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Ed Vallejo participates actively in making corrections to Wikipedia information which he considers subjective, non democratic, and above all that violate the principals and bill of rights of the Constitution of the United States of America (USA), specifically regarding Freedom of Speech and of the Press.
Recently it has been brought to the attention of Mr. Vallejo, that certain articles written by members of Wikipedia do not in fact reflect the true social, economic and political reality of the State of Cuba.
Cuba is a dictatorship run by one of the richest men in the world Fidel Castro.
Fidel Castro leadered a so called "democratic revolution" in 1958 only to take power in 1959 and begin a Terrorist control of the Island of Cuba, not only by trying to recreate the history of the people of the Island, but attempting to erase their past with idealistic promises which have never come to fruition.
Mr. Castro has applied terror techniques on his people and the greatest censorship known to the modern world.
Only recently Mr. Castro became ill and transfered power to his brother Raul, and there was a total secrecy on the Island and about 40,000 troops guarding the Island.
From what we understand from the members of Action4Justice on the Island, many members of the international press were asked to leave the Island immediately.
The UNDP in its 2004 Human Development Report revised Cuba's GDP upwards to US$5,259 PPP per capita (figure for 2002). The UNDP's method notes explain why this was done, when cash income had not changed that much. The basic reason is that the free services that Cubans enjoy (health, education, housing, some basic foods, universal social security, some other benefits) have to be factored in to make a sensible comparison with other countries. The 2005 UNDP report does not contain an income update for Cuba. In 2006 Cuba experienced 11% economic growth (8% according to their friends in the CIA), in large part due to increased trade with China and Venezuela. While much of this was being put into public infrastructure (trains, buses, housing, the electricity network) Cuban wages (which are very low) rose by 50-80%, in early 2006. In 2006 health services contributed almost as much to the Cuban economy as tourism.
The 2002 documentary film "Yank Tanks" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312048/ (Carros Clasicos de Cuba) delves into the inventive methods Cubans use to keep their pre-revolution American cars on the road, as well as the politics they must deal with to keep their back-alley garages open. Best Documentary winner at the 2002 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.
Is it true that Cuba was a functioning Democracy during the terms of presidents of Tomás Estrada Palma to Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso. Is it true that the Cuban people had Freedom of Speech and of the press and were people able to enjoy the freedoms that ended with the term of president Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso? Even though Cuba had currupt Presidents during this time(Money and Cheating Problems),were the cuban people able to talk about the currupt presidents in Cuba without fear of getting arrested? They had two parties in congress:The Liberal Party and The Conservative Party,although they had violence at the polls during Elections(Were the Liberals and Conservatives able to vote on issues fairly in Congress?)This is covering the period 1901-1925.
Some notes on access: There is a widespread misconception, particularly in the US, that Cubans do not have access to the internet. Several points should be made (i) internet access in Cuba is expensive and slow; satellite connections are used, as the US will not accept a cable link, (ii) many workplaces and all colleges have internet connections, but the service is still slow, (iii) the Cuban government has been further investing in college and workplace computers and internet, and does not give any real support for private home connections; (iv) hotels and shops have hosted public internet access for several years, but the high cost (from US$4.50 an hour upwards) has been prohibitive for many Cubans, (iv) at least from 2005 public shops have been providing non-html/email internet access at a lower cost (US$1.50 an hour) and many young Cubans are using this email, every day. _______
The matter of control of the internet arose in the latest OAA (Organization of American States) conference "At Washington's insistence, the final Declaration of Santo Domingo, which will be issued when the conference ends today, notes that the Internet, without political censorship, can develop democracies. To underscore the point, Zoellick reminded the General Assembly that Cuba ``has the highest controls on the Internet." [1] El Jigue 6-7-06
These 'democracy' themes, should and does work well at the 'high' political level(when was the last time philosophy was discussed in prime time?) but be very aware of your surroundings when you deciede to defend with logic instead of weapons, your 'high' moral and 'civic' standards...I tell you, I missed the memo that gave into these ideologies and pretty much put logic under the command of the military and politicians.
There is no telling what a controlled society could do..
I hope everything works out peacefully. But you said a great point: When was the last time philosophy was discussed in prime time? It goes right down to the point of why people can't have interests in politics. They think that what the prime time tells them, is all that there is to philosophy and politics. Teemu Ruskeepää 18:43, 12 June 2006 (UTC)
Senator Lugar refers to pseudo democracies [2], which now, given recent past history of turning into real democracies, are under far tighter control. However, in this article Cuba is specifically excluded from this category. El Jigue 6-9-06
If politicians were the ones writing these articles, we would be reading codes, instead of deciphering them...what is real democracy? an 'narchy' country with a government made up of five individuals?
Gueyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Oh come on try and be more specific that is a standard line from text of Apologia Catechism 101. El Jigue 6-9-06
Hold up just a minute...who gave the lecture on what constitute a democracy versus what is supposed to do and what really it is...a philosopher? a political science major in the US?...or marginal writer and thinker?...and when did this happen???
The only real democracies were the Greek city-states - and they disenfranchised the majority of the population. Anything that is called a democracy fails to live up to the ideal in one way or another. There is a whole range, the question is where does one draw the line. -- Beardo 14:18, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
The following attempts to make an impression based on flaws or misunderstood premises..."Children are required to take part in social activities outside of the home, such as working in the fields during holidays to prevent them from becoming blind intellectuals."
Children are encouraged to take part in social activities outside of the home (and according to their ages), as expected from a Socialist society, even if it means working in State crop fields. 'Blind intellectuals' is a perceived characterization, which speculates on what happens to people when they grow older. It seems, the social responsibilities placed on the Youth, expects a 'help' now mentality and does not bear fear as to what they'll later do in life.
That 'children' work the fields is based on Camp Schools(Escuela del Campo) and it involves attending classes and helping in crop fields for 45 days out of the year. This begins in the 7th grade and could last till college graduation...
For such a short section, it seems more focus on accusing and insulting, rather than to give valid information...clearly a slant commentary...
Deserves a look or two...
The Cuban Government doesnt force children, they have a voluntary organisation which is very similar to the "Pioneer" movement in Russia. Danil
It seems as if somebody deleted some things that we were working on...not a problem, this doesnt mean they are giving up, it means they will continue to do whatever they deem necessary...
Also the Military section is a carbon copy from the US state department(which means alot of things)...it is not cited as so or even sourced...most information from the '90s'...
Also..."Cuba also adopted a "war of the people" strategy that highlights the defensive nature of its capabilities."...it rather highlights the intention of defending its land, the weapons got technical cababilities to use as offensive or defensive. as an example, in Bay Of Pigs, the Cuban army was able to front a defense against the attackers, and then it drove them out or captured them...
We talked about the Sports and Cuisine sections, some ideas were given, hopefully the new changes could be reviewd here soon...
Once again, someone seem to be running out of words or simply defending the 'status quo', the best way they know how, which is trying to quite others...due to patience, we have time...
I took the liberty in requesting help...how they look at it is simple, im sure this is not the first time, is a tug of war, but it does not involve logic or thinking. it merely passes for a weak 'conscious will attack'...
we wait to hear words from admin, before debating the necessary changes to these articles...
Its almost a race against time...you see, all this 'data' and information these 'Cuban Experts' are working with are becoming quickly obsolete...it has to do with the 'economic' doings of the Cuban government. that includes, the oil that Cuba receives from Venezuela, the deals signed with China on nickel and transportation, the increase tourism, the US food purchase on the last few years that also includes Cattle (for those Cubans who cant do without their beef)...you are looking at perhaps the start of 'normal' life for most Cubans thanks to some of these deals, since the Soviet Union...it cannot happen according to some folks, how would you demonize Cuba then?...
Let it be known, some of these folks have pretty much 'idolized' Fidel Castro...is no surprise they can't say a sentence on Cuba without mentioning his name (take a look at the sections)...but this is not done because they are concern about Cuba (they would live or move there and work 'the fields') they are actually BENT on milking the money there is to make coming straight from the US government (take a look at Miami's Cuban American National Foundation)...there is money to be made in the United States off the Cuban 'circumstance', make no mistake about it...
We hope these troubles does not hamper on our ability to work on these articles...we hope for this situation to be resolved at its due time...
I hope that this matter is looked at whenever it warrants attention...instead of deleting what others have said, why not do the same? if at the very least, you could add whatever you would like to add to the conversation, do so, but there are people more than willing and able to debate these issues. it would be of educated people to go on with these discussions, where ever they might lead us...
I propose a dialogue...is what 'dissedents' inside of Cuba demand, but are not capable of archiving, not because the time is not given to them, but because they have to deal with 'reason'. there is no better tool or weapon than logic for these arguments.
Allow us to take our cases to a judge on his own merrit. Logic will not make us both right, there have been promises made about that...lets sit down and let our intention be known. let us come to terms, not by 'spray painting', but by clearly defined colors of nature.
let us come to terms...
Teemu do you think you are qualified to set up an agenda for discussion? If so please explain why. El Jigue 6-22-06
I'll help 'el jigue' refresh his mind and at the same time 'prove' teemu is more than qualified to do as he pleases...
If what Fidel Castro wanted to accomplish, was fame and wealth, he didn't had to get help from the other side of the world. The United States were more than willing to help him win(as they have done throughout history supporting dictators) 'All' the United States was asking, was simply to 'wet its beak'(or 35 percent corporate tax, whichever was more greedy) What better way to 'jumpstart' his appetite for destruction, than with the help of the 'Destructor' himself? Sure, the Soviet Union was going to allow him to do as he please, under his own accord though...Maybe what he wanted was to kill and rape women, well, all he had to do was to wait for the United States's acceptance of his government(which he did and received) So then, why, after the United States government recognized his government, did he not simply follow 'free market' policy? who could think a country can get 'rich'(or individual for that matter) without the support of 'richness' incarnated...ahh, but Fidel Castro decides to refine Soviet oil in Cuba's refineries, and well, time has stand still...if Fidel Castro wanted to be larger than life, he needed the United States help...if Fidel Castro needed a 'blind eye' to his massacres as a dictator, he needed not look further than the United States(90 miles < 2000+ miles)...he was going to get quotas!(which he got from the Soviet)...
I think that rather than burying old discussions into an inaccessible archive, the list should be organized. This way the discussion could expand without the need of archives. Make a categorial order which deepens in an orderly fashion. I've thought of a basic root of all the present headings in the article and a two permanent "control" categories: 1. Off-topic and 2. Additions and general quality. Depending on the article, the discussion categories should include all the present titles in the article and if necessairy, categories for "photos" and "sources", which are not displayed in the article's tree of contents .
Decided things
This is a new feature to my discussion tree structure, which makes conclusions valid and repetition unnecessairy. It improves my design, whose purpose is to eliminate the need for discussion archives. This will be added, I hope, at the end of every paragraph, where there will be a copy of the present section of the article. Decided things will be highlighted and the others are not. New articles will always be highlighted (decided) at first. If a user wishes to re-open discussion, the part will be unbolded, and futher arguments ensue at the end of the old discussion.
The discussion tree should be maintained simultaneously with editions of the discussion as well as the article. When editing the article, the "decided things" should be edited to correspond with the article. When editing the discussion, the "decided things" should be edited (highlight - unbold ) to show what is under dispute and what has been concluded. The editors may do this themselves, or then observers can do it, voluntarely.
The Wikipedia structure should be modified to include the present discussion headings in the discussion page, so that when a user starts a new discussion, he could choose a present heading, which together form a universal category. Also the "decided things" at the end of every main discussion heading, should be programmed to appear automatically every time someone adds a new heading to the article, along with the new heading, of course.
My idea of a discussion tree is new to Wikipedia, and I'm considering beginning it as an experiment first on small article with a few headings. However I have also begun doing it at Talk:Fidel_Castro and some other pages. Teemu Ruskeepää 16:03, 23 June 2006 (UTC)
Ultramarine and BruceHallman have agreed that the below paragraphs are acceptable, in keeping with the policy to keep controversial material away from the main page and onto subarticles. I have added the disclaimer (before the Castro revolution) to the health section, which I hope means that less historically motivated users do not misunderstand the context as appeared to be the case before.
