LA Congresswoman Praises Cuban Revolution & Castro’s Health Care System

“You can think whatever you want to about Fidel Castro, but he was one of the brightest leaders I have ever met.”
KABC’s Michael Linder was the only broadcast reporter at Thursday night’s town hall health care debate at Wade AME Church when Rep. Diane Watson [D] made some astonishing comments including claims that those opposed [...]

Cash-strapped Cuba says toilet paper running short – Ain’t that some sh*t

Now you would figure with the Hollywood Elite spending so much time on the island, this should not be a problem. Also, considering the incredible relationship with Chavez it strikes one as  rather odd. Maybe, that is what the Russian subs off the East coast of the U.S. are doing, delivering toilet paper to Cuba. [...]

U.S. lawmaker sees Cuba embargo gone by late 2010

The U.S. Congress will most likely lift a five-decades-old embargo on Cuba before the end of 2010, a senior Democratic lawmaker said Tuesday.
House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel told reporters he believed the current Congress, which goes through next year, would lift the trade ban.
via U.S. lawmaker sees Cuba embargo gone [...]

Fidel Castro defends Cuba’s state-controlled press – Americas AP – MiamiHerald.com

Fidel Castro defended Cuba’s government-controlled press Friday, arguing that news coverage is manipulated by those wealthy enough to finance newsgathering even in countries guaranteeing press freedom.
In a column posted on a state Web site, the 82-year-old ex-president wrote that “today, only through gigantic investments can you provide centers that produce the news for the whole [...]

US and Cuban diplomats to hold another meeting

A senior U.S. diplomat was expected to meet Monday with Cuba’s top Washington representative, but a State Department spokesman cautioned that the session did not signal a renewed U.S. push to improve relations.
Spokesman Robert A. Wood said Thomas A. Shannon Jr., the assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, was meeting in an undisclosed [...]

Art exhibition fuels US-Cuba thaw

Hundreds of Cubans packed into Havana’s Museo De Bellas Artes for the launch of the first major US contemporary art exhibition to be shown here for almost a quarter of a century.
via BBC NEWS | Americas | Art exhibition fuels US-Cuba thaw.

Cuba boosts retirement age as population goes gray

Sweeping poverty forces most of Cuba’s 2.2 million retirees to get new jobs that enable them to keep a steady income and supplement their pensions. Many barely scrape by, wandering the streets selling peanuts and newspapers or guarding parked cars at hotels for tourists’ change.
via Cuba boosts retirement age as population goes gray – Americas [...]

Cuba waiting and watching Obama

Amid two wars and an economic crisis, Cuba policy hardly ranks at the top of President Barack Obama’s long agenda.
But circumstances are pressuring Obama to make a move on Cuba soon – or miss an opportunity to advance his pledge to restore America’s leadership in the world and in its own hemisphere.
via Analysis: Cuba waiting [...]

Chavez sees Fidel twice in surprise Cuba trip – Americas AP – MiamiHerald.com

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has met twice with the ailing 82-year-old Fidel Castro during a surprise 24-hour visit to Cuba.
Cuban state media says Chavez arrived Friday night on a working visit and was greeted by Fidel’s younger brother President Raul Castro.
Venezuela’s socialist leader – fresh off a referendum win that allows him to run for [...]

Chavez calls vote mandate for Socialist Dictatorship

via Chavez calls Venezuela vote mandate for socialism.