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Daily Archives: September 8, 2009

Philips rejects Castro’s charges

Sep 8, 2009Philips rejects Castro's charges

THE HAGUE – DUTCH electronics giant Philips on Tuesday dismissed claims by ex- of 'betrayal' and blamed bureaucratic red tape for a delay in delivering medical equipment to Cuba.

'Because of the complexity of the application of the rules to the transactions, the company did not obtain all the licences required' for the delivery of spare parts for medical equipment, Philips said in a statement.

'We have disclosed the matter, cooperated fully, accepted the penalties and improved our procedures to prevent similar recurrences.'

Castro on Monday slammed the company as a 'traitor' for failing to deliver the parts under pressure from the United States, which has had a full economic on Cuba since 1962.

He claimed that in 2006, at the request of Venezuelan President Hugo , Cuba bought from Philips and 's Siemens thousands of pieces of advanced medical equipment for the two countries.

Oil-rich is Cuba's key regional ally, and keeps Havana's deeply strained central just barely afloat.

While the United States has made enough loopholes in its own sanctions to become a leading supplier of to Cuba, most US industrial and manufactured goods still cannot be sold directly to the Americas' lone communist government.

While Siemens 'kept its promises", Philips did not deliver on time the 3,553 pieces of equipment worth US$72.8 million (S$103 million) due to what Castro called 'brutal intransigence' on the part of unnamed US authorities. Only in June did Philips deliver the needed spare parts, Castro said, after it paid a 100,000-euro fine to the Obama government.

'No one has compensated Cubans, or Venezuelan patients under the care of doctors, for the human suffering caused,' Castro wrote in an editorial in official media. 'While the Cuban government is entitled to their interpretation of this settlement, it is not a matter of if Philips can sell medical equipment to Cuba, but how – ensuring we adhere to relevant export laws and the laws of all countries in which we operate,' said the statement.

Philips said it would continue to sell medical equipment to Cuba, 'with the appropriate licences'. — AFP

Philips rejects Castros charges (8 September 2009)http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Money/Story/STIStory_427023.html

Iberostar aumenta su presencia en Cuba con la apertura de su sexto hotel

Economía/Empresas. aumenta su presencia en Cuba con la apertura de su sexto Hora: 14:31 Fuente : Europa PressMADRID, 8 (EUROPA PRESS)

La cadena hotelera Iberostar Hotels & Hotels anunció hoy la apertura de su sexto establecimiento en Cuba, un cinco estrellas situado en la de Varadero, informó la compañía en un comunicado.

El nuevo hotel, denominado Iberostar Laguna Azul, cuenta con 814 habitaciones, entre las que se incluyen 24 'suites', 82 pares comunicantes y ocho especialmente diseñadas para minusválidos.

Asimismo, el Laguna Azul de Cuba dispondrá de múltiples instalaciones deportivas para practicar desde tenis y tiro con arco hasta windsurf y waterpolo. El hotel está equipado con seis piscinas, dos de ellas para los niños.

La compañía mallorquina precisó que la oferta gastronómica del nuevo establecimiento "es muy variada", ya que en sus 'buffets' ofrece 'show cooking', y cuenta con cuatro restaurantes: japonés, criollo (cubano), gourmet e italiano.

Por último, el grupo recordó que Cuba "es un paraíso lleno de rincones encantados", como los cafetales en Pinar del Río, la ciudad vieja en La Habana, o los más de 4.000 cayos e islotes.

"Sus paradisíacas playas son, sin duda, su mayor reclamo turístico. Cuba es un destino cargado de historia y que, además, cuenta con paisajes de infinita belleza", señaló Iberostar en una nota.

Invertia.com – Economía/Empresas.- Iberostar aumenta su presencia en Cuba con la apertura de su sexto hotel (8 September 2009)http://www.invertia.com/noticias/noticia.asp?subclasid=&clasid=&idNoticia=2206235

Philips se defiende de acusaciones de Castro de "traición" a Cuba y Venezuela

HOLANDA-CUBAPhilips se defiende de acusaciones de Castro de "traición" a Cuba y Hora: 16:58 Fuente : Admin EFE

La Haya, 8 sep (EFECOM).- El grupo holandés de electrónica Philips se defendió hoy de las acusaciones del ex cubano de "traición" a Cuba y Venezuela por el retraso en la entrega de equipos médicos y explicó que éste se ha debido a exigencias burocráticas estadounidenses.