Sports and outdoor recreational activities is a right for every citizen under the Cuban Constitution [1]. Cuba's national past time and most popular sport has been Baseball throughout its history [2]. It also enjoys world wide successes in other sports like Volleyball, Track and Field, Martial Arts and closely behind Baseball in relevance, Boxing [3]. Because professionalism is banned for most sports in Cuba, Summer Olympic sports have gained an added importance for most Cuban expectators. Government spending, especially after the Revolution, has helped Cuba become the most decorated country in the hemisphere, aside from United States, at the Summer Olympics for half a century. [4]
(1)Article 9, Subtext B - http://www.cubanet.org/ref/dis/const_92_e.htm (2) http://www.cubanball.com/history.html (3) http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp (4) http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/table_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=2004
One notices that Fabio Grobart agent of the third international has been essentially erased from Cuban history, even if Castro did talk about his massive contributions to the foundation of the Cuban communist party (Third international, Stalinist). Amazing how Castro hogs credit even from this own teachers [3]. El Jigue 5-30-06
Thats sick how he does that...by the way men death tolls are quite high
I'm unprotecting this now ... wow, I didn't realize it had been a full month. Guess we tend to lose track of things sometimes. Anyway, please keep all of Wikipedia's policies in mind as you continue to edit this article. I hate to admit it, but the only reason I even remembered the protection on this article was because it was mentioned in an article today in the New York Times. D'ohh!! -- Cyde↔Weys 03:21, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
Now they are separate, which suggests something bad. Teemu Ruskeepää 15:45, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
Someone with access please note the following:
Under the section Demographics, it is stated that the abortion rate is of XX.X per 1000 pregnancies. This is incorrect. The rate is reported as "per 1000 women aged 15-44" in the primary source. In terms of abortion per known pregnancy, the Cuban rate is 58.6% (yes, 58.6 per 100 pregnancies) the Caribbean average is 35%, Latin American is 27% and the European average is 48%. So, the numbers are off by a factor of 10.
As a critic clearly noted the island of Hispaniola has a greater population than Cuba; however, Hispaniola contains two countries Haiti and Dominican Republic. Just change island to country. El Jigue 5-30-06
Agree EJ. This shows the problem of letting administrators edit protected articles like that. -- Beardo 02:26, 4 June 2006 (UTC)
I do not agree with EJ. Hispaniola is not a country at all, and thus can not be called so! It is right to mantain the word island because of its geographic nature, respecting the proper terminology. Gabriel
Ay vey! Gabriel Please read my first remark. Haiti and Santo Domingo may share an island but they are divided by a massive mountain range Pico Duarte is about 10,000 feet high and two different languages. Even the Tainos considered Haiti which means mountains distinct from Quiskeya which is a name the Dominicanos like to call their part of the Island. El Jigue 6-7-06
It would seem that the role of Estrada Palma working in the US to support the fighting in Cuba is over emphasized. In the 1895-1898 the roles of Maximo Gomez, the Maceo brother Jose and Antonio, and that of Calixto Garcia are neglected. By the Summer of 95, the Spanish held only the coastal cities, including the Havana. El Jigue 6-18-06
Isn't Cuba independent now? The historical nature of the gaining of the independence should be emphasized and make the title void of present day implications. Teemu Ruskeepää 15:48, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
Once the time and date of construction of the presidential palace was in a section labeled Cuban Infrastructure. However, that section has been removed. Now the Presidential Palace has become “Batista's palace.” This is probably the last time I will suggest such a correction, for it seems more appropriate to let the whole article become a source of ridicule, with such laughable entries e.g. "El Jigue 6-20-06"
Minor Point: before or after
The following text appears to be in error:
According to this timeline Cuba "officialy" declared itself socialist one day before the bay of Pigs began. Considering that the DGI had dozens of informants in the operation, the invasion was no suprise, but there is a chronological abnormality here. Torturous Devastating Cudgel 01:36, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
The statement "the rising did not take place " needs to be qualified with two caveats, (a) there was a rising in the middle provinces especially which was far more intense than Castro's own rising and that lasted until about 1967 see War Against the Bandits, and (b) well over 200,000 were arrested "before the invasion" El Jigue 6-16-06
On the timing, I was told the speach occurred during the Bay of Pigs attack. The confusion may be clarified here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/castro/timeline/index.html, which indicates that a speach made during the Bay of Pigs referred to the revolution as socialist, but at the following May Day celebration Castro described the country as socialist. -- Beardo 14:42, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
As it is now, it states..."Traditional Cuban food usually lacks seasoning" But then in a 'traditional' offering, Criollo, it states..."Criollo uses many different seasonings, with some of the most common being onion and garlic" I think we could also work on the half top part, it dwells more into the political system, rather than 'cuisine'...the joke we could do without, specially since in Cuisine of the United States, it makes no mention how its citizen receive their foods, specially those who have no say in what they eat at homeless shelters...the same goes for Cuisine of China...
This section is expected to be redone, to actually explain different food preperation etc, that would go more along the lines of 'cuisine'...
One should keep in mind that for the general Cuba population food is rationed and that consumption of beef is in essence forbidden. El Jigue 6-18-06
...which includes dishes containing beef which is legally prohibited in Cuba, or discussion of Castro’s popularity (it is illegal to insult Castro) than to attempt to continually correct items inserted by contributors who do either not know Cuba or who seem bent on whitewashing the Cuban circumstance. El Jigue 6-20-06
Who are you? At least sign in El Jigue 6-21-2006
The common Cuban can buy beef only twice a year, see Decreto 225 which is enforced by severe punishments [4]. El Jigue 6-21-06
Z: Thank you for your kind efforts. However, it seems that once a correction is made, someone inserts some other piece of disinformation, e.g. Batista did not build the Presidential Palace, nor was it “his.” Then there is this nonsense about beef in Cuban cuisine. In Cuba essentially all beef is reserved for tourists
[5] and the “nomenclatura” of the mayambe. El Jigue 6-21-06
The following is in spanish, well, the source provided by 'el jigue' was in spanish...
" La carne de res se vende solo para turistas o en las carnicerías dolarizadas. "
Like i said before, with the dollars that you send your family in Cuba, they can easily afford beef...i too look forward in moving from this...
These two paragraphs can replace the present sections meaning that the page can be unlocked to registered users. -- Zleitzen 13:23, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
The following needs to be looked at..."In addition there are a several thousand North African teen and pre-teen refugees undergoing military training"...the source provided, were of ex-cuban officials making statements like these..."“These children followed military training and courses on the making of explosives,”...such a 'thing' would also merrit an entrance in Cuba's Human rights, but its not even left to the imagination in those pages...is it true? i dont think the journalists even cared about the accuracy of those statements. should we care about the accuracy? yes, we should care...also, to show the true intentions, the article leaves out the thousand of foreign students in cuba...is that true?...do we have prove?...where are the sources?...is there a doubt about those students in Cuba?..."The member of the FEU Secretariat, in charge of Foreign Relations for that organization, said that it will boost the exchanges between those future professionals, who number now more than 22,000 in all the Cuban universities, Escambray newspaper reports."(
http://www.ain.cubaweb.cu/idioma/ingles/2006/marz14estudiantes-extranjeros.htm)...but, that comes from Cuba itself(its sad, information that comes FROM Cuba holds little or no credebility)..."Cuba currently hosts 3432 medical students from 23 nations studying in Havana."(
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329/7456/14-c) ...concerning this matter, when did CNN or FOX jumped on this news?...an attack on Cuba's intention of helping others...
Within 'Education in Cuba' the following is stated..."Although education is free to Cuban citizens, foreign students wishing to study in Cuba pay tuition fees of between 4,000 and 7,000 (U.S.)...but then, in the same paragraph..."As part of Bush’s plan to "hasten Cuba’s transition" to a "post-Castro, democratic existence" US citizens will no longer be allowed to enjoy "fully hosted" stays in Cuba—in other words, where the Cuban government funds their living and tuition costs." and also..."Cuban president Fidel Castro offered to award full scholarships to 500 needy US students"...If, UNITED STATES students, are able, somehow, not to pay tuition, who can ask a student from Bolivia to pay 5000 dollars?...now, of course, that there are foreign students in Cuba who pays tuition cost will not be something to be alarmed of. but that 20,000 students pay tuition?...impossible to believe...even more when "Cuban president Fidel Castro offered to award full scholarships to 500 needy US students"...
This brings up another point...sources...it's no secret that we accept UN's numbers almost 'blindly', for it has been rendeered a 'neutral' source of information(although is in NY)...thats not a problem...but just because is UN doesn't mean we believe their numbers, we believe their numbers because they are in the area. When it comes to sources like the United States Department, albeit preciesly when it comes to Cuba, their numbers are more 'fiction than arts'. they are not in Cuba, and so they 'largely' based their numbers on 'estimation'(estimates are rampage inside of the United States itself)...we could talk about the usage of the United States government as 'sources', when it comes to Cuba.
That, brings us to..."US State Department Report on Cuban Education"
this is the parapragh in its entirely..."Cuba has been among the most literate countries in Latin America since well before the Castro revolution, when it ranked fourth. Since then, Cuba has increased its literacy rate from 76 to 96 percent and is tied today for second place with Chile and Costa Rica[9]. Argentina is the most literate country in Latin America. This improvement is impressive, but not unique, among Latin American countries. Panama, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Haiti -- which all ranked just behind Cuba in this indicator during the 1950's – have equaled or bettered Cuba's improvement when measured in percentage terms[10]."( http://www.state.gov/p/wha/ci/14776.htm)
Take a look at what they mean when..."have equaled or bettered Cuba's improvement when measured in percentage terms"
Cuba's literacy rate(1957) was 76 percent("Cuba has been among the most literate countries in Latin America since well before the Castro revolution"...this means that at the time of the Revolution, perhaps, those same countries had percentages WELL below 76 percent; Cuba was ranked 4th back then.)...CUBA A LEADER, RANKED 4th, WITH 76 percent...
Cuba's literacy rate 'today' - 96 percent...thats a 20 percent increase...now, let say that any other country for matter, had a 65 percent literate rate at around 1960...if today that same country is(and should be) around 90 percent, thats a 25 percent increase...with those numbers, you get this "Panama, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Haiti -- which all ranked just behind Cuba in this indicator during the 1950's – have equaled or bettered Cuba's improvement when measured in percentage terms"...my friends, Cuba at 76 percent, had only about 24 percent to go; Cuba is now at 96 percent. If those countries back then, who where ranked 'just' behind Cuba, they needed a higher percentage to "have equaled or bettered Cuba's improvement when measured in percentage terms"...what does this mean? this is not the best way to say Cuba was better off...specially when it states that Cuba has a 96 percent literacy rate today(as it should be) instead of 76 percent...now, it is implied, that a Communist nation had the same success as a 'democratic' nation...but, out of those countries, which of them were 'really' democratic?...
Now to show the 'real' difference of Communist Cuba, we have to compare Cuba's numbers before the Revolution with Chile and Costa Rica...Cuba 76, Chile 81 and Costa Rica 79...now both Chile and Costa Rica had higer a higher percentage in 1957...In 2000, they were all tied at 96 percent, which means Cuba's percentage rate 'increase' was higher than both Chile and Costa Rica's.
Then, we have "which all ranked just behind Cuba in this indicator during the 1950's" key word, 'JUST'...check how 'closely' behind Cuba these countries were...
Paraguay 68 Colombia 62 Panama 72 Ecuador 56 Brazil 49 Dominican Republic 43 El Salvador 42 Guatemala 30 Haiti 11
This, comes, from the United States' State Department...(sad, there's no doubt about the State Department's credebility)...seems to me, a much more deeper research should be concentrated in these articles...and in their sources...
Source about cost international students pay in Cuba...
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2004/abril/vier9/16beca.html
"CUBAN universities have welcomed more than 13,945 foreign students from 113 countries, via a cooperation program that is systematically growing.
"This program, which is free of cost to the students, began in 1961 and increased during the 1970s in response to requests by African and Middle Eastern countries, mainly for middle-level education, according to an April 10 article in Granma daily."
Also, that was a 2004 article, we could easily agree on 22,000 students given on a previous source...
Source about "Foreign students must hold a Bachelors or an equivalent degree, have a visa and follow compulsory Spanish classes"
High school students do not have bachelor degrees...
"US applicants must be 18 to 25 years old and have a high school diploma. They must also come from a racial or ethnic minority and have no criminal record. Most of the current students have not yet earned a college degree." http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0504-03.htm
This data is not from WHO but from the Cuban goverment and WHO accepts it without change....El Jigue 7-10-06
Wikipedia usually states the perspective of the main issue first, and then states the perspective of the critiques. This article contains the U.S. governments, Miami Cubans, and others, usually conservatives’ perspective first, and throughout most of the article. I humbly suggest the following addition of the Cuban government’s perspective first to serve as the introduction of the article:
Cuba’s human rights values stem from the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action, adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993. According to Cuban statements on human rights recognizes the “universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated character of all human rights.” At the same time, Cuba understands that no single model of “political, economic, social and cultural” exists. Cuba holds as fact that “human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, should be treated in a global form, in a fair and equal way, in an equal footing and giving the same importance to all” of the different rights. Cuba also understands the need for “respect for national and regional particularities, as well as for the diverse historical, cultural and religious heritages.” Cuba advocates all three generations of Human Rights.
