http://tbo.com/news/tampa-man-lived-history-between-us-cuba-20131215/
A Man of Reason? With all the strong arguments from all sides about the embargo, travel to Cuba, and what to do, if anything, about Cuba's situation, this man's continual position, over many years, in spite of considerable diversity, is enlightening.
http://tbo.com/news/tampa-man-lived-history-between-us-cuba-20131215/
http://tbo.com/news/tampa-man-lived-history-between-us-cuba-20131215/
Cuba Continues Plan to Eliminate Dual Peso System
Cuba's state newspaper, Granma, has reported the plans continue towards eliminating the two types of pesos.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/caribbean/2013/12/20/cuba-eliminate-currency-for-foreigners/nIZ2k0PrkGLdXq9xkubTSP/story.html
http://www.boston.com/news/world/caribbean/2013/12/20/cuba-eliminate-currency-for-foreigners/nIZ2k0PrkGLdXq9xkubTSP/story.html
Cuba Eases Rules on Buying New Cars
Cubans have been permitted to buy and sell used cars since 2011, but the ability to buy and sell new cars was tightly restricted. Granma, the government newspaper that reports changes in laws and regulations, has announced the opening of the ability to buy and sell new cars.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20131219/GLOBAL/131219838/cuba-opens-up-sale-of-new-used-vehicles#axzz2nvnhNiRL
http://www.autonews.com/article/20131219/GLOBAL/131219838/cuba-opens-up-sale-of-new-used-vehicles#axzz2nvnhNiRL
"We Shall Return", Starring Cesar Romero, Filmed in Daytona
We Shall Return is
a very melodramatic, 1963, black and white, B movie, but if you are interested
in Cuba, what happened in the early years of the revolution, Cubans fleeing,
Cubans returning to fight, and Daytona Beach, Florida, it contains all of
it. Cuban intrigue, post Batista /
early Castro. The Cuban military
look just like the Barbudos, or like Castro himself. Cesar Romero, his son, and
the son’s girlfriend escape Cuba on nice cabin cruiser, while being shot at by
bearded soldiers dressed like Fidel, and arrive in Miami.
They are looking for another son of Cesar, who is on a
different political side, and are told he’s in Daytona Beach. The refugees
board a Greyhound Bus to Daytona Beach.
They say they do not want the charity to which they are entitled,
and want to work. But it’s not
easy finding work in Daytona. The
girl is offered a job in a strip club, which she accepts, until her future
father in law has a fit. Cesar
Romero. enters a diner, asks for a glass of water, and doesn’t want to buy
anything. The man working in the
diner says, “Ever since that revolution down there, every spic and his brother
thinks they can come in here …”
Ugh. Embarrassing that that
would be how Daytona is portrayed.
Since Cesar can’t find work, Nina takes the job. She buys food and goes home. Cesar scolds her and tells her never
gain. She meets a young hustler, who sends her to another place to work, as a
scantily clad cigarette girl at a bath and tennis club. (that is the only part
that seems to be filmed elsewhere, in St. Augustine.
Listening to Cuba radio, the girl learns her brother has
just been executed as a traitor. The film also shows the problems that arose
when Cubans thought they should follow Fidel to escape the tyranny of Batista,
only to later become disillusioned. It reflects how people followed one or the
other and then suffered, or changed their minds.
Political disagreement regarding Cuba, is a main thrust.
You’ll see the City Island docks, the Beach Street
firehouse, the Yacht Club, the old City Island Library, Seabreeze Blvd. the
boardwalk, the clock tower, an actual phone booth near the clock tower, if
you’ve ever seen a phone booth, the pier, cars driving on the beach, etc. At the end, you’ll see everything around
the lighthouse, the dunes at the inlet and even that old abandoned building
made of some brick-like material that was on the point at the inlet. Recognizing the Daytona landmarks is
entertaining.
Here is the IMDB information about the movie. You can
perhaps find it there.
We Shall Return
is a 1963 American drama film
directed by Philip S.
