SSP CUBA DELEGATION

ONE YEAR ON !!!!

2010-03-14T12:21:00.002Z

david's thoughts

Its’ now just over a year since the Havana 9 all arrived back from Cuba. The two week delegation seemed to last a lifetime but still seemed to be over too fast.

I am 28 years old and the time I spent in Cuba accounts for 0.14% of my life but I miss Cuba as if I grew up there. So what do I miss?

I miss Eddie frantically flicking through his phrase book every time a Cuban said “Hola” to him.
I miss hearing a government official talking about wanting to help people and actually believing him!
I miss Bill and Steve reenacting ideological battles of bygone days between The Communist Party and Militant over a mountain of empty Bucanero cans.
I miss hearing about a country sending thousands of their men and women overseas to heal people rather than drop bombs on them.
I miss hearing Alison’s conspiracy theories about Cuban Secret Service Agents in Pinar Del Rio trying to spirit us away to a salsa bar.
I miss Danny’s talent for non verbal communication and fake photo shoots.
I miss hearing Social Workers being called “Doctors of the Soul”.
I miss David our translator laughing at us putting on Revolutionary hats and hiding among the potted plants for pictures.
I miss Morag’s obsession with geology and salsa.
I miss a country where local food growing cooperatives donate a part of their crop to local schools just because it’s the right thing to do.
I miss Landy, our other translator, bamboozling us with political questions about “What influence did Gramsci have in the formation of the SSP’s ideology?”
I miss the serenity of reverence of Che Guevara’s Memorial.
I miss trying to think of insightful questions about canned tomatoes.
I miss trying to learn Salsa (Remember Kevin! Uno, dos, tres, uno, dos, tres).
I miss the warmth and strength of the ordinary people we met at the CDR.
I miss the billboards, the Malecon, the rum, the cigars, the rum (did I already say that?),

I miss Cuba!!
David McClemont

CUBAN NEWS BLOG

2009-05-19T21:02:00.002+01:00

WE NOW HAVE A NEWS BLOG FOR ALL STUFF CUBAN AT

http://ssp-cuba-news.blogspot.com/

TAKE A LOOK !!

2009-02-22T11:42:00.003Z

La Conchita
Tues 10th Feb

The Conchita brand is something of a national institution with its range of juices, sauces, and canned goods featuring in the majority of Cuban kitchens. Its canning factory is source of pride for the Pinar del Rio and employs around 550 local people.

On arriving at the factory, you’re struck by the political murals, particularly the one at the entrance reminding everyone of the ongoing campaign to free the Miami five. We were met by the director (and a glass of their own pineapple juice) who showed us around the site and introduced us to some of the workers. Unsurprisingly, La Conchita was affected by the massive hurricanes last year and work was continuing on repairing their facilities. However, their crop yield seemed to have increased with the soil apparently becoming more fertile as a result of the weather.

During most of our visits we have asked how the US blockade has affected things. The response tends to be that while the blockade no doubt hampers life and prevents the economy from reaching its potential, the political will is there to ensure that Cuba will not be defeated and we have seen ample evidence of how enterprises and public services are getting by impressively. This was our first visit where we could see it having an impact. The factory is 60 years old and much of its technology is old- the blockade is prevented from importing the necessary equipment for modernising and expanding production.

That said, production is continuing to increase, and with 10% of profits going back into the factory’s facilities (the other 90% to the government) they are confident that they can continue to make gradual changes to keep things ticking over. How much easier things would be though if they didn’t have to operate with their hands tied behind their backs.

2009-02-21T22:25:00.003Z

Fidel’s meeting with Michelle Bachelet

During her recent visit to Cuba, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet met with Fidel for approximately one and a half hours.

In his "Reflections," Fidel highlighted his satisfaction at the Chilean president’s friendly visit.

We present our readers with photos of the occasion.

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/febrero/mar17/Fidel-Michelle-Bachelet.html

2009-02-21T09:14:00.002Z

PHOTOS

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25612750@N02/

HERE IS A SELECCTION OF PHOTOS FROM THE TRIP

2009-02-20T13:33:00.001Z

TRABAJADORES SOCIALES

Our second full afternoon involved a meeting with social workers at one of Cuba's four training school on the outskirts of Havana. The journey to the social work school was memorable because we were all still very much taken by the billboards celebrating 50 years of revolution or calling for 'Victory for Socialism' that dotted the motorway.

The Cuban Social Workers we met represented each of Cuba's regions. I was struck by the relative youthfulness of the Social Workers (turns out the average age of SW'S in Cuba is 24) and surprised, to say the least, that they appeared to be wearing t-shirts advertising what they were! Turns out they are highly visible (and don't have lynch mobs chasing them) within their communities and are also encouraged to return to where they grew up once they have completed their training. We exchanged stories about how Social Work was often scapegoated by the media and government in Scotland and how communities, or sections within communities, often regard Social Workers as 'the enemy'. Hence why a social work 'uniform' wouldn't necessarily be popular amongst Scottish social workers.