El portavoz de Philips Eric Drent explicó a Efe que "para entregar los equipos médicos las autoridades de nos exigían determinados procedimientos de los que no estábamos del todo bien informados".

La empresa holandesa precisó que fueron esas "exigencias burocráticas" y no otros motivos las que causaron "retrasos" en las llegadas de los productos a Cuba y Venezuela, que recibirán el equipamiento "en cuanto cumplamos todos los requisitos".

Drent especificó que esas exigencias incluyen, por ejemplo, una "amplia descripción de todo el 'software' instalado en los aparatos".

Anadió que la firma holandesa ha tenido que pagar a las autoridades de EEUU "una multa" por no cumplir con los requisitos estipulados.

Philips todavía no puede precisar cuándo llegará el equipamiento médico a Cuba y Venezuela, pero aseguró que la compañía efectuará la entrega.

En un artículo publicado ayer en los medios cubanos estatales, Fidel Castro acusó al grupo holandés de "doble traición" al no entregar productos adquiridos por Cuba y Venezuela debido a la presión estadounidense, en base al comercial al que está sometida la isla.

El ex gobernante cubano precisó que, a inicios de 2006 y por encargo del presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, Cuba compró a Philips y a la compañía alemana Siemens miles de equipos médicos sofisticados para ambos países.

Los equipos iban a repartirse entre Cuba y 27 Centros Diagnósticos de Alta Tecnología que operan médicos y especialistas cubanos en 24 estados venezolanos, en el marco de la cooperación médica entre los dos países.

Según Castro, Siemens cumplió su parte del trato pero Philips dejó de suministrar equipos desde fines de 2006, y cuando el Gobierno cubano le pidió explicaciones, respondió aludiendo a problemas con las autoridades de EEUU.

El ex mandatario también aseguró que la compañía holandesa fue sancionada por Washington con una multa de 100.000 euros por violar el embargo comercial. EFECOM

mr/epn/jla

Invertia.com – mercados,finanzas,economía, fondos y cotizaciones (8 September 2009)http://www.invertia.com/noticias/noticia.asp?subclasid=&clasid=&idNoticia=2206348

La isla de los viejitos

CrónicasLa isla de los viejitos

Imaginemos que dentro de cincuenta años, ya no queda ni un solo joven.

Rafael Alcides, La Habana | 08/09/2009

Continúa envejeciendo la población cubana. Las mujeres no paren y los jóvenes siguen marchándose detrás de la caza y la pesca, como en los tiempos anteriores a la . Esta vez lo hacen en avión (o en balsa) hacia aquellas partes del mundo donde —por lo que se oye en la radio enemiga—, la carne, los peces y hasta las frutas pueden incluso obtenerse enlatados, si no quisiera uno pasar trabajo cocinándolos.

A ese paso, dentro de cincuenta años, no quedaría en Cuba un joven. Ni un solo joven (es un decir). Llegado a este punto, quién sabe cuál sería el verdadero final, en el abanico infinito que se abre para Cuba.

En el mío, las familias cubanas establecidas en el exterior mandarían a buscar a sus viejitos, y los que no tengan quien los reclame, al principio se auxiliarán aquí entre ellos mismos. Pero al cabo, ningún viejito, ni el campesino, ni el sastre, ni el médico, ni el del , se podrán valer por sí mismos.

En esas circunstancias, es de imaginar el surgimiento de una corriente de viejitos, todavía lúcidos, que acuerde alquilarle la Isla a un grupo empresarial extranjero dedicado al , e importar, con las divisas de esa renta, el personal idóneo de habla española que se ocupe de bañarlos, de darle sus comiditas y sacarlos al sol.

Empero, también es de imaginar la corriente legataria de las doctrinas de la dirección histórica del Partido que, escandalizada, rechazará semejante proyecto, fundamentándolo del modo siguiente:

1) En su ya lejano día, dicha dirección histórica achacó la indetenible emigración de los jóvenes y la negativa a parir de las mujeres, al "bloqueo económico" que durante cincuenta años había mantenido sobre la Isla.

2) Dijo esa dirección que los cubanos que vinieran después serían tan intransigentes con el enemigo de clase como ella misma lo había sido.

3) Aseguró que el socialismo era irreversible.

