IS IT RIGHT TO VACATION IN CUBA'S OPPRESSION?
No Americans should be dancing and dining their way through Cuba,
enjoying the beaches, while those struggling for freedom lie in prison.
BY ELLIOTT ABRAMS ON 7/31/16 AT 11:00 AM
The motto of the American Bar Association (ABA) is "Defending Liberty,
Pursuing Justice."
It should perhaps be revised to "Defending Liberty, Pursuing Justice,
and Travel to Cuba." Right now the ABA is sponsoring at least two trips
to Cuba–but neither one has anything to do with liberty or justice.
One could dream of an ABA-sponsored trip that would try to visit
political prisoners, or meet with the "Women in White" and other
peaceful protesters for human rights. One could envision a confrontation
between ABA members and officials of the Cuban regime's "courts" or its
"Ministry of Justice."
But don't hold your breath. The two tours advertised in the ABA Journal
right now are "Cuba: People, Culture and Art" for next March and "Cuban
Discovery" for next February.
In the latter, one does not "discover" anything about Cuba's
dictatorship and its complete disrespect for law–theoretically of some
concern to the ABA. "People, Culture, and Art" has nothing to do with
those Cuban people who are trying desperately to gain a measure of
freedom and live under a system of law.
The brochure describes the latter trip this way:
A uniquely designed itinerary provides opportunities to experience the
Cuban culture, history and people in four destinations: Havana;
Cienfuegos; Trinidad; and Pinar del Río. Discover the arts during visits
to art, dance and music studios, and talk with artists, dancers and
musicians about their craft and their lives in Cuba.
Savor authentic flavors of Cuban cuisine at state restaurants and
paladars, privately owned and operated restaurants. Learn about
contemporary and historic Cuba during insightful discussions led by
local experts.
Want to bet how many of the "local experts" are dissidents or human
rights activists, fighting for a state of law?
The actual state of life in Cuba is described this week in The
Economist. Here is an excerpt:
Queues at petrol stations. Sweltering offices. Unlit streets. Conditions
in Cuba's capital remind its residents of the "special period" in the
1990s caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, the benefactor
in trouble is Venezuela. For the past 15 years Venezuela has been
shipping oil to Cuba, which in turn sends thousands of doctors and other
professionals to Venezuela.
The swap is lucrative for the communist-controlled island, which pays
doctors a paltry few hundred dollars a month. It gets more oil than it
needs, and sells the surplus. That makes Cuba perhaps the only importer
that prefers high oil prices. Venezuelan support is thought to be worth
12-20 percent of Cuba's GDP.
Recently, the arrangement has wobbled. Low prices have slashed Cuba's
profit from the resale of oil. Venezuela, whose oil-dependent economy is
shrinking, is sending less of the stuff. Figures from PDVSA, Venezuela's
state oil company, suggest that it shipped 40 percent less crude oil to
Cuba in the first quarter of 2016 than it did during the same period
last year. Austerity, though less savage than in the 1990s, is back.
Cuba's cautious economic liberalisation may suffer.
The regime ought to be worried indeed–but help is on the way, suggests
The Economist:
Tourism has surged since the United States loosened travel restrictions
in 2014, which will partially offset the loss of Venezuelan aid.
So that's where the ABA—remember, "Defending Liberty, Pursuing
Justice"—comes in. This vicious, repressive regime depended on the
Soviets, and then the Venezuelans, and may now depend on American tourists.
Will it be enough? One cannot know. One can only know that the American
Bar Association wants to lend a hand.
This is unconscionable, and in fact no American should be lending a hand
to oppression in Cuba. No Americans should be dancing and dining their
way through Cuba, enjoying the beaches and the architecture while those
struggling for freedom lie in prison.
That American lawyers are willing to do this, and that their main
professional association wants to promote it, is a sad reflection on the
profession. If the ABA said we want our members to visit if and only if
they can do something to promote liberty and law and human rights in
Cuba, such visits might be a genuine contribution.
Perhaps the ABA has secretly done this and actually all these trips do
include spending time with dissidents and pressing officials to respect
the rights of the Cuban people. I wouldn't place a lot of money on that
wager. If it has not, it is betraying the cause of justice and assisting
the most repressive regime in the Western Hemisphere.
That isn't "Defending Liberty" or "Pursuing Justice." It's shameful.
Elliott Abrams is senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the
Council on Foreign Relations.
Source: Is It Right to Vacation in Cuba's Oppression? -
http://europe.newsweek.com/it-right-vacation-cuba-oppression-485022?rm=eu
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Some call for the end of a litigation ban concerning Cuba and seized assets
Some call for the end of a litigation ban concerning Cuba and seized assets
Paul Guzzo, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 30, 2016 9:40pm
TAMPA — In 1960, Antonio Azorín's family's sewer pipe plant and
brickmaking factory in Cuba were nationalized in the name of Fidel
Castro's revolution. The family received no compensation.
"They took it," said Azorín, 61, who now lives in Tampa. "If there was a
way to litigate, I would."
There is a way, but the U.S. government won't allow it.
Title III, a clause in the legislation that governs the decades-old
embargo against Cuba, allows Americans to sue those profiting from
property taken from them by the Cuban government. The civil litigation,
filed in U.S. courts, can be against a private company or the Cuban
government.
But the U.S. government continuously suspends Title III for successive
six-month periods. State Department officials recently announced the
government would do so again when the current suspension ends July 31.
Some are calling for a lifting of the litigation ban, at least against
U.S. companies, now that Americans are once again investing in Cuba as
relations between the two countries normalize.
"The unintended consequences of this opening in Cuba are far-reaching,"
said Javier Garcia-Bengochea, a Jacksonville neurosurgeon who has
testified to Congress that Title III lawsuits involving U.S.
corporations should be allowed.
His family owned 18 acres of warehouses, three docks and a rail station
that he estimates would be worth nearly $180 million today.
It was all nationalized with no compensation and is now part of the Port
of Santiago.
"We cannot ignore the fact that U.S. companies could end up trafficking
in property that belongs to American citizens,'' he said. "That would be
wrong."
The U.S. and Cuban governments are negotiating a settlement for 5,913
certified American claims against Cuba totaling $1.9 billion plus interest.
To have a loss certified, a claimant must have been a U.S. citizen at
the time of nationalization.
Azorín — then 5 — and his parents were Cuban citizens so they did not
qualify.
But to file a Title III lawsuit against companies profiting from
nationalized land or businesses, the plaintiff need only be a U.S.
citizen now.
For Azorín — currently the second-generation president of Florida Brick
& Clay Co. in Plant City — and many Cuban Americans, Title III could be
the only way they can ever be reimbursed.
According to the Helms Burton Act that codified the Cuban Embargo and
was signed into law in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, Title III can be
suspended for successive half-year periods if doing so is necessary for
the national interest of the United States or will expedite the
transition to democracy in Cuba.
Every administration since then has done so but none has explained how
this helps the United States or brings more freedom to Cuba.
The assumption has been that it's suspended to prevent litigation from
being filed against companies based out of nations that are U.S. allies
or to prevent a legal logjam.
"It could become a judicial nightmare," said Antonio Martinez II, a New
York attorney specializing in matters pertaining to Cuba. "U.S. civil
courts would be flooded with cases."
But why not allow suits against American companies only, asks Jason
Poblete, a Virginia-based attorney specializing in U.S.-Cuba policy who
has been pressing the State Department to do so.
Such cases would be few and would force U.S. entrepreneurs to diligently
research the history of a Cuban property or business before investing.
"Title III wasn't a throwaway. It was put in there for a reason,"
Poblete said. "Let these people have their day in court."
