Chinese automaker Geely planning assembly in Cuba

Cuba Standard

Geely stand at the International Havana Fair (FIHAV)

CUBA STANDARD — As the Cuban government is gradually freeing new-car sales for individuals, Chinese automaker Geely, already the No. 1 auto seller on the island, is positioning itself for growth in Cuba and the wider region.

The company is planning to establish a semi-knock down (SKD) assembly plant in Cuba, Shanghai Geely International Corporation, Geely’s international arm, announced in a press release republished by Global Times. The company didn’t provide any specifics.

In an ambitious global expansion plan, Geely set a target of opening 15 assembly plants overseas by 2015, according to an article by Automotive Logistics magazine.

In semi-knock down assembly, a manufacturer typically exports a kit with complete car body, usually coated or already painted, to then add engine and transmission, tires, wheels, seats, headlights, glass, batteries, interior plastics, or other components in final assembly, some of them locally sourced.

“At the request of several ministries in Cuba, including the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment, the Ministry of Communications, and the Ministry of Metallurgy Industry, Geely International is now preparing to launch the SKD project in a local place,” the company said in the press release.

The announcement comes as the Cuban government is seeking manufacturers to open shop at its new Mariel Special Development Zone, an export-oriented zone around a deepwater port 30 miles west of Havana.

Cuba is the company’s largest market in the Caribbean, Central America and northern part of South America. Geely sold at least 3,200 vehicles to Cuba in 2013, in two batches; the Geely CK has held the spot of most-sold new car model in Cuba since 2009. The company is also selling vehicles in Costa Rica, Colombia and Venezuela.

In 2012, the company opened a contract assembly plant in Uruguay in a joint venture with a local partner, making it Geely’s first in the Western hemisphere. The plant, with a capacity of 20,000 cars per year, is supplying primarily Mercosur markets Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, as well as Chile. Forty percent of the components in Uruguay are locally sourced, with a goal of reaching 60 percent by the third year.

All Geely vehicles sold to Cuba in 2013 were made at the Uruguayan plant.

“Geely International actively takes measures in relevant areas and has achieved essential progress,” the company said in a  recent statement about the Cuban market.

On Dec. 19, official media announced that for the first time since 1959, individuals will be allowed to purchase new cars without a permit. The state will retain its monopoly over new-car sales.

“Geely is continuously improving the storage structure of its bonded warehouse and is adopting multi-channel supply methods” for spare parts, the company said. Geely’s warehouse in Cuba now is at 80 percent of capacity, up from 34 percent last year.  The company has also signed agreements with SASA, a local auto service provider operated by the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, to jointly open standard service stations and spare-part sales stores.

Nearly 10,000 Geely-brand cars and trucks are already circulating on Cuban roads, the company said. Government agencies, such as the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Tourism, have been the only buyers of new cars until now. Geely’s CK models are used as senior government officials’ cars; most police cars in Havana are Geely CK models as well.  At present, 80 percent of rental cars in Cuba are Geely CK, EC7 and EC8 models; all rental agencies are state-owned.

Santa Obama Gives Pay Raise to Federal Workers

By Ben Shapiro

Just in time for Christmas, President Obama signed an executive order on Monday giving a 1 percent pay raise for federal employees. The raise follows a four year hiatus from salary increases for federal workers, although most federal employees have apparently seen their pay increase via promotion or performance. The first increased paycheck will kick in on January 1.

Read more on Breitbart >>

Feds stole my $33M bitcoins booty: Silk Road ‘pirate’

New York Post

By Rich Calder

Photo: Google+

Ross Ulbricht says the government seized $33.6 million in bitcoins from him. 

The Internet “pirate” accused of running the notorious illegal-drug-peddling Web site Silk Road claims that the feds are the real buccaneers — robbing him to the tune of $33.6 million worth of the encrypted, virtual currency bitcoin.

Ross Ulbricht — who was arrested in October for allegedly masterminding the mysterious “deep Web” site — recently filed legal papers in Manhattan federal court admitting he “has an interest as owner” of the more than 173,000 bitcoins the government seized through forfeiture from Silk Road.

Valued at $33.6 million, these bitcoins are assets the government claims were used to facilitate money laundering in support of a host of crimes, including six failed murder-for-hire plots and the sale of cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs over the Internet.

Ulbricht — who allegedly used the workplace alias “Dread Pirate Roberts,” a reference to a character in the 1987 cult film “The Princess Bride” — said in a notarized Dec. 11 statement that he believes the virtual currency should be returned to him because bitcoins are “not subject to seizure” by federal law.

Ulbricht, 29, now admits the bitcoin fortune is his — even though he’s previously denied any wrongdoing regarding Silk Road and claimed through his lawyer that the feds arrested the wrong guy.

Ulbricht’s attempt at forcing the government to return the bitcoins marks the first time the courts have been asked to determine whether the controversial virtual currency is an asset that falls under forfeiture laws, legal experts told The Post.

Daniel Wenner, a white-collar lawyer and former Brooklyn assistant US attorney, called Ulbricht’s argument “very creative and cutting edge,” but said he’d be “stunned” if a judge sided with the alleged Silk Road operator.

“I think one would be hard-pressed to convince a court that something you can use to purchase goods, like bitcoins, isn’t property,” he said.

Attorney Jeffrey Alberts, who used to specialize in asset-forfeiture actions as a federal prosecutor for Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara, agreed. He said Ulbricht should have “a difficult time” proving his argument because typically “anything of value” can be seized in money-laundering cases.

“Artwork, horses and even intellectual property, such as domain names, have qualified, so there’s no reason to think bitcoins wouldn’t,” he said.

Both Bharara, whose office is handling the Silk Road case, and Ulbricht’s lawyer, Joshua Dratel, declined comment.

Bharara’s asset seizure from Silk Road was the largest-ever by the feds that involved bitcoins.

Lo peor esta por venir

atrancalimpia

Por Andrés Pascual

El filibusterismo oficial y comprobable que ha resultado en la ejecución socio-político-económica del país por la tenaza diseñada por los “interesados” para Obama, es el precedente que está sentando lo peor: Estados Unidos frente el bombardeo futuro de gente como este tipo, a partir de su falsa y engañosa política mesiánica, camouflage del “anticristo del siglo XXI", no más incapaces, no más mentirosos, no más antiamericanos, que sería imposible, sino iguales y se dice todo.

Resulta que no llega por ningún lado el refuerzo de la decencia, la moral y los principios conservadores y la impresion de que este tipo de ciudadano desapareció o lo tienen en túneles bajo tierra a ver qué hacen con él ES UNA REALIDAD DEMOLEDORA.

Los datos sobre la “comunidá” que arribó este año reflejan que la continuación de la la vista gorda define la importancia del castrismo para Obama: por cada elemento que agarran "mojado", permiten que lleguen 200 "con los pies secos". Sin embargo, la noticia será 8 que capturaron en el mar y deportarán para “partir corazones”.