Moreover, “Cuba promotes and defends the principles of objectivity, impartiality and non selectivity in the treatment of issues related to human rights, and the refusal to use them with political dominance purposes.” On the other hand, “Cuba rejects the growing trend of countries in the North,” which set themselves “up as judges and censors of all that happens in countries in the South.” These countries in the North “hide the countless human rights violations that take place in their own territories plus others derived from the unjust international order they are imposing in their own benefit.”
Cuba has contributed “Draft Resolutions” to several human right documents. Cuba supports and “contributes with its positions and initiatives, to the progressive development of the international system of promotion and protection of all human rights for all.” Many developing countries support and imitate Cuban human rights policies. Cuba, and Cuban citizens, has had their human rights violated by the United States for over one hundred years. The first sixty years as neo-colony, followed by a half century of “low intensity war” by which thousands of Cubans have died.
The United States government, Miami Cuban emigrants, and others, usually conservatives decry the Cuban government and its socialist Constitution because it violates the human rights of its citizens. Since 1851, the United States government has condemned the Cuban political system under Spanish rule. When the United States neo-colonized Cuba in 1898, criticism shifted from the government to the people of Cuba, especially the color people. United States government criticism changed again in 1959, and has continued to the present. [Cantón Navarro, José. (1996). Historia de Cuba. La Habana, Cuba: SI-MAR S. A. ISBN: 959-7054-12-4].
The difficulty in understanding Cuba’s human rights policies objectively comes from a prolific 47-year negative propaganda campaign funded by the United States, the human rights values of the observing nation or individual, and that Cuba’s different political-economic system is foreign to the capitalist social structures. Unless one places, Cuban human rights within a historical, cultural, socio-psychological, political-economical context [Pollis, A. and Schwab, P. eds. (2000). Human Rights: New Perspectives, New Realities. Boulder, CO. Publication: Lynne Rienner. ISBN: 1-55587-979-9] one cannot possibly understand the present day Cuban three generations of human rights’ policies. Cuba’s distinctive social, political, economical, and cultural structures and procedures in many cases do not have a corresponding structures or functions in a capitalist society. This poses a problem explaining Cuba to someone unfamiliar with socialism. In other words, many human right goals carried out in Cuba could not occur in a capitalist nation, and vice-versa, making analogies difficult. Finally, nations that support universal human rights do recognize that each nation is different and value judgments enter into the decision of which human rights take precedent over others.[ Pollis, A. and Schwab, P. eds. (2000). Human Rights: New Perspectives, New Realities. Boulder, CO. Publication: Lynne Rienner. ISBN: 1-55587-979-9].
Daniel
Oneofshibumi 04:33, 30 June 2006 (UTC)
I suggest what follows below to replace the current “human rights of Cuba” section for the following reasons:
SUGGESTED HUMAN RIGHTS OF CUBA SECTION
Controversy surrounds Cuba’s human rights record since 1959. Cuba’s human rights values stem from the Declaration and Program of Action, adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993. statements on human rights records, recognizes and supports the “universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated character of all human rights.” At the same time, Cuba understands that no single model of “political, economic, social and cultural” exists. Cuba holds as fact that “human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, should be treated in a global form, in a fair and equal way, in an equal footing and giving the same importance to all” of the different rights. Cuba also understands the need for “respect for national and regional particularities, as well as for the diverse historical, cultural and religious heritages.” Cuba advocates all generations of Human Rights.
Moreover, “Cuba promotes and defends the principles of objectivity, impartiality and non selectivity in the treatment of issues related to human rights, and the refusal to use them with political dominance purposes.” On the other hand, “Cuba rejects the growing trend of countries in the North,” which set themselves “up as judges and censors of all that happens in countries in the South.” These countries in the North “hide the countless human rights violations that take place in their own territories plus others derived from the unjust international order they are imposing in their own benefit.”
For many years, several groups have accused Cuba of human rights violations. These groups include the United States, the anti-Castro Cuban-Americans in Miami, and others, usually conservatives criticize Cuba’s 1st generation rights or negative rights issues. These issues include free speech, representation in government, and the political-economic system.
QUESTIONS:
1) How long should a suggestion stay on the “Talk Page” before a suggestion can be transferred to the “Main Document”?
2) What does one do with the older material in the human rights section? Transfer it to the main human rights of Cuba article?
Daniel
Oneofshibumi
07:58, 2 July 2006 (UTC)
Where an earth is the military section? I found a Wikipedia version at [8] Teemu Ruskeepää UPDATE: I found it at Military_of_Cuba, but I think I should be linked here. Teemu Ruskeepää 15:29, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
You're right Teemu, good spot. Here's my proposed paragraph for the military section-- Zleitzen 16:22, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
Hmmmmmmmmmm I see Teemu has forgotten the Militia. El Jigue 5-30-06
Apparently my documented comments on the composition of the forces in the attack on the palace has been consigned to the archives, thus the "truck" jpg still says Directorio when in reality the forces were mainly Autentico. El Jigue 5-30-06
Although we can agree Cuba's armed forces and military command are very much 'integrated' into 'society', the overall 'work' description when it comes to the people, is no different than the United States's Corp of Engineering...with this I would like to implied that if 'militarized society' is giving a negative description it should be done from 'top to bottom'...
Also, as where 'militias' are given the description of 'trouble makers, disturbers of peace, causing trouble', it is highly unlikely for Cuba's militias to fall under this mantra. Armed conflicts in Cuba has been non-existent after Cuba's Revolution.
who the heck are you and where do you get your information You completely forget the "War Against the Bandits, which lasted longer and involved more casualities than the War Against Batista. El Jigue 6-22-06
Furthermore, the fuction of each country's military must also be described when attempting to reach an aggrement on 'militarized society'. for example, if the overall 'theme' of the military is to protect the population, then is very clear Cuba falls under that, where I would like to enclave this, is at the striking difference between Cuba's military and the military of those 'developed countries.
As a former Cuban soldier under compulsory service at sixteen years of age and a proud current civilian employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, I take grave exception regarding the comments above "he overall 'work' description when it comes to the people, is no different than the United State’s Corp of Engineering..." and the especially the comment regarding the supposedly striking difference between Cuba's military and the military of those developed countries: The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is made up of mostly civilian, voluntary, and well compensated employees; Totaling approximately 34,600 Civilian and 650 military members ( http://www.usace.army.mil/who/)and it even includes several thousand non-us citizens ( http://www.usace.army.mil/employment/noncitz.htm) in contrast the Cuban military where the service is not voluntary, anyone that does dares refuse, will not only be incarcerated, but will automatically lose their membership in the all important political groups including the University Students' Federation and the Federation of Secondary School Students which is prerequisite for acceptance to any educational institution of higher learning.
Furthermore, I would be amused if you or anyone could explain how the Cuban military protected the Cuban population when:
1. They were sent to butcher thousands in Angola and Ethiopia ( http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB67/cubatrans2.doc)or when
In 1976, the FNLA was defeated by a combination of MPLA and Cuban troops, leaving the Marxist MPLA and UNITA (backed by the United States and South Africa) to fight for power.
2. One of their most highly decorated generals was caught red handed laundering money for south America’s drug lords along with interior minister ( http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/fidelsreserves102097.html) At least he was given a trial unlike others military officials ( http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/cuban-rebels/morgan-executed.htm) or maybe when
3. They are sent as I was to play babysitter for escaped U.S. cop killers ( http://www.odmp.org/officer.php?oid=11530) or wait it must be when 4. They sent to evict their own people ( http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y06/jun06/08e9.htm)
I could go on for some time, but I think it would be pointless since your opinions are obviously based on political ideology and leanings and mine have been shaped by my past and recent experiences. R.Ruiz 06/15/2006.
I'd like to remove the sentence at the end about what the revolution caused for the private media. It isn't about how the economy is at present. Teemu Ruskeepää 14:19, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
And the whitewash of the Cuban government continues steadily El Jigue 6-23-2006
Suggested addition to Official Links: Link to Official Site of Cuban Embassy in Ottawa, Canada: http://embacu.cubaminrex.cu/canadaingl/
Since the Cuban Embassy in Ottawa, long considered by many as a major Castro propaganda outlet, is now taking second place to the Venezuelan counterpart, principally because Hugo Chavez has more money. Thus, since this Wikipedia "page" on Cuba is increasingly pro-Castro I suggest that the URL of this Venezuelan Embassy be listed here too xe xe El Jigue 6-27-06
Due to the problematic referencing issue, I have removed references that were no longer in the article - moved referencing from the hybrid style in the top of the editing page to within the appropriate body of the main article - with the exeption of the "socialist republic" citation which I couldn't move for some reason because it messed up the text of the template. In future, I recommend that users reference in the traditional footnote style.-- Zleitzen 11:53, 28 June 2006 (UTC)
There is a real lack of information on earlier Cuban parties in wikipedia - and no page at all for the Partido Auténtico. Would you care to make an opening on the red link provided - just add anything you know at this stage. I would ask on your own page but you seem to have a roving IP address at the moment.-- Zleitzen 11:33, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
Hey - Co-ordinate is co-ordinate. Unless I've missed something all these years. Is this a regional difference? If it is, I pull The Face of Fu Manchu - (old Jamaican term for a face of disapproval). I think it's probably correct to detail the CDRs though "ensure" would be more accurate than "enforce", I'm not sure how they enforce the status quo other than being general nosy bastards and social irritants.
The edit "which are often statistically implausible" about the elections I'm not sure about. Given that the figures for the many candidates have approximately an 15% range, and the unwieldy process effectively means a voter (who is compelled to vote by law in the Australian manner) can opt to just approve all candidates in a swift tick of one box, I don't believe these are so implausible. General studies put the figures down to apathy on the part of the voter - ie. tick the box, get out quick, get back to working on the car and leave me alone. This sense of apathy and fear of change amongst Cubans, most of whom have only know one system of government cannot be underestimated. It's comparable to the links between certain societies and monarchies. Anyway, this is all speculation - including the comment about the election results being implausible. Responses please.-- Zleitzen 12:44, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
I also didn't consider that there is a regional difference in spelling, though I have no idea on that count, or for that word. I just see a tendency on Wikipedia for the removal of unnecessary hyphens, which I think is the case here. -- TJive 13:05, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
Z thank you your removal of reference to internal immigration and palestinos documentation of this makes a wonderful reference to demonstrate bias for my paper. And I thought I had to rely on Bruce to make goofs like that. Xe xe El Jigue 7-19-06
we are more than willing to put focus back into this...a question was asked as to what are the proper steps in actually editing parts that were agreed upon in this talk page...i think we should let 'El Jigue' delete articles and complaint how he was supposed to be a cuban senator...
more than willing to put some focus back into this page...
The senator was Rolando Masferrer, a former communist, and executioner for the loyalists during the Spain Civil war. He was a Batistiano, as well as belonging to the same cell as Arturo Guillermo Montenegro, who became William Wieland, of the State Department. If the Tigres de Masferrer had caught me in 1958 they would have killed me. They say Masferrer in the Spanish Civil War wandered the streets of Barcelona going about his purges, the last thing his victims heard (says the legend) was the sound step drag,step drag, louder and louder until he reached them.. As for me all I really wanted was to live the life of an agricultural scientists in the country. No I do not want to remove articles, I dislike censorship but now I am quite content to watch you guys make a mess of all of this. Go on the web and look up palestinos e.g.
[12] and think why the Cuban goverment requires internal passports. BTW Hurry go to
[13] and see what seems to be a Bayamo storm rising south west of Baracoa, heading towards the plains of the Cauto and then out to see. Mirando y dejando El Jigue xe xe 7-24-06
Z: Grahame Greene was a supporter of Castro and critic of Batista's abuses. However, when Batista fell and Castro came to power Greene never critized Castro. This is odd behavior for an academic, thus one could guess, but of course not prove on that alone, that Green continued to work for British intelligence reporting on Cuba. There is some information on that in Sherry, Norman 2004 The Life of Graham Greene. Vol III 1955-1991. Viking, New York ISBN 06700311429 El Jigue 7-24-06
Z Is this unidentified source trying to insult me, using data from some very faulty dossier, or is he trying to insult somebody else, it is not clear, for that post is not very coherent. What ever, this has little importance, and I am old and can take insults with very little effect. Yes that thing about Castro in Argentina seems to show a person not in full command of their faculties or their body for that matter. Perhaps the old fox is playing yet another game such as trying to flush out potential rivals/successors in Cuba, but it does not seem so. Well we all will get there sometime if we are lucky. By the way when I make a goof Bruce has my permission to call it a Brain fart xe xe El Jigue 7-24-06
The rationale is, that by keeping enough focus(more than enough rather) on Fidel Castro, it doesnt matter who else you try to bring down along with him(even those 11 million Cubans who should be the main focus of this page)...is what old timers have been doing ever since they left Cuba or were put in a position to stand against Communism...trying to insult him?...i think if the main objective of this is to insult, we would not be this focus...we will rather wait to see responses on the points mentioned above...