Mauricio Claver-Carone, director of the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC, said
that Title III is a more important tool now than ever.
"No one had ever contemplated that a U.S. president would allow the
rights of one group of Americans — the victims of Castro's confiscations
— to be trampled over in order to promote the business interests of
another group of Americans. In so doing, he's denying the victims any
due process."
Azorín has been told that his family's company name — Union Alfarera
Azorín de Camaguey — still adorns the brick factory in Cuba, which
operates as a state-run facility.
Foreign governments are protected against lawsuits by sovereign
immunity. It would be up to the court to decide if sovereign immunity is
waived because the Cuban government makes money via a state-run business
in the same manner as a private company.
It angers Azorín that the Cuban government has profited off his family's
company, but he has learned to cope.
If he learned an American company invested in it, though, he admits his
anger may boil over.
It's speculated that many Title III cases could be dismissed because the
properties were taken after families moved from Cuba rather than living
under communism.
What else was the government to do with what was left behind?
That is not the case for Azorín, whose family was still in Cuba when the
business was taken.
"There was nothing voluntary," Azorín said.
Shortly after, his family moved to Tampa, never presuming they would be
reimbursed for the loss in Cuba.
"If I expect nothing, when I get nothing, I won't be hurt," Azorín said.
Still, he added, "Why have a law that is not enforced? It just doesn't
make sense."
Contact Paul Guzzo at pguzzo@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3394. Follow
@PGuzzoTimes.
Source: Some call for the end of a litigation ban concerning Cuba and
seized assets | Tampa Bay Times -
http://web.tampabay.com/news/politics/some-call-for-the-end-of-a-litigation-ban-concerning-cuba-and-seized-assets/2287537
Paul Guzzo, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 30, 2016 9:40pm
TAMPA — In 1960, Antonio Azorín's family's sewer pipe plant and
brickmaking factory in Cuba were nationalized in the name of Fidel
Castro's revolution. The family received no compensation.
"They took it," said Azorín, 61, who now lives in Tampa. "If there was a
way to litigate, I would."
There is a way, but the U.S. government won't allow it.
Title III, a clause in the legislation that governs the decades-old
embargo against Cuba, allows Americans to sue those profiting from
property taken from them by the Cuban government. The civil litigation,
filed in U.S. courts, can be against a private company or the Cuban
government.
But the U.S. government continuously suspends Title III for successive
six-month periods. State Department officials recently announced the
government would do so again when the current suspension ends July 31.
Some are calling for a lifting of the litigation ban, at least against
U.S. companies, now that Americans are once again investing in Cuba as
relations between the two countries normalize.
"The unintended consequences of this opening in Cuba are far-reaching,"
said Javier Garcia-Bengochea, a Jacksonville neurosurgeon who has
testified to Congress that Title III lawsuits involving U.S.
corporations should be allowed.
His family owned 18 acres of warehouses, three docks and a rail station
that he estimates would be worth nearly $180 million today.
It was all nationalized with no compensation and is now part of the Port
of Santiago.
"We cannot ignore the fact that U.S. companies could end up trafficking
in property that belongs to American citizens,'' he said. "That would be
wrong."
The U.S. and Cuban governments are negotiating a settlement for 5,913
certified American claims against Cuba totaling $1.9 billion plus interest.
To have a loss certified, a claimant must have been a U.S. citizen at
the time of nationalization.
Azorín — then 5 — and his parents were Cuban citizens so they did not
qualify.
But to file a Title III lawsuit against companies profiting from
nationalized land or businesses, the plaintiff need only be a U.S.
citizen now.
For Azorín — currently the second-generation president of Florida Brick
& Clay Co. in Plant City — and many Cuban Americans, Title III could be
the only way they can ever be reimbursed.
According to the Helms Burton Act that codified the Cuban Embargo and
was signed into law in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, Title III can be
suspended for successive half-year periods if doing so is necessary for
the national interest of the United States or will expedite the
transition to democracy in Cuba.
Every administration since then has done so but none has explained how
this helps the United States or brings more freedom to Cuba.
The assumption has been that it's suspended to prevent litigation from
being filed against companies based out of nations that are U.S. allies
or to prevent a legal logjam.
"It could become a judicial nightmare," said Antonio Martinez II, a New
York attorney specializing in matters pertaining to Cuba. "U.S. civil
courts would be flooded with cases."
But why not allow suits against American companies only, asks Jason
Poblete, a Virginia-based attorney specializing in U.S.-Cuba policy who
has been pressing the State Department to do so.
Such cases would be few and would force U.S. entrepreneurs to diligently
research the history of a Cuban property or business before investing.
"Title III wasn't a throwaway. It was put in there for a reason,"
Poblete said. "Let these people have their day in court."
Mauricio Claver-Carone, director of the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC, said
that Title III is a more important tool now than ever.
"No one had ever contemplated that a U.S. president would allow the
rights of one group of Americans — the victims of Castro's confiscations
— to be trampled over in order to promote the business interests of
another group of Americans. In so doing, he's denying the victims any
due process."
Azorín has been told that his family's company name — Union Alfarera
Azorín de Camaguey — still adorns the brick factory in Cuba, which
operates as a state-run facility.
Foreign governments are protected against lawsuits by sovereign
immunity. It would be up to the court to decide if sovereign immunity is
waived because the Cuban government makes money via a state-run business
in the same manner as a private company.
It angers Azorín that the Cuban government has profited off his family's
company, but he has learned to cope.
If he learned an American company invested in it, though, he admits his
anger may boil over.
It's speculated that many Title III cases could be dismissed because the
properties were taken after families moved from Cuba rather than living
under communism.
What else was the government to do with what was left behind?
That is not the case for Azorín, whose family was still in Cuba when the
business was taken.
"There was nothing voluntary," Azorín said.
Shortly after, his family moved to Tampa, never presuming they would be
reimbursed for the loss in Cuba.
"If I expect nothing, when I get nothing, I won't be hurt," Azorín said.
Still, he added, "Why have a law that is not enforced? It just doesn't
make sense."
Contact Paul Guzzo at pguzzo@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3394. Follow
@PGuzzoTimes.
Source: Some call for the end of a litigation ban concerning Cuba and
seized assets | Tampa Bay Times -
http://web.tampabay.com/news/politics/some-call-for-the-end-of-a-litigation-ban-concerning-cuba-and-seized-assets/2287537
Why was the top U.S. sanctions cop in Cuba?
Why was the top U.S. sanctions cop in Cuba?
By SUSAN CRABTREE (@SUSANCRABTREE) • 7/31/16 12:01 AM
Critics of President Obama's diplomatic thaw with Cuba are questioning
why a top official with the U.S. government office charged with
maintaining the trade embargo and leveling sanctions against the Castro
government was in Havana earlier this month meeting with regime officials.
Acting Deputy Director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control
Andrea Gacki was one of several U.S. officials in Havana for meetings
that took place in mid-July, a senior administration official confirmed
to the Washington Examiner. The official did not respond to follow-up
questions about whom Gacki met with and what they discussed.
Since Obama announced his intention to start normalizing relations with
Cuba in late 2014, dozens of U.S. officials have participated in
negotiations about easing travel and other restrictions with the island
nation, both in Havana and Washington.
But Gacki's travel to Cuba this month has critics fuming because her
office is charged with doling out punishment for those who violate U.S.
law. Opponents of Obama's rapprochement with the Castro regime fear she
was there to help Cuba negotiate ways around U.S. sanctions.
Stay abreast of the latest developments from nation's capital and beyond
with curated News Alerts from the Washington Examiner news desk and
delivered to your inbox.