Este detalle no fuera preocupante si la mayoría no se constituyera en parte de la 5ta columna castro-obamista, a partir del apoyo al resquebrajamiento moral del partido demócrata, siempre consecuente con cualquier actitud que golpee a la Unión.

Para la “la comunidá” solo hay una posición política: la que apoye su condición de “emigrantes económicos” sin exigencias de compromiso patriótico, que no les interesa, válido a través del decreto que los autorice a viajar (único objetivo visible), a disfrutar el intercambio, a enviar lo que tengan sin importarles que el salidero económico sin regulaciones empobrece a la ciudad y al país...

Como cualquier ilegal, no tienen en cuenta la realidad económica americana para correr el riesgo de "lanzarse"; ni les interesa si hay o no trabajo, tampoco traen en la agenda aprender ingles, a fin de cuentas “esto es Carraguao” o el Fanguito o Tepito y a “joder la pava y a los pavitos, que vivir del welfare, del fraude y otros "demases" no exige mucho esfuerzo.

Definitivamete, las frases más antiamericanas de la historia son “este es un país de emigrantes” y “el sueño americano”; la primera, sin ninguna razón lógica ni realista para convertirla en significación ética hoy, fue un estandarte de americanos patriotas que, en su momento, no se percataron de que le servirían el arma soberbia al enemigo público 1 de este país: la emigración ilegal, que ha logrado espacios tan significativos por el asalto al poder de comunistas encubiertos como mantener en jaque la política americana con la oficialización de exigencias de reforma migratoria.

La situación no se le escapó de las manos a “los americanos”, sino la dejaron escapar antipatriotas, la “azoraron” los peores engendros de nadie sabe quiénes jamás nacidos aquí...

Sencillamente, la estimulan con objetivo político electoral como primer paso “compañeros” en la lucha contra el capitalismo representado por Estados Unidos.

La conspiración nace en el partido demócrata americano con apoyo de los seculares del Diablo en ultramar.

La situación se ha tornado hiperpeligrosa una vez que lograron imponerle el sello contribuyente para “lo que se avecina” al Vaticano, que eligió, para contentar y reforzar un poder no tan secreto, a un PAPA de la categoría comunista envuelto en papel liberal o reformador.

En ese orden de cosas, hasta la palabra “ilegales” han prohibido en los medios por gestiones de otra “luchadora por esos delincuentes”, jueza en la Corte Suprema, sustituyéndola “indocumentados”; a fin de imponer, como si fuera un derecho, a quienes entraron sin autorización, les falta una firma y a imponer el relajo “como Pedro por su casa”, que es en lo que buscan convertir el “paso de la frontera”.

Con el 90 % del andamiaje mediático en control de los comunistas encubiertos que favorecen todas las medidas contribuyentes a destruir el poder de Estados Unidos, con el Partido Republicano contra la pared, rehén de la circunstancia “ilegales, homosexuales, negros...”, nadie sabe cuánto de malo le espera por las concesiones oportunistas de pusilánimes y traidores.

Razones suficientes para fruncir el ceño cada vez que alguien le desee “felices fiestas...”, porque hasta “christmas” es un delito decir, y un ¿próspero? AÑO NUEVO.

Iranian Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Allow Production Of Weapons Uranium

Pat Dollard

Excerpted from The Jerusalem Post: Iran’s hardline lawmakers are seeking to increase uranium enrichment under the country’s nuclear program to a level that can produce bomb-grade material, a state-run website said on Wednesday.

The bill could bring Tehran into direct conflict with the major powers that reached an interim agreement with Iran in Geneva last month, requiring Tehran to suspend its enrichment of higher grade uranium.

However, Iran’s most powerful authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has so far backed the accord.

The hardliners, irked by the foreign policy shift since moderate President Hasan Rouhani was elected in June, oppose the Geneva deal.

The bill introduced on Wednesday, “if approved, will oblige the government to … enrich uranium to 60 percent level in order to provide fuel for submarine engines if the sanctions are tightened and Iran’s nuclear rights are ignored (by major powers),” said hardline lawmaker Mehdi Mousavinejad, according to the English language Press TV website.

It was not immediately clear whether or when the parliament might discuss the bill but the official IRNA news agency said it was introduced by some 100 lawmakers and had been tagged with a “double urgency” status, meaning it could be discussed in parliament within a week.

“The bill is aimed at giving an upper hand to our government and the negotiating team … It will allow the government to continue our nuclear program if the Geneva deal fails,” IRNA quoted Hossein Taghavi Hosseini, spokesman for parliament’s National Security and Foreign Affairs committee, as saying.

DISSUADING FURTHER SANCTIONS

The November 24 accord is meant to give the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany and Iran a period of six months to negotiate a final settlement of the decade-old standoff, easing worries over a new war in the Middle East.

“Iran’s parliament lacks power and particularly after Rouhani’s election win, the hardline lawmakers do not have the upper hand,” a senior western diplomat in Tehran said.

“Iran’s Supreme Leader backs the deal and ultimately, lawmakers have to follow his path.”

The Iranian government would have no choice but to obey such a bill if passed by parliament. But diplomats and analysts believe Iran could be using parliament as a bargaining tool in the talks.

“This draft bill has been prepared in reaction to America’s hostile measures,” Mousavinejad told the official IRNA news agency on Tuesday.

Despite opposition by President Barack Obama’s administration, 26 US senators introduced legislation on Thursday to impose new sanctions on Iran if the country breaks the Geneva interim deal.

The proposed legislation would require reductions in Iran’s petroleum production and apply new penalties to Iran’s engineering, mining and construction industries if Iran violated the interim agreement or if negotiators failed to reach a final comprehensive deal.

Washington earlier this month also blacklisted 19 more Iranian companies and individuals under sanctions aimed at Iran’s nuclear program.

Keep reading >>

Justin BIEBER: 'I'm Officially Retiring'

Business Insider

Aly Weisman

Jutsin Bieber dropped a bombshell on Christmas Eve.

The 19-year-old singer announced to his nearly 50 million Twitter followers that he is retiring -- with little explanation.

My beloved beliebers I'm officially retiring
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) December 25, 2013

The media talks a lot about me.They make a up a lot of lies and want me to fail but I'm never leaving you, being a belieber is a lifestyle.
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) December 25, 2013

Be kind loving to each other, forgive each other as god forgave us through Christ Merry Christmas IM HERE FOREVER
— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) December 25, 2013

The singer pulled a similar stunt last week, joking in a radio interview that he would call it quits after the release of his "Complete My Journals " album on Monday.

Bieber’s new documentary movie "Believe" opens Christmas Day.