Cuba's dedicated Social Work Service is only 9 years old, hence the young average ages of S.w's. Functions carried out by social workers now, were previously carried out by the Federation of Cuban Women.Currently there are 42,000 Social Workers in Cuba who describe themselves officially as 'Doctors of the Soul'! They make a moral commitment to work as social workers for ten years (this isn't compulsory though !). It did sound a bit evangelical to me but I don't live in a society that operates a form of socialism and therefore shapes individuals and motivations differently.

The biggest undertaking they have achieved is the weighing and measuring of all children under 16. This was done in the earlier part of the decade and gave a comprehensive overview of the health of the nation's young people. This undertaking was partly as a result of the 'Special period' in the 90's, a period of severe shortages, rationing and subsequent health problems due to the collapse of the Soviet block and thus an 85% drop in foreign trade.

Three Golden Rules are applied to social work in Cuba 1) Be friends with everone in your community 2)Never work with statistics, know people's names 3) Never wait to be asked for help, seems reasonable to me I thought. They have seperated some of the more difficult tasks that Social Workers are often directly involved in e.g. involvement in taking children into care, thus allowing them to retain, in their words, a friendlier and more trustful relationship within their communities. A combination of time, magnified as everything was in translation, and lack of understanding about their System prevented questions being asked that scratched beneath the surface though, questions such as 'who makes these difficult decisions?

The meeting was enjoyable and boded well for the rest of the trip as the people we met seemed open, friendly and ready for a bandolier of questions in English. I was too shy to ask for a social work t-shirt as we'd only really just arrived and were unsure of the protocol, if the meeting had been at the end of the trip then I would have definately begged, borrowed or stolen one to wear to work.

2009-02-19T16:21:00.001Z

LUNCH WITH OSCAR

Unusually, the lunch today is a formal occasion, in that we are dining with Oscar Martínez Cordovés, deputy head of the international relations department of the Central Committee of the the Communist Party of Cuba (Cubans like their titles !!!) and Teresita Trujillo, Official of the Foreign Relations Department of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. the first thing to say is that meeting Teresita is always like meeting an old friend and Oscar, despite his position is friendly, down - to- earth and chatty. This is going to be the most informal of formal lunches !!

Our hosts are interested in information about the SSP and we discuss our upcoming conference, where Luis Marron will address the party on the 50 anniversary of the Cuban revolution. they want to know what issues we will be discussing and we outline some debate we have had on our election strategy and changes in our party structures over the last couple of years.

For the delegation, one of the big questions is , what would the Cubans like us to do when we return to Scotland - Teresitas reply ? "I have a list !!!"

Oscar and Teresita went on to explain that solidarity with Cuba is very important and they thank the SSP for its support but that would not be enough if people in Scotland did not have the information about Cuba and, maintaining contacts with the central committee directly and through Scottish Cuba Solidarity Campaign is vital. Teresita explained that a practical example of this would be for us to contact all US senators and representatives with a Scottish background or family history, to give them information about the appeal process of the Cuban 5. At home, contact with our own MP's, MSP's and MEP's would put the pressure on the political establishment in the UK to support the return of the unjustly imprisoned Cubans.

The delegation were quite pleased that there was a practical direction that we could all channel our enthusiasm when we get home. We were told earlier that this SSP delegation was an unusually large delegation (9 people) and that we have stayed for a longer period of time (15 days) typically a delegation is 2-3 people and come for 2-5 days. we have been occupied with many meetings, information gathering and travelling, but still we have only scratched the surface, but with all the political stuff comes so much kindness from our hosts that one of the delegation has coined a new phrase joining holiday and delegation to describe our trip as a "holigation" which I think sums up the trip nicely.

2009-02-18T02:16:00.002Z

ALIMAR URBAN AGRICULTURAL CO-OP

At around 6'4" and taller than most Cubans, the president of the Alimar urban agriculture project, that we had come to visit cut an imposing figure in his camouflage work gear and gaucho hat.

as we gratefully gathered in the shade of the projects' café we were glad to accept another of the small intense coffees we have come to appreciate at each visit. clearly accustomed to international visitors and obviously a very busy guy he got straight down to business.

The project is a co-operative, democratically run, producer of food and medicinal plants. The president, along with the executive committee are elected by the members in a secret ballot for a five year term. The co-op is able to provide, fresh organic fruit, vegetables etc a a low price to the people in the surrounding community. employing 170 workers, who receive shares in the co-op, the salary is 4 times higher than the average salary.