Only Congress can lift the embargo entirely, although Obama has used his
executive authority to allow greater travel from the U.S. to Cuba, and
U.S. banks are negotiating with Havana to allow them to operate on the
island.
Marion Smith, the executive director of the Victims of Communism
Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit group founded to highlight the plight
of those who have suffered under communism, said he views Gacki's visit
to Cuba as the "latest blatant attempt" to show the regime how to get
around trade embargo against Cuba.
"While it's not surprising, it's hugely frustrating for us," he said.
"The oxygen the regime is getting in terms of access to capital is
something that we'll have to deal with from years to come," no matter
who is elected president of the United States in November.
Treasury officials have sometimes met with Iranian government officials
during international conferences focused on rolling back Tehran's
nuclear program, Smith acknowledged. But he said most of those meetings
occurred at international conferences where officials from both
countries just happen to be in the same place at the same time, instead
of a trip solely devoted to meeting with Cuban officials behind closed
doors with no transparency to the American public.
"If it was a technical-sharing of information about the existing
sanctions and why they remain, that would be one thing," Smith said.
"But if it's the sort of meeting that lets Cuba know what the
enforcement or non-enforcement intentions are of the Obama
administration with regard to the sanctions at this particular moment,
that is hugely problematic and possibly illegal."
Smith also hinted that Treasury officials who are dedicated to enforcing
sanctions instead of trying to ease them may also be upset with the top
Treasury official's recent travel to Havana.
"No career public servants are happy when they are put between U.S. law
and a very political agenda," he said.
Gacki was part of a U.S. delegation traveling to Cuba to participate in
the U.S.-Cuba Regulatory Dialogue in Havana June 12-13.
The State Department only confirmed that officials from the Departments
of Commerce, the Treasury and State participated, and that the purpose
was to describe regulatory changes announced in mid-March "related to
Cuba-related travel, commerce and financial transactions."
"The delegations addressed ways the two nations can work together within
existing U.S. laws and regulations," the release said.
The visit comes amid reports that Cuba's government-run bank and U.S.
financial institutions are trying to find ways to allow transactions
involving debit and credit cards from several U.S. banks, despite legal
hurdles posed by the trade embargo.
Right now, Stonegate Bank of Florida is the only bank authorized by both
the United States and Cuban governments to allow its customers to use
their debit and credit cards in Cuba. The bank opened an office in
Havana last year.
Shortly after the visit in mid-July, a senior State Department official
told reporters that the Obama administration is "close to approaching
the end of what can be done" through presidential executive authority to
expand commerce and normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba.
"However, we're constantly looking at the regulations to see where we
still may make adjustments or modifications that will further ... our
people-to-people ties with Cuba," he said, during a call to mark the
one-year anniversary of the re-opening of embassies in both countries.
The official was responding to a question about whether to expect
further easing of U.S. restrictions short of lifting the embargo between
now and the end of the Obama's time in office.Meanwhile, longtime human
rights activists in Congress, including Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., argue
that abuses by the Castro regime are increasing in Cuba with the renewed
diplomatic ties to the United States, not improving as the Obama
administration had hoped.
Meanwhile, longtime human rights activists in Congress, including Rep.
Chris Smith, R-N.J., argue that abuses by the Castro regime are
increasing in Cuba with the renewed diplomatic ties to the United
States, not improving as the Obama administration had hoped.
Smith held a hearing earlier this month on the human rights situation in
Cuba, where he said the "disregard for civil rights and political rights
has gotten worse, not better, since the president's much-trumpeted visit
to the island six weeks ago."
"The regime continues to jail and beat political dissidents, with even
extrajudicial killings apparently sanctioned," he said. "The Obama
administration cannot allow concerns over its 'legacy' to muffle its
voice when it should be loudly insisting that the rights of the Cuban
people be respected."
The hearing featured testimony from Sirley Avila Leon, who was a former
Cuban government official before becoming a dissident who was nearly
murdered in a brutal machete attack — the work, she says of Castro
regime-directed "security thugs."
Cuban officials were in Washington, D.C., this week for discussions on
another topic: how to settle outstanding claims between the two nations.
But the two sides made little progress other than to formalize the price
tags of their claims, and agreed to continue meeting.
A senior State Department officials told reporters Friday that there's
no way to tell how the ongoing embargo would factor into Cuban claims
related to economic damage it has caused because the talks are still in
a preliminary phase.
U.S. nationals — including some Cuban-Americans exiled to the United
States after the Castro regime came to power in the 1950s — are
demanding a total of $1.9 billion, along with 6 percent interest, in
claims for private property they owned on the island that the Cuban
government seized. There are $2.2 billion in other outstanding U.S.
court judgments against the Cuban government.
The Castro regime, meanwhile, argues that the United States owes Cuba a
whopping $181 billion or more for "human damages" and $121 billion for
economic damages the trade embargo has caused.
Source: Why was the top U.S. sanctions cop in Cuba? | Washington
Examiner -
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/why-was-the-top-u.s.-sanctions-cop-in-cuba/article/2598200?custom_click=rss
By SUSAN CRABTREE (@SUSANCRABTREE) • 7/31/16 12:01 AM
Critics of President Obama's diplomatic thaw with Cuba are questioning
why a top official with the U.S. government office charged with
maintaining the trade embargo and leveling sanctions against the Castro
government was in Havana earlier this month meeting with regime officials.
Acting Deputy Director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control
Andrea Gacki was one of several U.S. officials in Havana for meetings
that took place in mid-July, a senior administration official confirmed
to the Washington Examiner. The official did not respond to follow-up
questions about whom Gacki met with and what they discussed.
Since Obama announced his intention to start normalizing relations with
Cuba in late 2014, dozens of U.S. officials have participated in
negotiations about easing travel and other restrictions with the island
nation, both in Havana and Washington.
But Gacki's travel to Cuba this month has critics fuming because her
office is charged with doling out punishment for those who violate U.S.
law. Opponents of Obama's rapprochement with the Castro regime fear she
was there to help Cuba negotiate ways around U.S. sanctions.
Stay abreast of the latest developments from nation's capital and beyond
with curated News Alerts from the Washington Examiner news desk and
delivered to your inbox.
Only Congress can lift the embargo entirely, although Obama has used his
executive authority to allow greater travel from the U.S. to Cuba, and
U.S. banks are negotiating with Havana to allow them to operate on the
island.
Marion Smith, the executive director of the Victims of Communism
Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit group founded to highlight the plight
of those who have suffered under communism, said he views Gacki's visit
to Cuba as the "latest blatant attempt" to show the regime how to get
around trade embargo against Cuba.
"While it's not surprising, it's hugely frustrating for us," he said.
"The oxygen the regime is getting in terms of access to capital is
something that we'll have to deal with from years to come," no matter
who is elected president of the United States in November.
Treasury officials have sometimes met with Iranian government officials
during international conferences focused on rolling back Tehran's
nuclear program, Smith acknowledged. But he said most of those meetings
occurred at international conferences where officials from both
countries just happen to be in the same place at the same time, instead
of a trip solely devoted to meeting with Cuban officials behind closed
doors with no transparency to the American public.
"If it was a technical-sharing of information about the existing
sanctions and why they remain, that would be one thing," Smith said.
"But if it's the sort of meeting that lets Cuba know what the
enforcement or non-enforcement intentions are of the Obama
administration with regard to the sanctions at this particular moment,
that is hugely problematic and possibly illegal."
Smith also hinted that Treasury officials who are dedicated to enforcing
sanctions instead of trying to ease them may also be upset with the top
Treasury official's recent travel to Havana.