Goodman, starring Cesar Romero
and Anthony Ray. It follows
the flight of and eventual return of Cuban refugees following
the Cuban Revolution
of 1959. It features a fictitious plan to overthrow Fidel Castro, which proves
successful, allowing the emigres to go home. Shot predominantly on location in Florida, the film would
have its world premiere there as well, on February 15, 1963.[1][2]
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Directed by
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Written by
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Starring
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Distributed by
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Release dates
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February 15, 1963
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Country
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United States
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Language
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Instead, I found it through the I Grew Up In Daytona Beach
Facebook Page, which has a link to a UTube video. Warning, th
ere’s a very silly introduction to the UTube
video, but once you get past it. The whole movie is there. Alan Gross Petitions Obama to Get Him Freed
"Why am I still here? With the utmost respect, Mr. President, I fear that my government – the very government I was serving when I began this nightmare – has abandoned me,” Alan Gross wrote in a letter to Obama."
Interesting text, considering that Gross and the U.S. have both told Cuba Gross was not on official business for the U.S.
Alan Gross has been in jail for a considerable time, for taking "communication devices" in for Cuba's jewish citizens. He reported them on his customs form, and reported that he was taking them in.
From the below article:
http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/national/2013/12/03/us-usa-cuba-gross/
Interesting text, considering that Gross and the U.S. have both told Cuba Gross was not on official business for the U.S.
Alan Gross has been in jail for a considerable time, for taking "communication devices" in for Cuba's jewish citizens. He reported them on his customs form, and reported that he was taking them in.
From the below article:
"Gross’ letter was read aloud by his wife at a vigil in Lafayette Square across from the White House on Tuesday to mark his fourth anniversary in jail. on December 9.
“It is clear to me, Mr. President, that only with your personal involvement can my release be secured,” Gross wrote.
"Gross said he was in Cuba to set up communications equipment to give unrestricted Internet access to Jewish groups. A Cuban judge said that activity was a crime against the state and sentenced Gross to 15 years."
"Tuesday’s vigil follows a letter sent by a bipartisan group of 66 senators last month that urged the president “to act expeditiously to take whatever steps are in the national interest to obtain his release.”
"A separate letter signed by 14 senators, including two of Cuban descent, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Marco Rubio of Florida, took a tougher line rejecting any negotiations, calling on Obama to work toward securing Gross’s unconditional release.
http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/national/2013/12/03/us-usa-cuba-gross/
A Review of Cubans - Voices of Change by Lynn Geldof
This is an important book, which provides actual interviews and descriptions from their own words, of a number of Cubans, of all walks of life, political persuasions, and beliefs.
This book is in our local Volusia County Library, and also available as new and used from Amazon.
A Goodreads Review of Cuba, the Making of a Revolution by Ramon Eduardo Ruiz
The following review has been posted in Goodreads:
"Hmm. Well the author does provide some insight i have not seen before. But the bottom line seems to be that it's all our fault. It's the U.S.'s intrusion on others' affairs, contradicting the strong Cuban nationalism, that was the impetus. While I do believe the U.S. intrudes, I don't know that it is such a major factor in what occurred in Cuba. There were numerous leaders, some, but not all promoted by the U.S., who led the people to be discontented and welcoming of a revolution. Whoops. This is supposed to be a review of the book, not the theory.
This author, Ramon Eduardo Ruiz is well known and well respected as an authority on Cuban history, so I will accept his thesis, and say the book is interesting."
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/982690.Cuba
"Hmm. Well the author does provide some insight i have not seen before. But the bottom line seems to be that it's all our fault. It's the U.S.'s intrusion on others' affairs, contradicting the strong Cuban nationalism, that was the impetus. While I do believe the U.S. intrudes, I don't know that it is such a major factor in what occurred in Cuba. There were numerous leaders, some, but not all promoted by the U.S., who led the people to be discontented and welcoming of a revolution. Whoops. This is supposed to be a review of the book, not the theory.
This author, Ramon Eduardo Ruiz is well known and well respected as an authority on Cuban history, so I will accept his thesis, and say the book is interesting."
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/982690.Cuba
A Goodreads Review of the Book, Cuba Betrayed, by Fulgencio Batista
I gave it four stars, not because I believe it is true, but because if one is interested in Cuba, one should read all sides.
