Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Odds and ends

  • More terrific reporting from post-hurricane Cuba from the Herald, this time from the other end of the island, Surgidero de Batabano in the west, with a short video.

  • El Nuevo Herald: Hector Palacios and Gisela Delgado return to Cuba after 11 months abroad.

  • Machado Ventura in New York: meetings with President Uribe of Colombia and others, a solidarity event, and a speech on the international economy (from Granma).

  • The "Cuba-Brazil Technical Cooperation and Work Group" is in session in Havana, looking to increase economic ties (Gazeta Mercantil).

  • After declining since the 1970’s, the Cuban American share of Miami-Dade’s Latino population is rising again, Census data shows.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't believe it! I read today Cuba is sending tons of meds to Jamaica! Cubans need everything right now, not one, but two powerful hurricanes brought destruction and now the govt. decides it should help Jamaica!

leftside said...

What Cuba needs today is hard currency to buy much needed food and supplies. Sending Doctors abroad brings that in. There is no health emergency in Cuba, unlike what we are seeing in Haiti.

And I have to say, that Herald article may have had fine reporting, but the headline was all wrong (In Cuba, Recovery is Slow and Uncertain). The reporters were in a town where all the homes were still standing, roofs were still in place and the biggest problems were "musty" homes and puddles. And they reported that "Elsewhere (in harder hit towns), the government seemed to be working hard on the relief effort." But yet, they complained there was no Government releif in this town. Everyone in Cuba knows that the aid is extremely well organized and done according to need assessments. Cubans know aid will come to those who need it - there is no uncertainty. And for those who witnessed the resources flowing into the most affected regions the day or two after the storm, it was certainly not slow.

Anonymous said...

leftside, please do not tell us what the Cuban people "know" or otherwise "think." They are already suffering enough without people like you pretending to speak for them.

leftside said...

Are you arguing against my phraseology or that Cubans really don't believe their hurricane preperation and disaster response are well organized? I thought there had been enough reporting on this, even in the US press, to take this for granted.

That said, I understand how my wording can be misconstrued and distract from my larger point. But I believe I can safely say that most Cubans take great pride in their disaster response... even in dark moments like this. For the Herald to go to some town that was not hit that hard and complain is what is offensive... yes, to Cubans I would argue.

Anonymous said...

And Leftside does not know of course, that Ecuador donated thousands of cans of tuna for the Cuban population and instead of distributing it to the population for free, the Cuban govt. that he so much defends here, decided to sell it at $1.80 CUC at their stores and make a profit from the donations.
Now, how is that for a Govt. that really cares about its population?
And why hasn't Phil written anything about this outrage?