"No career public servants are happy when they are put between U.S. law
and a very political agenda," he said.
Gacki was part of a U.S. delegation traveling to Cuba to participate in
the U.S.-Cuba Regulatory Dialogue in Havana June 12-13.
The State Department only confirmed that officials from the Departments
of Commerce, the Treasury and State participated, and that the purpose
was to describe regulatory changes announced in mid-March "related to
Cuba-related travel, commerce and financial transactions."
"The delegations addressed ways the two nations can work together within
existing U.S. laws and regulations," the release said.
The visit comes amid reports that Cuba's government-run bank and U.S.
financial institutions are trying to find ways to allow transactions
involving debit and credit cards from several U.S. banks, despite legal
hurdles posed by the trade embargo.
Right now, Stonegate Bank of Florida is the only bank authorized by both
the United States and Cuban governments to allow its customers to use
their debit and credit cards in Cuba. The bank opened an office in
Havana last year.
Shortly after the visit in mid-July, a senior State Department official
told reporters that the Obama administration is "close to approaching
the end of what can be done" through presidential executive authority to
expand commerce and normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba.
"However, we're constantly looking at the regulations to see where we
still may make adjustments or modifications that will further ... our
people-to-people ties with Cuba," he said, during a call to mark the
one-year anniversary of the re-opening of embassies in both countries.
The official was responding to a question about whether to expect
further easing of U.S. restrictions short of lifting the embargo between
now and the end of the Obama's time in office.Meanwhile, longtime human
rights activists in Congress, including Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., argue
that abuses by the Castro regime are increasing in Cuba with the renewed
diplomatic ties to the United States, not improving as the Obama
administration had hoped.
Meanwhile, longtime human rights activists in Congress, including Rep.
Chris Smith, R-N.J., argue that abuses by the Castro regime are
increasing in Cuba with the renewed diplomatic ties to the United
States, not improving as the Obama administration had hoped.
Smith held a hearing earlier this month on the human rights situation in
Cuba, where he said the "disregard for civil rights and political rights
has gotten worse, not better, since the president's much-trumpeted visit
to the island six weeks ago."
"The regime continues to jail and beat political dissidents, with even
extrajudicial killings apparently sanctioned," he said. "The Obama
administration cannot allow concerns over its 'legacy' to muffle its
voice when it should be loudly insisting that the rights of the Cuban
people be respected."
The hearing featured testimony from Sirley Avila Leon, who was a former
Cuban government official before becoming a dissident who was nearly
murdered in a brutal machete attack — the work, she says of Castro
regime-directed "security thugs."
Cuban officials were in Washington, D.C., this week for discussions on
another topic: how to settle outstanding claims between the two nations.
But the two sides made little progress other than to formalize the price
tags of their claims, and agreed to continue meeting.
A senior State Department officials told reporters Friday that there's
no way to tell how the ongoing embargo would factor into Cuban claims
related to economic damage it has caused because the talks are still in
a preliminary phase.
U.S. nationals — including some Cuban-Americans exiled to the United
States after the Castro regime came to power in the 1950s — are
demanding a total of $1.9 billion, along with 6 percent interest, in
claims for private property they owned on the island that the Cuban
government seized. There are $2.2 billion in other outstanding U.S.
court judgments against the Cuban government.
The Castro regime, meanwhile, argues that the United States owes Cuba a
whopping $181 billion or more for "human damages" and $121 billion for
economic damages the trade embargo has caused.
Source: Why was the top U.S. sanctions cop in Cuba? | Washington
Examiner -
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/why-was-the-top-u.s.-sanctions-cop-in-cuba/article/2598200?custom_click=rss
Cuban officials touring St. Petersburg this weekend as they eye consulate location
Cuban officials touring St. Petersburg this weekend as they eye
consulate location
Paul Guzzo, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 30, 2016 1:09pm
LOREN ELLIOTT | TimesThe Cuban consular general and his second in
command were in town Saturday to tour St. Petersburg, shown here from
just south of downtown with Fourth Street running north.
Tampa has the historic and cultural link to Cuba, but it might be St.
Petersburg that lands the first Cuban Consulate in the United States in
more than five decades.
Alejandro Padrón, Cuba's consular general from its embassy in
Washington, D.C., and his second in command, Armando Bencomo, were in
St. Petersburg on Saturday and took a tour of its real estate assets
that was led by Dave Goodwin, the city's director of planning and
economic development.
Such a tour did not take place in Tampa.
"They have some interest in our city and they want to get to know more
about it," said Joni James, CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown
Partnership, which along with the University of South Florida's Patel
College of Global Sustainability sponsored the delegation's trip.
"We are happy to help them learn what a great place it would be to have
a consulate."
Kanika Tomalin, the deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, described the tour
as "pretty comprehensive" but did not provide specifics on where they
visited.
"They will understand what the city can offer their goals," she said.
There is competition between Tampa and St. Petersburg to host the Cuban
Consulate.
The Tampa City Council, Hills- borough County Commission and Greater
Tampa Chamber of Commerce have voted in favor of bringing the consulate
to their community.
The chamber also sent a delegation to Cuba in May 2015.
Each has heavily promoted that Tampa and Cuba share a connection dating
to the founding of Ybor City in the late 1800s by immigrants from the
island nation.
Later, Tampa was a staging ground for Cuba's War of Independence against
colonialist Spain. And with Cuban tobacco, Tampa would go on to become
Cigar City.
But the St. Petersburg City Council voted for a consulate to open in
that city as well.
The St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership also sent two delegations to
Cuba in the past year and welcomed one from the island nation to its
city in December.
Perhaps most importantly, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has
established a personal relationship with the Cuban government through
two trips to the island nation.
On one of those he met with Gustavo Machin, deputy director for American
affairs at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agency that will
decide which U.S. city gets the first Cuban Consulate.
No Tampa elected officials have met with that agency.
"We are honored to welcome these dignitaries to St. Petersburg and
continue the conversation we started nearly one year ago," Kriseman said
via text message while on vacation.
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn was also on vacation and could not be reached
for comment.
Buckhorn previously has said that while he would not stop a Cuban
Consulate from opening in Tampa, he would not lend his support to such
an endeavor until the communist nation shows evidence of increased freedoms.
Tampa City Councilwoman Yvonne Capin believes Buckhorn's attitude is
hurting her city's chances to get the consulate.
"It is very sad that our mayor has been AWOL on this subject. Cuba is
part of this city's history. He doesn't seem to understand that," she said.
"I commend Mayor Kriseman for picking up the baton that Mayor Buckhorn
let go and working to keep the Cuban Consulate in our area."
There has been no Cuban Consulate in the United States since diplomatic
relations were severed in 1961. Now that they are re-established, the
island nation is seeking a city to again host a consulate.
Cuba's embassy in Washington, D.C., serves its nation's political
interests. Among the duties of a consulate would be issuing visas and
promoting and assisting with trade and other business ventures. Beyond
that, Capin said, it will bring international recognition to whatever
city lands the first.
"The world is closely watching improving relationship between the U.S.
and Cuba," she said.
Florida, with the highest Cuban American population in the United
States, will likely receive the first consulate in the nation.
Miami has the most Cuban American residents but its mayor, Tomás
Regalado, has said a consulate is not welcome in his city.
Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine has traveled to Cuba and met with the
same officials as Kriseman did. But the Miami Beach Commission recently
voted 4-3 to oppose the idea of a consulate.
Bill Carlson, president of Tucker Hall, a public relations agency in
Tampa that has supported business and humanitarian missions in Cuba
since 1999, commends St. Petersburg's elected officials for pushing for
the consulate.