Luego entonces, 4), arrendar la Isla, además de la previsible contaminación ideológica de los viejitos menos firmes o reblandecidos por la edad, le estaría abriendo la puerta al enemigo para dejarlo de dueño de casa cuando al fin despareciera la población sobreviviente.

Y estallaron las hostilidades. El mundo no lo podía creer. De todas partes llegaron camarógrafos a filmar la curiosa pero feroz guerra civil de tibores, con orines de tres días, tirados por la cabeza. Además del empleo de dentaduras con vaso de , pañales sin lavar, bastones, medallas, fotos de héroes con marco y cristal y cuanto objeto de menos de diez onzas pueda ser utilizado como proyectil, sin que jamás se viera alzarse una bandera blanca en el campo de los viejitos disidentes, ni tampoco en el de los viejitos legatarios de la dirección histórica del Partido. Y así, día tras día, durante dos semanas, hasta el último viejito.

Hay otros finales posibles para el futuro de la Isla. Lo que no hay por ahora, o si lo hay no se aplica, es cómo evitar, o al menos disminuir, el creciente envejecimiento de la población.

© cubaencuentro.com

La isla de los viejitos – Artículos – Cuba – cubaencuentro.com (8 September 2009)http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/cuba/articulos/la-isla-de-los-viejitos-208442

Philips rechaza las acusaciones de Fidel Castro

Philips rechaza las acusaciones de

El grupo holandés dijo que seguirá vendiendo material médico a Cuba, siempre y cuando tenga 'las licencias adecuadas'.

Agencias | 08/09/2009

El grupo holandés de electrónica Philips rechazó este martes las acusaciones de "traición" de Fidel Castro y dijo que si no pudo entregar equipamiento médico comprado por La Habana para Cuba y fue por problemas burocráticos.

"A causa de la complejidad de la aplicación de normas respectivas a las transacciones, la compañía no obtuvo todas las licencias requeridas" para la entrega a Cuba y Venezuela de equipos médicos, dijo Philips en un comunicado.

"Hemos dado a conocer el asunto, cooperado plenamente, aceptado las sanciones (de Washington) y mejorado nuestros procedimientos para evitar casos similares", añadió el texto.

Philips aseguró que seguirá vendiendo material médico a Cuba, siempre y cuando tenga "las licencias (estadounidenses) adecuadas".

Fidel Castro acusó el lunes al grupo holandés de "doble traición" al no entregar a Cuba y Venezuela piezas de equipos médicos por presiones del embargo de .

El ex gobernante dijo que a inicios de 2006, por encargo de su aliado el de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, La Habana compró a Philips y a la compañía alemana Siemens miles de equipos médicos sofisticados para los dos países.

Los aparatos estaban destinados a la Isla y a 27 Centros Diagnósticos de alta Tecnología que operan especialistas cubanos en 24 estados venezolanos.

Siemens "cumplió sus compromisos", pero Philips, a la que se compraron 3.553 equipos por unos 72,8 millones de dólares, no suministró las piezas de repuesto alegando una "intransigencia brutal" de Washington.

Castro señaló que pasaron dos años y medio sin que Philips entregara "una sola pieza", y no fue sino hasta junio pasado que informó que las entregaría, tras pagar una multa de 100.000 euros al gobierno estadounidense.

© cubaencuentro.com

Philips rechaza las acusaciones de Fidel Castro – Noticias – Cuba – cubaencuentro.com (8 September 2009)http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/cuba/noticias/philips-rechaza-las-acusaciones-de-fidel-castro-208668

La mala ortografía podría ser un problema para graduarse, según una campaña del gobierno

EducaciónLa mala ortografía podría ser un problema para graduarse, según una campaña del gobierno

Agencias | 08/09/2009

El Ministerio de Educación arreció una campaña para evitar que los futuros profesionales egresen de las universidades con severas faltas ortográficas, reportó la agencia mexicana Notimex.

En declaraciones a la televisión estatal, Isel Parra, funcionaria del Ministerio de Educación, dijo que en lo sucesivo aumentará el rigor evaluativo. Los docentes también deberán someterse a capacitación.

Un diagnóstico nacional, realizado en mayo pasado, confirmó alarmantes problemas de ortografía, acentuación, puntuación y deletreo, indicó la fuente.