Cuba Betrayed is the ultimate work of propaganda. Fulgencio Batista explaining what happened in his terms as dictator, and afterwards, from his point of view. If you read it with an open mind, and also read other accounts, by Fidel Castro (which of course is also propaganda) and third party books, the differences and similarities of various authors’ view of all that occurred is interesting.
It starts with an interesting dedication, which itself casts blame for Cuba’s condition on everybody other than Batista, and even refers to his betrayers as Judas.
The book covers his “Democratic Plans,” Castro’s attack on the Moncada, Propaganda (by others), the various presidents and leaders, “A Terrorist Plan,” “Crimes and Revolts,” Increase of Violence and Victims,” etc. Then it contains a number of historical reviews and Interviews and statements.
Naturally, the book is a “poor me” analysis of why he was good, and how he and the people were betrayed by successors. Yet, it is historically accurate in many senses, provides details of prior presidencies, attacks, etc., and even accurately describes the feeling of the people of Cuba after they voted for Fidel Castro, and then, for the most part, believe they had made a mistake.
The full table of contents, dedication, etc. appears here.
http://cubarepublicana.org/books/betr...
Cuba Betrayed is the ultimate work of propaganda. Fulgencio Batista explaining what happened in his terms as dictator, and afterwards, from his point of view. If you read it with an open mind, and also read other accounts, by Fidel Castro (which of course is also propaganda) and third party books, the differences and similarities of various authors’ view of all that occurred is interesting.
It starts with an interesting dedication, which itself casts blame for Cuba’s condition on everybody other than Batista, and even refers to his betrayers as Judas.
The book covers his “Democratic Plans,” Castro’s attack on the Moncada, Propaganda (by others), the various presidents and leaders, “A Terrorist Plan,” “Crimes and Revolts,” Increase of Violence and Victims,” etc. Then it contains a number of historical reviews and Interviews and statements.
Naturally, the book is a “poor me” analysis of why he was good, and how he and the people were betrayed by successors. Yet, it is historically accurate in many senses, provides details of prior presidencies, attacks, etc., and even accurately describes the feeling of the people of Cuba after they voted for Fidel Castro, and then, for the most part, believe they had made a mistake.
The full table of contents, dedication, etc. appears here.
http://cubarepublicana.org/books/betr...
NBC News Article - Cuba travel threatened by US bank dilemma
Mary Murray of NBC News writes that, “United States diplomatic
officials are helping their Cuban counterparts resolve a banking snafu that has
forced the suspension of consular services, impacting travel to the island
nation. Cuba suspended all its consular services out of Washington until
further notice late Tuesday, and is no longer issuing passports or visas,
saying no U.S. bank would handle its business.”
[The below photo (from the article) is of the U.S. Interest Section in Havana. Because there are no official relations between the two countries, instead of having embassies or consulates, they have these interest sections, to issue visas, etc. Some years ago, the Cuban government put these flag poles and other architecture to obscure the building and prevent the U.S. from promoting its point of view, which the U.S. has readily admitted it does.]
The editors of this blog have spoken to people who received entry permits and visas
for family travel to Cuba this week, and they indicate they were issued rather
quickly. But their travel agent instructed them to deliver payment to the Cuban
Interest Section in Washington, D.C. via money orders issued by the United
States Postal Service or Western Union only.
Apparently the Cuban Interests Section was using Buffalo,
NY-based M&T Bank, but it declined to offer further banking services. It is believed that this move by the
bank is not intended to be a political statement, and is merely a business
decision. Nevertheless, the Cuban government is apparently taking action by limiting the number of visas it issues.
The article further
states that the U.S. “State Department said it was ‘actively working’ with the
Cuban Interests Section to find a new bank. The U.S. government seeks to help
foreign missions in the United States that have trouble obtaining banking
services, while ensuring the continued security of the U.S. financial system
including through appropriate regulatory oversight,” the department said in a
briefing. "We would like to see the Cuban missions return to full operations.”
Considering that the U.S. permits citizens to travel to Cuba for
family visits, or for cultural, “People to People” exchanges, or for religious
missionary reasons, or a number of other reasons, it truly would make no sense
for the U.S. government to shut the back door by causing banks not to do
business with the Cuban Interest Section. So we certainly hope that is not the
case.