Despite tonight's announcement, we have a feeling Bieber will come out of retirement and get back into the studio very soon.

Las mulas y la economía oculta en Cuba

Diario las Americas

Ivan Garcia

www.elmundo.es

En un cuaderno, Romelio anota detalladamente los encargos que varios clientes le han hecho para su próximo viaje. Desde teléfonos inteligentes, tabletas, laptops, televisores de pantalla plana y videojuegos hasta ropa exclusiva.

Ya de antemano ha acordado el precio y la marca. A la semana, Romelio regresa con el encargo. En el domicilio de un usuario del municipio Diez de Octubre, acaba de entregar un televisor de 42 pulgadas, comprada por 267 dólares en un mercado cercano al Canal de Panamá. A su cliente habanero se lo vende en 550 pesos convertibles (CUC), poco más de 600 dólares.

“En cada viaje traigo tres televisores, igual número de videojuegos y hasta diez móviles inteligentes. Trabajo en una firma y suelo viajar dos veces al mes. Existen disposiciones aduanales sobre la importación de televisores, cocinas y lavadoras. Pero por debajo del tapete, cuando usted le pasa un billete de cien dólares al aduanero, el hombre mira hacia otro lado”, cuenta el negociante.

Según su relato, en un contenedor dispone de un metro cuadrado para traer cosas. Por ese espacio paga 250 pesos, 10 cuc, una vez al año.

“Importo de acuerdo a las necesidades de mis clientes: electrodomésticos, luces LED, pisos de cerámica. Hacer de ‘mula’ me reporta en cada viaje, descontando los pagos aduanales y sobornos, dos mil cuc limpios de polvo y paja”, cuenta Romelio.

No solo decenas de cubanoamericanos residentes en la Florida se dedican a trasegar con pacotilla textil o industrial. Empresarios, compradores, intelectuales, médicos, pilotos y azafatas, entre otros ciudadanos cubanos, se dedican de manera ilegal a la importación de artículos por encargos.

A pesar de pagar elevados gravámenes aduanales, el negocio deja beneficios suculentos. Yanelis, aeromoza, además de servir tragos y emparedados a los pasajeros de Cubana de Aviación, desde hace seis años se dedica a importar electrodomésticos, ropa y cosméticos de calidad.

“Con el dinero que he ganado monté una paladar, me compré un piso en el Vedado y pude arreglarle la casa a mi madre y mis hermanos”, expresa la aeromoza.

A ninguna de estas dos ‘mulas’, les preocupa las nuevas prohibiciones a los trabajadores particulares que venden prendas de vestir y artículos de ferretería, y que obligarán a cerrar cientos de pequeños negocios el próximo 31 de diciembre. Mientras el Estado mantenga precios exagerados en sus mercancías siempre habrá terreno fértil para el negocio.

Pablo, economista, opina que debido a la habitual escasez y sobre todo los altísimos impuestos de circulación -entre 240 y 400%- con los cuales el gobierno grava las mercancías ofertadas en moneda dura, siempre habrá importación de contrabando.

“Calculo que las ‘mulas’ de la isla, los cubanos que viven en Estados Unidos, Europa o América Latina, y los cooperantes que laboran en el extranjero, mueven de tres a cuatro mil millones de dólares anuales en mercancías. Las ‘mulas’ son una especie de ratones, constantes y laboriosos, que van desarticulando el embargo y los abusos comerciales que practican las autoridades cubanas”, argumenta el economista.

Osniel, dueño de un negocio de dulces, le compró a Romelio un televisor de pantalla plana para regalarle a su esposa. Según Osniel, “muchos dueños de cafeterías, bares y paladares adquirimos luces LED, televisores y bebidas mediante las ‘mulas’, ya sean de Miami o cubanos que trabajan en empresas. El precio entre unas ‘mulas’ y otras no varía demasiado. Y por supuesto, siempre es más barato que el Estado”.

Luego de dejar el televisor en casa de Osniel, Romelio revisa su cuaderno. Mira el reloj: “Aún debo hacer siete entregas más. Dos televisores, un videojuego y cuatro Samsung Galaxy. Para salir de la rutina, iré una semana a Varadero con mi familia”.

En Cuba, al igual que las monedas, desde hace 55 años cohabitan dos economías: la estatal, improductiva y mal remunerada, y la sumergida, donde usted por catálogo puede adquirir artículos Made in USA.

Liván Hernández pone en subasta sus trofeos

xfinity.comcast.net

Alex Rivero / Martinoticias

El ex estelar pelotero cubano de Grandes ligas, Liván Hernández, ha puesto en subasta varios de sus premios, trofeos, anillos y pelotas, obtenidos como jugador en la Gran Carpa, por un monto cercano a los 40 mil dólares, según publica el sitio digital Lelands.com.

Hernández expone su anillo de campeón de 1997 con los Marlins de Florida por 7,320.50 dólares, así como la primera bola lanzada por los Nacionales de Washington en su nueva época a 5 mil. Otros trofeos más están a subasta, y aunque su límite es el 10 de enero, ya presenta contendientes que están ofreciendo cifras muy superiores a las que se han impuesto como salida.

Liván había informado un tiempo atrás que intentaba colocarse como empleado de grandes ligas como funcionario de esa organización. Hernández escapó de la isla en un viaje de entrenamiento a México, en 1996, y un año más tarde hacía ganar a los Marlins la corona en la Serie Mundial y se agenció el título de Jugador más valioso.

El trofeo como Jugador más Valioso (MVP) de la serie de 1997 está en venta por un valor de 5, 500 dólares.

Cuba: Remembering Lady in White Sonia Garro

capitolhillcubans

During the holidays, let's highlight some of the current political prisoners that the Castro brothers would like the world to forget.

Today, we remember Sonia Garro, who is currently spending her second Christmas in a political prison.

Sonia Garro, a member of The Ladies in White pro-democracy movement, has been imprisoned by the Castro regime -- without trial or charges -- since March 18th, 2012.

In the wave of repression leading up to Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Cuba, Castro's secret police raider her home, shot her with rubber bullets and imprisoned her.

She has been repeatedly abused and beaten in the infamous Manto Negro women's prison.

Garro's husband, Ramón Muñoz González, was also imprisoned on that day.

He is being held -- without trial or charges -- in the Combinado del Este Prison.

Demand their freedom now.

The Top 5 Imploded Leftist Myths of 2013

breitbart

By Ben Shapiro*

www.sodahead.com

2013 was a year of myths falling apart. The myth of President Obama – a myth in which Obama was a messianic figure descending to bequeath health care, equality, and brotherhood on mankind – imploded. The myth of an America embracing the leftist social agenda collapsed. And the greatest myth of all – the myth that America is ready to become Europe – crumbled to ash.

