viernes, diciembre 13, 2013
Cuba: A pesar de las "reformas" entre las ultimas economias latinoamericanas
incluir en la ecuacion los $29 billones que putin les "perdono" a cambio de favores especiales por ejecutar.
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Diario de Cuba
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Diario de Cuba
El diagnóstico de la economía castrista en 2013 vuelve a arrojar un panorama sombrío. Un crecimiento del 3% sitúa a Cuba nuevamente en el puesto 15 de un conjunto de 20 países de América Latina. Un año más, la economía se sitúa al margen de las tendencias favorables que sacuden al continente, mostrando su escasa interrelación con el resto. En La Habana, como viene siendo habitual, los responsables echan toda la culpa a la existencia del embargo o "bloqueo".
Las perspectivas para 2014 tampoco resultan muy favorables.
Y ello a pesar de que el régimen se ha entregado a los llamados "lineamientos" como una tabla de salvación para lo que denomina "actualización del socialismo", y que paso a paso va adoptando decisiones sobre un amplio espectro de actividades cuya finalidad es estimular el marasmo económico. Cabría preguntarse qué podría ocurrir en la economía castrista en ausencia de dichos "lineamientos". Pero vayamos por partes.
Según el Balance preliminar de las economías de América Latina y el Caribe en 2013, publicado por CEPAL, los "motores" de la economía castrista se han frenado en seco durante este año.
Con respecto al sector externo, el informe destaca varios aspectos:
En primer lugar, el estancamiento o ligero descenso de los ingresos turísticos. No se alcanzarán los tres millones de visitantes proyectados al registrarse bajos índices de repetición y no realizarse una campaña adecuada para reordenar los mercados de origen.
En segundo lugar, se destaca el descenso experimentado por el precio del níquel en los mercados mundiales, lo que rebaja los ingresos por exportaciones de mercancías.
Y en tercero, se alude a unas presuntas "barreras de entrada" de las exportaciones de biotecnología, cuando es cierto que las mismas se han dirigido hacia países con los que el régimen comercia en términos de cooperación, al margen de las condiciones básicas de los intercambios mundiales.
Por lo que se refiere al sector interno, el Informe señala textualmente:
En primer lugar, la baja inversión respecto del PIB, que sigue sin alcanzar ese nivel mínimo del 10% considerado un objetivo básico para promover la renovación del obsoleto aparato productivo de la economía.
En segundo lugar, el mantenimiento de la política de ajustes y recortes en el gasto público, que parece dirigirse a las empresas con pérdidas, a las que se niegan los subsidios (una práctica discrecional que sigue siendo limitada en cuanto a su aplicación real).
En tercer lugar, como consecuencia de lo anterior, la excesiva rigidez a la baja del déficit, nuevamente en el 3,6% del PIB, sin que se mejore a pesar de los esfuerzos continuos que recaen directamente sobre la población, al ser el Estado el único proveedor de los bienes y servicios que se ajustan.
En cuarto, el estancamiento de los salarios reales medios y del empleo, lo que tiene un impacto limitado sobre el gasto.
En este escenario de absoluta parálisis, ineficiencia e improductividad, ¿qué es lo que hace moverse a la economía?
La respuesta es evidente: las remesas de los emigrantes. No hay datos estadísticos oficiales. The Havana Consulting estimó en 2.600 millones de dólares la cuantía de esas remesas vitales para la economía castrista, en su mayoría procedentes de Estados Unidos; o sea, el "imperio del mal" convertido ahora en financistas de las aventuras castristas.
Las remesas ejercen efectos poderosos sobre las economías que las reciben, pero la ausencia de un marco estable jurídico de derechos de propiedad en Cuba hace que su impacto sea mucho menor. En ese sentido, apenas significan un efecto compensatorio de las graves carencias que se tienen en la sociedad. Algunos de los efectos son los siguientes:
En primer lugar, estimulan el gasto de consumo en presencia de salarios reales estancados o a la baja (incremento de las importaciones de alimentos, arroz, soja, materias primas, cárnicas, leche en polvo).
En segundo lugar, la evidencia del atractivo de las remesas, lleva a que la mayor parte del trabajo por cuenta propia que se establece en el país se dirija a la alimentación, el transporte, el arrendamiento de vivienda, y otras actividades que tratan de captar recursos en el canal en que circulan las monedas fuertes, con las que prácticamente se consigue de todo en Cuba. Las desigualdades aumentan, se profundizan, y con ello se genera un fenómeno para el que el régimen carece de argumentos. Las consecuencias son imposibles de anticipar.
En tercer lugar, esas remesas favorecen gastos en equipamientos y pequeñas reparaciones domésticas que estimulan el sector de la construcción de viviendas, como se viene realizando en La Habana y que confirma el informe de CEPAL.
En cuarto lugar, ejercen un efecto dinámico sobre la actividad bancaria, facilitando el ahorro obligatorio (ingresos superiores a 2.000 euros), lo que beneficia a su vez al régimen, en su nueva política de intentar financiar el déficit con los niveles de ahorro internos.
Legisladores cubanoamericanos piden a Kerry que impida la entrada a EEUU de Arnaldo y su Talismán
El "caucus" cubanoamericano del Congreso de Estados Unidos pidió este jueves al Departamento de Estado que niegue la visa al músico cubano Arnaldo Rodríguez, líder de la orquesta Arnaldo y su Talismán, uno de los participantes en los actos represivos de los últimos días en la Isla.
El salsero dijo en una entrevista que tiene prevista una gira por Estados Unidos. Recientemente estuvo en Canadá.
Los congresistas Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Albio Sires (D-NJ) y Joe García (D-FL) invocaron la proclamación presidencial que impide entrar a Estados Unidos a extranjeros que participen en violaciones de derechos humanos.
La carta, dirigida al secretario de Estado John Kerry, cita la información dada a conocer por DIARIO DE CUBA, el miércoles, sobre Arnaldo Rodríguez.
"Espantosamente, estos abusadores de derechos humanos reclaman viajar a Estados Unidos como parte de un 'intercambio cultural'", denuncia la misiva.
La proclamación presidencial, firmada por Barack Obama el 4 de agosto de 2011, se basa en el "compromiso de Estados Unidos con el respeto de los derechos humanos".
"El derecho humanitario exige que el Gobierno sea capaz de asegurar que Estados Unidos no se convierta en refugio seguro de graves violadores de derechos humanos y quienes se dedican a otros abusos relacionados", dice el documento.
La orquesta Arnaldo y su Talismán animó el acto de repudio frente a la sede de Estado de Sats el miércoles. También participó el cantautor Diego Gutiérrez, entre otros artistas que no pudieron ser identificados inmediatamente.
Este jueves, Washington deploró la detención de los disidentes que debían participar en actividades por el Día de los Derechos Humanos en la Isla, informa AFP.
"Deploramos las duras tácticas del gobierno cubano para impedir el reconocimiento pacífico al Día de los Derechos Humanos de la sociedad civil cubana", dijo en un comunicado la portavoz adjunta del Departamento de Estado, Marie Harf.
"Estados Unidos aspira al día en que cada cubano, sin importar su opinión política, pueda expresarse libremente sin miedo de hostigamiento o violencia física de su gobierno", agregó.
EEUU condena represión en Cuba en el día de los DDHH
http://www.martinoticias.com/media/video/30163.html
El Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos emitió este jueves un comunicado en el que rechaza las “duras prácticas del gobierno cubano para impedir que la sociedad civil cubana realizara su reconocimiento al Día de los Derechos Humanos.