"Kriseman is emerging as the mayor of the Tampa Bay region," Carlson
said. "Connecting our region to Cuba is the first big step toward making
us a global destination."
Contact Paul Guzzo at pguzzo@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3394. Follow
@PGuzzoTimes.
Source: Cuban officials touring St. Petersburg this weekend as they eye
consulate location | Tampa Bay Times -
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/cuban-officials-touring-st-petersburg-this-weekend-as-they-eye-consulate/2287497?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
consulate location
Paul Guzzo, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 30, 2016 1:09pm
LOREN ELLIOTT | TimesThe Cuban consular general and his second in
command were in town Saturday to tour St. Petersburg, shown here from
just south of downtown with Fourth Street running north.
Tampa has the historic and cultural link to Cuba, but it might be St.
Petersburg that lands the first Cuban Consulate in the United States in
more than five decades.
Alejandro Padrón, Cuba's consular general from its embassy in
Washington, D.C., and his second in command, Armando Bencomo, were in
St. Petersburg on Saturday and took a tour of its real estate assets
that was led by Dave Goodwin, the city's director of planning and
economic development.
Such a tour did not take place in Tampa.
"They have some interest in our city and they want to get to know more
about it," said Joni James, CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown
Partnership, which along with the University of South Florida's Patel
College of Global Sustainability sponsored the delegation's trip.
"We are happy to help them learn what a great place it would be to have
a consulate."
Kanika Tomalin, the deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, described the tour
as "pretty comprehensive" but did not provide specifics on where they
visited.
"They will understand what the city can offer their goals," she said.
There is competition between Tampa and St. Petersburg to host the Cuban
Consulate.
The Tampa City Council, Hills- borough County Commission and Greater
Tampa Chamber of Commerce have voted in favor of bringing the consulate
to their community.
The chamber also sent a delegation to Cuba in May 2015.
Each has heavily promoted that Tampa and Cuba share a connection dating
to the founding of Ybor City in the late 1800s by immigrants from the
island nation.
Later, Tampa was a staging ground for Cuba's War of Independence against
colonialist Spain. And with Cuban tobacco, Tampa would go on to become
Cigar City.
But the St. Petersburg City Council voted for a consulate to open in
that city as well.
The St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership also sent two delegations to
Cuba in the past year and welcomed one from the island nation to its
city in December.
Perhaps most importantly, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has
established a personal relationship with the Cuban government through
two trips to the island nation.
On one of those he met with Gustavo Machin, deputy director for American
affairs at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agency that will
decide which U.S. city gets the first Cuban Consulate.
No Tampa elected officials have met with that agency.
"We are honored to welcome these dignitaries to St. Petersburg and
continue the conversation we started nearly one year ago," Kriseman said
via text message while on vacation.
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn was also on vacation and could not be reached
for comment.
Buckhorn previously has said that while he would not stop a Cuban
Consulate from opening in Tampa, he would not lend his support to such
an endeavor until the communist nation shows evidence of increased freedoms.
Tampa City Councilwoman Yvonne Capin believes Buckhorn's attitude is
hurting her city's chances to get the consulate.
"It is very sad that our mayor has been AWOL on this subject. Cuba is
part of this city's history. He doesn't seem to understand that," she said.
"I commend Mayor Kriseman for picking up the baton that Mayor Buckhorn
let go and working to keep the Cuban Consulate in our area."
There has been no Cuban Consulate in the United States since diplomatic
relations were severed in 1961. Now that they are re-established, the
island nation is seeking a city to again host a consulate.
Cuba's embassy in Washington, D.C., serves its nation's political
interests. Among the duties of a consulate would be issuing visas and
promoting and assisting with trade and other business ventures. Beyond
that, Capin said, it will bring international recognition to whatever
city lands the first.
"The world is closely watching improving relationship between the U.S.
and Cuba," she said.
Florida, with the highest Cuban American population in the United
States, will likely receive the first consulate in the nation.
Miami has the most Cuban American residents but its mayor, Tomás
Regalado, has said a consulate is not welcome in his city.
Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine has traveled to Cuba and met with the
same officials as Kriseman did. But the Miami Beach Commission recently
voted 4-3 to oppose the idea of a consulate.
Bill Carlson, president of Tucker Hall, a public relations agency in
Tampa that has supported business and humanitarian missions in Cuba
since 1999, commends St. Petersburg's elected officials for pushing for
the consulate.
"Kriseman is emerging as the mayor of the Tampa Bay region," Carlson
said. "Connecting our region to Cuba is the first big step toward making
us a global destination."
Contact Paul Guzzo at pguzzo@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3394. Follow
@PGuzzoTimes.
Source: Cuban officials touring St. Petersburg this weekend as they eye
consulate location | Tampa Bay Times -
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/cuban-officials-touring-st-petersburg-this-weekend-as-they-eye-consulate/2287497?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Fariñas entra en su décimo día de huelga de hambre y sed
Fariñas entra en su décimo día de huelga de hambre y sed
DDC | Santa Clara | 30 de Julio de 2016 - 21:47 CEST.
El premio Sajarov Guillermo Fariñas Hernández entró este sábado en el
décimo día de su huelga de hambre y sed, después de que ingresara en un
hospital por su deteriorada condición y el jueves pidiera el alta médica
voluntaria bajo su responsabilidad para regresar a su casa.
Jorge Luis Artiles Montiel, del Foro Antitotalitario Unido (FANTU),
informó a DIARIO DE CUBA que "Fariñas durmió bien anoche (la madrugada
del sábado) aunque se quejó un poco de malestar".
Informó que "sobre las seis de la tarde del viernes tuvo diarreas" pero
según el médico José Raúl Rodríguez Rangel, director del Colegio Médico
de Las Villas, "eran normales debido a la cantidad de medicamentos que
le pasaron en vena (unos siete litros y medio de solución rica en
lactato, dextrosa y otros componentes)".
"Hoy (este sábado) vino también el doctor del consultorio de la familia
y confirmó que no era nada de preocupación. Aumentó algo de peso debido
a los líquidos pero ha comenzado e perderlo nuevamente", precisó.
Artiles Montiel aseguró que Fariñas "se siente con buen ánimo y firme en
su decisión de mantener la huelga de hambre y sed hasta las últimas
consecuencias".
En una carta de respuesta a amigos que le pidieron dejara su protesta,
Fariñas los exhorta a que "dejen de pedir el cese de la huelga de hambre
y sed".
"Eso le da esperanzas a nuestros adversarios políticos de que ustedes en
algún momento me van a convencer y el proceso de negociación nunca
avanzaría", argumentó.
"Creo que como amigos míos, que son todos, la causa de la
democratización de Cuba los necesita exigiéndole al Gobierno para que
este cumpla sus propias leyes. Desde que me declaré en huelga de hambre
y sed, estoy en manos de Dios y ocurrirá lo que decida Dios. Pero sí
tengo que decirles, que siempre ha sido y será para mí un honor contar
con la amistad de cada uno de ustedes", añadió.
"Los quiero en el amor a la democratización de Cuba", finalizó.
El viernes también recibió una llamada del senador cubanoamericano Marco
Rubio, quien se sumó a los ruegos porque abandone la huelga y siga su
labor "indispensable" dentro de la oposición en la Isla.
Guillermo Fariñas inició su protesta el pasado 20 de julio, tras una
detención en la que recibió una severa golpiza.
Exige a Raúl Castro que se comprometa públicamente a que los opositores
"no serán más torturados, golpeados, amenazados de muerte, no les serán
incoadas causas espurias y no se les confiscarán sus propiedades".