Entre las medidas adoptadas para revertir tal situación están la realización de exámenes de español para ingresar a cualquier carrera universitaria.

Parra anunció la aplicación de un sistema de descuento de puntos en los exámenes, que aumentará de rigor a medida que se avance en la carrera, en el caso de los universitarios, e impediría incluso la graduación de quienes desaprueben.

Cuba inició el pasado 1 de septiembre el nuevo curso escolar 2009-2010 en el que las autoridades quieren reforzar, además de la ortografía, la "instrucción ideológica", la enseñanza de la historia nacional y del marxismo-leninismo.

Los exámenes diagnóstico, aplicados en mayo último a más de 16.000 estudiantes de años finales, en las sedes universitarias municipales, encendieron las alarmas.

Un profesor de la Facultad de Artes y Letras de la de La Habana, que solicitó anonimato, confirmó que los examinados provenían principalmente de carreras deportivas, pedagógicas, y Estomatología, según Notimex.

"Pero cómo no van a tener mala ortografía los estudiantes si cuando faltaron los maestros fueron sustituidos por los 'emergentes' (profesores generales integrales), muchos de ellos sin experiencia y vocación", dijo una educadora jubilada, llamada por el gobierno a reincorporarse a la profesión.

La situación del sistema de enseñanza cubano degeneró durante los años noventa, los más duros de la larga crisis económica cubana, cuando centenares de maestro decidieron abandonar la profesión para buscar suerte en otras de mejores ingresos y condiciones, y las carencias pusieron en crisis el sistema de valores de la sociedad.

© cubaencuentro.com

La mala ortografía podría ser un problema para graduarse, según una campaña del gobierno – Noticias – Cuba – cubaencuentro.com (8 September 2009)http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/cuba/noticias/la-mala-ortografia-podria-ser-un-problema-para-graduarse-segun-una-campana-del-gobierno-208646

FRACASA NUEVO INTENTO DE DESALOJO EN HOLGUÍN

FRACASA NUEVO INTENTO DE EN HOLGUÍN2009-09-08.Marco Antonio Lima Dalmau, Periodista Independiente

(www.miscelaneasdecuba.net).- Holguín. Candonga. Félix Rodríguez Rodríguez, del Movimiento Contra los Desalojos, M.C.D.,comunicó a este que a las 9:30 AM del lunes se desmontaron de un auto Lada con chapa OAF 322, un oficial de la Seguridad del Estado, dos agentes de la policía y dos funcionarios del órgano de la quienes se dirigieron a Ridel Hernández Pérez y le dijeron que habían venido a ejecutar el desalojo junto a otros efectivos, pero por alguna razón informaron que sería citado próximamente.

"Ustedes son unos cobardes, irresponsables, descarados y corruptos, no me han expulsado porque saben que los organismos internacionales y la opinión publica mundial están al tanto de todas sus barbaries y yo tengo razón y derecho", expresó Pérez muy indignado.

Finalizó diciendo la fuente que se encontraban junto a más de una decena de activistas del M.C.D. y de la Comisión Unida de , y más de 50 vecinos apoyando al afectado, por lo que la resistencia sigue siendo más numerosa que las fuerzas represivas.

"Sabían que íbamos tomar fotos y videos y desde luego a ellos no le conviene tantos escándalos a diarios, hubiéramos hecho cualquier cosa por la vía no violenta, declaró Rodríguez Rodríguez.

Ridel Hernández Pérez, sigue viviendo casi milagrosamente en, calle 4 n 19 entre 27 y 29, La Quinta, Holguín.

FRACASA NUEVO INTENTO DE DESALOJO EN HOLGUÍN – Misceláneas de Cuba (8 September 2009)http://www.miscelaneasdecuba.net/web/article.asp?artID=22711

Castro slams Philips for helping US ‘harm’ Cuba, Venezuela

Castro slams Philips for helping US 'harm' Cuba, By Carlos Batista (AFP) – 14 hours ago

HAVANA — Cuban ex- on Monday slammed Dutch multinational Philips as a "traitor" for not delivering spare parts for medical equipment due to the US economic on Cuba.

Castro, 83, and still head of the Cuban Communist Party, charged in an editorial in official media that Philips' "backing down and betrayal of Cuba and Venezuela" stemmed from US pressure under former president George W. Bush, and has not changed much under President Barack Obama.