Here, then, are the top five imploded myths of the last year:

The 2012 election gave President Obama a mandate to cram through his signature program. In the aftermath of President Obama’s re-election, members of both the administration and the media trumpeted that Obama had received his long-sought mandate. Obamacare, Americans were told, was the law of the land. It could not be changed; it could not be stopped. Obamacare would be implemented, the country would rejoice, and Republicans would mourn the day they ever opposed the anointed one.

Then the Obamacare rollout proceeded to run off the rails in catastrophic fashion. With Obama’s re-election won, the media no longer felt the obligation to cover up Obamacare’s disastrous crippling of the health care system. Suddenly, Obama’s statements about keeping your health insurance plan became the “lie of the year” rather than a mere “half-truth.” Suddenly, Obama’s brilliant team of implementers, headed by the Chief Implementer himself, became a group of half-wits stumbling around attempting to put back together millions of lines of broken code.

That didn’t mean that the media started covering Obamacare in fair fashion. The media turned Senator Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) plan to fund the entire government except for Obamacare into obstructionism, while Obama’s bullheaded insistence on pushing forward a failing rollout was hailed as strength. World War II veterans barred from their memorials by President Obama out of pure vindictiveness were portrayed by Jon Stewart as buffoons.

Nonetheless, the overall impression of the Obama mandate is that it no longer exists, if it ever did.

Americans hate social conservatism. The 2012 election, we were told, was a referendum on the Republican “war on women.” If Republicans had avoided the stumbling blocks of same-sex marriage and abortion, they would have put Mitt Romney in the White House.

2013 proved how wrong that notion was.

The left attempted to turn late-term abortion advocate Wendy Davis into a national hero; instead, her quixotic quest to become governor of Texas is stumbling badly. When the left attempted to turn Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson into a homophobic bully, Americans finally fought back and let the left know that citing the Bible isn’t homophobia or bullying. Conservatives can learn from 2012, and they have: abortion should be discussed in terms of the extremism of the left, and same-sex marriage must be discussed in the context of religious freedom.

Racial divisions have been palliated thanks to President Obama. President Obama’s media supporters suggested that his lack of support in 2012 was due in large part to a rising tide of racism. In the aftermath of his re-election, Americans were once again treated to the idea that America’s changing demographics and its black president meant that the emerging American minorities-majority would usher in an era of racial tolerance.

With the controversy over the “knockout game,” the media’s disgusting perversion of the Trayvon Martin case, and the consistent drumbeat from the left that all opposition to the leftist agenda was race-based, it’s now clear that racial friction in the political sphere is increasing, not decreasing. That’s how the left wants it.

New models will save the leftist media. When the Huffington Post was sold to AOL for $315 million, the media announced a new age of ventures that would bring the old media into a gleamingly profitable world. When Jeff Bezos of Amazon bought the Washington Post, we were told the same thing. When John Henry of the Boston Red Sox bought the Boston Globe, we were told the same thing.

These ventures have all changed hands, but none have stumbled on a true formula for success in the non-print world.

Meanwhile, in television, MSNBC grew to surpass CNN, but is now struggling to find a new audience; CNN is withering; Fox News continues to dominate.

The reality for the left media is that they have two problems to solve: first, a problem of content; second, a problem of profit model. They can’t solve the second without the first. Unfortunately, they continue to look at business strategies rather than coverage strategies. And that’s a formula for continued failure.

Americans are ready to become Europe. President Obama’s biggest advocates believe that Americans are ready to embrace his vision for the United States: a less muscular America on the world stage, an America with a more controlling executive branch and less conflict in the legislative branch, an America in which the government takes care of us, be we Pajama Boys or Julias.

In 2013, that vision for America was put to bed. President Obama’s Iran deal, the greatest sign of his vision for a scaled-down America, is wildly unpopular. His incessant attempts to rewrite his own healthcare law have contributed to his plummeting popularity. And as for the notion that Americans want government to take care of us, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we would prefer the government to leave us the hell alone.

That doesn’t mean that Republicans are in the ascendance or that conservatism’s glory days are just around the corner. It does mean, however, that the cherished leftist visions of January 2009 are fading fast. And that’s good news for Americans who still believe in American freedoms and values.

---------------------


*Ben Shapiro is Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the New York Times bestseller “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America” (Threshold Editions, January 8, 2013). He is also Editor-in-Chief of TruthRevolt.org. Follow Ben Shapiro on Twitter @benshapiro.

Can Afghan Republic Survive After U.S. Withdrawal?

breitbart

By AWR Hawkins 

As the Obama administration gets closer to pulling all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, questions still exist about what kind of country we will leave behind and whether the Afghan republic will be able to survive once we are gone. 

Conservative talk show host David Webb and former Navy SEAL Team Six assault team leader Chuck Pfarrer traveled to Afghanistan last week to get a firsthand look at what we are doing there now, as well as indications of what it might be like once we leave. 

Speaking with Webb on Fox News, Pfarrer said there is not much to teach the Afghans about light infantry because "they are masters of the world at that." However, he stressed that they must have an air force that can support the infantry in missions "that are going to be necessary... to continue to prosecute a counterinsurgency war." 

Webb agreed and speculated that in "our history we've seen military aviation become the development of commercial aviation" and help to spread more and more "commercialism, capitalism, and dare I say it, the growth of a nation."

His point was clear. If we leave Afghanistan too soon or if we leave them without the right skills and equipment in place, then we may be contributing to the collapse of a nation instead of the advance of one. 

Pfarrer said this is exactly what needs to be stressed and that it forms the work General John E. Michel is doing in Afghanistan right now, explaining, "[Michel] is not only manufacturing Afghan aviators, he is helping to put forth a new breed of Afghan citizens... [Persons] connected to the world, [persons] not burdened down by religious prejudices; these are the kind of young leaders -- men and women aviators -- that General Michel is working with [and] that are really going to be the future of Afghanistan."

Bolivian President Endorses Child Labor to Build 'Social Conscience'

breitbart

By Frances Martel 

aeronoticias.com.pe

President Evo Morales of Bolivia has taken a firm stand against a bill proposing to ban child labor under the age of 14. Citing his own life experience as a child laborer, he argued that such work builds "social conscience" and has a place in his country.

"We should not ban child labor, but we should not exploit children, either," he announced this week after meeting with pro-labor youth groups lobbying the President to prevent the bill from passing. The groups, according to Argentina's Infobae, defend the rights of children who have lost their parents or otherwise fallen into severe economic distress, arguing that without an avenue to work, the children would not have the ability to eat. Morales did not propose any government safety net or program that would prevent children from having to make the choice between starvation and labor, a choice which often eliminates education as an option.

"I agree with the children [who visited] this morning," Morales told the press after the meeting. "When one works from a young age, one has a greater social conscience." He reminded the audience that as a child he worked at a bakery and as a brick maker. Also, at a very young age, he helped his father in the sugar fields. As an adult, he sent his own children into the workforce to shepherd llamas in the Bolivian countryside.