"... [The fall of the USSR provided] a crisis in confidence for those who believed that the Soviet Union was successfully “building socialism” and providing a model that other countries should follow. In Cuba, however, these events were not sufficient to persuade Cuban Communists that they should voluntarily give up power." -- taken from main article
Seems like a ridiculous statement; how can a dictator be expected to give up power?
Finally Andres Oppenheimer got off his duff [14] This column is worth reading, far more than Castro's endless distortions of health conditions in Cuba. El Jigue 7-2-06
Z: It seems that Castro's lack of flexibility in the Hilda Molina matter is causing him to dramatically lose popularity in Argentina [15] El Jigue 7-28-06
On July 31, Raul Castro assumed the position of President of Cuba and of the Communist Party of Cuba due to Fidel Castro's failing health after his trip from Argentina. I think proper note of this should be taken as events occur, as is being done on the Lebanon page.
I think it would be appropriate to change Fidel's status as head of state with a mention to it being temporary and the situation surrounding the event. Some may say its too early to change it, or that the temporary nature should make it unneccesary, I argue that the temporary nature of this situation does not change the fact that it is happening, just as the temporary nature of king Gyanendra as an absolute monarch or the mention of the various military juntas and transitional governments around the world.
Just to reiterate something. Raul is not yet President of Cuba anymore than George H. Bush was president of the US after Reagan was shot, and John Prescott was British Prime Minister after Tony Blair underwent heart treatment. Raul has assumed the duties of President of the council of State during Fidel's incapacitation. -- Zleitzen 13:50, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
I understand your positions, and I agree. However I do think mention of the current situation should atleast be given some notable mention - Red Heathen
CNN are calling him Intermi President (Presidente interino). TV Genius 23:04, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
If Fidel Castro goes into acoma for months or weeks like Ariel Sharon then I think it should changed that it says that Fidel Castro is the head of state but Raul Castro is just temporay. If Fidel gets pronuced premently incappsited then I think Fidel Castro should be the former head of state.-- Scott3 01:15, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
Perhaps an Asterisk or something next to the president portion in the infobox would be an acceptible middle ground, what do you think? Attic Owl 02:07, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
Is there any reason why the article was protected. There was not any edit war going on. 85.124.177.162 15:49, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believed "Patria o Muerte" to be a slogan of the revolution - but "Patria y Libertad" to be the actual motto of Cuba dating back to independence and further back to Marti and the struggle. See this coin here [18]. Whatsmore it is mentioned in the preamble of the present constitution.-- Zleitzen 11:47, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
In Tish momet the president of Cuba is Mr. Raul Castro Ruz no Fidel Castro because Fidel have a verrty severe Problem.
The latest Cuban Government announcements of a committee to support "a recovering CAstro" may or may not indicate that the Cuban Communist Party has ousted Raul. Creeping shadows, of cloaked figures with daggers, or a dance of careful joy of communist bureaucrats I really do not know....xe xe El Jigue 6-12-06
I'm by far no expert on Cuba or US policies towards Cuban emigrees, but the statement that "U.S. law[20] grants U.S. residency to any Cuban who arrives on U.S. soil without a visa" is not even supported by the linked document describing the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1996 (CAA) -- which rather states that "CAA gives the Attorney General the discretion to grant permanent residence to Cuban natives or citizens seeking adjustment of status if they have been present in the United States for at least 1 year after admission or parole and are admissible as immigrants." I'm always hesitant to try to restructure something like this without discussion -- am I misunderstanding something here? cmac 01:58, 14 August 2006 (UTC)
The dictator is dead, long live the dictator, that's how I see the transfer of power from Fidel Castro to his brother. Shame on those who defend these dictators, you're not better than the religious fanatics that vote for Bush. At least the American idiot has only two years left to mess with people’s life.
(Please remember to delete my message comrades!)
I against so word as dictator. Can you tell so words to so to forceful Fidel's face? - I doubt. I wish good luck to all Cubans from Russia and I want to tell that any American influence isn't good for you.
Today’s photos of Castro “recovering” [22] are much better than yesterday’s, however the lack of clinical paraphernalia and most odd shadows, can be taken to suggest that either the photographs have been altered, or that Castro has become a vampire so I naturally “believe” the latter. One would think that the use of a respirator would require shaving Castro’s beard. For a rousing discussion see [23] Xe xe El Jigue 8-14-06
Is it true that Cuba was a functioning Democracy during the terms of presidents of Tomás Estrada Palma to Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso. Is it true that the Cuban people had Freedom of Speech and of the press and were people able to enjoy the freedoms that ended with the term of president Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso? Even though Cuba had currupt Presidents during this time(Money and Cheating Problems),were the cuban people able to talk about the currupt presidents in Cuba without fear of getting arrested? They had two parties in congress:The Liberal Party and The Conservative Party,although they had violence at the polls during Elections(Were the Liberals and Conservatives able to vote on issues fairly in Congress?)This is covering the period 1901-1925.
This was true even in the early Machado years El Jigue 8-18-06
Reading between the lines of the latest Raul Castro proclamation [24] makes it quite apparent that Fidel Castro's rule has ended. Raul Castro, seems to have assumed permanent power and is preparing to rid himself of rivals very possibly by military force. 8-18-06 El Jigue
The recent release of a recording of Raul Castro ordering the shoot down of the Brother's to the Rescue planes suggests that internal opposition to Raul is building up. One reason for this is that improved relations with the US would strongly enhance the living conditions of the Cuban nomenclatura (Mayimbe), and that according to US law this cannot happen until Raul as well as Fidel is removed from power in Cuba. In reaction one would expect, considering past behaviours, that Raul will suppress these putative rivals with at least some executions. El Jigue 8-21-06
Or maybe it's just someone in Miami trying to stir up trouble. Does Raul even want to cling on to power ? -- Beardo 16:20, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
B: That is Raul's voice on the tape speaking from Holguin. BTW according to Spanish law if Raul leaves power he can be tried in Spain. El Jigue 8-21-06
BTW El Jigue 8-23-06
H.R. 927, Title II, Sec. 205: is the meat of the problem for Raul, so one can expect (and one already observers some hints of it) the start of a massive propaganda campaign to change it.
This US law is stirring up much trouble between the Cuban nomenclatura (Mayimbes) and Raul. To many in the Cuban government Raul is an unspoken of obstacle to living a good life. So perhaps a murderous round of purges may start or perhaps even have started
HR 927 SEC. 205. REQUIREMENTS AND FACTORS FOR DETERMINING A TRANSITION GOVERNMENT.
(a) REQUIREMENTS- For the purposes of this Act, a transition government in Cuba is a government that--
(1) has legalized all political activity;
(2) has released all political prisoners and allowed for investigations of Cuban prisons by appropriate international human rights organizations;
(3) has dissolved the present Department of State Security in the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, including the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution and the Rapid Response Brigades; and
(4) has made public commitments to organizing free and fair elections for a new government--
(A) to be held in a timely manner within a period not to exceed 18 months after the transition government assumes power;
(B) with the participation of multiple independent political parties that have full access to the media on an equal basis, including (in the case of radio, television, or other telecommunications media) in terms of allotments of time for such access and the times of day such allotments are given; and
(C) to be conducted under the supervision of internationally recognized observers, such as the Organization of American States, the United Nations, and other election monitors;
(5) has ceased any interference with Radio Marti or Television Marti broadcasts;
(6) makes public commitments to and is making demonstrable progress in-- (A) establishing an independent judiciary; (B) respecting internationally recognized human rights and basic freedoms as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Cuba is a signatory nation; (C) allowing the establishment of independent trade unions as set forth in conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labor Organization, and allowing the establishment of independent social, economic, and political associations;
(7) does not include Fidel Castro or Raul Castro; and
(8) has given adequate assurances that it will allow the speedy and efficient distribution of assistance to the Cuban people.
(b) ADDITIONAL FACTORS- In addition to the requirements in subsection (a), in determining whether a transition government in Cuba is in power, the President shall take into account the extent to which that government--
(1) is demonstrably in transition from a communist totalitarian dictatorship to representative democracy;
(2) has made public commitments to, and is making demonstrable progress in-- (A) effectively guaranteeing the rights of free speech and freedom of the press, including granting permits to privately owned media and telecommunications companies to operate in Cuba; (B) permitting the reinstatement of citizenship to Cuban-born persons returning to Cuba; (C) assuring the right to private property; and (D) taking appropriate steps to return to United States citizens (and entities which are 50 percent or more beneficially owned by United States citizens) property taken by the Cuban Government from such citizens and entities on or after January 1, 1959, or to provide equitable compensation to such citizens and entities for such property;
(3) has extradited or otherwise rendered to the United States all persons sought by the United States Department of Justice for crimes committed in the United States; and
(4) has permitted the deployment throughout Cuba of independent and unfettered international human rights monitors.
By asking for prayers that the Catholic Church might be trying to molify Castro and persuade him not to go on a mad rampage of killing. After all his doctors had promised him 140 years of life and he must be very angry at the probable cancer eating at his guts. El Jigue 8-26-06
Rumors are just rumors, still further rumors suggest that Fidel is trying to kill Raul to preserve his "Legacy." El Jigue 8-27-06
Even pro-castro types are thinking spreading cancer: so now we get the official denials which do little more than confirm it. El Jigüe 8-28-06
Hmmmmmmmmm Z and M these remarks of yours will make a magnificent addition to the end of my paper on Wikipedia censorship. As to fratricide in high places among absolute rulers one has only to note as examples the fratricidal wars of the last Incas, Mongols of India, or the collapse of the Empire of Alexander the Great; not to speak of the deadly killings in the Hareems of the Sultans of Turkey. In Cuba the rise of the Castros was full of such internal bloodletting such as the betrayal of Frank Pais to the "trial" of Ochoa. xe xe El Jigue 8-29-06
One also may note that while this matter is of considerable importance to the press e.g.
[25] there are some that try to keep up the pretense that Castro will recover and that there is no struggle for sucession []. El Jigue 8-29-06
AS to recovery of Fidel Castro, that does not seem to be in the offing
[26] thus the cancer theory is still viable. As to rivals of Raul some think, but I do not, that Chavez may seek for some measure of control of Cuba
[27]. However, in my view the younger ranks of the Mayimbe will provide most resistance to Raul's rule, and a popular rising in the eastern provinces cannot be ruled out. El Jigue 8-30-06.
There is a report in the Miami Herald [28] which essentially states there is nothing new in Cuba. However, the reporter involved is often considered as leaning towards the present Cuban government and somewhat ill informed. Thus it seems that although it appears that there there are foxes in the henhouse, at least one fox is saying "Nobody here but us chickens." El Jigue 8-31-06
Much feared Ramirito Valdez is in Raul Castro's new cabinet [29]. I view this circumstance not only as prelude to increased repression but as an indication of a potentially explosive and meta-stable power structure in Cuba. Complicating the matter is a putative contact between Raul Castro and members of the US government. El Jigue 9-11-06
Castro seems better but unable to walk [31]. However, his relationship with Chavez (from above source) can be taken to suggest anything from consolation of a dying Castro to internal conflict in Cuba:
"You should know that the dawn of a new era continues to shine, Chávez said, reading from his own letter to Castro. ``You are part of this dawn. All of us need you, so we can continue to push the sun. I bring you the embrace of a million human beings who, like me, admire you, and sing with you: On to victory, forever! We shall win!
On to victory, forever! Castro responded, repeating a Cuban revolutionary slogan. ``We shall win."
The question arises who is in charge of Cuba, Raul Castro, Ramiro Valdez or Chavez? El Jigüe 9-2-06
Beardo Thanks for info. Yet Valdez's trademark repression of dissidents seems more aggressive than usual as in recent arrest of Dr. Darsi Ferrer with the opening of the gas supply accompanying potential threat of a explosion to his five year old son. El Jigue 9-2-06
Dunno, you seem far closer to the matter than I. However, the actions of the Cuban government in the recent Darsi Ferrer arrest are more like an modus operandi of a very hard liner like Ramirito. BTW for fun see this [32] El Jigue 9-2-06
Beardo is it Valdes or Valdez? I have always used the latter but do you have a reason for the other spelling. I always thought of the s spelling as Portuguese in origen. El Jigue 3-9-06
Perhaps an article on Ramirito Valdez is called for even thought I for one merely thought of him as a Segundo Frente follower of Raul. El Jigue 3-9-06
This page seems desperately in need of some archiving of old discussions. -- Beardo 15:40, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
![]() | This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Ed Vallejo participates actively in making corrections to Wikipedia information which he considers subjective, non democratic, and above all that violate the principals and bill of rights of the Constitution of the United States of America (USA), specifically regarding Freedom of Speech and of the Press.
