Here at GAO's Cultural Day, we have myself above with my visitor and GAO fellow Meshack from Kenya, another fellow and friend from Nigeria, and, below, my visitor from Zambia, Bornwell, who, like Meshack, will be soon going home.
After a neighbor submitted an anonymous complaint to the city about excessive growth in my front and back yards, I received a citation and fine threat and commandeered the help of my granddaughter (standing on the steps) and a former Peace Corps volunteer to clean things up. We have had too much rain!
Too
much time has gone by since the last posting! The longer I wait, the more that
accumulates, so best to just plunge in, not spend time trying to organize
things, and hope that photos tell some of the story. I am trying to post comments
where needed with the photos.
My talk about my Cuba
book at the NYC library went well,
though marred every few minutes by an overhead train speeding by next to the
window. I did speak some in Spanish, as it was billed as a bilingual talk, but
in 1½ hours, there is just so much time for either language. Also, I had only a
few sales, as the library had laid out copies it had ordered beforehand, which several
patrons borrowed for free, so that was good; readership is more important than
sales.
I
interpreted for another relatively young
heart patient with Chagas, who like the previous one several weeks ago, was
from El Salvador, having grown up living under a straw roof and not discovering
she had the disease until years later (see my Honduras book, p. 159, for photo
and text on Chagas).
We
had another scare about a shooting at the nearby
Navy Yard, but this time, thankfully, it was a false alarm.
Incredibly, Bolivian President Evo Morales gave Pope
Francis a crucifix on a hammer and cycle. Is that crude symbolism or what?
This
statement by journalist Mark Phillips sums up the DR Haitian-descendant crisis,
which is still ongoing: Trouble for
Dominicans of Haitian descent began last year, when DR courts retroactively
reversed the rule that anyone born on DR soil is entitled to citizenship.
Haitians living in the DR without legal status are now considered simply in
transit, meaning that any children of their children born in the DR no longer
have DR citizenship. Because the rule is retroactive to 1929, it can strip
Dominican citizenship from multiple generations.
Amnesty International published in the
International Business Time the Op-Ed Dominican Republic’s PR spin is no
balm for the suffering of the stateless https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/07/dominican-republic-s-pr-spin-is-no-balm-for-the-suffering-of-the-stateless/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/06/16/the-bloody-origins-of-the-dominican-republics-ethnic-cleansing-of-haitians/?hpid=z6
Jeb Bush claims to be an honorary Latino, a
designation he might have stolen from me! His wife is Mexican, he speaks fairly
good Spanish (though accented, his Spanish is much better than George W’s), and
he has reportedly chosen “Hispanic” as his ethnic designation on census
questionnaires. He’s trying to be more Hispanic than Marco Rubio and certainly
than Hillary Clinton. Now with the flap over a white woman pretending to be
black, I’m hoping my latest book title, where I come out as a “secret Latina,”
doesn’t give offense. In the book, I frankly admit to being of northern
European heritage, with nary a drop of Latino “blood,” but also that I
sometimes “pass” and even feel like an insider, especially in Latin America.
When I was living in Honduras for 3½ years as a Peace Corps volunteer, I
regarded other Americans almost as aliens. Call it Stockholm Syndrome or
whatever, but social surroundings and expectations do influence
self-identification. So I would not necessarily characterize Jeb Bush as an
imposter, as I’ve had those same feelings myself. And while I wouldn’t vote for him, he seems a
cut above his brother.
President Obama is feeling pretty good after recent
Supreme Ct. rulings. He also seems
to be more relaxed and loosened up and looking forward to leaving the White
House. Michelle has been wanting to check out for some time now. I know they
will be relieved to be gone, with their new endeavors not as difficult and
thankless as this one.
In
a recent on-line posting (how she actually does it is pretty complicated),
independent blogger Yoani Sanchez
reports that now, not only are young Cubans eager to get out, but many of their
retired parents are eager to join them in the US or elsewhere, tired of being
left alone in their old age and just tired of waiting in lines and trying to
scrape by on their miserable pensions. These older folks once supported “the
revolution,” but no more.
Cholera
again in Cuba, this time in Cienfuegos.
Here’s an appeal I recently received and do you imagine that
I actually contributed? Contribute $10 or more to Senator Leahy's re-election
campaign today, before our big June 30 end-of-quarter deadline. Help send this progressive
champion back to the U.S. Senate! A lot has changed
since 2003. But one thing that hasn't is Senator Leahy's commitment to
tirelessly championing progressive causes. We can't afford to lose his powerful
voice in the U.S. Senate. Thank you for showing your support today.