Official Bolivian state statistics suggest that the nation is home to about 850,000 child laborers, which violates the policies promoted by the International Labor Organization. The current bill facing Bolivia would put the country in line with that group's provisions, which ban labor for those 14 years old and younger. Interior statistics also show that, of those 850,000, about 87% are working in risky or dangerous jobs.

Morales has faced some heavy international backlash for his remarks. The President of the Socialist Party of Chile (and former Labor Secretary under former President and current President-Elect Michelle Bachelet), Osvaldo Andrade, called his comments "stupidity" and argued that "no one who calls himself socialist can support child labor." 

Morales considers himself a far-left socialist and strong ally of fellow socialist Bolivarian Republics Venezuela, Argentina, and Ecuador. This has been a troublesome year for relations between the Morales administration and both the United States and the greater international community, as he ejected USAID from his country over remarks by Secretary of State John Kerry. He also threatened to expel the United States Ambassador to La Paz after the United States forced the Bolivian president to land under suspicions that he was housing NSA whistleblower/international fugitive Edward Snowden in his airplane. Morales also lost an American prisoner this month at the hands of an unexpected Sean Penn rescue and announced a crackdown this week on the activities of foreign NGOs he believes are "conspiring against the government."

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NTN24 

Kim Jong-Un Reportedly Drunk When Ordering Execution of Aides

breitbart

By Robert Wilde 

The ruthless dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, was reportedly “very drunk” when he gave the execution order to kill two close aides of his uncle, Jang Song-Thaek. Kim was “upset” that the two aides questioned his decision to turn over a business to the military and said that they should check with “Director Jang” first. 

Shortly after the aides' execution, Kim’s Uncle Jang was removed from his high ranking leadership position and executed for “anti-state” crimes. He played a crucial role in transferring power from the father, Kim Jong-Il, to Kim Jong-Un following the former dictator's death.

Jang was accused at a military tribunal of having his own political interests and that he had engaged in drug activity, womanizing, and gambling. Subsequently, a South Korean online media outlet reported that many of Jang’s family and friends had been arrested as a result of “guilt by association.”

Jang’s aides, Ri Ryong-Ha and Jang Su-Gil, were among the first well known North Korean figures to be killed in a high profile house cleaning detail by Kim. The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported, "Those who were close [to the two aides] were surprised by their execution, and made phone calls to their friends living abroad, and the South Korean government [spy agency] wiretapped their phone conversations.”

One researcher in Seoul, South Korea told the Washington Post on Wednesday that Jang Song-Thaek being put to death “means Kim Jong-un punishes his political rivals more severely than Kim Jong-il.” The fact that Kim Jong-Un executes those who were previously close to him should come as no surprise to anyone. In August, the North Korean supreme leader reportedly ordered the execution of his ex-girlfriend by firing squad.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye characterized the recent events that have taken place in North Korea as a "grave and unpredictable situation."

Poll: More Than Two Thirds of Voters Say 'Drill Here, Drill Now'

breitbart

By AWR Hawkins 

A Harris Interactive poll conducted for the American Petroleum Institute shows that 67 percent of registered voters support more offshore drilling for oil and 77 percent support more domestic production, period. 

Moreover, out of 1,002 respondents, 89 percent said that expanded on and offshore oil and gas natural gas production "could help strengthen America's energy security" while 87 percent believe increased production "could lower energy costs for consumers."

For these reasons, nearly 90 percent of Americans said more oil and natural gas production would help our economy. And 84 percent said more oil production production could "benefit federal and state budgets" through "lease payments" and "royalty fees." 

But while the American people support expanded oil and natural gas production by such large majorities, President Obama maintains a posture opposed to it. According to the American Thinker, by May 2013 production on federal lands had declined 40 percent under Obama.

Moreover, the Canadian Free Press (CFP) says Obama's production-crushing policies in the Gulf of Mexico, following the 2010 BP oil spill, so hindered oil and gas exploration that 2010 levels of production will not be seen again until "at least" the end of 2014.

All the while 92 percent of voters believe increased oil and natural gas production could do one thing Americans have not seen Obama do--create more jobs in the U.S.

Retirement: It's Not Forever

TIME

Adorable Compilation of Kids Reacting to Opening Christmas Presents

TIME

Noti-Katungo. Negra que besa a Fidel, con su trasero paga

Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47, died at age of 94

POLITICO.com

Kalashnikov once aspired to design farm equipment. | AP Photo

"I sleep well. It's the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence," he said in 2007.

Kalashnikov died in a hospital in Izhevsk, the capital of the Udmurtia republic where he lived, said Viktor Chulkov, a spokesman for the republic's president. He did not give a cause of death. Kalashnikov had been hospitalized for the past month with unspecified health problems.

The AK-47 — "Avtomat Kalashnikov" and the year it went into production — is the world's most popular firearm, favored by guerrillas, terrorists and the soldiers of many armies. An estimated 100 million guns are spread worldwide.

Though it isn't especially accurate, its ruggedness and simplicity are exemplary: it performs in sandy or wet conditions that jam more sophisticated weapons such as the U.S. M-16.

"During the Vietnam war, American soldiers would throw away their M-16s to grab AK-47s and bullets for it from dead Vietnamese soldiers," Kalashnikov said in July 2007 at a ceremony marking the rifle's 60th anniversary.

The weapon's suitability for jungle and desert fighting made it nearly ideal for the Third World insurgents backed by the Soviet Union, and Moscow not only distributed the AK-47 widely but also licensed its production in some 30 other countries.

The gun's status among revolutionaries and national-liberation struggles is enshrined on the flag of Mozambique.

Kalashnikov, born into a peasant family in Siberia, began his working life as a railroad clerk. After he joined the Red Army in 1938, he began to show mechanical flair by inventing several modifications for Soviet tanks.

The moment that firmly set his course was in the 1941 battle of Bryansk against Nazi forces, when a shell hit his tank. Recovering from wounds in the hospital, Kalashnikov brooded about the superior automatic rifles he'd seen the Nazis deploy; his rough ideas and revisions bore fruit five years later.

"Blame the Nazi Germans for making me become a gun designer," said Kalashnikov. "I always wanted to construct agricultural machinery."

In 2007, President Vladimir Putin praised him, saying "The Kalashnikov rifle is a symbol of the creative genius of our people."

Over his career, he was decorated with numerous honors, including the Hero of Socialist Labor and Order of Lenin and Stalin Prize. But because his invention was never patented, he didn't get rich off royalties.

"At that time in our country patenting inventions wasn't an issue. We worked for Socialist society, for the good of the people, which I never regret," he once said.