Recently it has been brought to the attention of Mr. Vallejo, that certain articles written by members of Wikipedia do not in fact reflect the true social, economic and political reality of the State of Cuba.
Cuba is a dictatorship run by one of the richest men in the world Fidel Castro.
Fidel Castro leadered a so called "democratic revolution" in 1958 only to take power in 1959 and begin a Terrorist control of the Island of Cuba, not only by trying to recreate the history of the people of the Island, but attempting to erase their past with idealistic promises which have never come to fruition.
Mr. Castro has applied terror techniques on his people and the greatest censorship known to the modern world.
Only recently Mr. Castro became ill and transfered power to his brother Raul, and there was a total secrecy on the Island and about 40,000 troops guarding the Island.
From what we understand from the members of Action4Justice on the Island, many members of the international press were asked to leave the Island immediately.
The UNDP in its 2004 Human Development Report revised Cuba's GDP upwards to US$5,259 PPP per capita (figure for 2002). The UNDP's method notes explain why this was done, when cash income had not changed that much. The basic reason is that the free services that Cubans enjoy (health, education, housing, some basic foods, universal social security, some other benefits) have to be factored in to make a sensible comparison with other countries. The 2005 UNDP report does not contain an income update for Cuba. In 2006 Cuba experienced 11% economic growth (8% according to their friends in the CIA), in large part due to increased trade with China and Venezuela. While much of this was being put into public infrastructure (trains, buses, housing, the electricity network) Cuban wages (which are very low) rose by 50-80%, in early 2006. In 2006 health services contributed almost as much to the Cuban economy as tourism.
The 2002 documentary film "Yank Tanks" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312048/ (Carros Clasicos de Cuba) delves into the inventive methods Cubans use to keep their pre-revolution American cars on the road, as well as the politics they must deal with to keep their back-alley garages open. Best Documentary winner at the 2002 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.
Is it true that Cuba was a functioning Democracy during the terms of presidents of Tomás Estrada Palma to Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso. Is it true that the Cuban people had Freedom of Speech and of the press and were people able to enjoy the freedoms that ended with the term of president Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso? Even though Cuba had currupt Presidents during this time(Money and Cheating Problems),were the cuban people able to talk about the currupt presidents in Cuba without fear of getting arrested? They had two parties in congress:The Liberal Party and The Conservative Party,although they had violence at the polls during Elections(Were the Liberals and Conservatives able to vote on issues fairly in Congress?)This is covering the period 1901-1925.
Some notes on access: There is a widespread misconception, particularly in the US, that Cubans do not have access to the internet. Several points should be made (i) internet access in Cuba is expensive and slow; satellite connections are used, as the US will not accept a cable link, (ii) many workplaces and all colleges have internet connections, but the service is still slow, (iii) the Cuban government has been further investing in college and workplace computers and internet, and does not give any real support for private home connections; (iv) hotels and shops have hosted public internet access for several years, but the high cost (from US$4.50 an hour upwards) has been prohibitive for many Cubans, (iv) at least from 2005 public shops have been providing non-html/email internet access at a lower cost (US$1.50 an hour) and many young Cubans are using this email, every day. _______
The matter of control of the internet arose in the latest OAA (Organization of American States) conference "At Washington's insistence, the final Declaration of Santo Domingo, which will be issued when the conference ends today, notes that the Internet, without political censorship, can develop democracies. To underscore the point, Zoellick reminded the General Assembly that Cuba ``has the highest controls on the Internet." [1] El Jigue 6-7-06
These 'democracy' themes, should and does work well at the 'high' political level(when was the last time philosophy was discussed in prime time?) but be very aware of your surroundings when you deciede to defend with logic instead of weapons, your 'high' moral and 'civic' standards...I tell you, I missed the memo that gave into these ideologies and pretty much put logic under the command of the military and politicians.
There is no telling what a controlled society could do..
I hope everything works out peacefully. But you said a great point: When was the last time philosophy was discussed in prime time? It goes right down to the point of why people can't have interests in politics. They think that what the prime time tells them, is all that there is to philosophy and politics. Teemu Ruskeepää 18:43, 12 June 2006 (UTC)
Senator Lugar refers to pseudo democracies [2], which now, given recent past history of turning into real democracies, are under far tighter control. However, in this article Cuba is specifically excluded from this category. El Jigue 6-9-06
If politicians were the ones writing these articles, we would be reading codes, instead of deciphering them...what is real democracy? an 'narchy' country with a government made up of five individuals?
Gueyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Oh come on try and be more specific that is a standard line from text of Apologia Catechism 101. El Jigue 6-9-06
Hold up just a minute...who gave the lecture on what constitute a democracy versus what is supposed to do and what really it is...a philosopher? a political science major in the US?...or marginal writer and thinker?...and when did this happen???
The only real democracies were the Greek city-states - and they disenfranchised the majority of the population. Anything that is called a democracy fails to live up to the ideal in one way or another. There is a whole range, the question is where does one draw the line. -- Beardo 14:18, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
The following attempts to make an impression based on flaws or misunderstood premises..."Children are required to take part in social activities outside of the home, such as working in the fields during holidays to prevent them from becoming blind intellectuals."
Children are encouraged to take part in social activities outside of the home (and according to their ages), as expected from a Socialist society, even if it means working in State crop fields. 'Blind intellectuals' is a perceived characterization, which speculates on what happens to people when they grow older. It seems, the social responsibilities placed on the Youth, expects a 'help' now mentality and does not bear fear as to what they'll later do in life.
That 'children' work the fields is based on Camp Schools(Escuela del Campo) and it involves attending classes and helping in crop fields for 45 days out of the year. This begins in the 7th grade and could last till college graduation...
For such a short section, it seems more focus on accusing and insulting, rather than to give valid information...clearly a slant commentary...
Deserves a look or two...
The Cuban Government doesnt force children, they have a voluntary organisation which is very similar to the "Pioneer" movement in Russia. Danil
It seems as if somebody deleted some things that we were working on...not a problem, this doesnt mean they are giving up, it means they will continue to do whatever they deem necessary...
Also the Military section is a carbon copy from the US state department(which means alot of things)...it is not cited as so or even sourced...most information from the '90s'...
Also..."Cuba also adopted a "war of the people" strategy that highlights the defensive nature of its capabilities."...it rather highlights the intention of defending its land, the weapons got technical cababilities to use as offensive or defensive. as an example, in Bay Of Pigs, the Cuban army was able to front a defense against the attackers, and then it drove them out or captured them...
We talked about the Sports and Cuisine sections, some ideas were given, hopefully the new changes could be reviewd here soon...
Once again, someone seem to be running out of words or simply defending the 'status quo', the best way they know how, which is trying to quite others...due to patience, we have time...
I took the liberty in requesting help...how they look at it is simple, im sure this is not the first time, is a tug of war, but it does not involve logic or thinking. it merely passes for a weak 'conscious will attack'...
we wait to hear words from admin, before debating the necessary changes to these articles...
Its almost a race against time...you see, all this 'data' and information these 'Cuban Experts' are working with are becoming quickly obsolete...it has to do with the 'economic' doings of the Cuban government. that includes, the oil that Cuba receives from Venezuela, the deals signed with China on nickel and transportation, the increase tourism, the US food purchase on the last few years that also includes Cattle (for those Cubans who cant do without their beef)...you are looking at perhaps the start of 'normal' life for most Cubans thanks to some of these deals, since the Soviet Union...it cannot happen according to some folks, how would you demonize Cuba then?...
Let it be known, some of these folks have pretty much 'idolized' Fidel Castro...is no surprise they can't say a sentence on Cuba without mentioning his name (take a look at the sections)...but this is not done because they are concern about Cuba (they would live or move there and work 'the fields') they are actually BENT on milking the money there is to make coming straight from the US government (take a look at Miami's Cuban American National Foundation)...there is money to be made in the United States off the Cuban 'circumstance', make no mistake about it...
We hope these troubles does not hamper on our ability to work on these articles...we hope for this situation to be resolved at its due time...
I hope that this matter is looked at whenever it warrants attention...instead of deleting what others have said, why not do the same? if at the very least, you could add whatever you would like to add to the conversation, do so, but there are people more than willing and able to debate these issues. it would be of educated people to go on with these discussions, where ever they might lead us...
I propose a dialogue...is what 'dissedents' inside of Cuba demand, but are not capable of archiving, not because the time is not given to them, but because they have to deal with 'reason'. there is no better tool or weapon than logic for these arguments.
Allow us to take our cases to a judge on his own merrit. Logic will not make us both right, there have been promises made about that...lets sit down and let our intention be known. let us come to terms, not by 'spray painting', but by clearly defined colors of nature.
let us come to terms...
Teemu do you think you are qualified to set up an agenda for discussion? If so please explain why. El Jigue 6-22-06
I'll help 'el jigue' refresh his mind and at the same time 'prove' teemu is more than qualified to do as he pleases...
If what Fidel Castro wanted to accomplish, was fame and wealth, he didn't had to get help from the other side of the world. The United States were more than willing to help him win(as they have done throughout history supporting dictators) 'All' the United States was asking, was simply to 'wet its beak'(or 35 percent corporate tax, whichever was more greedy) What better way to 'jumpstart' his appetite for destruction, than with the help of the 'Destructor' himself? Sure, the Soviet Union was going to allow him to do as he please, under his own accord though...Maybe what he wanted was to kill and rape women, well, all he had to do was to wait for the United States's acceptance of his government(which he did and received) So then, why, after the United States government recognized his government, did he not simply follow 'free market' policy? who could think a country can get 'rich'(or individual for that matter) without the support of 'richness' incarnated...ahh, but Fidel Castro decides to refine Soviet oil in Cuba's refineries, and well, time has stand still...if Fidel Castro wanted to be larger than life, he needed the United States help...if Fidel Castro needed a 'blind eye' to his massacres as a dictator, he needed not look further than the United States(90 miles < 2000+ miles)...he was going to get quotas!(which he got from the Soviet)...
I think that rather than burying old discussions into an inaccessible archive, the list should be organized. This way the discussion could expand without the need of archives. Make a categorial order which deepens in an orderly fashion. I've thought of a basic root of all the present headings in the article and a two permanent "control" categories: 1. Off-topic and 2. Additions and general quality. Depending on the article, the discussion categories should include all the present titles in the article and if necessairy, categories for "photos" and "sources", which are not displayed in the article's tree of contents .
Decided things
This is a new feature to my discussion tree structure, which makes conclusions valid and repetition unnecessairy. It improves my design, whose purpose is to eliminate the need for discussion archives. This will be added, I hope, at the end of every paragraph, where there will be a copy of the present section of the article. Decided things will be highlighted and the others are not. New articles will always be highlighted (decided) at first. If a user wishes to re-open discussion, the part will be unbolded, and futher arguments ensue at the end of the old discussion.
The discussion tree should be maintained simultaneously with editions of the discussion as well as the article. When editing the article, the "decided things" should be edited to correspond with the article. When editing the discussion, the "decided things" should be edited (highlight - unbold ) to show what is under dispute and what has been concluded. The editors may do this themselves, or then observers can do it, voluntarely.
The Wikipedia structure should be modified to include the present discussion headings in the discussion page, so that when a user starts a new discussion, he could choose a present heading, which together form a universal category. Also the "decided things" at the end of every main discussion heading, should be programmed to appear automatically every time someone adds a new heading to the article, along with the new heading, of course.
My idea of a discussion tree is new to Wikipedia, and I'm considering beginning it as an experiment first on small article with a few headings. However I have also begun doing it at Talk:Fidel_Castro and some other pages. Teemu Ruskeepää 16:03, 23 June 2006 (UTC)
Ultramarine and BruceHallman have agreed that the below paragraphs are acceptable, in keeping with the policy to keep controversial material away from the main page and onto subarticles. I have added the disclaimer (before the Castro revolution) to the health section, which I hope means that less historically motivated users do not misunderstand the context as appeared to be the case before.