Asimismo, pide el cese de los abusos contra los cuentapropistas.
El vocero de Fariñas dijo a DIARIO DE CUBA que tuvo comunicación en
Santiago de Cuba con Carlos Amel Oliva, también declarado en huelga de
hambre.
"Se sentía mal y bastante decaído", precisó.
Con respecto al resto de los activistas que habían iniciado el ayuno
solidario, declaró que continuaban adelante con este en Holguín; Manatí,
Las Tunas; Placetas, Villa Clara, en Santo Domingo, Sancti Spíritus; en
Aguada de Pasajeros, en Cienfuegos, y en San Juan y Martínez, en Pinar
del Río.
Source: Fariñas entra en su décimo día de huelga de hambre y sed |
Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/derechos-humanos/1469908030_24260.html
DDC | Santa Clara | 30 de Julio de 2016 - 21:47 CEST.
El premio Sajarov Guillermo Fariñas Hernández entró este sábado en el
décimo día de su huelga de hambre y sed, después de que ingresara en un
hospital por su deteriorada condición y el jueves pidiera el alta médica
voluntaria bajo su responsabilidad para regresar a su casa.
Jorge Luis Artiles Montiel, del Foro Antitotalitario Unido (FANTU),
informó a DIARIO DE CUBA que "Fariñas durmió bien anoche (la madrugada
del sábado) aunque se quejó un poco de malestar".
Informó que "sobre las seis de la tarde del viernes tuvo diarreas" pero
según el médico José Raúl Rodríguez Rangel, director del Colegio Médico
de Las Villas, "eran normales debido a la cantidad de medicamentos que
le pasaron en vena (unos siete litros y medio de solución rica en
lactato, dextrosa y otros componentes)".
"Hoy (este sábado) vino también el doctor del consultorio de la familia
y confirmó que no era nada de preocupación. Aumentó algo de peso debido
a los líquidos pero ha comenzado e perderlo nuevamente", precisó.
Artiles Montiel aseguró que Fariñas "se siente con buen ánimo y firme en
su decisión de mantener la huelga de hambre y sed hasta las últimas
consecuencias".
En una carta de respuesta a amigos que le pidieron dejara su protesta,
Fariñas los exhorta a que "dejen de pedir el cese de la huelga de hambre
y sed".
"Eso le da esperanzas a nuestros adversarios políticos de que ustedes en
algún momento me van a convencer y el proceso de negociación nunca
avanzaría", argumentó.
"Creo que como amigos míos, que son todos, la causa de la
democratización de Cuba los necesita exigiéndole al Gobierno para que
este cumpla sus propias leyes. Desde que me declaré en huelga de hambre
y sed, estoy en manos de Dios y ocurrirá lo que decida Dios. Pero sí
tengo que decirles, que siempre ha sido y será para mí un honor contar
con la amistad de cada uno de ustedes", añadió.
"Los quiero en el amor a la democratización de Cuba", finalizó.
El viernes también recibió una llamada del senador cubanoamericano Marco
Rubio, quien se sumó a los ruegos porque abandone la huelga y siga su
labor "indispensable" dentro de la oposición en la Isla.
Guillermo Fariñas inició su protesta el pasado 20 de julio, tras una
detención en la que recibió una severa golpiza.
Exige a Raúl Castro que se comprometa públicamente a que los opositores
"no serán más torturados, golpeados, amenazados de muerte, no les serán
incoadas causas espurias y no se les confiscarán sus propiedades".
Asimismo, pide el cese de los abusos contra los cuentapropistas.
El vocero de Fariñas dijo a DIARIO DE CUBA que tuvo comunicación en
Santiago de Cuba con Carlos Amel Oliva, también declarado en huelga de
hambre.
"Se sentía mal y bastante decaído", precisó.
Con respecto al resto de los activistas que habían iniciado el ayuno
solidario, declaró que continuaban adelante con este en Holguín; Manatí,
Las Tunas; Placetas, Villa Clara, en Santo Domingo, Sancti Spíritus; en
Aguada de Pasajeros, en Cienfuegos, y en San Juan y Martínez, en Pinar
del Río.
Source: Fariñas entra en su décimo día de huelga de hambre y sed |
Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/derechos-humanos/1469908030_24260.html
Nacido en un oratorio
Nacido en un oratorio
FERNANDO DÁMASO | La Habana | 31 de Julio de 2016 - 06:08 CEST.
El poblado de San Miguel del Padrón, nombre utilizado después de 1976
para designar al municipio, surgió en 1660 alrededor del oratorio del
ingenio Miguel. Ya en 1670 la iglesia fue declarada auxiliar de la de
Guanabacoa, y en 1775 se constituyó como parroquia autónoma, siendo
reconstruida en 1830. San Francisco de Paula, poblado enclavado dentro
de este municipio, fue en sus inicios una aldea de Santa María del
Rosario, con una ermita construida en 1795 por don Francisco Arocha.
En San Francisco de Paula, el 2 de marzo de 1927, se detonó el primer
barreno para dar comienzo a las obras de la Carretera Central, la cual
con 1.143 kilómetros de longitud, fuera inaugurada el 24 de febrero de 1931.
El municipio incluye los repartos Barrio Obrero, Bien Aparecida, Buenos
Aires, California, Carolina, Central, El Lucero (parcialmente), El
Ziche, Guardiola, Jacomino, Juanelo, La Fernanda, La Florida, La
Rosalía, Los Ángeles, Martín Pérez, Otero, Rocafort, Emilio Mola,
Encanto, La Lolita (parcialmente), Las Merceditas, Las Piedras, La
Rosita, San Francisco de Paula, Siboney, Villa Alegre, Villa Rosa
(parcialmente), Diezmero, Alturas del Diezmero, Mirador del Diezmero,
Delicias del Diezmero, Dolores, La Cumbre, La Flora, Las Tejas, María
Cristina, María Luisa, Alturas del Mirador del Diezmero, San Matías, San
Martín, Veracruz, Alturas de Luyanó, Alturas de San Miguel, Ciudamar, El
Afán, Las Granjas, Las Palmas, Luyanó Moderno, María Santísima, Mirtha,
Monterrey, Núñez, Residencial Miguel, San Juan de los Pinos, Segunda
Ampliación de Alturas de Luyanó. Tamarindo y Vista Hermosa, así como el
caserío de Cambute. Se encuentra enclavado entre Vía Blanca y río
Luyanó, María Antonia, Vía Monumental y Autopista Nacional.
En su territorio, durante la República, existieron importantes
industrias. Entre ellas la Continental Can Corporation, una importante
fábrica de envases metálicos; Galletas Cubanas S.A., fabricantes de la
marca Gacusa; las Bodegas Morera, fabricantes de vinos; la Fábrica
Nacional de Ómnibus Merens S.A., fabricantes de carrocerías para ómnibus
escolares y para otros usos; Minagro Industrials S.A., dedicada al giro
de maquinarias en general; las Canteras Habana S.A.; la Comercial
Textil, fabricantes de las toallas Antex, y otras. Actualmente existen
empresas estatales de envases de aluminio, envases de cartón, fundición,
hidroenergía, motores, productos lácteos y otras.
San Francisco de Paula, que forma parte importante del municipio,
adquirió mayor notoriedad a partir de 1940, cuando el escritor
norteamericano Ernest Hemingway, después de alquilarla desde 1938, al
publicar su novela Por quién doblan las campanas, compró Finca Vigía,
que era propiedad de una familia francesa, ubicada la casa de la finca
en la colina donde, en el siglo XIX, existió un fortín español de
madera, conocido como La Vigía, que diera nombre al lugar.