Kalashnikov continued working into his late 80s as chief designer of the Izmash company that first built the AK-47. He also traveled the world helping Russia negotiate new arms deals, and he wrote books on his life, about arms and about youth education.

"After the collapse of the great and mighty Soviet Union so much crap has been imposed on us, especially on the younger generation," he said. "I wrote six books to help them find their way in life."

He said he was proud of his bronze bust installed in his native village of Kurya in the Siberian region of Altai. He said newlyweds bring flowers to the bust. "They whisper 'Uncle Misha, wish us happiness and healthy kids,'" he said. "What other gun designer can boast of that?"

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/mikhail-kalashnikov-dead-101481.html#ixzz2oVppk5Z0

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10 things about Mikhail Kalashnikov

By ANDREA DRUSCH 

Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47, died at age 94 Monday after a decorated career in the Russian military. His signature invention has been reproduced more than 100 million times since 2009, and is the world’s most popular firearm. Here are 10 things you should know about Mikhail Kalashnikov:

1. He aspired to be a poet. As a boy, Kalashnikov loved machinery but also had an affinity for poetry. He wrote poetry all his life, along with six books.

2. He once hitchhiked home to Russia. Kalashnikov was born in Kurya, Russia, but his family was deported to Siberia under the Stalin regime when he was a child. He left them to return to Kurya after the seventh grade, hitch-hiking nearly 1,000 kilometers, or more than 600 miles.

3. His son is also an arms dealer. Kalashnikov had four children with his engineer wife, Ekaterina Viktorovna Moiseyeva. Their youngest son, Victor, is a prominent small arms dealer who invented the PP-19 Bizon submachine gun.

4. He was injured in the military. Kalashnikov joined the military at 19 and served in the Russian tank division, where he invented improvements to the tanks. When he was injured by the Nazis in the Battle of Bryansk, he began working on weapons creation throughout his recovery.

5. The AK-47 is named after him. Kalashnikov’s signature invention, the AK-47 stands for “Avtomat Kalashnikov.” Avtomat is Russian for “automatic,” and 1947 was the year he invented it at age 28.

6. He has a line of vodka. Produced in St. Petersburg, Kalashnikov Vodka uses water from Lake Ladoga and is classified as a luxury export. It’s one degree stronger than regular vodka and sometimes called “military strength.”

7. He wasn’t motivated by money. Kalashnikov often said money wasn’t important to him but that he was motivated by service to his country. He was driven to design his first rifle by early Russian defeats in WWII to better-armed Germans. “I don’t like luxury,” he said. “I am after a simple decent life.”

8. He was a hunter. Kalashnikov took up hunting with his father to feed his family. He remained an avid hunter for the rest of his life, including a yearly moose hunting trip up into his 90s.

9. He had a big family. Kalashnikov was the 17th of 19 children born to his peasant parents. Only eight children survived to adulthood, and at age 6, Kalashnikov nearly died of illness himself.

10. He regretted terrorists getting hold of his inventions. At 82, Kalashnikov said he was proud of his invention, but that if he had it to do over again, he would invent something less destructive. “I would prefer to have invented a machine that people could use and that would help farmers with their work — for example, a lawnmower,” he said. However, asked how he felt about sleeping knowing that many had died from his work, he answered: “‘I sleep very well, thank you.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/mikhail-kalashnikov-facts-101486.html#ixzz2oVshpA00

Cuba: Cuentapropistas incrementan aporte al presupuesto en un 18%

lainformacion.com

La Habana, 25 dic.- Las contribuciones del sector privado en Cuba al presupuesto del Estado aumentaron un 18 por ciento en los últimos tres años, después de que el Gobierno impulsara la apertura del trabajo autónomo en 2010, informó hoy la agencia estatal Prensa Latina.

El director de Ingresos del Ministerio de Finanzas y Precios, Vladimir Regueiro, dijo a la agencia que ese sector "crece y sus contribuciones aumentan" ya que desde octubre de 2010 hasta igual mes de 2013 "su aporte al presupuesto del Estado creció 18 por ciento".

Regueiro indicó que el impacto económico de los llamados "cuentapropistas" en la isla "está en correspondencia con las previsiones que se hicieron sobre la expansión y crecimiento del sector", si bien sus aportes sólo representan por ahora el 2 por ciento del presupuesto estatal.

Según precisó, las empresas estatales se mantienen como las mayores contribuyentes al Estado.

La previsión oficial, no obstante, es que los "cuentapropistas" y otras formas no estatales de trabajo, como las nuevas cooperativas de servicios aprobadas este año, continuarán su crecimiento.

Como resultado de esa expansión, el ministerio de Finanzas y Precios proyecta para 2014 ingresos superiores en un 12 por ciento a los recibidos por concepto tributario este año.

Cifras oficiales divulgadas por esa cartera a la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular (parlamento unicameral) la semana pasada señalan que los tributos del sector privado aportarán en 2014 un 4 por ciento del presupuesto del Estado.

La apertura y desarrollo del llamado "trabajo por cuenta propia" forma parte del plan de reformas del Gobierno del presidente Raúl Castro para la "actualización" económica de la isla.

En la actualidad 444.109 cubanos ejercen el trabajo privado, en un país donde la fuerza laboral asciende a 4,8 millones de trabajadores y la tasa de desempleados es del 3,5 por ciento.

En enero de este año el Gobierno implementó una nueva Ley Tributaria con el objetivo de acompañar su "actualización" socialista.

En un país sin cultura fiscal después de que la revolución de 1959 eliminara prácticamente la política de impuestos, la nueva ley tributaria busca revertir esa situación para respaldar los gastos sociales.

(Agencia EFE)

Estadisticas de la Cuba Antes de Fidel Castro

Adribosch's Blog

Calzada de Infanta y San Lazaro antes de 1959

Según la ONU, la OMS y la OIT

Desde los primeros días del triunfo revolucionario de 1959, en Cuba, tras la huida del dictador Fulgencio Batista, se inició un progresivo control gubernamental de los medios informativos, hecho que estuvo acompañado de una campaña propagandística sin precedente en la historia de la isla.

Alentada no sólo por los medios oficiales de prensa internos sino también porRadio Habana Cuba, emisora estatal que transmite para el extranjero en decenas de idiomas, y la agencia oficial Prensa Latina, la campaña hizo un énfasis especial en la miseria que supuestamente vivía la isla antes de la era revolucionaria, y el control económico que ejercía sobre ella Estados Unidos.

Ante los ojos de quienes no tenían a mano cifras concretas, Cuba había sido prácticamente un burdel manejado por Washington.

Por supuesto, Cuba no era un país desarrollado, ni las riquezas se distribuían necesariamente de manera equitativa -tampoco se han distribuido así durante el período marxista-leninista-, pero en 1958 sólo el 14% del capital total invertido en la isla era norteamericano. El 62% de los bienes de la industria azucarera, el principal renglón de la economía nacional, era propiedad de cubanos en ese mismo año.