Sports and outdoor recreational activities is a right for every citizen under the Cuban Constitution [1]. Cuba's national past time and most popular sport has been Baseball throughout its history [2]. It also enjoys world wide successes in other sports like Volleyball, Track and Field, Martial Arts and closely behind Baseball in relevance, Boxing [3]. Because professionalism is banned for most sports in Cuba, Summer Olympic sports have gained an added importance for most Cuban expectators. Government spending, especially after the Revolution, has helped Cuba become the most decorated country in the hemisphere, aside from United States, at the Summer Olympics for half a century. [4]
(1)Article 9, Subtext B - http://www.cubanet.org/ref/dis/const_92_e.htm (2) http://www.cubanball.com/history.html (3) http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp (4) http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/table_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=2004
One notices that Fabio Grobart agent of the third international has been essentially erased from Cuban history, even if Castro did talk about his massive contributions to the foundation of the Cuban communist party (Third international, Stalinist). Amazing how Castro hogs credit even from this own teachers [3]. El Jigue 5-30-06
Thats sick how he does that...by the way men death tolls are quite high
I'm unprotecting this now ... wow, I didn't realize it had been a full month. Guess we tend to lose track of things sometimes. Anyway, please keep all of Wikipedia's policies in mind as you continue to edit this article. I hate to admit it, but the only reason I even remembered the protection on this article was because it was mentioned in an article today in the New York Times. D'ohh!! -- Cyde↔Weys 03:21, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
Now they are separate, which suggests something bad. Teemu Ruskeepää 15:45, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
Someone with access please note the following:
Under the section Demographics, it is stated that the abortion rate is of XX.X per 1000 pregnancies. This is incorrect. The rate is reported as "per 1000 women aged 15-44" in the primary source. In terms of abortion per known pregnancy, the Cuban rate is 58.6% (yes, 58.6 per 100 pregnancies) the Caribbean average is 35%, Latin American is 27% and the European average is 48%. So, the numbers are off by a factor of 10.
As a critic clearly noted the island of Hispaniola has a greater population than Cuba; however, Hispaniola contains two countries Haiti and Dominican Republic. Just change island to country. El Jigue 5-30-06
Agree EJ. This shows the problem of letting administrators edit protected articles like that. -- Beardo 02:26, 4 June 2006 (UTC)
I do not agree with EJ. Hispaniola is not a country at all, and thus can not be called so! It is right to mantain the word island because of its geographic nature, respecting the proper terminology. Gabriel
Ay vey! Gabriel Please read my first remark. Haiti and Santo Domingo may share an island but they are divided by a massive mountain range Pico Duarte is about 10,000 feet high and two different languages. Even the Tainos considered Haiti which means mountains distinct from Quiskeya which is a name the Dominicanos like to call their part of the Island. El Jigue 6-7-06
It would seem that the role of Estrada Palma working in the US to support the fighting in Cuba is over emphasized. In the 1895-1898 the roles of Maximo Gomez, the Maceo brother Jose and Antonio, and that of Calixto Garcia are neglected. By the Summer of 95, the Spanish held only the coastal cities, including the Havana. El Jigue 6-18-06
Isn't Cuba independent now? The historical nature of the gaining of the independence should be emphasized and make the title void of present day implications. Teemu Ruskeepää 15:48, 18 June 2006 (UTC)
Once the time and date of construction of the presidential palace was in a section labeled Cuban Infrastructure. However, that section has been removed. Now the Presidential Palace has become “Batista's palace.” This is probably the last time I will suggest such a correction, for it seems more appropriate to let the whole article become a source of ridicule, with such laughable entries e.g. "El Jigue 6-20-06"
Minor Point: before or after
The following text appears to be in error:
According to this timeline Cuba "officialy" declared itself socialist one day before the bay of Pigs began. Considering that the DGI had dozens of informants in the operation, the invasion was no suprise, but there is a chronological abnormality here. Torturous Devastating Cudgel 01:36, 13 June 2006 (UTC)
The statement "the rising did not take place " needs to be qualified with two caveats, (a) there was a rising in the middle provinces especially which was far more intense than Castro's own rising and that lasted until about 1967 see War Against the Bandits, and (b) well over 200,000 were arrested "before the invasion" El Jigue 6-16-06
On the timing, I was told the speach occurred during the Bay of Pigs attack. The confusion may be clarified here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/castro/timeline/index.html, which indicates that a speach made during the Bay of Pigs referred to the revolution as socialist, but at the following May Day celebration Castro described the country as socialist. -- Beardo 14:42, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
As it is now, it states..."Traditional Cuban food usually lacks seasoning" But then in a 'traditional' offering, Criollo, it states..."Criollo uses many different seasonings, with some of the most common being onion and garlic" I think we could also work on the half top part, it dwells more into the political system, rather than 'cuisine'...the joke we could do without, specially since in Cuisine of the United States, it makes no mention how its citizen receive their foods, specially those who have no say in what they eat at homeless shelters...the same goes for Cuisine of China...
This section is expected to be redone, to actually explain different food preperation etc, that would go more along the lines of 'cuisine'...
One should keep in mind that for the general Cuba population food is rationed and that consumption of beef is in essence forbidden. El Jigue 6-18-06
...which includes dishes containing beef which is legally prohibited in Cuba, or discussion of Castro’s popularity (it is illegal to insult Castro) than to attempt to continually correct items inserted by contributors who do either not know Cuba or who seem bent on whitewashing the Cuban circumstance. El Jigue 6-20-06
Who are you? At least sign in El Jigue 6-21-2006
The common Cuban can buy beef only twice a year, see Decreto 225 which is enforced by severe punishments [4]. El Jigue 6-21-06
Z: Thank you for your kind efforts. However, it seems that once a correction is made, someone inserts some other piece of disinformation, e.g. Batista did not build the Presidential Palace, nor was it “his.” Then there is this nonsense about beef in Cuban cuisine. In Cuba essentially all beef is reserved for tourists
[5] and the “nomenclatura” of the mayambe. El Jigue 6-21-06
The following is in spanish, well, the source provided by 'el jigue' was in spanish...
" La carne de res se vende solo para turistas o en las carnicerías dolarizadas. "
Like i said before, with the dollars that you send your family in Cuba, they can easily afford beef...i too look forward in moving from this...
These two paragraphs can replace the present sections meaning that the page can be unlocked to registered users. -- Zleitzen 13:23, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
The following needs to be looked at..."In addition there are a several thousand North African teen and pre-teen refugees undergoing military training"...the source provided, were of ex-cuban officials making statements like these..."“These children followed military training and courses on the making of explosives,”...such a 'thing' would also merrit an entrance in Cuba's Human rights, but its not even left to the imagination in those pages...is it true? i dont think the journalists even cared about the accuracy of those statements. should we care about the accuracy? yes, we should care...also, to show the true intentions, the article leaves out the thousand of foreign students in cuba...is that true?...do we have prove?...where are the sources?...is there a doubt about those students in Cuba?..."The member of the FEU Secretariat, in charge of Foreign Relations for that organization, said that it will boost the exchanges between those future professionals, who number now more than 22,000 in all the Cuban universities, Escambray newspaper reports."(
http://www.ain.cubaweb.cu/idioma/ingles/2006/marz14estudiantes-extranjeros.htm)...but, that comes from Cuba itself(its sad, information that comes FROM Cuba holds little or no credebility)..."Cuba currently hosts 3432 medical students from 23 nations studying in Havana."(
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329/7456/14-c) ...concerning this matter, when did CNN or FOX jumped on this news?...an attack on Cuba's intention of helping others...
Within 'Education in Cuba' the following is stated..."Although education is free to Cuban citizens, foreign students wishing to study in Cuba pay tuition fees of between 4,000 and 7,000 (U.S.)...but then, in the same paragraph..."As part of Bush’s plan to "hasten Cuba’s transition" to a "post-Castro, democratic existence" US citizens will no longer be allowed to enjoy "fully hosted" stays in Cuba—in other words, where the Cuban government funds their living and tuition costs." and also..."Cuban president Fidel Castro offered to award full scholarships to 500 needy US students"...If, UNITED STATES students, are able, somehow, not to pay tuition, who can ask a student from Bolivia to pay 5000 dollars?...now, of course, that there are foreign students in Cuba who pays tuition cost will not be something to be alarmed of. but that 20,000 students pay tuition?...impossible to believe...even more when "Cuban president Fidel Castro offered to award full scholarships to 500 needy US students"...
This brings up another point...sources...it's no secret that we accept UN's numbers almost 'blindly', for it has been rendeered a 'neutral' source of information(although is in NY)...thats not a problem...but just because is UN doesn't mean we believe their numbers, we believe their numbers because they are in the area. When it comes to sources like the United States Department, albeit preciesly when it comes to Cuba, their numbers are more 'fiction than arts'. they are not in Cuba, and so they 'largely' based their numbers on 'estimation'(estimates are rampage inside of the United States itself)...we could talk about the usage of the United States government as 'sources', when it comes to Cuba.
That, brings us to..."US State Department Report on Cuban Education"
this is the parapragh in its entirely..."Cuba has been among the most literate countries in Latin America since well before the Castro revolution, when it ranked fourth. Since then, Cuba has increased its literacy rate from 76 to 96 percent and is tied today for second place with Chile and Costa Rica[9]. Argentina is the most literate country in Latin America. This improvement is impressive, but not unique, among Latin American countries. Panama, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Haiti -- which all ranked just behind Cuba in this indicator during the 1950's – have equaled or bettered Cuba's improvement when measured in percentage terms[10]."( http://www.state.gov/p/wha/ci/14776.htm)
Take a look at what they mean when..."have equaled or bettered Cuba's improvement when measured in percentage terms"
Cuba's literacy rate(1957) was 76 percent("Cuba has been among the most literate countries in Latin America since well before the Castro revolution"...this means that at the time of the Revolution, perhaps, those same countries had percentages WELL below 76 percent; Cuba was ranked 4th back then.)...CUBA A LEADER, RANKED 4th, WITH 76 percent...
Cuba's literacy rate 'today' - 96 percent...thats a 20 percent increase...now, let say that any other country for matter, had a 65 percent literate rate at around 1960...if today that same country is(and should be) around 90 percent, thats a 25 percent increase...with those numbers, you get this "Panama, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Haiti -- which all ranked just behind Cuba in this indicator during the 1950's – have equaled or bettered Cuba's improvement when measured in percentage terms"...my friends, Cuba at 76 percent, had only about 24 percent to go; Cuba is now at 96 percent. If those countries back then, who where ranked 'just' behind Cuba, they needed a higher percentage to "have equaled or bettered Cuba's improvement when measured in percentage terms"...what does this mean? this is not the best way to say Cuba was better off...specially when it states that Cuba has a 96 percent literacy rate today(as it should be) instead of 76 percent...now, it is implied, that a Communist nation had the same success as a 'democratic' nation...but, out of those countries, which of them were 'really' democratic?...
Now to show the 'real' difference of Communist Cuba, we have to compare Cuba's numbers before the Revolution with Chile and Costa Rica...Cuba 76, Chile 81 and Costa Rica 79...now both Chile and Costa Rica had higer a higher percentage in 1957...In 2000, they were all tied at 96 percent, which means Cuba's percentage rate 'increase' was higher than both Chile and Costa Rica's.
Then, we have "which all ranked just behind Cuba in this indicator during the 1950's" key word, 'JUST'...check how 'closely' behind Cuba these countries were...
Paraguay 68 Colombia 62 Panama 72 Ecuador 56 Brazil 49 Dominican Republic 43 El Salvador 42 Guatemala 30 Haiti 11
This, comes, from the United States' State Department...(sad, there's no doubt about the State Department's credebility)...seems to me, a much more deeper research should be concentrated in these articles...and in their sources...
Source about cost international students pay in Cuba...
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2004/abril/vier9/16beca.html
"CUBAN universities have welcomed more than 13,945 foreign students from 113 countries, via a cooperation program that is systematically growing.
"This program, which is free of cost to the students, began in 1961 and increased during the 1970s in response to requests by African and Middle Eastern countries, mainly for middle-level education, according to an April 10 article in Granma daily."
Also, that was a 2004 article, we could easily agree on 22,000 students given on a previous source...
Source about "Foreign students must hold a Bachelors or an equivalent degree, have a visa and follow compulsory Spanish classes"
High school students do not have bachelor degrees...
"US applicants must be 18 to 25 years old and have a high school diploma. They must also come from a racial or ethnic minority and have no criminal record. Most of the current students have not yet earned a college degree." http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/0504-03.htm
This data is not from WHO but from the Cuban goverment and WHO accepts it without change....El Jigue 7-10-06
Wikipedia usually states the perspective of the main issue first, and then states the perspective of the critiques. This article contains the U.S. governments, Miami Cubans, and others, usually conservatives’ perspective first, and throughout most of the article. I humbly suggest the following addition of the Cuban government’s perspective first to serve as the introduction of the article:
Cuba’s human rights values stem from the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action, adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993. According to Cuban statements on human rights recognizes the “universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated character of all human rights.” At the same time, Cuba understands that no single model of “political, economic, social and cultural” exists. Cuba holds as fact that “human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, should be treated in a global form, in a fair and equal way, in an equal footing and giving the same importance to all” of the different rights. Cuba also understands the need for “respect for national and regional particularities, as well as for the diverse historical, cultural and religious heritages.” Cuba advocates all three generations of Human Rights.