En esta propiedad el escritor residía durante sus estancias en Cuba, y
se dice que en ella escribió su novela El viejo y el mar y terminó la
redacción de París era una fiesta. Hoy es un museo, que mantiene la
impronta del premio Nobel de Literatura cuando salió de ella por última
vez en 1960, y exhibe sus armas, trofeos, piezas de caza, muebles,
cerámicas, cuadros, fotografías, libros, revistas y otros objetos
personales.
Ya en San Miguel no existen los cines Gardel ni Vanidades, y el
Continental cada día está más deteriorado. Tampoco se escucha el
bullicio ni se nota movimiento en el antiguo paradero de las rutas 10,
11 y 12. El cabaret Las Catacumbas, capaz de hacer descargar adrenalina
a sus asiduos, con su piso que se hundía, el esqueleto plástico colgado
y la oscuridad reinante, desapareció, y el Paco Paco no es más que un
establecimiento estatal, habiendo perdido su anterior encanto de bar de
barrio.
Por la Carretera Central, bajando la loma de Monterrey, no avanza veloz
el Buick de Gallinat compitiendo en la Copa Cuba, ni su hija, con el
cabello al viento, aparece por la Virgen del Camino, montada en su
Harley Davidson. No está Hemingway, rojizo y barbudo, en su auto
descapotable, esperando la luz verde en el semáforo junto al parquecito
con el busto del querido doctor Tuma (que atendía a los pobres sin
cobrarles las consultas y, además, les regalaba las medicinas), en su
habitual viaje desde su Finca Vigía hasta Cojímar, siempre acompañado,
muchas veces con actrices norteamericanas o europeas.
Al ser un municipio alejado del centro de la ciudad, al igual que Arroyo
Naranjo, El Cotorro y La Lisa, en él se han asentado familias emigrantes
de otras provincias, dando lugar a la proliferación de barrios y
repartos precarios (similares a los antiguos barrios de indigentes), con
viviendas de mala calidad construidas con materiales de desecho, sin
algún tipo de planificación urbanística ni aseguramiento de los
servicios vitales. Uno de los más llamativos es el denominado La Korea.
Este es un problema que también se manifiesta en algunos otros
municipios, como Marianao, Guanabacoa, Cerro, y hasta en zonas alejadas
de Playa.
Hoy San Miguel del Padrón es un municipio pobre, con calles y aceras en
mal estado o sin ellas, y una inmensa población que lucha diariamente
por sobrevivir, tanto de forma legal como ilegal.
Source: Nacido en un oratorio | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1469923889_24265.html
FERNANDO DÁMASO | La Habana | 31 de Julio de 2016 - 06:08 CEST.
El poblado de San Miguel del Padrón, nombre utilizado después de 1976
para designar al municipio, surgió en 1660 alrededor del oratorio del
ingenio Miguel. Ya en 1670 la iglesia fue declarada auxiliar de la de
Guanabacoa, y en 1775 se constituyó como parroquia autónoma, siendo
reconstruida en 1830. San Francisco de Paula, poblado enclavado dentro
de este municipio, fue en sus inicios una aldea de Santa María del
Rosario, con una ermita construida en 1795 por don Francisco Arocha.
En San Francisco de Paula, el 2 de marzo de 1927, se detonó el primer
barreno para dar comienzo a las obras de la Carretera Central, la cual
con 1.143 kilómetros de longitud, fuera inaugurada el 24 de febrero de 1931.
El municipio incluye los repartos Barrio Obrero, Bien Aparecida, Buenos
Aires, California, Carolina, Central, El Lucero (parcialmente), El
Ziche, Guardiola, Jacomino, Juanelo, La Fernanda, La Florida, La
Rosalía, Los Ángeles, Martín Pérez, Otero, Rocafort, Emilio Mola,
Encanto, La Lolita (parcialmente), Las Merceditas, Las Piedras, La
Rosita, San Francisco de Paula, Siboney, Villa Alegre, Villa Rosa
(parcialmente), Diezmero, Alturas del Diezmero, Mirador del Diezmero,
Delicias del Diezmero, Dolores, La Cumbre, La Flora, Las Tejas, María
Cristina, María Luisa, Alturas del Mirador del Diezmero, San Matías, San
Martín, Veracruz, Alturas de Luyanó, Alturas de San Miguel, Ciudamar, El
Afán, Las Granjas, Las Palmas, Luyanó Moderno, María Santísima, Mirtha,
Monterrey, Núñez, Residencial Miguel, San Juan de los Pinos, Segunda
Ampliación de Alturas de Luyanó. Tamarindo y Vista Hermosa, así como el
caserío de Cambute. Se encuentra enclavado entre Vía Blanca y río
Luyanó, María Antonia, Vía Monumental y Autopista Nacional.
En su territorio, durante la República, existieron importantes
industrias. Entre ellas la Continental Can Corporation, una importante
fábrica de envases metálicos; Galletas Cubanas S.A., fabricantes de la
marca Gacusa; las Bodegas Morera, fabricantes de vinos; la Fábrica
Nacional de Ómnibus Merens S.A., fabricantes de carrocerías para ómnibus
escolares y para otros usos; Minagro Industrials S.A., dedicada al giro
de maquinarias en general; las Canteras Habana S.A.; la Comercial
Textil, fabricantes de las toallas Antex, y otras. Actualmente existen
empresas estatales de envases de aluminio, envases de cartón, fundición,
hidroenergía, motores, productos lácteos y otras.
San Francisco de Paula, que forma parte importante del municipio,
adquirió mayor notoriedad a partir de 1940, cuando el escritor
norteamericano Ernest Hemingway, después de alquilarla desde 1938, al
publicar su novela Por quién doblan las campanas, compró Finca Vigía,
que era propiedad de una familia francesa, ubicada la casa de la finca
en la colina donde, en el siglo XIX, existió un fortín español de
madera, conocido como La Vigía, que diera nombre al lugar.
En esta propiedad el escritor residía durante sus estancias en Cuba, y
se dice que en ella escribió su novela El viejo y el mar y terminó la
redacción de París era una fiesta. Hoy es un museo, que mantiene la
impronta del premio Nobel de Literatura cuando salió de ella por última
vez en 1960, y exhibe sus armas, trofeos, piezas de caza, muebles,
cerámicas, cuadros, fotografías, libros, revistas y otros objetos
personales.
Ya en San Miguel no existen los cines Gardel ni Vanidades, y el
Continental cada día está más deteriorado. Tampoco se escucha el
bullicio ni se nota movimiento en el antiguo paradero de las rutas 10,
11 y 12. El cabaret Las Catacumbas, capaz de hacer descargar adrenalina
a sus asiduos, con su piso que se hundía, el esqueleto plástico colgado
y la oscuridad reinante, desapareció, y el Paco Paco no es más que un
establecimiento estatal, habiendo perdido su anterior encanto de bar de
barrio.
Por la Carretera Central, bajando la loma de Monterrey, no avanza veloz
el Buick de Gallinat compitiendo en la Copa Cuba, ni su hija, con el
cabello al viento, aparece por la Virgen del Camino, montada en su
Harley Davidson. No está Hemingway, rojizo y barbudo, en su auto
descapotable, esperando la luz verde en el semáforo junto al parquecito
con el busto del querido doctor Tuma (que atendía a los pobres sin
cobrarles las consultas y, además, les regalaba las medicinas), en su
habitual viaje desde su Finca Vigía hasta Cojímar, siempre acompañado,
muchas veces con actrices norteamericanas o europeas.