The president outlined the importance of changing attitudes and raising the status of working on the land, professionalising a job that was traditionally viewed as unskilled and unattractive.

As we have travelled through the different regions of Cuba, we have noticed smaller urban co-ops. a minimum of 6 friends or neighbours in an area. the land is leased free of charge and tools and seeds are provided to help these groups make a start.

He said " food production is of vital importance in Cuba" . Through necessity the huge state farms were broken up, during the "special period" in the 1990's and today between 70% and 80% of all agricultural land organised under some kind of co-operative system.

historically, Cuba was the biggest sugar growing country in the world, but when the soviet bloc collapsed , so did Cuba's ability to export her crop and had to go through a period of diversification which had a huge impact on food production around the country leading to food shortages.

Now food co-ops, like the Alimar project, help provide some of the local community's needs , giving food to the local schools and nurseries but also provides for other community development including employment, access to financial loans, free meals three times a day for workers and training paid for by the profits of the co-op. but unlike other co-ops. Alimar, receives EU funding, but has rejected funding where the criteria could not be agreed on however, the two remaining EU partners are respectful of the projects aims and continue to fund the project without interference and as the co-op president said," one of the biggest frustrations for we Cubans is that we know the way but lack the resources"

2009-02-18T02:04:00.002Z

The Cuban rebels' attack on the armoured train in Santa Clara has been given a new found fame recently due to the first part of Steven Soderberg's two part biopic of Che' Guevara. This gave our tour of the battlefield (complete with original wreckage and recreations) a new twist as the guide was keen to point out the historical inaccuracies of the film. I wouldn't have wanted to be Steven Soderberg at the films Cuban premiere when some of the original combatants showed up and started pointing out where they were actually standing slightly to the right of at no point crouched down during the course of the battle. An example of the inaccuracies in the film, was that the train is only five carriages long, seventeen less than the actual number. This detail may seem petty but when it was explained that these twenty two carriages full of soldiers, weapons and ammunition was captured by only twenty three men, it does sound far more impressive. Although the photograph of Batista's soldiers when they realised they had just surrendered to a handful of bearded, cigar smoking guerrillas a fraction of their own number indicates that they did not appreciate the audacity of the plan. One of the surprising details of the attack on the armoured train is that despite derailing a train by ploughing up the tracks and prolonged gunfire afterwards there were no fatalities in the incident, something that pleased the pacifist wing of the delegation. The location of such a historic monument in the heart of the town, in the original place where the battle took place helps to keep history alive in Cuba and helps to keep the sense of revolution an ongoing process even fifty years after the fall of Batista.

2009-02-12T01:04:00.002Z

thanks to all those who have left comments - we have been getting our cuban hosts to read them !! and the occupation of glasgow uni has been passed on to the university students union here in havana and to the university of pinar del rio.

hasta siempre la victoria

2009-02-12T01:02:00.005Z

They like their titles in Cuba.

To ascertain the role of women in the Cuban revolution and indeed in wider Cuban society, the SSP spoke to Eneyda Lopez Peralta who has the very impressive title of Head of International Relations of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba in Villa Clara.
The province takes in the town of Santa Clara which is of course famous as the final burial place of Che Guevara.
His remains are located in a monument in the town along with those of 34 other revolutionaries who died fighting alongside Guevara in Bolivia.
One of these included a woman named 'Tanya' and it is her and a host of other women including Celia Sanchez - one of Fidel Castro leading comrades - and Vilna Espin, a founder of the womens organisations in Cuba, who Eneyda refers to when explaining women's part in shaping Cuban history.
Standing at just over five feet, Eneyda Lopez Peralta exudes warmth and affection.

However, once the topic turns to politics it is clear this 'Guevara gran' retains a great deal of revolutionary zeal.
"Women have always played a prominent role in the history of the Cuban struggle," Eneyda explains in very expressive and animated terms.
She continues, "It goes all the way back to the wars of independence with the Spanish, to the struggle with the Batista dictatorship in which individuals such as Melba Hernandez and Heydee Santamaria played crucial parts and were involved in guerilla warfare.
"And women's' influence in Cuban society continues to this day."
The statistics do paint an interesting picture.
For a country often accused of being macho, Cuba appears to have an impressive number of women on prominent and influential positions in its society.
In general employment, less than two per cent of Cuban women are unemployed.
Women account for:
Almost 64 per cent of all general doctors.
Over 51 per cent of all researchers.
Over three quarters of all social workers.
Over 25 per cent of the self employed.
In education women account for 65 per cent of all university graduates of which over 45 per cent are technical and professional graduates and 40 per cent are scientists.
The political and legal institutions are no less populated with women making up over 43 per cent of the parliament of which 38 per cent are in leading positions and 30 per cent of vice ministries - though disappointingly they account for only 12 per cent of Cuban ministers.
Over 70 per cent of all attourneys in Cuba are women, over 60 per cent are judges, and 47 per cent are judges in the supreme court.
Eneyda concludes: "When I think about what woman have done for Cuba and what they are achieving, it makes me proud to be a woman in Cuba."