On
1 March, Rev Yat Michael and Rev Peter Yen, who had previously been held
incommunicado by the Sudanese National Intelligence Service (NISS), have been
charged with eight offences under the 1991 Penal Code. Two of these offences
carry the death penalty. It is believed that the two pastors were arrested and
charged due to their religious convictions. The warring sides in South
Sudan—each fighting for complete political control-- have also been accused of
child abuse and child murder.
Our thrill over that
new nation’s emergence has been obliterated by the results of their warring
leaders’ inhumanity and insistence on having absolute power.
Big demonstrations have
occurred against the government in
Honduras:
http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/americas/2015/06/hondurans-politics-usual-150627063425430.html
President Hernandez wants to get rid of term limits, the controversy that led to
the ousting of Zelaya, and many Honduras prefer the current system of one
consecutive term.
http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars/juan-orlando-hernandez-honduras-elected-strongman/60428
Vice President Biden met recently with Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez at
the White House. Included in their discussion were the Obama Administration’s
plans to promote clean energy use in Honduras and ask for development funds for
the entire Central American region. The Vice President and President Hernandez
reviewed joint efforts to tackle corruption, target transnational criminal
networks, and promote economic prosperity and opportunity in Honduras.
Specifically on energy, the Vice President emphasized the urgency of continuing
implementation on Honduran energy reform and of addressing obstacles to the
development of a regional energy market that would provide lower energy prices
for the citizens of Central America. The Vice President also reportedly discussed
the Administration’s $1 billion Fiscal Year 2016 request to Congress for
Central America.
The
National Peace Corps Association, to which I belong, has announced its newest
destination: Cuba!
October 17-24, 2015. I suggested the visitors ask their hosts about the
prospects for Peace Corps in Cuba, as per my Huffington Post article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-e-joe/peace-corps-in-cuba-you-h_b_6581182.html
The spokesman for Cuba's state communications company told
the newspaper Juventud Rebelde that
35 government computer centers around the country would have Wi-Fi starting
next month, and the price of one hour online would drop to $2 from $4.50 now. That
price remains unaffordable for most Cubans but the change would still represent
a significant improvement. Home Internet remains illegal for most of the Cuban population
and online access at offices with Internet is highly limited and controlled.
Until now, the only Wi-Fi network has been at tourist hotels at prices that
represent nearly a quarter of the average monthly salary for Cubans.
The
Cuban government is asking for an end to the journalism classes being given at
the US Interests Section in Cuba and authorities continue to beat up Cubans
filming “actos de repudio.” Some actos
de repudio that have gotten seriously out of hand. including a woman who had
her hand completely severed and a man who had his nose broken and face smashed
and bloodied. Now their images appear around the world. Don’t peaceful Cuban citizens
have a right to be protected by their government? Afro-Cuban activist Antunez
was beaten up and arrested when arriving at the Havana airport, but not held
for very long, because of international pressure.
A
retired State Dept. employee who recently visited Cuba contends that 40% of Cuba’s GDP comes from remittances.
I know remittances make up a considerable amount, but didn’t know it was that
much and even that hardly makes Cubans prosperous, and even then, creates an
economic divide between folks with and without relatives abroad. Likewise,
tourism is a big part of GNP, as are payments for Cuban medical workers sent
abroad, as well as oil subsidies, but does all that together create a
sustainable economy? What happens as the Cuban-born diaspora gets older and
their US-born children no longer feel the obligation to send remittances? And
what about reviving Cuban agriculture, as I advocated as a Peace Corps project
in Cuba in my Huffington Post
article?
Cuba After the Castros:
The Likely Scenario
The armed forces control 70% of the economy now. It’s not likely
they’ll give that up for a free market.
By José Azel
The 2008 succession from Fidel to Raúl Castro was efficient and
effective. But the popular hallucination outside the island—in which Gen.
Castro intervenes forcefully to end the communist era and inaugurates a democratic,
market-oriented Cuba—is not going to be how the story ends. Given Raúl’s age—84—there will be another succession in the near
future. The critical question is not what economic reforms Raúl may introduce,
but what follows him. José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Communist
Party, is also 84 years old and Cuba watchers do not see him as the next
leader. If Miguel Díaz-Canel, 55, the first vice president of Cuba, ascends to
the presidency, he will most likely be a “civilian” figurehead for the generals
to present to the international community.