“El 10 y 11 de diciembre, las autoridades cubanas detuvieron violentamente a decenas de académicos cubanos independientes, periodistas y representantes de la sociedad civil, incluidas las Damas de Blanco y activistas de la Unión Patriótica de Cuba”.
La nota de prensa firmada por Marie Harf, portavoz del Departamento de Estado, recalca que Estados Unidos espera con interés “el día en que todos los cubanos, independientemente de la opinión política, pueda expresarse libremente y sin temor a sufrir hostigamiento o violencia física por parte de su gobierno”.
El Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos emitió este jueves un comunicado en el que rechaza las “duras prácticas del gobierno cubano para impedir que la sociedad civil cubana realizara su reconocimiento al Día de los Derechos Humanos.
“El 10 y 11 de diciembre, las autoridades cubanas detuvieron violentamente a decenas de académicos cubanos independientes, periodistas y representantes de la sociedad civil, incluidas las Damas de Blanco y activistas de la Unión Patriótica de Cuba”.
La nota de prensa firmada por Marie Harf, portavoz del Departamento de Estado, recalca que Estados Unidos espera con interés “el día en que todos los cubanos, independientemente de la opinión política, pueda expresarse libremente y sin temor a sufrir hostigamiento o violencia física por parte de su gobierno”.
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| Arnaldo y su Talismán en el asedio a los activistas de Estado de Sats |
Por otra parte, los congresistas cubanoamericanos Mario Díaz Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Albio Sires y Joe García, pidieron al Departamento de Estado que impida la entrada a Estados Unidos de artistas como Arnaldo y su Talismán, que han participado en actos de represión contra los activistas y opositores cubanos.
Arnaldo estuvo entre los músicos que alentaron el asedio contra los activistas del Encuentro Internacional de Derechos Humanos. También ha revelado que planea viajar a Estados Unidos como parte de un intercambio cultural.
“La Administración de Obama no debe permitir que estos cómplices de la dictadura asesina de Castro entren en los Estados Unidos”, indicó Díaz-Balart en la petición, basada en una proclama del presidente Obama mediante la cual se ordena la “Suspensión de Entrada como inmigrantes y no inmigrantes de las personas que participan en violaciones de los derechos humanos, del derecho Humanitario y otros abusos".
Arnaldo estuvo entre los músicos que alentaron el asedio contra los activistas del Encuentro Internacional de Derechos Humanos. También ha revelado que planea viajar a Estados Unidos como parte de un intercambio cultural.
“La Administración de Obama no debe permitir que estos cómplices de la dictadura asesina de Castro entren en los Estados Unidos”, indicó Díaz-Balart en la petición, basada en una proclama del presidente Obama mediante la cual se ordena la “Suspensión de Entrada como inmigrantes y no inmigrantes de las personas que participan en violaciones de los derechos humanos, del derecho Humanitario y otros abusos".
http://www.martinoticias.com/media/photogallery/30180.html
jueves, diciembre 12, 2013
North Korea executes uncle of leader Kim Jong Un: report
Young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's previously powerful uncle has been executed as a traitor, the country's state-run news service said Thursday.
According to KCNA, the uncle, Jang Song Thaek, was guilty of "attempting to overthrow the state."
On Monday, the isolated regime announced that Jang had been dismissed from his vaunted official post for a string of criminal acts, including corruption, womanizing and drug-taking.
"All the crimes committed by the accused were proved in the course of hearing and were admitted by him," KCNA stated on Thursday — in a report that claimed that "people throughout the country broke in to angry shouts" when they heard of Jang's alleged crimes.
The over-the-top report goes on to call Jang "despicable human scum."
South Korea's spy agency last week said it believed Jang, long regarded as the second most powerful man in the secretive state, had been relieved of his posts in November.
The moves indicate Pyongyang is undergoing its biggest leadership upheaval since the death in 2011 of former leader Kim Jong Il, the younger Kim's father.
Tensions are still high on the Korean Peninsula following a torrent of threats in March and April by Kim Jong Un's government against Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, including vows of missile and nuclear strikes and warnings that Pyongyang would restart nuclear bomb fuel production.
Jang was married to Kim Jong Un's aunt, Kim Kyong Hui, the younger sister of Kim Jong Il.
Records: Leftist Jane Fonda's charity foundation hasn't made donation in 5 years
Is it possible that widely praised philanthropist and media renegade Jane Fonda isn’t so charitable after all?
According to documents first unveiled by The Smoking Gun
, the Fonda Foundation – of which the 75-year-old actress serves as president and chairman of the board – hasn’t donated a dime to charity over the last five years, according to its filed federal tax returns.
While the 2011 return is void of donations, it seems the four years prior are too. And in 2006, the group made one single $1000 donation to the Atlanta Obstetric and Gynecology Society.
But the apparent lack of financial donations also indicates that the Fonda Foundation, which is based in Atlanta, could be in serious trouble with the Internal Revenue Service, which requires that private foundations make annual distributions of at least five percent of its assets.
As the Smoking Gun explains, the “five percent rule” is designed to prohibit such private groups from stockpiling and investing funds while failing to make donations and fulfill its intended purpose.
This means that Fonda’s organization should have dished out a bare minimum of $40,000 in 2011, yet the document filing remains glaringly blank. Raising more eyebrows is the alleged notion that the group has attempted to grow its financial value through the stock market, as evidenced by the 2011 filing, which lists 166 separate trades totaling around $2200.
The filing also claims that Fonda devotes ten hours per week to working for her foundation.
“This looks awful. No way around it. It looks like Jane Fonda doesn't care and she is involved in the foundation just to make herself look good,” crisis communications specialist Glenn Selig told FOX411. “Unfortunately, not donating anything makes her look bad.”
A representative for Fonda did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to documents first unveiled by The Smoking Gun
, the Fonda Foundation – of which the 75-year-old actress serves as president and chairman of the board – hasn’t donated a dime to charity over the last five years, according to its filed federal tax returns.While the 2011 return is void of donations, it seems the four years prior are too. And in 2006, the group made one single $1000 donation to the Atlanta Obstetric and Gynecology Society.
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| Photos from 1972 of Jane Fonda wearing a steel pot from the Communist NVA gun crew in North Vietnam/ www.frugal-cafe.com |
As the Smoking Gun explains, the “five percent rule” is designed to prohibit such private groups from stockpiling and investing funds while failing to make donations and fulfill its intended purpose.
This means that Fonda’s organization should have dished out a bare minimum of $40,000 in 2011, yet the document filing remains glaringly blank. Raising more eyebrows is the alleged notion that the group has attempted to grow its financial value through the stock market, as evidenced by the 2011 filing, which lists 166 separate trades totaling around $2200.
The filing also claims that Fonda devotes ten hours per week to working for her foundation.
“This looks awful. No way around it. It looks like Jane Fonda doesn't care and she is involved in the foundation just to make herself look good,” crisis communications specialist Glenn Selig told FOX411. “Unfortunately, not donating anything makes her look bad.”
A representative for Fonda did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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| Dec. 20, 2002., Jane Fonda, stands under heavy rain as she visits Israeli left wing anti-occupation demonstrators during their weekly protest in Jerusalem/ www.thehindu.com |
Solving the Mystery of Unexpectedly Strong U.S. GDP Growth
We're going to start solving the mystery of why economic growth in the U.S. was so unexpectedly strong in the third quarter of 2013 in a place you wouldn't necessarily expect: the ports of China.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the United States' exports to China surged in October 2013, which we can see in the dramatic spike upward in the year-over-year rate of growth of U.S. exports to that nation for the month:
5 out of 6 “foreign dignitaries” listed on the official Mandela memorial service are known Marxists
If President Obama’s handshake with Cuban dictator Raul Castro is news, Castro’s featured presence at the Nelson Mandela memorial service and what the South African government said about him are equally newsworthy. South Africa was described as “joined at the hip” to Cuba and in its debt for “liberation.”