*** A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW ABOVE WILL APEAR IN THE SCOTTISH SOCIALIST VOICE SOON (or as soon as we can write it down !!!)

2009-02-12T01:01:00.002Z

WEATHER

Just as the weather seems to be a hot topic of conversation back in Scotland, it is also the case here in Cuba.
However, the chat does not concern the blanket of snow currently covering Caledonia, but the hurricane which devastated Cuba in September 08.
Winds of up to 140 mph wreaked havoc across the entire island, leaving scars in the shape of ripped off roofs visible to this day.
The weather - or rather the hurricane - is what we mainly hear about when Marbel Pilotes Hernandez, a member of the Executive Bureau of the Provincial Party in Pinar del Rio, welcomes the SSP delegation to the area.
The province is the most western in Cuba with a population of 731,000.
Two of its main industries are agriculture and tobacco, which makes it easy to understand why the people of this area share the Scottish fascination with the weather.
Joining Marbel Hernandez is Nestor Rodriguez Maury, a member of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party.
He says through an interpreter: "We have seen on our news how the weather is affecting the UK.
"We had a similar severe weather experience with the hurricane.“
He is far too polite to point out that the current Scottish experience is merely an inconvenience and that it has not left our country devastated, but it's one we are aware of.
Marbel Hernandez continues: "Over 113,000 homes were damaged and 30,000 were completely destroyed.
"Naturally our agriculture was severely affected but we are recovering."
Other interesting nuggets of info we learn about the province include the fact it has one doctor for every 215 people and 100 per cent of its students finish their studies.
Following the welcome we head off into central Pinar del Rio, for a tour of the area.
The day concludes with us (well some of us. Okay me and Steve) drinking ridiculously cheap rum until 4am before Alison chases us off to bed.
Like the hurricane, there is a heavy price to pay afterwards.

2009-02-12T00:59:00.005Z

The Appliance of Social Science

The INPUD factory in Santa Clara has been producing domestic appliances for the country since it was opened by Che in 1964. Today it can boast that at least one of its products- coffee makers, pressure cookers, ovens, fridges, fans- is in every home in Cuba.

However, it's not been straight forward over the 45 years. They were hit hard during the special period due to a lack of raw materials, 90% of which used to come from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. However, given the lack of availability of petrol, the factory was re-equipped and the workers retrained to make bicycles, which contributed to its continued productivity and met a new need.

During the visit, we met Ruperto Chinea Martinez who has worked there since it opened and is known to his colleagues as the 'Father of the Factory.' He talked about the feeling of belonging to a family and the satisfaction of benefiting directly from something they have produced themselves.

We next met with Pedro Manuel Mendoza, the General Secretary of the Trade Union in the factory. He explained their role in ensuring that the health and safety of the work force and some of the other benefits they have secured such as medical facilities, full payment during times when the factory is unable to open (eg following hurricanes), and its own educational facilities where workers can study, amongst other subjects, for a degree in industrial engineering.

We also met with the Marketing Director, Marisel Montero Lago. She explained that she had studied at university before starting work on the shop floor of the factory. When asked how much more she earns in what we would consider to be a senior management role her answer was quite surprising. "My wage is capped at 500 pesos per month. [Workers on the shop floor] can earn up to 800 pesos, but that's only fair because they're doing the producing."

2009-02-12T00:59:00.003Z

CHE MEMORIAL

During the latter part of the Cuban Revolution, Che' Guevara, with little over 300 men under his command, liberated the city of Santa Clara. This was a pivotal point in the revolution as it left the path clear for the rebel army to march upon Havana and hastened the departure of the dictator Fulgencio Baptista who fled the country soon after, taking refuge in Franco's fascist Spain. The people of Santa Clara have never forgotten their liberator and the city is a fitting location for his final resting place. The Che' Guevara memorial is everything it should be, striking and imposing yet dignified and respectful. The large statue that stands atop the memorial complex is a symbol of his connection to Santa Clara. It gazes towards the mountains from which he and his brave guerilla fighters approached the city and wears a sling just as Che's had on that day to cradle his broken arm. The statue is cast from bronze many of which came from objects personally donated by the citizens of the city to be melted down and included in the formation of the statue.