Raúl was head of the armed forces for nearly 50 years and now, as head of the country, he has appointed his military officers and military family members to positions in government and industry. One possible scenario after he is gone would be a reversion to a military dictatorship such as Cuba under Batista, Brazil from 1964-85, or Egypt today. Yet another outcome, equally disquieting, is possible.
Raúl was head of the armed forces for nearly 50 years and now, as head of the country, he has appointed his military officers and military family members to positions in government and industry. One possible scenario after he is gone would be a reversion to a military dictatorship such as Cuba under Batista, Brazil from 1964-85, or Egypt today. Yet another outcome, equally disquieting, is possible.
By some estimates, including the University of Miami’s Institute
for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces
controls over 70% of the economy. Enterprise Management Group (GAESA), the
commercial holding company for the Cuban Defense Ministry, is involved in all
key sectors of the economy. Through government-owned subsidies, the company is
heavily involved in tourism, retail sales, mining, farming and energy, and
joint ventures with foreign investors. Raúl, as a matter of survival not ideology, has introduced some
tentative economic reforms, while continuing to expand the metamorphosis of his
officers into businessmen. Some might present this as a positive development,
where warriors exchange their weapons for calculators. But what does it mean
for the future of Cuba when the Raúl era comes to an end and military officers
are in political and economic control?
In a system where enterprises are state-owned and managed, the
military officers-turned-business executives will enjoy the privileges of an
elite ruling class. Yet it will not take long for the military elite to realize
that managing government-owned enterprises offers only limited benefits—owning
the enterprises is a far more lucrative option. Once the Castro brothers are no longer in the picture, the
military oligarchy might decide to champion a far-reaching but phony
reform—that is, a manipulated privatization of the industries under their
managerial control. Not unlike the rigged privatizations in Russia in the
1990s, an illegitimate and corrupt privatization process would give birth to a
new class of government-created oligarchs—instant capitalist millionaires, the
new Cuban “captains of industry.”
The Cuban population might not view these ownership changes as particularly undesirable or nefarious, mistakenly viewing them as a positive transition toward free markets and prosperity. The international community would likely also acclaim the mutated generals as agents of change bringing market reforms to Cuba. In the United States, of course, the change in U.S.-Cuba policy introduced by President Obama would be declared a success. Cuban Communism, to be sure, would come to an end, leaving in its wake generals, new captains of industry and assorted other nouveau riche in charge of country devoid of democratic culture. And like Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba’s economy would be riddled with monopolies and oligopolies whose owners would have the power to stifle any pro-competitive policies or international investors that might threaten their position.
The Cuban population might not view these ownership changes as particularly undesirable or nefarious, mistakenly viewing them as a positive transition toward free markets and prosperity. The international community would likely also acclaim the mutated generals as agents of change bringing market reforms to Cuba. In the United States, of course, the change in U.S.-Cuba policy introduced by President Obama would be declared a success. Cuban Communism, to be sure, would come to an end, leaving in its wake generals, new captains of industry and assorted other nouveau riche in charge of country devoid of democratic culture. And like Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba’s economy would be riddled with monopolies and oligopolies whose owners would have the power to stifle any pro-competitive policies or international investors that might threaten their position.
HAVANA, June 17 (Reuters) - Cuban President Raul
Castro's son has emerged as one of his father's closest aides, taking on an
increasingly important role reminiscent of the one Raul used to play for his
older brother Fidel Castro. Alejandro
Castro Espin, 49, is a colonel in Cuba's interior ministry and was until
recently a little-seen figure. As his father has moved to improve relations
with the United States after decades of hostility, however, his son has been right
by his side.
When Raul Castro,
84, met with U.S. President Barack Obama in a historic encounter at a regional
summit in Panama in April, Alejandro Castro Espin was part of the small group
in the room. It was unknown what role the son may have played in the 18 months
of secret negotiations leading up to the announcement of detente by both
presidents last December.
"Clearly Raul
is grooming him for more responsibilities, probably higher office and/or
rank," said Brian Latell, a former CIA analyst who has closely followed
the Castros for decades.
Does
the internet offer self-radicalization opportunities without leadership in Cuba—like
with ISIS? Maybe that's one reason internet access is so limited in Cuba.