Yet, this part of the memorial service has been carefully edited out of most of the “mainstream media” coverage of the event.
The service was organized and orchestrated by officers of the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party of South Africa which operates as a front for the South African Communist Party. Baleka Mbete, ANC chairperson, introduced Raul Castro’s speech by saying, “Comrades, we will now get an address from a tiny island—an island of people who liberated us, who fought for our liberation in Cuito Cuanavale—the people of Cuba.”
Cuito Cuanavale refers to the foreign intervention of thousands of Cuban military troops on behalf of communist Angolan government forces in Africa under the guidance of Soviet military officers during 1987 and 1988. This was a critical time when communist forces backed by the Soviet Union, Cuba and China were determined to crush the non-communist pro-freedom movement UNITA (The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola).
As part of his effort to turn the tide against communism in Africa and elsewhere, the “Reagan Doctrine,” President Ronald Reagan strongly supported UNITA and its leader, Jonas Savimbi.
In the end, the communists solidified control of Angola, assassinated Savimbi (shot 15 times, twice to the head and once to the throat), and then took over Namibia and South Africa as the white population—fearing extinction in the face of the onslaught—made deals with the communists.
Mandela, in commemorating the 20th anniversary of the battle in 2008, referred to it as “a turning point for the liberation of our continent and my people.” This helps explain why the Cuban regime is held in such high regard by the South African government. The ANC and SWAPO (the South West Africa People’s Organization) communists in Namibia greatly benefitted from the Cuban imperialistic intervention. Of course, Mandela’s communist movement also enjoyed the support of Libya and the PLO.
After Raul Castro’s speech, during which he highlighted Mandela’s visit to Cuba to meet with and thank Fidel Castro, ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa said, “Thank you President Castro. We thank you for all the support and help that we continue to get from the people of Cuba during our years of struggle, and our countries continue to be joined at the hip in the areas of development…”
AIM noted in our column about current South African President Jacob Zuma that he traveled to Cuba in 2010 to receive the top Communist award from Raul Castro himself. Zuma also told a meeting of young communists in South Africa, “Work begins today in earnest to improve the quality of life of all our people and to build Cuban-style patriotism and internationalism within our ranks.”
Of the 6 “foreign dignitaries” listed on the official Mandela memorial service program as giving a tribute to Mandela, five are known Marxists: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (a former terrorist herself); Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao; Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba; Cuba’s Raul Castro; and of course President Obama. The other speaker was President Pranab Mukherjee of India, described as a “close friend” of Marxists in India who has “remained a friend” of the Communist Party of India during his political career and leadership in the United Progressive Alliance. Indeed, he has been labeled a “communist agent.” The Indian delegation to the memorial service included Sitaram Yechury of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
Earlier in the memorial service, Andrew Mlangeni, identified as a Mandela “family friend,” spoke on Mandela’s behalf. Now considered an “elder statesman” in the ANC, he had studied “military science” and “guerrilla theory” in China. The Stephen Ellis book, External Mission, confirms that Umkhonto we Sizwe, which became the military arm of the ANC, was launched by the South African Communist Party after negotiations with Chinese Communist mass murderer and dictator Mao Tse-tung. The cover of the book, which also reveals that the East German secret police trained the ANC’s security personnel, shows a photograph of Mao Tse-tung meeting with SACP leader Yusuf Dadoo, a Muslim Indian South African communist.
Mandela ran Umkhonto we Sizwe, which carried out violence and terrorism, and he went to prison as a result. He was never a “political prisoner.” He refused to renounce violence in order to be released early. He could have been hanged for his conviction for terrorism.
Although Mandela is being widely praised for his spirit of “forgiveness” and “reconciliation,” the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi, was never fully accepted as a legitimate partner and actor in South African politics by Mandela’s ANC. The IFP advocated the abolition of apartheid, or racial segregation, but refused to engage in violence and terrorism against innocent people. It also had an anti-communist orientation.
“The armed struggle, and Inkatha’s refusal to engage it, had driven a wedge between our organizations,” Buthelezi says. “Propaganda against me and Inkatha was rife and there were many attempts on my life.”
But the U.S. government under Obama is in complete support of the South African government and provides an estimated $500 million a year in foreign aid to the regime.
The United States ambassador to South Africa, former Democratic Party operative and radical organizer Patrick Gaspard, recently announced that American taxpayers would provide an additional $100,000 in U.S. government funding for the purpose of the “preservation of documents” relating to Mandela. The money was given to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, the official home of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. This is the same group offering a poster featuring a quotation of Mandela under an image of communist murderer and Castro henchman Che Guevara.
In supporting South Africa, the U.S. is supporting Cuba. Obama’s handshake with Castro only confirms this fact.
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*Cliff Kincaid is the Director of the AIM Center for Investigative Journalism
CEPAL: Economía cubana crece 3% en 2013
diciembre 12, 2013
La baja en los precios del níquel y una ralentización del crecimiento en la mayor parte de Europa que impidió alcanzar las metas del turismo afectaron en 2013 a la economía cubana, que creció hasta cerrar el año en un 3 %, un porcentaje menor al pronosticado a comienzos del año, informó y la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
A principios de julio una reunión del Consejo de Ministros de Cuba recortó la previsión de crecimiento del PIB cubano ofrecida a fines del 2012 (3,6%) a entre 2,5% y 3%. El ministro de Economía y Planificación, Adel Yzquierdo, culpó entonces a "las tensiones externas, los efectos del huracán Sandy y las insuficiencias propias de la economía cubana" del crecimiento menor al esperado.
El apartado sobre Cuba en el Balance Preliminar de las Economías de América Latina y el Caribe publicado este miércoles por la CEPAL señala que los ingresos por turismo decrecieron en 0,2% durante el período enero-septiembre La Mayor de las Antillas no cumplirá la meta de 3 millones de vacacionistas que se había fijado para este año, principalmente debido a que el turismo europeo no ha aumentado como se esperaba.
Por otra parte, el reporte señala que la dinámica interna del Producto Interno Bruto se enfrenta a una tasa de inversión lejos de la planeada por el gobierno para el período: "A pesar de que esta crece al 8 % anual todavía es insuficiente para aliviar la obsolescencia tecnológica existente".
Otro aspecto desfavorable que continúa afectando a la economía cubana, según el organismo de la ONU para la región, es que la importación de alimentos como arroz, soya, materias primas, cárnicos y leche en polvo, entre otros, no disminuyó, y al cierre de 2013 rondará los 2.000 millones de dólares.
Pese a que el gobierno considera la eliminación de estas erogaciones una prioridad de seguridad nacional, según CEPAL la actividad agrícola crecerá en todo el año entre 3 y 4%. El documento destaca que se ha recuperado la producción agrícola en cultivos como arroz, viandas, maíz, hortalizas, cítricos y frutales tras las pérdidas por el huracán Sandy en 2012. Pero en otras producciones como frijoles, y en la ganadería, "no se cumple con la producción planeada para el año".
La exportación de productos biotecnológicos de consumo humano (que generan ingresos por alrededor de 1.000 millones de dólares) “se enfrenta a barreras de entrada para poder diversificar sus destinos”, agrega el informe.