Moreover, “Cuba promotes and defends the principles of objectivity, impartiality and non selectivity in the treatment of issues related to human rights, and the refusal to use them with political dominance purposes.” On the other hand, “Cuba rejects the growing trend of countries in the North,” which set themselves “up as judges and censors of all that happens in countries in the South.” These countries in the North “hide the countless human rights violations that take place in their own territories plus others derived from the unjust international order they are imposing in their own benefit.”
Cuba has contributed “Draft Resolutions” to several human right documents. Cuba supports and “contributes with its positions and initiatives, to the progressive development of the international system of promotion and protection of all human rights for all.” Many developing countries support and imitate Cuban human rights policies. Cuba, and Cuban citizens, has had their human rights violated by the United States for over one hundred years. The first sixty years as neo-colony, followed by a half century of “low intensity war” by which thousands of Cubans have died.
The United States government, Miami Cuban emigrants, and others, usually conservatives decry the Cuban government and its socialist Constitution because it violates the human rights of its citizens. Since 1851, the United States government has condemned the Cuban political system under Spanish rule. When the United States neo-colonized Cuba in 1898, criticism shifted from the government to the people of Cuba, especially the color people. United States government criticism changed again in 1959, and has continued to the present. [Cantón Navarro, José. (1996). Historia de Cuba. La Habana, Cuba: SI-MAR S. A. ISBN: 959-7054-12-4].
The difficulty in understanding Cuba’s human rights policies objectively comes from a prolific 47-year negative propaganda campaign funded by the United States, the human rights values of the observing nation or individual, and that Cuba’s different political-economic system is foreign to the capitalist social structures. Unless one places, Cuban human rights within a historical, cultural, socio-psychological, political-economical context [Pollis, A. and Schwab, P. eds. (2000). Human Rights: New Perspectives, New Realities. Boulder, CO. Publication: Lynne Rienner. ISBN: 1-55587-979-9] one cannot possibly understand the present day Cuban three generations of human rights’ policies. Cuba’s distinctive social, political, economical, and cultural structures and procedures in many cases do not have a corresponding structures or functions in a capitalist society. This poses a problem explaining Cuba to someone unfamiliar with socialism. In other words, many human right goals carried out in Cuba could not occur in a capitalist nation, and vice-versa, making analogies difficult. Finally, nations that support universal human rights do recognize that each nation is different and value judgments enter into the decision of which human rights take precedent over others.[ Pollis, A. and Schwab, P. eds. (2000). Human Rights: New Perspectives, New Realities. Boulder, CO. Publication: Lynne Rienner. ISBN: 1-55587-979-9].
Daniel
Oneofshibumi 04:33, 30 June 2006 (UTC)
I suggest what follows below to replace the current “human rights of Cuba” section for the following reasons:
SUGGESTED HUMAN RIGHTS OF CUBA SECTION
Controversy surrounds Cuba’s human rights record since 1959. Cuba’s human rights values stem from the Declaration and Program of Action, adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993. statements on human rights records, recognizes and supports the “universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated character of all human rights.” At the same time, Cuba understands that no single model of “political, economic, social and cultural” exists. Cuba holds as fact that “human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, should be treated in a global form, in a fair and equal way, in an equal footing and giving the same importance to all” of the different rights. Cuba also understands the need for “respect for national and regional particularities, as well as for the diverse historical, cultural and religious heritages.” Cuba advocates all generations of Human Rights.
Moreover, “Cuba promotes and defends the principles of objectivity, impartiality and non selectivity in the treatment of issues related to human rights, and the refusal to use them with political dominance purposes.” On the other hand, “Cuba rejects the growing trend of countries in the North,” which set themselves “up as judges and censors of all that happens in countries in the South.” These countries in the North “hide the countless human rights violations that take place in their own territories plus others derived from the unjust international order they are imposing in their own benefit.”
For many years, several groups have accused Cuba of human rights violations. These groups include the United States, the anti-Castro Cuban-Americans in Miami, and others, usually conservatives criticize Cuba’s 1st generation rights or negative rights issues. These issues include free speech, representation in government, and the political-economic system.
QUESTIONS:
1) How long should a suggestion stay on the “Talk Page” before a suggestion can be transferred to the “Main Document”?
2) What does one do with the older material in the human rights section? Transfer it to the main human rights of Cuba article?
Daniel
Oneofshibumi
07:58, 2 July 2006 (UTC)
Where an earth is the military section? I found a Wikipedia version at [8] Teemu Ruskeepää UPDATE: I found it at Military_of_Cuba, but I think I should be linked here. Teemu Ruskeepää 15:29, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
You're right Teemu, good spot. Here's my proposed paragraph for the military section-- Zleitzen 16:22, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
Hmmmmmmmmmm I see Teemu has forgotten the Militia. El Jigue 5-30-06
Apparently my documented comments on the composition of the forces in the attack on the palace has been consigned to the archives, thus the "truck" jpg still says Directorio when in reality the forces were mainly Autentico. El Jigue 5-30-06
Although we can agree Cuba's armed forces and military command are very much 'integrated' into 'society', the overall 'work' description when it comes to the people, is no different than the United States's Corp of Engineering...with this I would like to implied that if 'militarized society' is giving a negative description it should be done from 'top to bottom'...
Also, as where 'militias' are given the description of 'trouble makers, disturbers of peace, causing trouble', it is highly unlikely for Cuba's militias to fall under this mantra. Armed conflicts in Cuba has been non-existent after Cuba's Revolution.
who the heck are you and where do you get your information You completely forget the "War Against the Bandits, which lasted longer and involved more casualities than the War Against Batista. El Jigue 6-22-06
Furthermore, the fuction of each country's military must also be described when attempting to reach an aggrement on 'militarized society'. for example, if the overall 'theme' of the military is to protect the population, then is very clear Cuba falls under that, where I would like to enclave this, is at the striking difference between Cuba's military and the military of those 'developed countries.
As a former Cuban soldier under compulsory service at sixteen years of age and a proud current civilian employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, I take grave exception regarding the comments above "he overall 'work' description when it comes to the people, is no different than the United State’s Corp of Engineering..." and the especially the comment regarding the supposedly striking difference between Cuba's military and the military of those developed countries: The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is made up of mostly civilian, voluntary, and well compensated employees; Totaling approximately 34,600 Civilian and 650 military members ( http://www.usace.army.mil/who/)and it even includes several thousand non-us citizens ( http://www.usace.army.mil/employment/noncitz.htm) in contrast the Cuban military where the service is not voluntary, anyone that does dares refuse, will not only be incarcerated, but will automatically lose their membership in the all important political groups including the University Students' Federation and the Federation of Secondary School Students which is prerequisite for acceptance to any educational institution of higher learning.
Furthermore, I would be amused if you or anyone could explain how the Cuban military protected the Cuban population when:
1. They were sent to butcher thousands in Angola and Ethiopia ( http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB67/cubatrans2.doc)or when
In 1976, the FNLA was defeated by a combination of MPLA and Cuban troops, leaving the Marxist MPLA and UNITA (backed by the United States and South Africa) to fight for power.
2. One of their most highly decorated generals was caught red handed laundering money for south America’s drug lords along with interior minister ( http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/fidelsreserves102097.html) At least he was given a trial unlike others military officials ( http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/cuban-rebels/morgan-executed.htm) or maybe when
3. They are sent as I was to play babysitter for escaped U.S. cop killers ( http://www.odmp.org/officer.php?oid=11530) or wait it must be when 4. They sent to evict their own people ( http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y06/jun06/08e9.htm)
I could go on for some time, but I think it would be pointless since your opinions are obviously based on political ideology and leanings and mine have been shaped by my past and recent experiences. R.Ruiz 06/15/2006.
I'd like to remove the sentence at the end about what the revolution caused for the private media. It isn't about how the economy is at present. Teemu Ruskeepää 14:19, 30 May 2006 (UTC)
And the whitewash of the Cuban government continues steadily El Jigue 6-23-2006
Suggested addition to Official Links: Link to Official Site of Cuban Embassy in Ottawa, Canada: http://embacu.cubaminrex.cu/canadaingl/
Since the Cuban Embassy in Ottawa, long considered by many as a major Castro propaganda outlet, is now taking second place to the Venezuelan counterpart, principally because Hugo Chavez has more money. Thus, since this Wikipedia "page" on Cuba is increasingly pro-Castro I suggest that the URL of this Venezuelan Embassy be listed here too xe xe El Jigue 6-27-06
Due to the problematic referencing issue, I have removed references that were no longer in the article - moved referencing from the hybrid style in the top of the editing page to within the appropriate body of the main article - with the exeption of the "socialist republic" citation which I couldn't move for some reason because it messed up the text of the template. In future, I recommend that users reference in the traditional footnote style.-- Zleitzen 11:53, 28 June 2006 (UTC)
There is a real lack of information on earlier Cuban parties in wikipedia - and no page at all for the Partido Auténtico. Would you care to make an opening on the red link provided - just add anything you know at this stage. I would ask on your own page but you seem to have a roving IP address at the moment.-- Zleitzen 11:33, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
Hey - Co-ordinate is co-ordinate. Unless I've missed something all these years. Is this a regional difference? If it is, I pull The Face of Fu Manchu - (old Jamaican term for a face of disapproval). I think it's probably correct to detail the CDRs though "ensure" would be more accurate than "enforce", I'm not sure how they enforce the status quo other than being general nosy bastards and social irritants.
The edit "which are often statistically implausible" about the elections I'm not sure about. Given that the figures for the many candidates have approximately an 15% range, and the unwieldy process effectively means a voter (who is compelled to vote by law in the Australian manner) can opt to just approve all candidates in a swift tick of one box, I don't believe these are so implausible. General studies put the figures down to apathy on the part of the voter - ie. tick the box, get out quick, get back to working on the car and leave me alone. This sense of apathy and fear of change amongst Cubans, most of whom have only know one system of government cannot be underestimated. It's comparable to the links between certain societies and monarchies. Anyway, this is all speculation - including the comment about the election results being implausible. Responses please.-- Zleitzen 12:44, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
I also didn't consider that there is a regional difference in spelling, though I have no idea on that count, or for that word. I just see a tendency on Wikipedia for the removal of unnecessary hyphens, which I think is the case here. -- TJive 13:05, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
Z thank you your removal of reference to internal immigration and palestinos documentation of this makes a wonderful reference to demonstrate bias for my paper. And I thought I had to rely on Bruce to make goofs like that. Xe xe El Jigue 7-19-06
we are more than willing to put focus back into this...a question was asked as to what are the proper steps in actually editing parts that were agreed upon in this talk page...i think we should let 'El Jigue' delete articles and complaint how he was supposed to be a cuban senator...
more than willing to put some focus back into this page...
The senator was Rolando Masferrer, a former communist, and executioner for the loyalists during the Spain Civil war. He was a Batistiano, as well as belonging to the same cell as Arturo Guillermo Montenegro, who became William Wieland, of the State Department. If the Tigres de Masferrer had caught me in 1958 they would have killed me. They say Masferrer in the Spanish Civil War wandered the streets of Barcelona going about his purges, the last thing his victims heard (says the legend) was the sound step drag,step drag, louder and louder until he reached them.. As for me all I really wanted was to live the life of an agricultural scientists in the country. No I do not want to remove articles, I dislike censorship but now I am quite content to watch you guys make a mess of all of this. Go on the web and look up palestinos e.g.
[12] and think why the Cuban goverment requires internal passports. BTW Hurry go to
[13] and see what seems to be a Bayamo storm rising south west of Baracoa, heading towards the plains of the Cauto and then out to see. Mirando y dejando El Jigue xe xe 7-24-06
Z: Grahame Greene was a supporter of Castro and critic of Batista's abuses. However, when Batista fell and Castro came to power Greene never critized Castro. This is odd behavior for an academic, thus one could guess, but of course not prove on that alone, that Green continued to work for British intelligence reporting on Cuba. There is some information on that in Sherry, Norman 2004 The Life of Graham Greene. Vol III 1955-1991. Viking, New York ISBN 06700311429 El Jigue 7-24-06
Z Is this unidentified source trying to insult me, using data from some very faulty dossier, or is he trying to insult somebody else, it is not clear, for that post is not very coherent. What ever, this has little importance, and I am old and can take insults with very little effect. Yes that thing about Castro in Argentina seems to show a person not in full command of their faculties or their body for that matter. Perhaps the old fox is playing yet another game such as trying to flush out potential rivals/successors in Cuba, but it does not seem so. Well we all will get there sometime if we are lucky. By the way when I make a goof Bruce has my permission to call it a Brain fart xe xe El Jigue 7-24-06
The rationale is, that by keeping enough focus(more than enough rather) on Fidel Castro, it doesnt matter who else you try to bring down along with him(even those 11 million Cubans who should be the main focus of this page)...is what old timers have been doing ever since they left Cuba or were put in a position to stand against Communism...trying to insult him?...i think if the main objective of this is to insult, we would not be this focus...we will rather wait to see responses on the points mentioned above...