Cuba builds communism-free zone to woo capitalist businesses
NBC News has posted a Global Post Article, with the above
title:
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/24/21577502-cuba-builds-communism-free-zone-to-woo-capitalist-businesses?lite
The following are edited quotes from the Article.
“President Raul Castro’s government is building its own
version of a Chinese-style economic zone on the banks of the Mariel Bay, 30
miles west of Havana, ….”
Within “a 180 square-mile special economic zone, Cuban
planners have envisioned a global capitalist enclave where foreign companies
can install manufacturing plants, research centers and operational hubs.”
“The zone would lure foreign businesses with the guarantee of a
10-year tax holiday and virtually unfettered freedom to import raw materials
and repatriate profits. The Cuban government began accepting bids from
international investors this month.”
The government supposedly will guaranty “that property within
the special zone cannot be expropriated -- a necessary assurance on an island
where billions worth of foreign assets were nationalized after Fidel Castro’s
1959 Revolution.
Cuban trade officials say investors from Russia, China, Vietnam,
Germany, Spain, Japan, Mexico and Brazil have expressed interest.”
Skeptics “doubt international investors will choose to put their
money on the island when they could go to another country like the Dominican
Republic, which has lower labor costs and an established track record for
manufacturing. The Mariel project’s promoters say it will be the Caribbean’s
biggest shipping port once completed, but other cities in the region are likely
to catch up.”
“Another big disincentive: the long-standing US trade sanctions,
which ban Cuban imports and prohibit ships that stop on the island from calling
at US ports for six months.”
“Cuba is offering investors 50-year contracts and 100 percent
ownership of their businesses, duty-free imports and virtually zero taxes for
the first decade of operation.
Raul Castro’s government has cast the Mariel project primarily
as a job-creation program. It’s looking to slash the number of Cuban workers
employed by the state, and the island’s economy desperately needs new sources
of employment, not to mention technology and training. Still, doubts linger about the types of industries that would
see Cuba as an attractive site for export-driven manufacturing, since the
island’s labor force has little experience with modern assembly plants or
advanced technology.”
“[C]ompanies may be discouraged by Cuban laws that prohibit them
from hiring workers directly, making them go through a government agency
instead.”
Another Shirley Lykes Passenger Receives Copies of Photos and Videos of the Trip
I happen to have videos and photos of the Shirley Lykes, one
of the Lykes Company ships, which brought Cuban Refugees to Port Everglades in
January of 1963. Since I first posted them about two years ago, I have been
contacted by three people, who were young kids on that trip, and I was able to
share the video and photos with them.
Last year, we had a dinner at our house, and introduced the First Mate
from the ship, and one of the people on the ship, who was a young child at the
time. I posted photos of the First
Mate and the woman who was on the ship after that dinner. Today, I met the
third person who had contacted me.
He was two years old on the trip, and wanted to see if he could find his
family on the photos and videos, so I delivered them to him.
The ship took medicine and other items as ransom for Bay of
Pigs prisoners, their families and other refugees who were allowed to leave.
In the past, I posted an official newsreel video of the
trip, and I am putting that link here:
Here are newspaper links:
This is one of the many items I published about this on
Cubalibretoday in the past.
What Obama really said to the Cuban Dissidents in Miami - Time for a Change
The Huffington Post today analyzed what Obama really said to
the Cuban Dissidents in Miami, and promotes significant change in how the U.S.
acts with Cuba. I am quoting the
majority of this well-stated and thought-provoking article.
The article called, President Obama: In Search of a Creative
Policy Towards Cuba, says,
“… calling attention to the photos obscures the
substance of the president's remarks, the central theme of which was a
respectful questioning of the isolation
policy as anachronistic. The president proposed bringing rationality
to U.S.-Cuba policy. This would unavoidably leave behind unnecessary hostility,
befitting the post-Cold War era and an emerging Cuba where major changes are
recognized. The repetition of some expected interventionist platitudes, rather
than confirming the president's support for the embargo, seems destined to
provide political coverage for some policy changes in the near future.”
“… President Obama called for a
"creative" analysis of U.S. strategy, thus inviting U.S. foreign
policy apparatus to question the value of the current policy toward Cuba, which
has been declared anachronistic by the president himself….”