The United States and Cuba do not have full diplomatic relations. Washington has had a full economic embargo on Cuba since 1962.

Oil-rich Venezuela is Cuba's key regional ally, and keeps Havana's deeply strained central just barely afloat. Hundreds of Cuban doctors in turn work in Venezuela's national system.

While the United States has made enough loopholes in its own sanctions to become a leading supplier of to Cuba, most US industrial and manufactured goods still cannot be sold directly to the Americas' lone communist government.

Castro said that in 2006, at the request of Venezuelan President Hugo , Cuba bought from Philips and 's Siemens thousands of pieces of advanced medical equipment for the two countries.

The retired Cuban leader, who left power that year after almost 50 years at Cuba's helm, said Siemens "kept its promises."

But Philips, despite a purchase of 3,553 pieces of equipment worth 72.8 million dollars, did not deliver spare parts due to what Castro said it called "brutal intransigence" on the part of unnamed US authorities.

Only in June did Philips deliver the needed spare parts, Castro said, after it paid a 100,000-euro fine to the Obama government.

"No one has compensated Cubans, or Venezuelan patients under the care of doctors, for the human suffering caused," Castro wrote.

However US law permits states to sell agricultural, medical and information technology products on a cash basis to Cuba. Since 2000, such sales have totaled more than three billion dollars. So Castro charged the United States with violating the loophole it made in its own sanctions.

Castro said Venezuela "is more threatened than ever" by "imperialism" — usually Cuban shorthand for the United States, so the need for bilateral cooperation was stronger than ever.

Just Thursday the US Treasury eased restrictions on and money transfers to Cuba by Cuban-Americans five months after Obama announced the measures in a bid to improve ties with the communist island.

The move also allows US telecommunications network providers to link to Cuba with fiber-optic cables and satellite technology, permits US wireless telephone providers to enter roaming service agreements with Cuban firms, and allows US satellite broadcasts to the island.

When it first announced planned changes in April, the White House said the move was intended to encourage expanding democratic and political rights in Cuba.

AFP: Castro slams Philips for helping US 'harm' Cuba, Venezuela (8 September 2009)http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hDPYUkmzfMLX6yPhDrbn5dQsTjig

Raising Awareness about Racial Discrimination

CUBA: Raising Awareness about Racial DiscriminationBy Patricia Grogg

HAVANA, Sep 7 (IPS) – Intellectuals and artists concerned about continued racial discrimination in Cuba are attempting to revive the Cofradía de la Negritud (CONEG), a "brotherhood" or association of black people aimed at raising awareness of the problem.

The email message announcing the revival of CONEG says no progress can be made against "the growing problem" of racial inequality in Cuba without the implementation of "a social policy that takes into account the historical disadvantages faced by the black population."

The aim of CONEG is to generate awareness among officials and civil society, and "ensure that effective attention is paid to defending respect for the rights of black people in Cuba."

The letter that was recently recirculated by email carries its original date, July 1998, when CONEG was first launched by engineer Norberto Mesa Carbonell, as the first "cófrade" or member of the "brotherhood." The updated version of the letter also carries the signatures of "cófrades" Tomás Fernández and Tato Quiñones – academic researchers whose expertise is the question of racial discrimination.

"There is an explicit desire to revitalise the Cofradía and make it visible, this time on the part of intellectuals and artists, myself included," Quiñones told IPS. He said the group includes "veterans of the struggle for the elimination of racism in Cuba and younger people who are just now joining in."

He said that while CONEG does not take part in political activity as such, he is aware of the complexity and implications of the effort that it means to undertake, "which could at times make some of its actions appear to be somewhat political."

The document underscores "the great deal that the Cuban revolution has done to eliminate racial inequality."

However, "reality shows that there is still a long way to go, because the underlying issues have not really changed."

The letter says the accumulation of disadvantages historically faced by blacks in Cuba was aggravated by the severe economic crisis of the 1990s, as seen in social life in general and in the daily lives of Cubans.

Several studies on the question show that the economic recession that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and East European socialist bloc – Cuba's main aid and trade partners – widened the gap between those who were already socially disadvantaged and the rest of the population.

The recession "reproduced and accentuated social, and in consequence, racial inequalities, given the links that have historically existed between race and class," says a study by of Havana researcher María del Carmen Caño published in 1996 by Temas magazine.