"... [The fall of the USSR provided] a crisis in confidence for those who believed that the Soviet Union was successfully “building socialism” and providing a model that other countries should follow. In Cuba, however, these events were not sufficient to persuade Cuban Communists that they should voluntarily give up power." -- taken from main article
Seems like a ridiculous statement; how can a dictator be expected to give up power?
Finally Andres Oppenheimer got off his duff [14] This column is worth reading, far more than Castro's endless distortions of health conditions in Cuba. El Jigue 7-2-06
Z: It seems that Castro's lack of flexibility in the Hilda Molina matter is causing him to dramatically lose popularity in Argentina [15] El Jigue 7-28-06
On July 31, Raul Castro assumed the position of President of Cuba and of the Communist Party of Cuba due to Fidel Castro's failing health after his trip from Argentina. I think proper note of this should be taken as events occur, as is being done on the Lebanon page.
I think it would be appropriate to change Fidel's status as head of state with a mention to it being temporary and the situation surrounding the event. Some may say its too early to change it, or that the temporary nature should make it unneccesary, I argue that the temporary nature of this situation does not change the fact that it is happening, just as the temporary nature of king Gyanendra as an absolute monarch or the mention of the various military juntas and transitional governments around the world.
Just to reiterate something. Raul is not yet President of Cuba anymore than George H. Bush was president of the US after Reagan was shot, and John Prescott was British Prime Minister after Tony Blair underwent heart treatment. Raul has assumed the duties of President of the council of State during Fidel's incapacitation. -- Zleitzen 13:50, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
I understand your positions, and I agree. However I do think mention of the current situation should atleast be given some notable mention - Red Heathen
CNN are calling him Intermi President (Presidente interino). TV Genius 23:04, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
If Fidel Castro goes into acoma for months or weeks like Ariel Sharon then I think it should changed that it says that Fidel Castro is the head of state but Raul Castro is just temporay. If Fidel gets pronuced premently incappsited then I think Fidel Castro should be the former head of state.-- Scott3 01:15, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
Perhaps an Asterisk or something next to the president portion in the infobox would be an acceptible middle ground, what do you think? Attic Owl 02:07, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
Is there any reason why the article was protected. There was not any edit war going on. 85.124.177.162 15:49, 1 August 2006 (UTC)
Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believed "Patria o Muerte" to be a slogan of the revolution - but "Patria y Libertad" to be the actual motto of Cuba dating back to independence and further back to Marti and the struggle. See this coin here [18]. Whatsmore it is mentioned in the preamble of the present constitution.-- Zleitzen 11:47, 3 August 2006 (UTC)
In Tish momet the president of Cuba is Mr. Raul Castro Ruz no Fidel Castro because Fidel have a verrty severe Problem.
The latest Cuban Government announcements of a committee to support "a recovering CAstro" may or may not indicate that the Cuban Communist Party has ousted Raul. Creeping shadows, of cloaked figures with daggers, or a dance of careful joy of communist bureaucrats I really do not know....xe xe El Jigue 6-12-06
I'm by far no expert on Cuba or US policies towards Cuban emigrees, but the statement that "U.S. law[20] grants U.S. residency to any Cuban who arrives on U.S. soil without a visa" is not even supported by the linked document describing the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1996 (CAA) -- which rather states that "CAA gives the Attorney General the discretion to grant permanent residence to Cuban natives or citizens seeking adjustment of status if they have been present in the United States for at least 1 year after admission or parole and are admissible as immigrants." I'm always hesitant to try to restructure something like this without discussion -- am I misunderstanding something here? cmac 01:58, 14 August 2006 (UTC)
The dictator is dead, long live the dictator, that's how I see the transfer of power from Fidel Castro to his brother. Shame on those who defend these dictators, you're not better than the religious fanatics that vote for Bush. At least the American idiot has only two years left to mess with people’s life.
(Please remember to delete my message comrades!)
I against so word as dictator. Can you tell so words to so to forceful Fidel's face? - I doubt. I wish good luck to all Cubans from Russia and I want to tell that any American influence isn't good for you.
Today’s photos of Castro “recovering” [22] are much better than yesterday’s, however the lack of clinical paraphernalia and most odd shadows, can be taken to suggest that either the photographs have been altered, or that Castro has become a vampire so I naturally “believe” the latter. One would think that the use of a respirator would require shaving Castro’s beard. For a rousing discussion see [23] Xe xe El Jigue 8-14-06
Is it true that Cuba was a functioning Democracy during the terms of presidents of Tomás Estrada Palma to Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso. Is it true that the Cuban people had Freedom of Speech and of the press and were people able to enjoy the freedoms that ended with the term of president Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso? Even though Cuba had currupt Presidents during this time(Money and Cheating Problems),were the cuban people able to talk about the currupt presidents in Cuba without fear of getting arrested? They had two parties in congress:The Liberal Party and The Conservative Party,although they had violence at the polls during Elections(Were the Liberals and Conservatives able to vote on issues fairly in Congress?)This is covering the period 1901-1925.
This was true even in the early Machado years El Jigue 8-18-06
Reading between the lines of the latest Raul Castro proclamation [24] makes it quite apparent that Fidel Castro's rule has ended. Raul Castro, seems to have assumed permanent power and is preparing to rid himself of rivals very possibly by military force. 8-18-06 El Jigue
The recent release of a recording of Raul Castro ordering the shoot down of the Brother's to the Rescue planes suggests that internal opposition to Raul is building up. One reason for this is that improved relations with the US would strongly enhance the living conditions of the Cuban nomenclatura (Mayimbe), and that according to US law this cannot happen until Raul as well as Fidel is removed from power in Cuba. In reaction one would expect, considering past behaviours, that Raul will suppress these putative rivals with at least some executions. El Jigue 8-21-06
Or maybe it's just someone in Miami trying to stir up trouble. Does Raul even want to cling on to power ? -- Beardo 16:20, 21 August 2006 (UTC)
B: That is Raul's voice on the tape speaking from Holguin. BTW according to Spanish law if Raul leaves power he can be tried in Spain. El Jigue 8-21-06
BTW El Jigue 8-23-06
H.R. 927, Title II, Sec. 205: is the meat of the problem for Raul, so one can expect (and one already observers some hints of it) the start of a massive propaganda campaign to change it.
This US law is stirring up much trouble between the Cuban nomenclatura (Mayimbes) and Raul. To many in the Cuban government Raul is an unspoken of obstacle to living a good life. So perhaps a murderous round of purges may start or perhaps even have started
HR 927 SEC. 205. REQUIREMENTS AND FACTORS FOR DETERMINING A TRANSITION GOVERNMENT.
(a) REQUIREMENTS- For the purposes of this Act, a transition government in Cuba is a government that--
(1) has legalized all political activity;
(2) has released all political prisoners and allowed for investigations of Cuban prisons by appropriate international human rights organizations;
(3) has dissolved the present Department of State Security in the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, including the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution and the Rapid Response Brigades; and
(4) has made public commitments to organizing free and fair elections for a new government--
(A) to be held in a timely manner within a period not to exceed 18 months after the transition government assumes power;
(B) with the participation of multiple independent political parties that have full access to the media on an equal basis, including (in the case of radio, television, or other telecommunications media) in terms of allotments of time for such access and the times of day such allotments are given; and
(C) to be conducted under the supervision of internationally recognized observers, such as the Organization of American States, the United Nations, and other election monitors;
(5) has ceased any interference with Radio Marti or Television Marti broadcasts;
(6) makes public commitments to and is making demonstrable progress in-- (A) establishing an independent judiciary; (B) respecting internationally recognized human rights and basic freedoms as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Cuba is a signatory nation; (C) allowing the establishment of independent trade unions as set forth in conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labor Organization, and allowing the establishment of independent social, economic, and political associations;
(7) does not include Fidel Castro or Raul Castro; and
(8) has given adequate assurances that it will allow the speedy and efficient distribution of assistance to the Cuban people.
(b) ADDITIONAL FACTORS- In addition to the requirements in subsection (a), in determining whether a transition government in Cuba is in power, the President shall take into account the extent to which that government--
(1) is demonstrably in transition from a communist totalitarian dictatorship to representative democracy;
(2) has made public commitments to, and is making demonstrable progress in-- (A) effectively guaranteeing the rights of free speech and freedom of the press, including granting permits to privately owned media and telecommunications companies to operate in Cuba; (B) permitting the reinstatement of citizenship to Cuban-born persons returning to Cuba; (C) assuring the right to private property; and (D) taking appropriate steps to return to United States citizens (and entities which are 50 percent or more beneficially owned by United States citizens) property taken by the Cuban Government from such citizens and entities on or after January 1, 1959, or to provide equitable compensation to such citizens and entities for such property;
(3) has extradited or otherwise rendered to the United States all persons sought by the United States Department of Justice for crimes committed in the United States; and
(4) has permitted the deployment throughout Cuba of independent and unfettered international human rights monitors.
By asking for prayers that the Catholic Church might be trying to molify Castro and persuade him not to go on a mad rampage of killing. After all his doctors had promised him 140 years of life and he must be very angry at the probable cancer eating at his guts. El Jigue 8-26-06
Rumors are just rumors, still further rumors suggest that Fidel is trying to kill Raul to preserve his "Legacy." El Jigue 8-27-06
Even pro-castro types are thinking spreading cancer: so now we get the official denials which do little more than confirm it. El Jigüe 8-28-06
Hmmmmmmmmm Z and M these remarks of yours will make a magnificent addition to the end of my paper on Wikipedia censorship. As to fratricide in high places among absolute rulers one has only to note as examples the fratricidal wars of the last Incas, Mongols of India, or the collapse of the Empire of Alexander the Great; not to speak of the deadly killings in the Hareems of the Sultans of Turkey. In Cuba the rise of the Castros was full of such internal bloodletting such as the betrayal of Frank Pais to the "trial" of Ochoa. xe xe El Jigue 8-29-06
One also may note that while this matter is of considerable importance to the press e.g.
[25] there are some that try to keep up the pretense that Castro will recover and that there is no struggle for sucession []. El Jigue 8-29-06
AS to recovery of Fidel Castro, that does not seem to be in the offing
[26] thus the cancer theory is still viable. As to rivals of Raul some think, but I do not, that Chavez may seek for some measure of control of Cuba
[27]. However, in my view the younger ranks of the Mayimbe will provide most resistance to Raul's rule, and a popular rising in the eastern provinces cannot be ruled out. El Jigue 8-30-06.
There is a report in the Miami Herald [28] which essentially states there is nothing new in Cuba. However, the reporter involved is often considered as leaning towards the present Cuban government and somewhat ill informed. Thus it seems that although it appears that there there are foxes in the henhouse, at least one fox is saying "Nobody here but us chickens." El Jigue 8-31-06
Much feared Ramirito Valdez is in Raul Castro's new cabinet [29]. I view this circumstance not only as prelude to increased repression but as an indication of a potentially explosive and meta-stable power structure in Cuba. Complicating the matter is a putative contact between Raul Castro and members of the US government. El Jigue 9-11-06
Castro seems better but unable to walk [31]. However, his relationship with Chavez (from above source) can be taken to suggest anything from consolation of a dying Castro to internal conflict in Cuba:
"You should know that the dawn of a new era continues to shine, Chávez said, reading from his own letter to Castro. ``You are part of this dawn. All of us need you, so we can continue to push the sun. I bring you the embrace of a million human beings who, like me, admire you, and sing with you: On to victory, forever! We shall win!
On to victory, forever! Castro responded, repeating a Cuban revolutionary slogan. ``We shall win."
The question arises who is in charge of Cuba, Raul Castro, Ramiro Valdez or Chavez? El Jigüe 9-2-06
Beardo Thanks for info. Yet Valdez's trademark repression of dissidents seems more aggressive than usual as in recent arrest of Dr. Darsi Ferrer with the opening of the gas supply accompanying potential threat of a explosion to his five year old son. El Jigue 9-2-06
Dunno, you seem far closer to the matter than I. However, the actions of the Cuban government in the recent Darsi Ferrer arrest are more like an modus operandi of a very hard liner like Ramirito. BTW for fun see this [32] El Jigue 9-2-06
Beardo is it Valdes or Valdez? I have always used the latter but do you have a reason for the other spelling. I always thought of the s spelling as Portuguese in origen. El Jigue 3-9-06
Perhaps an article on Ramirito Valdez is called for even thought I for one merely thought of him as a Segundo Frente follower of Raul. El Jigue 3-9-06
This page seems desperately in need of some archiving of old discussions. -- Beardo 15:40, 2 September 2006 (UTC)