“A rational policy cannot emerge from a distorted
image. Cuba is a country in transition, where economic reform and political
liberalization is occurring. Maintaining a sanctions policy based on the false
premise that the island is a terrorist threat, isolated in the hemisphere, not
only diminishes the credibility of the U.S., but hinders the development of a
policy tailored to the challenges and opportunities created by reforms that
have taken place since Fidel Castro's retirement.”
“One problem for U.S. policy is that several of
the complaints about the Cuban system are becoming outdated. Since Cuba reformed
its travel policies in October 2012, it has been easier for Cubans
to travel to the U.S. than for U.S. residents to travel to Cuba. The more Cuba
transitions to a mixed economy the more the narrative that paints Cuba as a
remnant of the Cold War is removed from reality. A dominant state sector
remains, but the private and cooperative sectors are growing. Unlike during the
90s when the government insisted on preserving a command economy, the new
non-state sector is part of an integrated development strategy. Religious
freedoms have also expanded.”
With the emergence of autonomous civil society
and a significant market-oriented sector in Cuba, the U.S. insistence that the
embargo is against the Castro government, not the people, becomes
contradictory. The strategy of economic asphyxiation does not differentiate
between the state and non-state sectors. Why don't we discuss measures for
allowing U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba if they utilize private lodging, and
for giving private entrepreneurs access to the U.S. market? … It is clear that
the embargo is out of step with U.S. values and runs counter to peaceful and
orderly changes on the island.”
…
“The embargo is disconnected from the hemispheric
and global balance of power. For two decades, this U.S. policy has been
overwhelmingly condemned in the United Nations. Russia, China and Brazil have
shown satisfaction with the modernization of Cuba's Mariel port and its
conversion into a special economic zone, which is similar to steps taken in
Vietnam and China. Mexico has just negotiated favorable terms for Cuba's debt,
clearing the way for greater involvement in the economic opening of the island.
All of Latin America has announced that it will not attend the 2015 Summit of
the Americas without Cuba, and that the U.S. embargo will be a subject of contention.”
“If President Obama wants to get
"creative", article 2 of
the U.S. Constitution confers upon him broad powers to do so.
Despite all the undue Congressional meddling authorized by the Helms-Burton
Law, the executive branch has the ability to adopt an attitude of pragmatic
compromise, negotiation, and exchange with Cuba. Besides removing Cuba from the
State Department's list of terrorist sponsoring nations, the president can
issue a general license for non-tourist travel to Cuba and adopt measures that
stimulate ongoing reforms. The president can also discuss George Bush's USAID's
responsibility for the design of interventionist and provocative programs that
led to Cuba's imprisonment of Alan Gross, an American subcontractor. The State
Department can negotiate a
reasonable solution to this problem and bring Mr. Gross back to
Maryland, with his family and Jewish congregation.”
“A "creative" and updated U.S. policy
toward Cuba is long overdue. Given the potential benefits to both countries,
it's worth a try.”
Hijacker Potts Returns to U.S. from Cuba
William Potts, an American member of the Black Panther movement hijacked a plane in the U.S. in 1984 and forced it to take him to Cuba, where he thought the Cuban government would give him guerrilla training. Instead, Cuba jailed him for 13 years for piracy. When he was released from prison, he remained in Havana but always wanted to return to the US.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24833651
Potts has now returned to the U.S. He cleared his return with the U.S. Interest Section in Havana, but he expected to be arrested on landing, which he was. The Associated Press quoted him as saying, "I'm ready for whatever. My position is, of course, I did the crime and I did the time, and the United States has to recognize that."
Photo from the following BBC article.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24833651
Cuba Cracks Down on Private Cinemas, Game Salons
The Associated Press and other media have quoted the Communist Party newspaper Granma, which says Cuban authorities are shutting down privately run cinemas and video game salons, which have become very popular recently, saying Saturday that the businesses are unauthorized. These businesses have been operating in a legal gray area often under licenses for independent restaurants, offering basic food and refreshments. This type of activity is not specifically authorized as an enterprise under limited economic changes begun by Raul Castro.
