreparables

El panel de tres jueces había escuchado los argumentos de ambas partes en una audiencia celebrada el pasado marzo.

El fallo de los jueces de Atlanta mantiene en pie la orden preliminar de Moore, aunque no se trata de una decisión judicial permanente. Odebrecht Construction USA podría solicitar una extensión permanente del fallo de este lunes.

No se descarta una apelación del FDOT ante el pleno de jueces del Tribunal de Atlanta.

En la orden divulgada este lunes, el juez Stanley Marcus recordó que países como Canadá, Noruega, Suiza y Singapur han expresado su preocupación sobre el hecho de que la ley floridana entra en conflicto con los compromisos establecidos por Estados Unidos ante la Organización Mundial de Comercio (OMC).

El juez Marcus observó que Odebrecht Construction USA sería "irreparablemente perjudicada" por la ley, en cambio, el Estado de Florida no se ve afectado del mismo modo por haberla revertido.

Más de 200 empresas con un largo historial de negocios en Florida y con nexos potenciales con Cuba, estarían entre las beneficiadas por la acción judicial.

Largo servicio en Miami

Desde su fundación en 1990, Odebrecht Construction USA ha recibido 35 contratos  públicos en Florida, con ganacias estimadas en unos $4,000 millones de dólares. Entre sus obras figuran el Centro de Artes Escénicas de Miami, la Arena American Airlines y el estadio de la Univesidad Internacional de la Florida (FIU).

En un comunicado, Odebrecht Construction USA dijo sentirse satisfecha con la decisión del tribunal, y recordó su aval de 23 años de trabajo y participación en el acontecer del Condado Miami-Dade.

"Vamos a continuar defendiendo nuestro derecho a servir al Estado de la Florida y a sus gobiernos locales, y permanecemos plenamente comprometidos con el cumplimiento de todas las leyes locales, estatales y federales", expresó la compañía.

Odebrecht Construction USA, que no tiene directamente negocios en la isla, es subsidiaria de Odebrecht SA, radicada en Brasil y con millonarias inversiones en territorio cubano.

Mientras el conglomerado brasileño está enfrascado actualmente en la modernización del Puerto del Mariel, al oeste de La Habana, con una inversión de $800 millones de dólares, la filial de Coral Gables obtuvo un contrato en el 2011 para la reconstrucción del Puerto de Miami, y tiene pendiente un ambicioso proyecto de infraestructura y transporte público, adyacente al aeropuerto internacional de Miami, por $512 millones de dólares.

El llamado Airport City está aún pendiente de una decisión de la Comisión de Miami-Dade, que debe tomar una decisión en las próximas semanas.