Al ser un municipio alejado del centro de la ciudad, al igual que Arroyo
Naranjo, El Cotorro y La Lisa, en él se han asentado familias emigrantes
de otras provincias, dando lugar a la proliferación de barrios y
repartos precarios (similares a los antiguos barrios de indigentes), con
viviendas de mala calidad construidas con materiales de desecho, sin
algún tipo de planificación urbanística ni aseguramiento de los
servicios vitales. Uno de los más llamativos es el denominado La Korea.
Este es un problema que también se manifiesta en algunos otros
municipios, como Marianao, Guanabacoa, Cerro, y hasta en zonas alejadas
de Playa.
Hoy San Miguel del Padrón es un municipio pobre, con calles y aceras en
mal estado o sin ellas, y una inmensa población que lucha diariamente
por sobrevivir, tanto de forma legal como ilegal.
Source: Nacido en un oratorio | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1469923889_24265.html
Dos niños cubanos abandonan un equipo de béisbol en República Dominicana
Dos niños cubanos abandonan un equipo de béisbol en República Dominicana
DDC | Santo Domingo | 31 de Julio de 2016 - 10:13 CEST.
Dos niños cubanos que participaban en un torneo de béisbol de pequeñas
ligas en República Dominicana escaparon de la delegación, presuntamente
acompañados por familiares adultos, informaron los organizadores del
evento y la policía a la edición edición digital de ESPN.
Los hermanos Roberto y Raúl Campos Proenza, de 13 y 14 años,
respectivamente, se separaron del resto de sus compañeros, el sábado,
mientras celebraban la victoria en el partido por el campeonato de su
categoría en el Torneo Internacional Punta Cana, que por sexto año
consecutivo se realizó en el famoso balneario dominicano.
Testigos informaron que los niños subieron a un vehículo todo terreno
después de despedirse de sus amiguitos. Roberto, quien juega la tercera
base, fue el Jugador Más Valioso de su categoría.
"Inicialmente recibimos la denuncia de un posible secuestro, pero luego
de las primeras investigaciones determinamos que los niños fueron
tomados por sus familiares, presuntamente el padre", dijo el coronel
Carlos Martínez, jefe del departamento policial de Verona y Punta Cana,
de la provincia Higüey, en el este de República Dominicana.
"Tenemos en nuestro poder intercambios de mensajes de textos y
conversaciones entre los niños y su madre en Cuba, donde ella les ordena
quedarse en República Dominicana. En uno de los mensajes, los niños le
ruegan a la madre que convenza al padre de dejarles terminar el torneo
antes de buscarlos", agregó Martínez.
La policía dominicana dijo que no sabe el paradero de los niños y que
mantendrá abierta la investigación.
En la sexta edición del Torneo Internacional Punta Cana participaron más
de 800 peloteritos de 48 equipos procedentes de Aruba, Cuba, Estados
Unidos, México, Puerto Rico, Panamá y República Dominicana. La
delegación de la Isla está formada por niños de diferentes municipios de
La Habana.
"Es lamentable que adultos sin escrúpulos aprovechen un esfuerzo
personal y familiar como éste para realizar una deserción, que es una
locura, tomando en cuenta que son niños", dijo Noel Tortolón, entrenador
del equipo cubano citado por el medio especializado.
"Me comuniqué con Tamara Proenza, la madre de los niños, y luego de
algunas evasivas me dijo que estuviera tranquilo, que los niños están
con su padre, Yunier Campos. No sabíamos que el padre estaba en
República Dominicana. Aparentemente organizó todo desde Cuba o viajó
solo a Santo Domingo", agregó el funcionario.
Tortolón dijo que la delegación cubana, incluyendo los hermanos que
escaparon, tienen visa para estar en República Dominicana hasta el 8 de
septiembre.
"Es asombroso que algo así ocurra", dijo Robinson Paredes, presidente de
la Liga de Béisbol Punta Cana, que organiza el campeonato. "Todos esos
niños estuvieron el año pasado en el torneo y participaron en la
categoría de 11-12 años", agregó.
Durante la última Serie del Caribe en Santo Domingo, en febrero, los
hermanos Yulieski y Lourdes Gourriel Jr. abandonaron el club Ciego de
Ávila para perseguir el sueño de jugar en las Grandes Ligas, también en
República Dominicana.
Source: Dos niños cubanos abandonan un equipo de béisbol en República
Dominicana | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/deportes/1469952824_24266.html
DDC | Santo Domingo | 31 de Julio de 2016 - 10:13 CEST.
Dos niños cubanos que participaban en un torneo de béisbol de pequeñas
ligas en República Dominicana escaparon de la delegación, presuntamente
acompañados por familiares adultos, informaron los organizadores del
evento y la policía a la edición edición digital de ESPN.
Los hermanos Roberto y Raúl Campos Proenza, de 13 y 14 años,
respectivamente, se separaron del resto de sus compañeros, el sábado,
mientras celebraban la victoria en el partido por el campeonato de su
categoría en el Torneo Internacional Punta Cana, que por sexto año
consecutivo se realizó en el famoso balneario dominicano.
Testigos informaron que los niños subieron a un vehículo todo terreno
después de despedirse de sus amiguitos. Roberto, quien juega la tercera
base, fue el Jugador Más Valioso de su categoría.
"Inicialmente recibimos la denuncia de un posible secuestro, pero luego
de las primeras investigaciones determinamos que los niños fueron
tomados por sus familiares, presuntamente el padre", dijo el coronel
Carlos Martínez, jefe del departamento policial de Verona y Punta Cana,
de la provincia Higüey, en el este de República Dominicana.
"Tenemos en nuestro poder intercambios de mensajes de textos y
conversaciones entre los niños y su madre en Cuba, donde ella les ordena
quedarse en República Dominicana. En uno de los mensajes, los niños le
ruegan a la madre que convenza al padre de dejarles terminar el torneo
antes de buscarlos", agregó Martínez.
La policía dominicana dijo que no sabe el paradero de los niños y que
mantendrá abierta la investigación.
En la sexta edición del Torneo Internacional Punta Cana participaron más
de 800 peloteritos de 48 equipos procedentes de Aruba, Cuba, Estados
Unidos, México, Puerto Rico, Panamá y República Dominicana. La
delegación de la Isla está formada por niños de diferentes municipios de
La Habana.
"Es lamentable que adultos sin escrúpulos aprovechen un esfuerzo
personal y familiar como éste para realizar una deserción, que es una
locura, tomando en cuenta que son niños", dijo Noel Tortolón, entrenador
del equipo cubano citado por el medio especializado.
"Me comuniqué con Tamara Proenza, la madre de los niños, y luego de
algunas evasivas me dijo que estuviera tranquilo, que los niños están
con su padre, Yunier Campos. No sabíamos que el padre estaba en
República Dominicana. Aparentemente organizó todo desde Cuba o viajó
solo a Santo Domingo", agregó el funcionario.
Tortolón dijo que la delegación cubana, incluyendo los hermanos que
escaparon, tienen visa para estar en República Dominicana hasta el 8 de
septiembre.
"Es asombroso que algo así ocurra", dijo Robinson Paredes, presidente de
la Liga de Béisbol Punta Cana, que organiza el campeonato. "Todos esos
niños estuvieron el año pasado en el torneo y participaron en la
categoría de 11-12 años", agregó.
Durante la última Serie del Caribe en Santo Domingo, en febrero, los
hermanos Yulieski y Lourdes Gourriel Jr. abandonaron el club Ciego de
Ávila para perseguir el sueño de jugar en las Grandes Ligas, también en
República Dominicana.
Source: Dos niños cubanos abandonan un equipo de béisbol en República
Dominicana | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/deportes/1469952824_24266.html
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