La CEPAL observa mientras tanto que -- como en años anteriores-- el déficit de la balanza comercial de bienes cubana se compensa con las exportaciones de servicios, “que aunque han sido algo menos dinámicas siguen siendo el rubro más importante de ingreso de divisas además de las remesas [familiares]”, por lo que se espera que el balance en cuenta corriente @prácticamente termine equilibrado".
Algunos aspectos positivos de los que toma nota el informe todavía están por concretar, como el anuncio en octubre sobre el inicio del proceso de unificación de la doble moneda;, y la previsiblel aprobación en diciembre, por la Asamblea Nacional, de un nuevo Código de Trabajo, “el cual pretende entre otras cosas evitar la explotación de la fuerza laboral y la vulneración de los derechos de los trabajadores”.
Además, CEPAL toma nota de que en septiembre se anunció un decreto-ley que establece las normas y el reglamento de funcionamiento de la Zona Especial de Desarrollo Mariel, “la cual se prevé que sea una fuente muy importante de atracción de IED”. (Inversión Extranjera Directa).
Indicios positivos concretos recogidos por el reporte son los cambios en la política de subsidios a empresas estatales no rentables, que prescriben el redimensionamiento, fusión o desaparición de las que continúen sin generar utilidades por más de un año; y el dinamismo del sector de la construcción, sobre todo por particulares, a quienes se debió entre enero y junio un aumento de 19,7%.
También valora el balance sobre Cuba la tendencia ascendente del trabajo por cuenta propia, que al cierre de octubre de 2013 registraba 440.603 plazas de trabajo, “la mayoría concentradas en las áreas de alimentos (13%), transporte (10%), arrendamiento de viviendas (6%) y en el rubro de contratación de trabajadores (19%)”.
La incipiente entrega a particulares --organizados en cooperativas-- de actividades que antes manejaba el Estado es también resaltada en el apartado Cuba del Balance Preliminar 2013 de las Economías de América Latina y el Caribe, dado a conocer el miércoles.
Respecto al salario medio real (ajustado a la inflación) los especialistas de la CEPAL consideran que se mantuvo estable a lo largo de estos 12 meses. El informe no contiene un análisis de la relación salario- precios al consumidor. El documento prevé que la tasa de desempleo a lo largo de 2013 se mantendría en Cuba en el mismo rango que en 2012 (3,8%).
El organismo regional pronostica para 2014 un crecimiento similar de 3.0% en la economía cubana.
A principios de julio una reunión del Consejo de Ministros de Cuba recortó la previsión de crecimiento del PIB cubano ofrecida a fines del 2012 (3,6%) a entre 2,5% y 3%. El ministro de Economía y Planificación, Adel Yzquierdo, culpó entonces a "las tensiones externas, los efectos del huracán Sandy y las insuficiencias propias de la economía cubana" del crecimiento menor al esperado.
El apartado sobre Cuba en el Balance Preliminar de las Economías de América Latina y el Caribe publicado este miércoles por la CEPAL señala que los ingresos por turismo decrecieron en 0,2% durante el período enero-septiembre La Mayor de las Antillas no cumplirá la meta de 3 millones de vacacionistas que se había fijado para este año, principalmente debido a que el turismo europeo no ha aumentado como se esperaba.
Por otra parte, el reporte señala que la dinámica interna del Producto Interno Bruto se enfrenta a una tasa de inversión lejos de la planeada por el gobierno para el período: "A pesar de que esta crece al 8 % anual todavía es insuficiente para aliviar la obsolescencia tecnológica existente".
Otro aspecto desfavorable que continúa afectando a la economía cubana, según el organismo de la ONU para la región, es que la importación de alimentos como arroz, soya, materias primas, cárnicos y leche en polvo, entre otros, no disminuyó, y al cierre de 2013 rondará los 2.000 millones de dólares.
Pese a que el gobierno considera la eliminación de estas erogaciones una prioridad de seguridad nacional, según CEPAL la actividad agrícola crecerá en todo el año entre 3 y 4%. El documento destaca que se ha recuperado la producción agrícola en cultivos como arroz, viandas, maíz, hortalizas, cítricos y frutales tras las pérdidas por el huracán Sandy en 2012. Pero en otras producciones como frijoles, y en la ganadería, "no se cumple con la producción planeada para el año".
La exportación de productos biotecnológicos de consumo humano (que generan ingresos por alrededor de 1.000 millones de dólares) “se enfrenta a barreras de entrada para poder diversificar sus destinos”, agrega el informe.
La CEPAL observa mientras tanto que -- como en años anteriores-- el déficit de la balanza comercial de bienes cubana se compensa con las exportaciones de servicios, “que aunque han sido algo menos dinámicas siguen siendo el rubro más importante de ingreso de divisas además de las remesas [familiares]”, por lo que se espera que el balance en cuenta corriente @prácticamente termine equilibrado".
Algunos aspectos positivos de los que toma nota el informe todavía están por concretar, como el anuncio en octubre sobre el inicio del proceso de unificación de la doble moneda;, y la previsiblel aprobación en diciembre, por la Asamblea Nacional, de un nuevo Código de Trabajo, “el cual pretende entre otras cosas evitar la explotación de la fuerza laboral y la vulneración de los derechos de los trabajadores”.
Además, CEPAL toma nota de que en septiembre se anunció un decreto-ley que establece las normas y el reglamento de funcionamiento de la Zona Especial de Desarrollo Mariel, “la cual se prevé que sea una fuente muy importante de atracción de IED”. (Inversión Extranjera Directa).
Indicios positivos concretos recogidos por el reporte son los cambios en la política de subsidios a empresas estatales no rentables, que prescriben el redimensionamiento, fusión o desaparición de las que continúen sin generar utilidades por más de un año; y el dinamismo del sector de la construcción, sobre todo por particulares, a quienes se debió entre enero y junio un aumento de 19,7%.
También valora el balance sobre Cuba la tendencia ascendente del trabajo por cuenta propia, que al cierre de octubre de 2013 registraba 440.603 plazas de trabajo, “la mayoría concentradas en las áreas de alimentos (13%), transporte (10%), arrendamiento de viviendas (6%) y en el rubro de contratación de trabajadores (19%)”.
La incipiente entrega a particulares --organizados en cooperativas-- de actividades que antes manejaba el Estado es también resaltada en el apartado Cuba del Balance Preliminar 2013 de las Economías de América Latina y el Caribe, dado a conocer el miércoles.
Respecto al salario medio real (ajustado a la inflación) los especialistas de la CEPAL consideran que se mantuvo estable a lo largo de estos 12 meses. El informe no contiene un análisis de la relación salario- precios al consumidor. El documento prevé que la tasa de desempleo a lo largo de 2013 se mantendría en Cuba en el mismo rango que en 2012 (3,8%).
El organismo regional pronostica para 2014 un crecimiento similar de 3.0% en la economía cubana.
Seguridad del Estado arremete contra opositores cubanos
confrontando dificultades con el server. el link al video http://www.martinoticias.com/media/video/30130.html
Cuba: Rodiles: "Me arrojaron al piso, me golpearon, me esposaron y me metieron en una jaula"
Las fuerzas policiales que este miércoles arrestaron al coordinador del proyecto Estado de Sats, Antonio Rodiles, y a otros activistas que participaban o se disponían a asistir al Primer Encuentro Internacional por los Derechos Humanos, terminaron liberándoles en horas de la noche.
"Se desató una golpiza, unos arrestos muy violentos. Me arrojaron al piso, me golpearon, luego me esposaron y me metieron en una jaula y me llevaron al mismo lugar donde estuve detenido la vez anterior en 10 de Octubre y Acosta", declaró Rodiles a Martí Noticias minutos después de ser liberado.