Below the statue a complex houses a museum dedicated to Che' and also his mausoleum. The museum is filled with many of Che's personal belongings and photographs less well known than Alberto Korda's iconic picture. It allows an insight into the man who became a legend. When entering the mausoleum the reverential atmosphere is striking. The room is filled with green vegetation, decorated with a smooth stone floor and intricate wood panelling in the ceiling which is somewhat lower than would be expected. All of these ingredients combine to create the serene enclosed atmosphere of a jungle. The memorial is not just the final resting place of Che' but also for the brave guerillas that died with him in the jungles of Bolivia. Their faces are carved on stone markers behind which those whose remains have been recovered are interred. Che's marker stand forward from the wall in front of his comrades, symbolically leading his men even after death.

As a socialist it isn't really the done thing to have heroes. However I find it difficult to think of any other way to describe how I feel about Che' Guevara. The visit to his memorial was one of the most profound and emotional experiences of my life and is the closest thing to a religious experience that I am ever likely to encounter. Che' remains a symbol of defiance for millions around the world and as long as there are people willing to fight against poverty, tyranny and inequality then the spirit of Che' Guevara will live on, hasta victoria siempre!

David McClemont

2009-02-12T00:58:00.000Z

Thursday 5th February

Good Health!

With an average life expectancy of 78.2 years and an infant mortality rate of around 2 in a 1000, the advancement in health care is one of the proudest achievements of the Cuban Revolution. This morning we were taken to visit the Chiqui Gomez Polyclinic, one of eight in Santa Clara, to see first hand some of the work they do.

Most of the polyclinic patients are referred there by a family doctor to see a specialist and, because they are much more localised than the hospitals, they are much more convenient for the patients. However, they are also available to walk-in patients and emergency facilities are ready if required.

Among the areas we were able to see were the dental facilities, complete with fully modern equipment and 24 hour emergency care. As in Scotland, patients are encouraged to attend every 6 months for check-ups; unlike Scotland, patients are not charged for the privilege.

Of course, one of the most impressive aspects of the Cuban health system has been their ability to share these resources with other countries including Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Angola. When asked why they did this given the scant resources available, Clinic Director Pedro Ruiz Alvarez told us that, as doctors, they believe that poor health care anywhere was "ethically unacceptable."

In Pinar del Rio, where I am as I update this, there is one doctor to 215 people, compared to a UK average which is closer to one for every 500. It is this investment in 'human resources' to which Pedro credits the success of the system. The blockade obviously has an impact on their resources, but he insisted that they were learning to live with it, adding, "In the long term, the blockade will be more of a loss to the [US] government."

2009-02-12T00:55:00.003Z

WOMEN ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES - CUBAN STYLE

Our first meeting of today was at the national headquarters of the federation of Cuban women(FCW) , where we met with Ana Milagros Martinez, who is head of international relations.

The federation is an NGO which is the national body for the advancement of women in Cuba and involves more than 4 million women. following the 4th world UN conference, a national plan of action was adopted.

Ana outlined the main areas of work carried out by the FCW. The FCW have established a woman's study centre in Havana which offers training and education in gender studies and other subjects relating to women's issues. These are not only accessed by Cuban women but by many others throughout Latin America.

Ana spoke next about the FCW's role in the promotion of women in decision making. for example, women in parliament make up 43%, whilst 47% of the judges and 71% of all attorneys are women.

The FCW interact with other women's organisations, academia, and women in the media. They produce educational materials and publish a 3 monthly magazine for women and also one for young girls.

Another vital part of the FCW's work is community work. This is undertaken through a national system of "counselling houses" of which there are 175 throughout Cuba. These centres offer support and advice on a diverse range of issues. They are a space for women and their families, introduced in the early 1990's in response to that difficult period of time for Cubans. They offer a range of services, advice and support on domestic violence, parenting skills, HIV, sexuality and family problems.

After there was a discussion about women's role in the Scottish Socialist party and in Scottish life in general and finished with an invite from the federation for a group from the woman's network to come and visit soon !!!