I
should have known that Cuban exchange
rates—local currency per dollar—were not reflective of any market forces,
as Cuba doesn’t have a market economy. Rather, as a Cuban economist explained
it to me, that it takes a lot of Cuban pesos to get a dollar and prices in
government dollar stores are two or three times what they would be elsewhere
anyway. Increasingly, less and less is covered by the ration book, so Cubans
must get necessities in dollar stores with their elevated prices. The only way
for them to survive is through remittances, which then go into government
coffers, where the Castro family lives very well and the military don’t do too
badly (to assure their loyalty), but the population is impoverished and money
is sucked out of the diaspora to support the lavish lifestyle of the Castro
family.
Antonio Castro, Fidel's youngest son, while on
vacation, arrived in Turkey from Greece aboard a 150-ft. yacht. To house his
entourage, he reportedly booked five suites at a $1,000 per night hotel. When
Turkish reporters filmed him eating at a fancy restaurant, he sent out his
security squad to rough up the reporters and try to seize their cameras.
Obviously, many diaspora Cubans believe both Obama and the
pope (and cardinal) are giving too much legitimacy to the Cuban regime. I am
not sure that the more conciliatory policy will bear fruit in terms of
civil and political rights for Cubans--it's been discouraging that China and
Vietnam still have executions, censorship, political prisoners, suppression of
minorities, and a one-party system, lo, these decades after moving toward
capitalist economics. Obama just welcomed a
high-profile visitor from Vietnam, Communist party secretary general Nguyen Phu
Trong. Maybe we simply have to accept that and be glad their citizens
at least have more economic rights and opportunities than before and that we
are not at war. Maybe things would have been worse for their people if we
had maintained hostilities--and the same with Cuba?
There
has been criticism of South Africa’s
government for allowing Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court
(ICC), to leave the country in defiance of a court order. It is very hard to
get a sitting head-of-state or even a living former one to face justice for his
crimes. Only in death, does world opinion judge them harshly.
Human beings, especially young men fueled
by testosterone and prone to impulsive or angry behavior, or with a grudge or terrorist
motives, are likely to keep using guns to kill innocent people. After-the-fact,
we call them mentally ill, but mental illness is not a concrete category always
identifiable beforehand and it also can apply to millions at some point in
their lives. In addition, there are so-called “crimes of passion,” as well as gun
suicides (which actually outnumber gun homicides) and frequent gun accidents
involving both children and adults. Nor is registration the answer, as we
cannot necessarily predict who will misuse a gun before it happens and it’s
fairly easy for those supposedly denied gun permits to get firearms (the South
Carolina shooter bought a gun despite his criminal record). With fewer guns in
circulation, there would be dramatically fewer gun deaths, as has been shown in
other advanced countries. We need to try to counter the American “gun culture”
that has led to so many unnecessary deaths and injuries. The Second Amendment
needs to return to its original meaning by applying the “right to bear arms” only
to their use in a “well-regulated militia.” The Supreme Court needs to “evolve”
on this issue, as it often has on others, and not let this carnage continue. Perhaps
a majority of citizens would back more gun control, but they are stymied, like
voters here in the District of Columbia, where we have overwhelmingly approved tougher
gun control laws, which have been halted by the current Supreme Court’s short-sighted
interpretation of the Second Amendment. Of course, President Obama’s recent
remarks on doing something about gun deaths have only prompted the gun loving
minority to amass even bigger arsenals. http://news.yahoo.com/guns-dont-deter-crime-study-finds-180710261.html#
Have the
Greeks ever considered adopting the American dollar? At this juncture, that
might be difficult, but other countries have done it—El Salvador, Ecuador,
Panama, Zimbabwe. Of course, they have no say on US monetary policy affecting the
rise and fall of the dollar.
Obama
had some recent victories with the Supreme Court on Obamacare and gay marriage,
decisions I would support, though my 2
African visitors are arguing that the Bible prohibits homosexuality. Mores do change—single motherhood and
casual sex are more accepted now—look at Bristol Palin with her 2nd
out-of-wedlock child.
My
visitor from Kenya is from the same
ancestral village as Obama’s father.
Donald Trump has provided some comic relief in
the Republican presidential race. He is not likely to get the Hispanic vote, though
he does seem popular among a fairly substantial segment of Republican voters.
Saw
an intriguing bilingual production at the Gala
Hispanic Theater of Las Polacas, The Jewish Girls of Buenos Aires.
No comments:
Post a Comment