Rodiles lamentó que el gobierno cubano empleara a niños de cinco y seis años en un acto de repudio en el que presenciaron hechos violentos y aseguró que todo quedó documentado tanto por las cámaras de la Seguridad del Estado como en la de los activistas del Proyecto Estado de Sats.
"Es bochornoso que en la segunda década del siglo XXI, en la región en que estamos ubicados exista un sistema que se maneje como se maneja el gobierno cubano", lamentó Rodiles.
Aparte de Rodiles, fueron liberados los artistas Kizzy Macías y Aldito Menéndez; el periodista independiente Calixto Martínez; el bloguero Walfrido López; y el roquero Gorki Águila.
El músico Boris Larramendi ofreció la noche del miércoles un concierto que cerró el 1er Encuentro Internacional por los Derechos Humanos. Rodiles ha pedido solidaridad con el exintegrante de la popular banda Habana Abierta, quien reside en España y se arriesgó a viajar a la isla para participar en el evento contestatario.
"Todos los ojos deben estar ahora sobre nuestro amigo Boris Larramendi. Ha mostrado lo que se puede hacer para cambiar Cuba a diferencia de otros artistas que bajan la cabeza, él ha venido a un espacio independiente a tocar. Prestemos atención al momento en que va a salir del país porque pudiera haber alguna represalia. Un gesto como el que él ha tenido merece toda nuestra atención y nuestro apoyo", alertó Rodiles.
El acto de repudio, el asedio de la Seguridad del Estado a la sede del evento y la detención de los jóvenes activistas fue divulgada rápidamente en las redes sociales:
"Se llevaron también a Walfrido López y a Kizzy Macías, de Omni-Zona Franca, que nos estaba grabando y haciendo las fotos. A Rodiles lo golpearon y Ailer está sentada en medio de la calle, en posición zen", había señalado a martinoticias.com la fotógrafa Lía Villares.
La casa de Rodiles había estado durante todo el día bajo acoso de las fuerzas represivas, con un "acto revolucionario", animado por música de Silvio Rodríguez, Gente de Zona y Arnaldo y su Talismán y coros de niños procedentes de la escuela primaria "Ejército Rebelde".
Continuar leyendo aqui >>
Restaurant review: Viva Cuba el Che a la Carta
en la ciudad inglesa de Leeds un antro de la propaganda para idiotas izquierdistas
Read at Yorkshire Evening Post >>
New York Daily News Uses “Former” Cuban Spies as Unattributed Sources in “Handshake” Coverage
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| Jesus Arboleya Cervera |
The recent article by Albor Ruiz “Obama-Castro Handshake More Than Just a Gesture” used former Cuban Intelligence Officers Jesús Arboleya and Arturo López-Levy as central sources in the feature. However, Ruiz failed to identify either man as a former spy, instead referencing Arboleya as a “Cuban writer and political analyst” and López-Levy as a “Cuba expert and Political Science professor at the University of Denver.”
Editor’s Note: Colonel Jesus Arboleya Cervera was identified by intelligence service defector Jesus Perez Mendez in 1983. Years later, Arboleya’s intelligence service was further corroborated by convicted spy Carlos Alvarez.
Editor’s Note: Colonel Jesus Arboleya Cervera was identified by intelligence service defector Jesus Perez Mendez in 1983. Years later, Arboleya’s intelligence service was further corroborated by convicted spy Carlos Alvarez.
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| Arturo López-Levy |
and several businessmen, the Committee was inspired by the DGI, (then) Cuba’s primary foreign intelligence service. According to Senate testimony of March 12, 1982, at the time,
Arturo Lopez-Levy is a self-professed “former” Intelligence Officer in Havana’s dreaded Ministry of the Interior (MININT). He is also a relative of MININT Col. Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Callejas, Raul Castro’s son-in-law and head of GAESA, the regime’s business monopoly.
Scotland's Royal Bank Fined For Violating Iran, Cuba Sanctions
The bank was fined $100 million Wednesday for violating the U.S. sanctions. It had given its U.K. employees step-by-step instructions on how to keep transactions from being detected for sanctions violations.
Marco Rubio and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Slam Obama For Castro Handshake
Fox News predicted that President Obama's handshake with Raul Castro "could rile Cuban-American lawmakers," and Marco Rubio and Ilean Ros-Lehtinen have sure enough delivered.
According to the Hill, Rubio isn't so much angry that the handshake took place, but rather that Obama didn't take the opportunity to lecture Castro.
"If the president was going to shake his hand, he should have asked him about those basic freedoms Mandela was associated with that are denied in Cuba," Rubio said. "It remains clear that Cuba is the same totalitarian state today that it has been for decades. This totalitarian state continues to have close ties to terrorist organizations."
The White House says that the handshake was a brief, unplanned encounter, and was in the peaceful spirit of Nelson Mandala's memorial service.
Obama may not have taken the opportunity to speak to Castro directly, but that may be because he was on his way to give a speech in which he sent a direct message to Castro and his ilk.
"There are too many people who happily embrace Madiba's legacy of racial reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality," he said in his speech. "There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba's struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people."
Rep. Ilean Ros-Lehtinen was less measured in her response. She called it "nauseating."
"Sometimes a handshake is just a handshake, but when the leader of the free world shakes the bloody hand of a ruthless dictator like Raul Castro, it becomes a propaganda coup for the tyrant," she told Fox News.
Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez has noted that the handshake was not shown on Cuban television. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen also seems to forget that a big part of Cuban propaganda is getting Cubans to think that its the imperialist hand of any U.S. President that is actually bloodied. We doubt the Castro regime wants to make more of the handshake then what it was.
Capitol Hill: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on Obama-Raul Castro handshake
Video from Lord Rothschild
Transcript from Democracy Now!
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now to the historic moment Tuesday when President Barack Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raúl Castro as both men participated in the memorial service for anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela in South Africa. The White House said the handshake was unscripted. It marked the first time a U.S. president has shaken hands with a Cuban leader since 2000. In Washington, Republicans expressed outrage over the exchange. During a hearing in the House, Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida sparred with Secretary of State John Kerry, who said it did not represent any change in U.S. policy toward Cuba.REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN: Mr. Secretary, sometimes a handshake is just a handshake. But when the leader of the free world shakes the bloody hand of a ruthless dictator like Raúl Castro, it becomes a propaganda coup for the tyrant. Raúl Castro uses that hand to sign the orders to repress and jail democracy advocates. In fact, right now, as we speak, Cuban opposition leaders are being detained, and they’re being beaten while trying to commemorate today, which is International Human Rights Day. They will feel disheartened when they see these photos. Could you please tell the Cuban people living under that repressive regime that a handshake nonwithstanding, the U.S. policy toward the cruel and sadistic Cuban dictatorship has not weakened? Thank you.
SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY: Ladies and gentlemen, today is about honoring Nelson Mandela. And the president is at an international funeral with leaders from all over the world. He didn’t choose who’s there. They’re there to honor Mandela. And we appreciate that people from all over the world and from all different beliefs and walks of life who appreciated Nelson Mandela and/or were friends of his came to honor him. And I think, as the president said—I urge you to go read his speech, or if you didn’t see it or haven’t read it, because the president said in his speech today honoring Nelson Mandela, he said, "We urge leaders to honor Mandela’s struggle for freedom by upholding the basic human rights of their people"—
REP. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN: And would you say Raúl Castro is upholding their basic human rights?
SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY: No, absolutely not.
miércoles, diciembre 11, 2013
Mandela era amigo de Castro ¿y qué? Y qué. Ha dicho. ¿Y qué? Cómo que y qué/ Juan Abreu
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| blog.panampost.com |
En el barullo de la muerte de Mandela la prensa occidental, siempre tan siniestra (en la primera acepción de la palabra) oculta y minimiza todo lo que puede la amistad de Mandela con los Castro y el apoyo de Mandela a la dictadura de los Castro.
Cuando mencionan esta relación, a todas luces degradante para Mandela, suelen echar mano de la “fidelidad” de Mandela. Sí, un Castro, pero es que Mandela era tan fiel a sus amigos. Hay que comprenderlo, era tan fiel, bendito. Es decir convierten la canallada de ser amigo de los Castro y de apoyar a Castro en una mota de polvo en la inmensidad moral de Mandela.
Hasta mi estimado Carlos Alberto Montaner, eterno aspirante a la presidencia de Cuba, y periodista notable, ha dicho que sí, que Mandela era amigo de Castro ¿y qué? Y qué. Ha dicho. ¿Y qué? Cómo que y qué. Ese apoyo y esa amistad y esa complicidad hacen de Mandela otro hombre. Otro hombre menos admirable y menos honrado, naturalmente. ¿Le parece poca cosa? ¿Qué hubiera pasado si Mandela, ese ídolo, ese faro moral de la humanidad, públicamente, hubiera denunciado la crueldad de las cárceles castristas y el horror de casos como el de Mario Chanes de Armas o Ernesto Díaz Rodríguez? Si le hubiera dicho a su amigo Castro, agradezco tu ayuda, pero no puedo ignorar el sufrimiento de esos hombres. Me rebaja, humanamente, ignorarlo. Qué. Qué hubiera pasado. ¿Los hubiera salvado o al menos aliviado de alguna manera? No lo sabemos. Pero Mandela tenía el imperativo moral de intentarlo.
Es un hecho innegable que la integridad de Mandela se resquebraja ante la evidencia de que ignoró el horrible destino de presos como él en circunstancias más duras y humillantes que las suyas, simplemente por conveniencia o por complicidades ideológicas.
Es decir por politiquería y por oportunismo.
Cuba: Pastor barred from leaving the country
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| Bernardo de Quesada Salomon y su esposa Apostol Damaris Marin |
A Cuban pastor was barred by government officials from leaving the country last month despite having a valid passport and visa. Reverend Bernardo de Quesada Salomon attempted to travel on 27 November to attend a religious conference in the Dominican Republic when he was informed by Cuban immigration officials at Havana airport that he had been categorised as Limited and would not be permitted to board the plane.
The Cuban government eliminated the need for Cubans to obtain an exit visa in order to travel abroad at the beginning of 2013, but for reasons of national security reserved the right to prevent some Cubans from travelling.
Reverend de Quesada Salomon, who traveled to the United States and to Brazil to attend religious events earlier this year, was not given any explanation for the change in his status and was told to contact the National Office for Attention to the Population (NOAP) for more details. When he did so, the NOAP suggested that he submit a written request for information to the National Director for Immigration. He has not received a response.
Reverend de Quesada Salomon is a national leader of the Apostolic Movement, a large but unregistered network of protestant churches in Cuba. Despite repeated attempts to register the group, the government has refused to allow them to do so and has aggressively targeted churches associated with the network with fines and threats of confiscation of property. Another Apostolic Movement leader, Reverend Mario May Medina, was also denied the right to travel in January of this year. As in the case of Reverend de Quesada Salomon, Reverend Travieso was told that he was in the Limited category and was given no other explanation.
CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, 'We were disappointed to learn of the Cuban government's return to limiting its citizens right to travel. Reverend de Quesada Salom's participation in a Christian conference in the Dominican Republican cannot seriously be considered a threat to national security and CSW is concerned that this may open the door to the Cuban government arbitrarily banning other religious leaders from travelling out of the country. We urge the Cuban government to restore Reverend de Quesada Salomon's ability to travel and to fully implement this reform by allowing its citizens to travel without hindrance.'
For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Matthew Jones, Public Affairs Team Leader at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 20 8329 0063, email matthewjones@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organisation working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.
The Cuban government eliminated the need for Cubans to obtain an exit visa in order to travel abroad at the beginning of 2013, but for reasons of national security reserved the right to prevent some Cubans from travelling.
Reverend de Quesada Salomon, who traveled to the United States and to Brazil to attend religious events earlier this year, was not given any explanation for the change in his status and was told to contact the National Office for Attention to the Population (NOAP) for more details. When he did so, the NOAP suggested that he submit a written request for information to the National Director for Immigration. He has not received a response.
Reverend de Quesada Salomon is a national leader of the Apostolic Movement, a large but unregistered network of protestant churches in Cuba. Despite repeated attempts to register the group, the government has refused to allow them to do so and has aggressively targeted churches associated with the network with fines and threats of confiscation of property. Another Apostolic Movement leader, Reverend Mario May Medina, was also denied the right to travel in January of this year. As in the case of Reverend de Quesada Salomon, Reverend Travieso was told that he was in the Limited category and was given no other explanation.
CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, 'We were disappointed to learn of the Cuban government's return to limiting its citizens right to travel. Reverend de Quesada Salom's participation in a Christian conference in the Dominican Republican cannot seriously be considered a threat to national security and CSW is concerned that this may open the door to the Cuban government arbitrarily banning other religious leaders from travelling out of the country. We urge the Cuban government to restore Reverend de Quesada Salomon's ability to travel and to fully implement this reform by allowing its citizens to travel without hindrance.'
For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Matthew Jones, Public Affairs Team Leader at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 20 8329 0063, email matthewjones@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.
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| En el aeropuerto muestra sus documentos, poco despues se le prohibiria abordar el vuelo/ religionrevolucion.blogspot.com |
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organisation working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.
NSA Uses Google Tracking Cookies to Spy on Potential Targets
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| irwebreport.com |
A new information leak from Edward Snowden reveals that the NSA is using Google's tracking cookies to identify targets for government hacking. The Washington Post reports that Snowden's documents "show that when companies follow consumers on the Internet to better serve them advertising, the technique opens the door for similar tracking by the government. The slides also suggest that the agency is using these tracking techniques to help identify targets for offensive hacking operations."
These tracking cookies allow a website to identify a user's browser, but do not contain any personal information. "This cookie allows NSA to single out an individual's communications among the sea of Internet data in order to send out software that can hack that person's computer."
The slides released by Snowden do not say how the government accesses Google's tracking cookies, "but other documents reviewed by the Post indicate that cookie information is among the data NSA can obtain with a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act order."
Iran Executions Skyrocket Under 'Centrist' Rouhani
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Executions in Iran have skyrocketed since "centrist" President Hassan Rouhani came to power in June.
According to UPI, "there were 190 executions carried out during the first half of 2013" while Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was president.
However, there have already been 370 more executions under Rouhani since June of this year.
Consequently, an October report to the U.N. General Assembly's Third Committee indicates "the situation of human rights in Iran remains a source of concern with no sign of improvement." This report not only cites "waves of executions" but also "consistent violations of [the] civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of the Iranian people" via "the regime's official laws."
In June, CNN reported that Rouhani was the "centrist" candidate in Iran's election.
CIA papers Show Panetta Spilled bin Laden Secrets to 'Zero Dark Thirty' Scribe
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| publicintelligence.net |
By KIMBERLY DOZIER
AP Intelligence Writer
WASHINGTON
Newly declassified documents show that former CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed secret information to "Zero Dark Thirty" scriptwriter Mark Boal, who was allowed to attend Panetta's speech at CIA headquarters marking the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
Judicial Watch filed a request for the more than 200 pages of documents, which the CIA released Tuesday. The documents concerned the internal investigation of its role in the film about the bin Laden raid.