2009-02-12T00:53:00.001Z

CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE CUBAN COMMUNIST PARTY

The Cubans are clearly hell-bent on acclimatising us to the political situation before our bodies can get used to the extreme heat as on day one, meeting one, we are to meet the central committee of the Communist Party. No pressure then.
As we all brought formal wear for such an occasion, the shorts and t-shirts remain in case for a little longer as shirts, ties, dresses and kilts are worn instead.
We set off convinced in our own heads we each resemble the fine figure that adorns porridge boxes. However, the looks from ordinary Cubans suggest we are more Charles Haughtry in Carry on Up the Kyber and it's more 'good grief' than Scottish beef.
To add to our identity crises, our meeting turns out to be an informal discussion with Teresita Trujillo, the secretary of the CP's international committee. It is no less informative as the two hour meeting proves to be completely fascinating.
Even though we are accompanied by our translator David or 'Davide', Teresita speaks perfect English and his services are not required.
She explains in depth the situation Cuba currently finds itself in and the period it has just come through.
She tells how following the collapse of the Soviet Union and Cuba's battle to adjust to the situation with the loss of much of its income and market, the country spent the best part of a decade simply trying to survive and protect the gains of the revolution.
This led to some economic reforms which resulted in to some concessions to the private sector particularly with regards to farming.
Once Cuba came through what is referred to the 'special period' the government felt sufficiently empowered to look at social planning within Cuba.
It has now in the process of improving and upgrading Cuba's infrastructure, dealing with roads and transportation.
Being international secretary, Teresita also dwelt on the international situation, however other topics discussed included climate change, the global credit crises, Cuba's political system, education and the political situation in the UK and Scotland, which she knew a great deal about.
Asked on how Cuba's political system involves ordinary people, she explained how trade unions and work places are all consulted and invited to amend government legislation.
Following the meeting we are given a tour of the Jose Marti museum and some of us also decided to visit the hugely impressive museum of the Revolution.
It is then back to our unimaginatively named 'Hotel 41' for our evening meal - the amount of food bestowed on us is frightening and actually leads to us asking if we can get less.
Like all good Scots, we then head for the pub and meet some very friendly Cubans who ply us with beer, Cuba Libre and salsa steps.
When the tab arrives, the reason for their hospitality beams on us all like the morning sun through an un-shuttered hotel window.
We empty our pockets and wander back to the hotel with faces longer than Fidel's with his beard at its grandest.
Our acclimatising is clearly not restricted to sun and socialism.

hola

2009-02-12T00:48:00.002Z

sorry to all the comrades that were expecting daily updates - access , technical difficulties ensued and the communist party have keeping us on our toes with 2-3 meetings a day so loads to tell you all but have got the companeros to write some stuff up about some of the meetings. sufice to say we have been treated extremely well and have seen and met many amazing people. a special mention to david and Landy our guides ( and friends) and Happy birthday to landy (26 today)

still not solved all of the tech problems so cant upload any photos at the moment. and will try and work how to cut and paste on cuban computers

fingers crossed !!!!!!!

2009-02-04T02:23:00.000Z

OFF WE GO !!!

2.30 am Sunday morning . Time to go to pick up Morag and head off to Glasgow airport. Fairly smooth run through apart from the M8 closed in the middle of Glasgow and a short but confusing diversion. Arrived just before everyone else started to arrive. Check-in was fairly painless as I had used the on-line check-in facilities.

The flight to London was quite quick but felt a bit sick on the way down so a cabin crew member gave me a travel sickness pill which seemed to help. Gatwick . That's where the problems began.

First of all we arrived early so our stance wasn't free , we were directed to another one but when we got off there was no wheelchair assistance and we had to cross to the other terminal, which we did as fast as we could, when we got there the (very unhelpful and grumpy) person on the desk told us the the flight booking was closing and that we were lucky we were getting on !!!! "didn't you know you had to be here 90 minutes before the flight?" that would be a no !!! when we explain about the wheelchair assistance not turning up. we were told that the assistance were up on the next level. lift broken - two flights of stairs - very helpful !! the rest of us were told to run or we wouldn't make the flight.

Gate 19, a 5-10 minute jog was full of people when we got there, we checked in and Morag, Steve and Alison arrived a few minutes later by buggy. we all made it !!

Then we waited, and waited , and waited. all told in the lounge and sitting on the plane, we left over two hours late but at least we were on our way!! the cabin crew were really nice and seem to be giving us food every 5 minutes but it still felt much longer than the 10 hours.

we arrived in Cuba 2 1/2 hours late and were met by David (pronounced daveed) who is our interpreter. he met us off the plane and took us through customs were we were marched to the front off the queue to our total embarrassment and the other tourists consternation, who had been standing in the queue for some time.

we collected our baggage and were taken out to the minibus. Here we met our driver and Landy our official from the Cuban communist party. A quick stop at an hotel to change our money into Cuban dollars and then on to our "communist party facilities". it was a small complex of rooms which were really comfortable and we each got a room to ourselves apart from steve and Alison , who we requested a double room and Danny and David who i guess were unlucky!! the only criticism that we have so far is that they feed us too much - 3 courses for breakfast, lunch and dinner. so we had to ask that they give us something light for lunch. Monday's lunch included lobster, which was a bit unexpected. the puddings are a bit strange too, the first night we had mango coulée with a slice of Edam-type cheese in it. it was a bit bizarre to say the least although separately delicious !!

we have a little get together in the bar after dinner to talk about the first couple of days events and our role in them. we reckoned that the meeting with the central committee tomorrow will be formal, although we are not sure the format of the meeting. we opt for smart formal dress, ie kilts suits etc.