"As I see it, these last 20 years have been devastating for the nation in all spheres of social life," said Quiñones.

He also said there was "subliminal racism" among most of Cuba's 11.2 million people.

In his view, racism in Cuba is seen as "embarrassing," and people do not admit to their racial prejudice.

But at the same time, he said, racial discrimination is getting more and more blatant, in the form of exclusion and segregation.

Quiñones agrees that it will be impossible to fight racial discrimination "unless national awareness about the problem is fomented, by means of a range of actions targeting the racial prejudice held by a large part of the Cuban population."

The latest census, from 2002, indicates that out of the 11.18 million Cuban nationals living in the country at that time, 7.2 million were classified as white, 1.13 million as black, and 2.78 as mixed-race, based on self-identification.

However, scholars estimate that the Cuban population is actually around 60 to 70 percent black or mixed-race.

After took power in the 1959 revolution, discrimination on the basis of race, sex or place of origin was prohibited and made punishable by law. Article 41 of the constitution establishes that "the institutions of the state educate everyone, from the earliest years, in the principle of equality."

"It took us a while to discover…that marginalisation, and along with it racial discrimination, is in fact something that cannot be suppressed by law or by 10 laws, and even in 40 years we have not been able to totally suppress it," Castro himself admitted in a September 2000 speech in Harlem, New York.

Quiñones said Castro's remarks were "in and of themselves" a major stride "in the long and probably tortuous road that the Cuban nation must still traverse to finally eliminate this complex problem."

"It must be understood that in Cuba, the question of racism was considered taboo for decades, because public exposure of it could give rise to 'fissures' in the sense of unity that was indispensable for facing the aggression from outside," said the academic, who specialises in Afro-Cuban culture and religion.

He also said that until the mid-1980s, a theoretical concept – which in the long-term proved "erroneous" – prevailed: that once social classes had disappeared and the people had built a "new society," the process would automatically do away with racial prejudice and discrimination.

But Quiñones said that in recent years there have been significant changes with respect to efforts to acknowledge the problem. He pointed out that the issue of racism was discussed in 1998 at a congress of the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists (UNEAC), and a year later at a meeting of UNEAC's National Board.

More recently, committees have been set up by UNEAC and the National Library to study the question, the issue is present in the work of Cuban hip hop artists, and the government Anthropology Institute carried out a study on the current state of things.

Among other actions, a group of intellectuals and artists have begun to hold screenings of a documentary called "Raza" (Race) by young Cuban filmmaker Eric Corvalán in Havana and Santa Clara, a city in central Cuba, with discussions after the film, which "addresses the problem in a lucid, bold and coherent manner," according to Quiñones.

"In the face of this phenomenon, we can't sit back with our arms crossed. Some voices of alert are being heard. Because 'the problem of blacks,' it has been said wisely, is actually a 'problem of the whites'," said the academic. (END/2009)

CUBA: Raising Awareness about Racial Discrimination – IPS ipsnews.net (7 September 2009)http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48358

Paladars Offer Hidden Taste Of Cuba

09/05/2009 03:08 PMPaladars Offer Hidden Taste Of CubaBy: Valarie D'Elia

The Cuban culinary scene can have its limitations, but one of the delights of eating out on the Caribbean island is dining in a . NY1's Valarie D'Elia filed the following report.

Most restaurants in Cuba are controlled by the government, but there is another option for visitors and it's called a paladar, which means dining in people's homes.

"You put like three, four tables, and then you run a business. The good thing about the paladar compared to the restaurants that are run and owned by the government, is that in the paladar, the usually tastes more 'homey.' So that's the big difference," said Cuban tour guide Julio Viera.

Like the casa particulars, the best source for finding a paladar is on the or word of mouth. It's recommended to call ahead for reservations, because the places can be small, so if you just show up expecting to eat, it might be closed.

While the government limits the number of tables to four, many paladars break that rule and some resemble busy Parisian style bistros, such as paladar La Guarida in an 18th century townhouse.

Paladars are restricted from serving good cuts of beef and lobster, so don't be surprised if you are pulled into a back room to dine on these dishes on the sly. Another spot is Cocina de Lilliam, located in a 1939 era mansion with lush grounds. Paladar las Mercedes is a typical family style no fuss affair, while Adele's rooftop garden is a top romantic pick, that presents a prixe fixe meal, the most expensive of the group at $40 per person.