In a statement, Panetta says he had no idea Boal was in the audience when he gave the speech. He says he assumed everyone inside had proper clearance.
CIA spokesman Dean Boyd says the agency has since "overhauled its procedures for interaction with the entertainment industry after an extensive internal review."
AP Intelligence Writer
WASHINGTON
Newly declassified documents show that former CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed secret information to "Zero Dark Thirty" scriptwriter Mark Boal, who was allowed to attend Panetta's speech at CIA headquarters marking the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
Judicial Watch filed a request for the more than 200 pages of documents, which the CIA released Tuesday. The documents concerned the internal investigation of its role in the film about the bin Laden raid.
In a statement, Panetta says he had no idea Boal was in the audience when he gave the speech. He says he assumed everyone inside had proper clearance.
CIA spokesman Dean Boyd says the agency has since "overhauled its procedures for interaction with the entertainment industry after an extensive internal review."
Obama Shaking Hands with Raúl Castro Insults Efforts of Cuban Dissidents
President Obama's warm greeting to Cuban dictator Raúl Castro at Tuesday's memorial for Nelson Mandela rightfully sparked the ire of those with a passion for human rights. In greeting Castro, Obama discredits the work of dissidents Castro routinely arrests and assaults.
The handshake triggered visceral reactions across the political spectrum. On the left, many heralded it as indicative of the power Nelson Mandela had to bring about peace (despite half a lifetime's embrace of violence). On the right, revulsion: the President of the United States exchanged a peaceful gesture with a brutal mass murder and oppressive tyrant, never once showing that same warmth to the dissidents that peacefully call for change in their country.
For many, especially those that see no issue with a such an approving gesture at a funeral, it is difficult to understand the greater meaning of accepting Castro as an equal. This is especially true without looking at Castro's opposition--that is, at the people whose plight President Obama willfully ignores and whose oppression he embraces as he embraces their oppressor. To that end, below are five of profiles of dissidents on the island with whom President Obama should interact and whose missions he should bolster--political activists seeking to liberate their country from oppression.
1. Guillermo Fariñas
Often denominated "Cuba's Mandela," Guillermo Fariñas does not share the history of early violence or support of oppressive dictatorships abroad with the late South African leader. Fariñas, a Sakharov Prize winner, made his name through his 24 hunger strikes in jail, where few of his supporters expected to see him live. Live he did, and he visited the United States and met President Obama while here. He demanded one thing of the President: "don't negotiate with Cuba."
Fariñas returned to the island after his voyage abroad and was arrested and beaten by state police again shortly thereafter.
2. Jorge Luis Garcia Pérez (Antúnez)
Antúnez is perhaps the second highest-profile Cuban dissident on the island after Fariñas. He rose to prominence in 2007 after serving 17 years in Castro's political gulags for spreading "enemy propaganda." He is a great admirer of American civil rights leaders, and his wife founded the Rosa Parks Movement in Cuba.
Antúnez has been significantly more critical of President Obama than Fariñas, telling the Heritage Foundation that he was alarmed by the fact that "the government of Mr. Barack Obama has exercised a political agenda of approach and relaxation with the regime of Havana." He did not receive an audience with the President on his visit to the United States this autumn but did meet Cuban-American senators Marco Rubio and Bob Menendez, as well as Florida Senator/honorary Cuban Bill Nelson.
3. The Ladies in White
Also Sakharov Prize winners, the Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco) are a coalition of mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters of Cuban political prisoners. Led by Berta Solér since the death of widely recognized dissident leader Laura Pollán, the group highlights the struggles of women left behind to fare in the socialist dystopia while their husbands toil in jail for thoughtcrimes.
Solér and the Ladies visited the United States recently as well, only to be told by President Obama that he could see "changes" in the Cuban government that they apparently had missed.
4. Gorki Águila
Unlike any other dissidents on this list, Gorki Águila is not exactly a political figure. He is the lead singer of a punk rock group dedicated to fighting communism with profane anti-establishment lyrics. Porno Para Ricardo (the name meaning "censored pleasure for the individual") boasts songs with titles like "El Comandante," "I Don't Like Politics (But Politics Likes Me)," and "How To Fuck Over A Communist." Needless to say, Águila is perennially the victim of police beatings and arrests for his outrageous music, the kind of antics that would make him a beloved star in the States.
Desmond Tutu Home Robbed While at Mandela Memorial
By RAY FAURE
Associated Press
JOHANNESBURG
Police in South Africa say retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu's home was robbed while he was away to attend a memorial honoring Nelson Mandela.
A statement Wednesday from the South African Police Service said the robbery of Tutu's home in Cape Town happened between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday. That was the day the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and foe of apartheid spoke at the memorial service at a soccer stadium in Soweto township of Johannesburg.
The statement said: "At this stage, we cannot give further details, as the investigation into the matter is still ongoing. No arrests have been made as yet."
The 82-year-old Tutu had his home robbed in August as he and his wife slept inside. Both were unhurt.
Burglaries and home-invasions frequently occur in South Africa.
Associated Press
JOHANNESBURG
Police in South Africa say retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu's home was robbed while he was away to attend a memorial honoring Nelson Mandela.
A statement Wednesday from the South African Police Service said the robbery of Tutu's home in Cape Town happened between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday. That was the day the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and foe of apartheid spoke at the memorial service at a soccer stadium in Soweto township of Johannesburg.
The statement said: "At this stage, we cannot give further details, as the investigation into the matter is still ongoing. No arrests have been made as yet."
The 82-year-old Tutu had his home robbed in August as he and his wife slept inside. Both were unhurt.
Burglaries and home-invasions frequently occur in South Africa.
Ted Cruz Walks Out During Raul Castro Speech at Mandela Funeral
breitbart
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On Tuesday, after President Barack Obama shook hands with Cuban dictator Raul Castro, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) reportedly walked out of Nelson Mandela's memorial service when Raul Castro was speaking.
A Cruz spokesperson told Newsmax that Cruz believes "Castro has wrongly imprisoned and tortured countless innocents" and that Castro "learns from Mandela."
"Just as Mandela was released after 27 years in prison, Castro should finally release his political prisoners; he should hold free elections, and once and for all set the Cuban people free," the spokesperson said.
Cruz's father, Rafael, is from Cuba, and he came to the United States before Raul's brother--Fidel Castro--came to power in 1959.
Uruguay aprobó la legalización de la marihuana
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| www.nacion.com |
El Estado tomará el control de la producción y distribución. Se permitirá el autocultivo, el consumo en clubes y la compra en farmacias con un límite mensual. Es el primer país del mundo en implementar la polémica medida
Tras más de 12 horas de debate, el Senado de Uruguay aprobó la regularización del mercado de la marihuana con 16 votos a favor y 13 votos negativos. Ahora, el proyecto deberá ser ratificado por el presidente José Mujica, impulsor de la medida.
“La guerra contra las drogas ha fracasado“, aseguró al presentar el proyecto el senador Roberto Conde, de la coalición gobernante de izquierda Frente Amplio, con mayoría parlamentaria, lo que aseguró la aprobación del polémico texto.
El plan uruguayo, que va más allá que las flamantes legislaciones de los estados estadounidenses de Washington y Colorado o de países como Holanda o España, es una“respuesta ineludible” a este fracaso, consideró.