2009-01-31T23:26:00.003Z

CUBA HERE WE COME!!!!!

3AM in the morning we leave fife for Glasgow airport where we will meet up with all the others on the delegation.

checked in online this morning it took nearly 5 hours !!! british airways were pretty straight forward but virgin atlantic was another matter.

first of all they have a different ref. no. which the travel agent didn't give us. the call centre workers were really helpful but it took 25-30 minutes to get through each time. ref. no. in hand tried to check in but the website wouldn't let us check in all nine - another phone call to the call centre, so split the group and booked in the first 6 but when we came to the second part of the group it didn't recognise one of the group - another call - given a second ref. no. and checked in the last three of the group. but one of the group, who has a disability is given a seat in another part of the plane and wont let me move her!!! another call - the call center worker managed to move her.

yay !!! all finished ???? NO . wouldn't print the boarding passes for the last three but told we can get them at the airport!!!

off for a wee catnap now before we leave.

véale en Cuba (see you in cuba)

WISH YOU WERE HERE !!!

2009-01-28T17:03:00.001Z

New campaign launch - 'Wish you were here'
Time for a UK ministerial visit to Cuba

The new ‘Wish you were here’campaign targets the British government and calls for a high level ministerial visit to Cuba to improve relations between our two countries.

We want thousands of action cards to be sent to the Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, calling on him to visit Cuba in 2009.

REQUEST YOUR CARDS TODAY
‘Wish you were here’ action cards are available from the CSC office on 020 8800 0155 or by emailing finance@cuba-solidarity.org.uk

Please request them for distribution among your friends, family, work colleagues, and union branches today.
..........................................

After 50 years of the Cuban Revolution, CSC believes it is time for the the British government to respect the popular choice of the Cuban people and to increase efforts to improve UK relations with the island. The clearest message that our Government could give would be a high level ministerial delegation to discuss, without preconditions, issues of mutual interest as well as differences of opinion.

Right now there are many positive developments in international relations with Cuba, and it is important the UK is not left behind.

For example, in 2008 the EU lifted remaining sanctions which had previously restricted high level government exchanges.

Not only has Spain had exchange visits between Cuban Foreign Secretary Felipe Perez Roque and sent his counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos, they have also hinted that a visit by Spanish President Jose Zapatero is a possibility in 2009.

Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, has just announced that he would make a formal visit early in 2009, a host of Latin American leaders plan to visit within the next few months, and more are sure to follow.

There is no reason for David Miliband not to consider a formal visit to Cuba in 2009.

Such a visit would have many benefits for the UK. Positive engagement would allow our government to distance itself from the aggressive policies of the outgoing Bush administration that the UK was so often associated with.

Millions of UK citizens have visited the island on holiday and 200,000 British tourists visit Cuba every year. Like those visitors, David Miliband would be better able to see for himself many of the achievements, as well as the problems faced, and would be in a position to strengthen relations with Cuba and beyond into Latin America.

In a time of worldwide recession, Britain could be well placed to develop relations with the island that would benefit UK companies as well as Cuban ones.

Time for Change
The illegal US blockade remains a real obstacle. The world still waits for an end to this cold war policy, despite its condemnation by a record 185 countries at 2008’s UN vote.

However, there are signs of a shift in the US position. In a letter to president-elect Obama, an influential coalition of US business groups called for "the complete removal of trade and travel restrictions on Cuba."

Obama has said that he will loosen restrictions on travel and remittances for Cuban-Americans and indicated that he would discuss issues directly with the Cuban government. This is a welcome departure from Bush's approach.

Why wait for a US lead?

A UK Ministerial visit in 2009 would be a real chance for the UK to show once and for all that it does have an independent foreign policy.
Please ask David Miliband to make an official visit Cuba in the 50th anniversary year of its Revolution and break with the US driven policies of the past.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Sign the ‘Wish you were here’ action card today
- Ask your friends, colleagues and family to sign the card today
- Get unions/organisations you belong to distribute the card too

‘Wish you were here’ action cards are available from the CSC office on 020 8800 0155 or by emailing finance@cuba-solidarity.org.uk

CUBAN BLIND PEOPLE JOIN LITERARY CREATION

2009-01-27T20:00:00.003Z

Havana, Jan 26 (Prensa Latina) More than 800 Cuban blind people have joined literary creation by means of around one hundred workshops, the Cuban National News Agency (AIN) reported on Monday.

They participate in meetings, organized by the National Association of Blind People (ANCI) at all levels, and Gilda Guimera outstands in Havana province. She will present her story "Es Mejor la Noche" in the 18th International Book Fair venue in Artemisa town, according to the AIN.

She lives in Guanajay town, Havana province, and was the country's most outstanding writer during the most recent national blind writers' meeting, held in Holguin province in late 2007.