"Private theaters have become increasingly popular as an alternative to poorly maintained state-run cinemas, which tend to show more staid, high-brow fare, and moviegoers were also dismayed at the news." (Associated Press)
"Recently the Communist Party youth newspaper Juventud Rebelde published a lengthy article quoting Vice Minister of Culture Fernando Rojas as saying the video salons promote "frivolity, mediocrity, pseudo culture and banality," raising fears of a crackdown." (Associated Press)
Number of Cubans in Mexico Increases
News agencies have reported
that the number of Cubans arriving in Mexico, both legally and illegally, with
the intent to continue migration to the United States has increased since the
first of the year.
The Miami Herald posted an
article, “Mexico Detains Growing Number of Cubans,” in which it addressed
Mexico’s problems with an increased number of Cubans. Then, Latino Fox News, with cooperation by the Associated
Press, in, “Soaring Number Of Cubans Are Entering The United States Through
Mexican Border” addressed the same issue from the United States perspective.
The
Miami Herald article starts off with this statement: “The number of undocumented Cubans intercepted in Mexico on their
way to the U.S. border has more than doubled in the eight months since Havana
eased its migration controls, according to Mexican government figures.”
“Interdictions in Mexico of
undocumented Cubans totaled 2,300 from January to August of this year, compared
to 994 in the same period in 2012, according to the Interior Ministry.”
An acquaintance I have who
lives in Cuba told me three years ago that he and his friends were trying to
obtain visas to Mexico for exactly that reason. But I haven’t heard the governments acknowledge it prior to
now.
Some blame the increase in
part on Cuba’s new leniency, which now permits Cubans to travel to other
countries to visit, if they can obtain a visa from the other country. The article says, “Legal air arrivals
to Mexico by Cubans with tourist or migrant visas also rose from 30,750 in the
first eight months of 2012 to 33,017 in the same period this year, according to
Mexican government figures.”
When the Cuban government eased
restrictions on travel, as of January, 2013, those “changes eliminated the need
for Cuban government exit permits, allowed more minors to travel abroad and
extended from 11 to 24 months the time that Cubans can stay outside their
country without losing their residency and benefits such as free healthcare.”
“Cubans who arrive in the
United States can now obtain permanent U.S. residency after 366 days under the
Cuban Adjustment Act and then return to the island to retain their residency
there. They can then travel at will between the two countries.”
“Thousands of Cubans arrive
each year via the Mexico-U.S. border because it is the easiest way of obtaining
entry under Washington’s “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy. Those who set foot on
U.S. territory get to stay, but most of those interdicted at sea are returned.”
However there is an agreement
between Mexico and Cuba, which has not been changed, that requires the return
to Cuba of any Cuban citizen found in Mexico without documentation to travel,
and who remains a legal resident of Cuba.
Cubans are paying large bribes
to Mexican authorities to avoid being returned.
The Latino Fox article concentrates on the
intent of the Cubans in Mexico to find their way to the U.S.
It says, “The
easing by the Cuban government of restrictions on traveling abroad has led to a
rise in the number of Cubans who try to enter the United States through the Mexican
border.”
The changes in the Cuban financial system,
the new ability to buy and sell houses and cars, and the easing of travel
restrictions, do not seem to have improved every day Cuban life very much. But
now Cubans wanting to leave have another viable option instead of taking a
dangerous raft ride to the U.S. directly.
Read more here:
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For more current and time sensitive matters, see our Facebook Page under the same name, Cuba Libre Today.
No More Pesos Cubanos and Pesos Convertible in Cuba
It’s official. Cuba has announced the plan to eliminate the
“confounding” dual-monetary system that forces Cubans to go to exchange kiosks
to obtain the kind of pesos used at different retail establishments. We reported a few weeks ago that this
may be coming, and posted ideas from articles about the extreme complication
that will result.
NBC news has posted the following story about this
announcement.
“Cubans give muted welcome to end of 'convertible peso' dual
currency system”
Cuban government Granma newspaper has announced that the
system, which has existed since 1994, when the collapse of the Soviet Union
crushed the Cuban economy, is being phased out as part of reforms aimed at fixing
the island’s economy. The NBC
article says, “Raul Castro has denounced the setup as a hindrance to the
country's development since he took over from his brother in 2008.”