En 1953, Cuba ocupaba el número 22 en el mundo en médicos por habitantes, con 128.6 por cada 100 mil. Su tasa de mortalidad era de 5.8 -tercer lugar en el mundo-, mientras que la de Estados Unidos era de 9.5 y la de Canadá de 7.6. A fines de los 50, la isla tenía la tasa de mortalidad infantil más baja de América Latina con 3.76, seguida por Argentina con 6.11, Venezuela 6.56 y Uruguay 7.30, según datos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud.

Cuba ocupaba el lugar número 33 entre 112 naciones del mundo en cuanto a nivel de lectura diaria, con 101 ejemplares de periódicos por cada mil habitantes, lo cual también contradice el argumento de que el país estaba formado por un gran número de analfabetos.

Tan sólo en materia de artículos suntuarios, Cuba poseía en 1959 un radio por cada cinco habitantes, un televisor por cada 28, un teléfono por cada 38 y un automóvil por cada 40 habitantes, según el Anuario Estadístico de Naciones Unidas.

De hecho, inclusive los más importantes escritores y artistas cubanos, reconocidos internacionalmente, habían hecho ya lo más importante de su obra antes de la llegada de Castro al poder. Entre éstos, sin importar su posición política, estaban José Lezama Lima, probablemente el hombre de letras más relevante de Cuba del siglo XX; el poeta y dramaturgo Virgilio Piñera, que revolucionó el teatro cubano con el estreno de Electra Garrigó en 1948, dos años antes de que el franco-rumano Eugenio Ionesco, padre del teatro del absurdo, estrenara en París La soprano calva; los pintores Amelia Peláez, René Portocarrero, Wilfredo Lam y otros tantos; el novelista Alejo Carpentier, autor de El siglo de las luces; el poeta Nicolás Guillén; la bailarina Alicia Alonso; y, por supuesto, un número extraordinario de compositores e intérpretes de la música popular como Ernesto Lecuona, Amadeo Roldán, Alejandro García Caturla, el Trío Matamoros, Sindo Garay, Eliseo Grenet, Hubert de Blank, Benny Moré, Dámaso Pérez Prado y muchos más.

He aquí algunos datos relacionados con la salud pública, el sector laboral y la educación:

Salud Pública:

En 1958, Cuba tenía una población de 6, 630.921 habitantes. En esa época, había en la isla 35 mil camas de hospitales, un promedio de una cama por cada 190 habitantes, cifra que excedía la meta de los países desarrollados de esa época de 200 personas por cama de hospital. En 1960, Estados Unidos tenía una cama de hospital por cada 109 habitantes.

También ese año, la nación tenía un promedio de un médico por cada 980 habitantes, superada en América Latina sólo por Argentina con uno por cada 760 y Uruguay con uno por cada 860. Tenía un destista por cada 2.978.

Estos datos se encuentran en el Anuario Estadístico de la ONU de su época.

Relaciones Laborales:

En 1958, un trabajador industrial cubano ganaba un salario promedio de 6 dólares diarios por jornada de ocho horas, mientras que un trabajador agrícola, en el mismo período, ganaba 3 dólares.

Cuba ocupaba el lugar número 8 en el mundo en el pago de salarios a trabajadores industriales, superada sólo por los siguientes países:

1.- Estados Unidos ($16.80)

2.- Canadá ($11.73)

3.- Suecia ($8.10)

4.- Suiza ($8.00)

5.- Nueva Zelanda ($6.72)

6.- Dinamarca ($6.46)

7.- Noruega ($6.10)

En el renglón de los salarios a trabajadores agrícolas, Cuba ocupaba el lugar número 7 en el mundo, superada sólo por los siguientes países:

1.- Canadá ($7.18)

2.- Nueva Zelanda ($6.72)

3.- Australia ($6.61)

4.- Estados Unidos ($6.80)

5.- Suecia ($5.47)

6.- Noruega ($4.38)

Estos datos fueron divulgados por la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) en Ginebra, Suiza, en 1960.

En 1958, Cuba contaba con una fuerza laboral de 2,204.000 trabajadores. La tasa de desempleo de esa fecha era del 7.07%, la más baja de América Latina, según datos del Ministerio del Trabajo de Cuba.

Educación:

Ese mismo año, Cuba tenía tres universidades financiadas por el gobierno y otras tres de carácter privado. La matrícula de las universidades bajo el control del gobierno era de 20 mil estudiantes.

Había 900 escuelas privadas oficialmente reconocidas, incluyendo las tres universidades privadas, con una matrícula total que superaba los 100 mil estudiantes.

El sistema de educación pública contaba con 25 mil maestros, y el de la educación privada con 3.500.

A mediados de la década del 50, había 1.206 escuelas rurales en Cuba, así como un sistema de bibliotecas móviles con un total de 179.738 volúmenes.

También en 1958, Cuba tenía 114 instituciones de educación superior, por debajo del nivel universitario -institutos, escuelas politécnicas y escuelas profesionales- financiadas por el gobierno. Sólo en 1957, estas instituciones capacitaron a 38.428 estudiantes.

Había en la isla en 1958, una tasa de analfabetismo del 18 por ciento.

Estos datos se hallan en los archivos del Ministerio de Educación de Cuba.

Era el país de América Latina con el mayor presupuesto dedicado a la educación, en 1958, con el 23% del total, seguido por Costa Rica, 20%, y Guatemala y Chile con 16%, según América en Cifras, de la Unión Panamericana.

Entre finales de la década de los 40 y 1958, el valor de la moneda nacional cubana, el peso, era equivalente al dólar.

En la mayoría de los renglones en que Cuba no ocupaba el primer lugar en América Latina, en cuanto a calidad de vida, era superada únicamente por Argentina y Uruguay, según el Anuario Estadístico de Naciones Unidas.

Fuente:http://www.contactomagazine.com/

Ecuador desmantela una red dedicada a facilitar el ingreso ilegal de cubanos

Diario de Cuba

La Policía de Ecuador informó este martes de la detención de 16 personas durante la desarticulación de una agrupación supuestamente dedicada a facilitar el ingreso ilegal de cubanos en este país andino, reportó EFE.

Entre los detenidos aparecen funcionarios públicos y empleados de notarías, quienes habrían tramitado documentos migratorios "en forma ilegal para regularizar la permanencia en el país" de algunos cubanos, señala un comunicado del Ministerio del Interior.

Ocho de los 16 detenidos en el operativo, ejecutado por más de 200 miembros de la Policía con el apoyo de quince fiscales, son de nacionalidad cubana, según el Ministerio, que añade que en la acción se logró "una gran cantidad de evidencia documental, tres armas de fuego y aproximadamente 500.000 dólares".