NY1 | 24 Hour Local News | NY1 Living | Paladars Offer Hidden Taste Of Cuba (5 September 2009)http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/105314/paladars-offer-hidden-taste-of-cuba/Default.aspx?ap=1&Flash

Activists rally behind Cuba’s YouTube rebel

Posted on Monday, 09.07.09CUBAActivists rally behind Cuba's YouTube rebel groups are outraged that a Cuban who created an online sensation by interrupting a video interview has been sentenced to two years for his actions.BY WILFREDO CANCIO ISLA

Juan Carlos González Marcos, better known as Pánfilo, was probably the noisiest of the regulars who gathered at the Villalón Park in the Vedado neighborhood to drink a few.

Now he is, without a doubt, the most famous among them.

He was and charged with “pre-criminal social endangerment'' after jumping into the frame of a video being filmed on the streets of Havana and shouting on camera that there was hunger in Cuba. He was sentenced to two years in .

“What we need here is a little bit of jama [Cuban Spanish slang for ]!'' González shouted on camera after pushing the person being interviewed about reggaeton out of the video frame. “We're under fire here! Go ahead and tape me! Jama!''

The person being interviewed regained the attention of the cameraman for a few seconds, only to be pushed away once more by González, 48, who went for another close-up. “We need food! We're hungry here! Listen to what Pánfilo tells you from Cuba: food!''

The video made it to YouTube and received 400,000 views in no time.

It became popular on Hispanic television in Miami, made the cover of various magazines, ran as the lead story on websites, was reported by the island's independent media and the press abroad, and inspired video clips, songs and jokes about the deteriorating situation in Cuba.

Days later, a totally sober González appeared on a new video taking back all he had said and done before. He mentioned that the had visited him and that he was “under fire.''

A third video was played later on Miami's Channel 41-AmericaTeVé, showing him drunk again, dancing a rap on the street, and saying the police were going to put him “away.''

And they put him away. González was finally arrested on Aug. 4.

Seven days later, in a closed-door trial, a municipal court sentenced him to two years in prison. The charge of precriminal social endangerment, which dates to 20th century's fascist and communist regimes, has been in use in Cuba since the 1960s and has even been applied to political opponents and human rights activists.

“This incident was unexpected and came as a surprise because the protagonist was not a political nor a person trying to defend a position or gain popularity,'' said publicist Jorge Salcedo, a Boston resident promoting the international campaign Jama y (Jama and ), which advocates González's .

The government's retaliation got the attention of human rights organizations and gave life to the campaign, according to its website www.jamaylibertad.com. Through Monday, it had collected 728 signatures, among them those of Spanish philosopher Fernando Savater, Cuban musician Paquito D'Rivera, author Zoe Valdés and dissident Yoani Sánchez, who lives in Havana.

“I thought it was important to give my full support to a humble man who has become a symbol of freedom,'' D'Rivera said from New Jersey. “Pánfilo did not talk about changing the government nor about democracy, but about a simple and fundamental concern of the people of Cuba: their hunger, which is also a hunger for freedom.''

González lives in a hut with his mother, a sister and two brothers, the only ones permitted to attend his rushed trial. Sources in his neighborhood say he has two minor children, who are not under his custody. It has been impossible to confirm whether he was once a machinist with the Merchant Navy or that at some point he was a member of the Special Troops of the Interior Ministry.

Salvadoran filmmaker Jorge Dalton, who added his name to the petition for González's freedom, said González “has always been a harmless person.''

Dalton, son of poet and Salvadoran revolutionary Roque Dalton, came to Havana with his parents in the end of 1967 and moved to the same block where González lives.

Dalton said many of the things González talked about were exaggerations. For example, González said he used to ride in a nonexistent limousine with Dalton's father, Roque, who was murdered in El Salvador by his guerrilla comrades in 1975, days before turning 40.

“But it was all part of that unique affection of Cubans, who go as far as telling lies just to prove they love you above all things,'' Dalton said.

The Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation is following the case closely and has offered the family their legal aid to appeal the sentence, which could lead to a new trial in a matter of weeks.

“This is a case of clear political intention and it only shows how scared the government is of anything that could cause street unrest,'' said the commission Elizardo Sánchez. “The family is very frightened because they are feeling a lot of pressure.''