The article explains the dual system well: “Workers are paid in domestic pesos [pesos cubanos] forcing professionals such as doctors and teachers to moonlight as cab drivers
or private tutors to supplement their state salaries. Tourist pesos [pesos convertibles] are used
for foreign trade, including imported electrical goods, and upscale
restaurants. Neither currency is legal tender outside Cuba. Many imported goods
can only be bought in CUCs, creating a social divide between ordinary Cubans
and those with access to the much more valuable currency.”
You would use pesos cubanos, issued to workers, at a store like this to buy items in the ration book:
You would need pesos convertibles to buy in places like these:
The article quotes a cafeteria cashier, who said, "I do
not care about if it’s the peso or whatever. What interests me is if everything
improves – my financial situation, that of my people, and that there be free
movement of money."
The article points out the risk of high inflation, and
quotes Vicki Huddleston, a former U.S. diplomat who served as Principal Officer
of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana for three years, who said, “In essence
it means devaluation, affecting the value of pensions and remittances from
overseas. It will be a difficult change to manage.”
Author of Book that led to "Mambo Kings", Dead at 62
Oscar Hijuelos, a Cuban-American novelist who wrote about the lives of immigrants adapting to a new culture, becoming the first Latino to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his 1989 book, “The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love,” died on Saturday in Manhattan. He was 62.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/books/oscar-hijuelos-cuban-american-writer-who-won-pulitzer-dies-at-62.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/books/oscar-hijuelos-cuban-american-writer-who-won-pulitzer-dies-at-62.html?_r=0
Havana Requiem Awarded Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction
Stanford law professor Paul Goldstein and his novel Havana Requiem have been awarded the third annual Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. The prize will be awarded at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 19, in conjunction with the National Book Festival.
The prize, named for the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of To Kill A Mockingbird, is sponsored by the ABA Journal and the University of Alabama Law School. It is awarded each year to the novel that best exemplifies the role of lawyers in society. Past winners include John Grisham and Michael Connelly.
The novel chronicles efforts by a lawyer, recovering alcoholic Michael Seeley, to help a group of aging Cuban jazz musicians and their families reclaim copyrights to their works. When his main client, Héctor Reynoso, goes missing, Seeley begins to realize that there is more to the story than music, and that a far deeper conspiracy is involved that might include both the Cuban secret police and his former law firm.
Goldstein, 70, who writes and lectures on intellectual property issues, is also the author of two other novels, Errors and Omissions and A Patent Lie. He said he sees a connection between his protagonist, Michael Seeley, and Harper Lee’s iconic lawyer-hero Atticus Finch.
“Apart from its many other virtues, To Kill A Mockingbird was the first novel to show me that it is possible to write about law and lawyers in a profoundly human, as well as literate, way,” Goldstein said. “More than 50 years later, it is impossible to study any of the better lawyer-heroes of today's novels without finding Atticus Finch looking back at you.”
“I like to think that Michael Seeley, the hero of Havana Requiem, embodies not only Atticus's integrity, but also his unvarnished nobility, and the Harper Lee Prize is not only a great honor for me, but evidence that perhaps I got it right.”
Judges for the contest included bestselling authors, Michael Connelly and Richard North Patterson; syndicated talk show host Katie Couric; Morris Dees, co-founder and chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Dr. Sharon Malone, physician married to Attorney General Eric Holder and sister of the University of Alabama alumna Vivian Malone Jones, one of the first two African Americans admitted and first to graduate from the University of Alabama. Havana Requiem also won our readers' choice poll, with 39.63 percent of the vote.
In addition to his teaching, Goldstein is a member of the bars of New York and California and since 1988 been of counsel to the law firm of Morrison & Foerster, where he advises clients on major intellectual property lawsuits and transactions. Since 1985 Goldstein has been the Lillick Professor of Law at Stanford Law School.
Goldstein has testified before congressional committees on intellectual property legislation, been an invited expert at international governmental meetings on copyright issues, and is a member of the editorial boards of leading intellectual property publications in England, Germany and Switzerland. He has served as visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright and Competition Law in Munich, Germany, and is a member of the founding faculty of the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center.
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