Apuntó que el operativo, denominado "Carta Negra", se concretó luego de tres meses de actividades de inteligencia, así como el cumplimiento de diversas diligencias de investigación en coordinación con la Fiscalía de la provincia de Pichincha, cuya capital es Quito.

"Con este respaldo se identificó la existencia de una organización delictiva de carácter internacional integrada por ciudadanos de nacionalidad ecuatoriana y cubana, que venía operando en la ciudad de Quito", señala.

Detalla que los integrantes de esta red delictiva reclutaban a ciudadanos ecuatorianos de escasos recursos económicos con el objetivo de que estos presten su identidad y firma. A cambio recibían dinero para facilitar cartas de invitación para ciudadanos cubanos, permitiendo así su ingreso en Ecuador.

Se cobraba a los ciudadanos cubanos entre 800 y 1.000 dólares estadounidenses. Se armaba un despliegue logístico que iniciaba con el reclutamiento en Cuba, "desde donde les proveían del transporte, alojamiento, y la obtención de documentos de viaje en forma irregular, para su traslado" hacia Ecuador, dice el comunicado del Ministerio.

Washington: 'Habrá diálogo con La Habana si mejoran los derechos humanos'

Diario de Cuba

Washington está abierto a dialogar con La Habana si garantiza la protección de los derechos humanos, señaló este lunes el Departamento de Estado en respuesta al último discurso de Raú Castro, reportó la AFP.

"El gobierno de Estados Unidos está abierto a forjar una nueva relación con Cuba cuando el pueblo cubano disfrute de las protecciones a los derechos humanos fundamentales y la habilidad de determinar libremente su propio futuro político", dijo un alto funcionario de la diplomacia estadounidense.

De esta forma, Washington respondió a las palabras del general Raúl Castro, quien el sábado asomó la disponibilidad de avanzar en las relaciones bilaterales, siempre que ambas partes respetan sus diferencias.

"Si realmente deseamos avanzar en las relaciones bilaterales, tendremos que aprender a respetar mutuamente nuestras diferencias y acostumbrarnos a convivir pacíficamente con ellas; solo así", dijo Castro.

"De lo contrario, estamos dispuestos a soportar otros 55 años en la misma situación" de enfrentamiento con Washington, aclaró el dictador.

El funcionario del Departamento de Estado, que pidió el anonimato, indicó que el gobierno estadounidense sigue "enfocado en la necesidad de mejorar las condiciones de los derechos humanos y el respeto hacia las libertades fundamentales en Cuba".

Además recordó la posición del presidente Barack Obama de continuar revisando la política estadounidense hacia Cuba, al mismo tiempo que demanda reformas democráticas en la Isla, un mensaje que reiteró en noviembre el secretario de Estado, John Kerry.

Playa de Varadero retrocede entre 70 centímetros y un metro cada año

Diario de Cuba

La línea costera en la Península de Hicacos retrocede entre 70 centímetros y un metro cada año y Varadero pierde anualmente entre 40.000 y 50.000 metros cúbicos de arena, debido a la erosión intensa asociada a la elevación del nivel medio del mar, informaron este lunes medios oficiales.

Instituciones de varios ministerios aseguraron que trabajan "de manera conjunta" en apoyo al programa de manejo sostenible de Varadero.

Oscar L. García Martínez, director de la oficina de manejo costero del Centro de Servicios Ambientales, dijo a la AIN que el país cuenta con programas específicos para el mantenimiento y mejoramiento continúo de las áreas.

El directivo explicó que "la arena es de origen biológico y las algas productoras casi ya no existen en el entorno, por ello la importancia de mantener reservorios naturales de esa partícula, evitar extracciones y continuar con el proceso de alimentación artificial periódicamente".

Los hoteles Iberostar Taíno y Laguna Azul, Blau Varadero, Solymar y Meliá Las Américas, poseen el certificado de Playa Ambiental y constituyen "ejemplo de sustentabilidad turística y en la gestión de calidad en sistemas ambientales", según el Gobierno.

10+10 Invaluable Quotes From Money Masters And Great Philosophers - Forbes

Forbes

With Wall Street reaching new highs this year, investors may want to pause for a moment and re-assess their investment strategy and personal lifestyle, reaching for the wisdom of money masters and great philosophers.

The wisdom of Money Masters can help investors manage money effectively and avoid costly mistakes that can reverse their fortunes. And the wisdom of Great Philosophers can help investors use their fortunes to live the good life, as a great deal of money doesn’t necessarily bring happiness.

In the text that follows the wisdom of money masters and great philosophers is condensed into 20 quotes that are easy to remember and apply in everyday life.

Ten Quotes from Money Masters:

1. Bull markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria. The time of maximum pessimism is the best time to buy, and the time of maximum optimism is the best time to sell—Sir John Templeton

2. In bear markets, things first decline to reasonable prices, then they fall to cheap prices, and then they reach unbelievable giveaways prices. After that, things get really bad, and everybody gets cleaned out—Jim Rogers

3. Earning power is as valuable as assets, therefore try to buy earning power at a discount—George Michailis

4. The usual way I lose money is by buying concept stocks—Philip Carret

5. One must understand the interaction between intelligence and emotion as they in turn respond to the market —George Michailis

6. Investors operate with limited intelligence: they do not know everything. As long as they understand something better than others, they have an edge—George Soros

7. The investor’s chief problem—and even worst enemy—is likely to be himself—Benjamin Graham

8. Seek facts diligently; advice never—Philip Carret

9. On the long side, I’m looking for lower-multiple dull stocks, laggards, with a recovery potential. On the short side, I want to be in the best-known companies of America, the areas of speculative focus. I’m usually short the Who’s Who of the market, stocks in the institutional universe—Michael Steinhardt

10. My approach works not by making valid predictions, but by allowing me to correct false ones. —George Soros

Source: John Train, The New Money Masters (New York: Harper Perennial, 1989).

Ten quotes from Great Philosophers:

1. The unexamined life is not worth living—Plato

2. Remove utterly your desire; for if you desire some one of the things that are not under your control you are bound to be unfortunate. . . .Never say about anything, “I have lost it,” but only “I have given it back. . . .It is not things themselves that disturb men, but their judgments about these things—Epictetus

3. Friendship is a relationship in which two people come to share the same soul—Aristotle

4. By pleasure we mean the absence of pain in the body and of turmoil in the mind—Epicurus

5. No person is free who is not master of himself—Epictetus

6. Nothing in excess—Solon

7. Reproach yourself for the things you do wrong—Pythagoras

8. A prosperous fool is a grievous burden—Aeschylus

9. The man who does evil to others does evil to himself—Hesiod

10.  No act of kindness is ever wasted—Aesop

Source: M.A. Soupios And Panos Mourdoukoutas, The Ten Golden Rules, Hampton Roads, 2009