El legislador aseguró que el proyecto busca un equilibrio entre la libertad de las personas y el deber de velar por su salud, pero también una solución a la ”grotesca incongruencia jurídica” que implica que si bien el consumo de drogas no está penado en Uruguay, hasta ahora sí lo están su producción y comercialización.
El último fin de semana, Mujica pidió ayuda con el ”experimento de la marihuana”. “Habrá mucho para discutir y mucho para trabajar”, agregó el mandatario.
Asimismo, el presidente uruguayo reconoció que no espera que su iniciativa sea implementada en otros países del mundo. “No, no. Yo espero que nos den una mano y que aprendamos entre todos, porque esto no es instaurarnos como el país del fumo libre. No. No. Ésa no te la llevo. Esto es una plaga, como el cigarro, y te ofrezco legalmente una ración y si te pasas de la raya, te tengo registrado y te voy a tener que atender médicamente”, afirmó.
Por su parte, el Gobierno presentó, la última semana, la campaña Todo consumo de drogas tiene riesgo, que advierte sobre las consecuencias negativas. En esa línea, el presidente uruguayo sostuvo que Uruguay “no va a ser un país de turismo de fumo libre que viene cualquiera y se puede fumar”.
El líder del Frente Amplio volvió a defender el proyecto de ley y remarcó, una vez más, la necesidad de desbaratar las bandas de narcotráfico.
“Partimos de lo siguiente: así como está la cosa, se lo dejamos regalado al narcotráfico. Y el narcotráfico tiene efectos más destructivos que la droga, porque nos pudre toda la sociedad“, aseveró.
En cambio, la oposición insiste en que el Gobierno no conseguirá su propósito de poner fin al narcotráfico. Incluso, durante el tratamiento de este proyecto en el Senado, el bloque opositor afirmó que la marihuana legal “ampliará el mercado”.
En ese sentido, la Organización de las Naciones Unidas reiteró al gobierno uruguayo, a través de la Junta Internacional de Fiscalización de Estupefacientes (JIFE), su preocupación por los efectos que tendría la legalización de la marihuana.
Fuente: Infobae
Moon walk or Death Star? China’s lunar plans a mystery
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| Space.com |
By Jeremy A. Kaplan
A Chinese satellite has entered lunar orbit and should drop a robotic probe on the moon as early as Friday -- the first such moon landing in nearly four decades. But China's ultimate plans are unclear, whether simply scientific or the first steps toward a military base on the moon.
The Chang’e 3 satellite was launched from southwest China on Dec. 2 and entered orbit around the moon on Dec. 6. It will deposit a robotic rover on the moon as early as Dec. 14. China’s long range goals are murky, according to Thomas Reiter, director for human spaceflight and operations with the European Space Agency (ESA). Yet militarizing the moon would be a shame, he said.
“I could not imagine that human exploration is getting … pushed by military consideration,” Reiter told FoxNews.com. “It would really be a pity.”
“The strategic long-term goals of China in human exploration … are not very clear yet,” Reiter said. China’s goals could include landing men on the moon, a feat only the United States has managed to do, the last time 41 years ago, he said.
“I believe they are taking a clear path with some first steps, and I could imagine yes, this could be interest in the next decade in bringing humans to the lunar surface.”
Russia also has shown interest in the moon, Reiter said. Yet the ESA, like NASA, has no concrete plans to do more than help when it comes to lunar exploration.
“NASA is not going to the moon with a human as a primary project probably in my lifetime,” NASA administrator Charles Bolden said at an April panel in Washington. NASA spokesman David Weaver echoed that sentiment, telling FoxNews.com that it is working with international partners to plan missions to the moon and elsewhere.
“We are deeply involved in lunar science, with two satellites currently orbiting the moon,” he said. “The global community is committed to working together on a unified deep-space exploration strategic plan, with robotic and human missions to destinations that include near-Earth asteroids, the moon and Mars.
Reiter also put the moon on a short list, including low-Earth orbit and Mars. But due to budgetary restrictions, the ESA has no plans of its own to visit the moon.
“For the moment, we do not have a dedicated lunar exploration program,” he told FoxNews.com. At a recent conference in Naples, the space agency proposed a program for a European lunar landing mission to the south pole.
“Due to the overall economic situation of the member states, this could not be approved,” Reiter said. “We are looking into a cooperative mission with the Russian partners.”
Yet Reiter said the agency remains focused on the moon, despite a decades-long dry spell in lunar landings.
“I believe the moon is still a very important destination,” he said. “If we really intend to take a human mission to Mars … in two decades or maybe a little more, this way leads by the moon.”
A Chinese satellite has entered lunar orbit and should drop a robotic probe on the moon as early as Friday -- the first such moon landing in nearly four decades. But China's ultimate plans are unclear, whether simply scientific or the first steps toward a military base on the moon.
The Chang’e 3 satellite was launched from southwest China on Dec. 2 and entered orbit around the moon on Dec. 6. It will deposit a robotic rover on the moon as early as Dec. 14. China’s long range goals are murky, according to Thomas Reiter
, director for human spaceflight and operations with the European Space Agency (ESA). Yet militarizing the moon would be a shame, he said.“I could not imagine that human exploration is getting … pushed by military consideration,” Reiter told FoxNews.com. “It would really be a pity.”
- Thomas Reiter, director of human spaceflight and operations at the ESA
The ESA is helping China to the moon, a landing that will be the first controlled descent since Russia’s Luna-24 landed in 1976. The space agency’s worldwide network of satellites are tracking the science mission while expert teams on the ground are lending technical assistance. But not even the ESA knows exactly what China has planned.“The strategic long-term goals of China in human exploration … are not very clear yet,” Reiter said. China’s goals could include landing men on the moon, a feat only the United States has managed to do, the last time 41 years ago, he said.
“I believe they are taking a clear path with some first steps, and I could imagine yes, this could be interest in the next decade in bringing humans to the lunar surface.”
Russia also has shown interest in the moon, Reiter said. Yet the ESA, like NASA, has no concrete plans to do more than help when it comes to lunar exploration.
“NASA is not going to the moon with a human as a primary project probably in my lifetime,” NASA administrator Charles Bolden said at an April panel in Washington. NASA spokesman David Weaver echoed that sentiment, telling FoxNews.com that it is working with international partners to plan missions to the moon and elsewhere.
“We are deeply involved in lunar science, with two satellites currently orbiting the moon,” he said. “The global community is committed to working together on a unified deep-space exploration strategic plan, with robotic and human missions to destinations that include near-Earth asteroids, the moon and Mars.
Reiter also put the moon on a short list, including low-Earth orbit and Mars. But due to budgetary restrictions, the ESA has no plans of its own to visit the moon.
“For the moment, we do not have a dedicated lunar exploration program,” he told FoxNews.com. At a recent conference in Naples, the space agency proposed a program for a European lunar landing mission to the south pole.
“Due to the overall economic situation of the member states, this could not be approved,” Reiter said. “We are looking into a cooperative mission with the Russian partners.”
Yet Reiter said the agency remains focused on the moon, despite a decades-long dry spell in lunar landings.
“I believe the moon is still a very important destination,” he said. “If we really intend to take a human mission to Mars … in two decades or maybe a little more, this way leads by the moon.”
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Liborio
A la puerta de la gloria está San Pedro sentado y ve llegar a su lado a un hombre de cierta historia. No consigue hacer memoria y le pregunta con celo: ¿Quién eras allá en el suelo? Era Liborio mi nombre. Has sufrido mucho, hombre, entra, te has ganado el cielo.
Martha Colmenares
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