Activists rally behind Cuba's YouTube rebel – Cuba – MiamiHerald.com (7 September 2009)http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/story/1222415.html

FBI investigated ex-defense official for espionage

Posted on Tuesday, 09.08.09ESPIONAGE INQUIRYFBI investigated ex-defense official for espionageA former Department of Defense official accused of lying about a trip to Cuba was also investigated for espionage — but never charged — by the FBI.By JUAN O. [email protected]

Alberto Coll, a Cuban American who lost a senior job at the Navy War College after he was convicted of lying about a trip to Havana, was also investigated for espionage, according to an FBI document.

Coll was never charged with espionage, and has long denied any wrongdoing beyond the 2004 trip, which he declared was to see a sick aunt. His lawyer acknowledged he had visited a “girlfriend.''

Five years after the trip, the Department of Justice refuses to release details of the investigation of the former deputy assistant secretary of defense, saying the files are classified as “Secret.''

In a response to a Miami Herald request for all FBI records on his case, a bureau official wrote an Aug. 25 declaration explaining why the documents were classified.

“Specifically, the FBI's investigation focused on espionage and censorship in violation 18 USC 793, fraud and false statements in violation of 18 USC 1001 and foreign registration act'' wrote David M. Hardy, head of the Record/Information Dissemination section at FBI headquarters' Records Management Division.

The “foreign registration act'' requires agents of foreign governments to register with the State Department, and is sometimes used to accuse spies.

Coll told The Miami Herald in a telephone interview Wednesday that he was aware of how the investigations into his actions began, but insisted he did nothing wrong other than lying about the visit.

“We have known that's the kind of investigation the government started,'' Coll said. “In the case of Cuba, the [U.S.] government is going to investigate everything, including the possibility of espionage. . . Obviously, at the end of the day, there was no evidence.''

Coll, who was born in Cuba in 1955 and came to the United States in 1969, served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflicts under George H. Bush, and later as head of the strategic studies department at the Navy War College in Rhode Island. He held a secret clearance in both jobs.

PLEADING GUILTY

On June 7, 2005, he pleaded guilty to the charge of lying about his trip to Cuba. He was sentenced to one year's probation and received a $5,000 fine, left the War College and now teaches at DePaul College of Law in Chicago. The majority of people accused of to Cuba face fines, not criminal charges.

Although he was perceived as a conservative when he worked at the Pentagon, while at the War College he often advocated for improved U.S. relations with Cuba. After his conviction, he continued to argue for easing or lifting U.S. sanctions on the island.

A month after his conviction, The Miami Herald filed a request under the of Information Act for all documents related to his case held by the Justice Department. The department answered that no documents could be released because of Coll's right to privacy.

The Herald filed suit in U.S. court in Miami arguing that the documents were part of a criminal investigation that should be made public; that Coll has a much diminished right to privacy because his government jobs and advocacy on Cuba issues makes him a public figure; and that the investigation relates to his position as a public figure.

PAPERS UNDER SEAL

The Justice Department turned over several documents to Adalberto Jordan last year, but asked they be kept under seal for his review on what documents or parts of documents could be made public. And on Aug. 25 the department filed a memorandum arguing a broad range of reasons for why no part of the documents should be made public.

Among those reasons were the need to protect: the privacy of Coll and others; “the interest of national security or foreign policy;'' “internal personnel rules and practices of a [government] agency;'' confidential sources and information; techniques and procedures for law enforcement investigations and prosecutions; personnel and medical files.

“In the absence of bad faith, or some other compelling showing that there has been an abuse of discretion, Court should not second guess the agency's judgement,'' the memo added.

In a 2006 book, Washington Times defense writer Bill Gertz described Coll as “an apparent spy'' and said officials had told him they believed Coll had been “recruited'' by Cuba. The book, Enemies: How America's Foes are Stealing Our Vital Secrets and How We Let it Happen, offers no evidence and doesn't say Coll leaked any secrets.

“The FBI has a job to do. . . investigate wild, scandalous allegations,'' said Coll's Rhode Island defense attorney, Francis Flanagan. “Simply put, if you investigate someone for murder and they are not found culpable, they call that an innocent man.''

FBI investigated ex-defense official for espionage – Cuba – MiamiHerald.com (8 September 2009)http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/story/1222412.html

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