Other wiriters, as Jose Miguel Ramos, from Havana, Tomas Gonzalez-Coya, from Villa Clara province, Nadaisa Rojas, from la Tunas province, and Ada Mirta Bonfil, from Guantanamo, also excelled. That development has been possible, due to educational programs to this sector of the population, creation of libraries and special areas for the blind to read, braille printer's, and training of amateur writers by the ANCI and the Cuban Culture Ministry as well.

www.juventudrebelde.co.cu

CUBA PROGRAMME

2009-01-26T21:10:00.003Z

This is the programme from the Cuban Communist Party for our trip. it looks brilliant !!!

PROGRAMME FOR THE GROUP OF THE SCOTTISH SOCIALIST PARTY

Day 1

14:00 hrs. - Welcome at the “José Martí” International Airport

- Lodging at the Hotel.

19:30 hrs. - Dinner.

Day 2

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast.

09:00 hrs. - Visit to “José Martí” Memorial.

10:00 hrs. - Meeting at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the

Communist Party of Cuba.

12:00 hrs. - Lunch.

14:00 hrs. - Visit to the School of Art Instructors.

19:00 hrs. - Dinner

Day 3

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast

09:00 hrs. - Meeting with the National Leadership of the Federation of Cuban

Women. Briefing on the main tasks of the organization.

11:00 hrs. - Visit to a counselling house for women and family.

12:00 hrs. - Lunch.

14:00 hrs. - Visit to the School of Social Workers. Briefing on the programme

of Social Workers and meeting with the Young Communist Union

to exchange on the main tasks of the organization.

19:00 hrs. - Dinner.

Day 4

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast.

08:30 hrs. - Departure for Villa Clara province.

11:30 hrs. - Visit to the “Che Guevara” Memorial.

15:00 hrs. - Visit to the Armoured Train.

19:00 hrs. - Welcome dinner.

Day 5

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast.

09:00 hrs. - Visit to al health centre.

11:00 hrs. - Visit to the INPUD factory.

13:00 hrs. - Lunch.

- Tour of the city. Free afternoon.

19:00 hrs. - Dinner.

Day 6

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast.

09:00 hrs. - Departure for Havana City province.

12:30 hrs. - Lunch at the Hotel.

14:00 hrs. - Continuation of the trip to Pinar del Rio province.

16:00 hrs. - Lodging at the Complex in Pinar del Rio.

19:30 hrs. - Welcome dinner.

Day 7

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast.

09:00 hrs. - Meeting at the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of

Cuba for a briefing on the province.

Tour of the city.

13:00 hrs. - Lunch.

15:00 hrs. - Free afternoon.

19:00 hrs. - Dinner.

20:30 hrs. - Visit to a Committee for the Defence of the Revolution.

Day 8

08:30 hrs. - Breakfast.

09:30 hrs. - Departure for the Viñales Valley.

13:30 hrs. - Lunch.

Free afternoon.

19:00 hrs. - Dinner.

Day 9

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast.

09:00 hrs. - Visit to a school.

10:00 hrs. - Visit to a cigar factory.

12:30 hrs. - Lunch.

15:00 hrs. - Visit to “La Coloma” Fishing Complex. Meeting with workers.

19:30 hrs. - Dinner.

Day 10

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast.

09:00 hrs. - Visit to the University. Meeting with the students and leaders of

the Federation of University Students (FEU)

13:00 hrs. - Lunch.

15:00 hrs. - Visit to “La Conchita” canning factory. Meeting with trade union,

party and youth leaders and with workers.

19:00 hrs. - Dinner.

Day 11

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast.

09:30 hrs. - Departure for Havana City province.

10:15 hrs. - Visit to “the Terrace” community.

12:00 hrs. - Continuation of the trip to Havana City.

13:00 hrs. - Lunch and Lodging at the 41 Hotel.

19:00 hrs. - Dinner.

Day 12

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast.

09:30 hrs. - Visit to the Alamar Urban Agricultural Project. 12:00 hrs. - Lunch.

14:30 hrs. - Meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Presentation on Cuba cooperation with the Third World.

19:00 hrs. - Dinner.

Day 13

08:00 hrs. - Breakfast.

09:00 hrs. - Presentation on the Energy Revolution.

11:00 hrs. - Visit to the Metropolitan Park.

12:30 hrs. - Lunch.

14:00 hrs. - Meeting with Elio Gámez, Deputy President of the Cuban

Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

Day 14

08:30 hrs. - Breakfast.

10:00 hrs. - Tour of Colonial Havana.

13:00 hrs. - Lunch.

15:00 hrs. - Visit to the International Book Fair.

18:45 hrs. - Dinner

19:30 hrs. - Cultural activity.

Day 15

08:30 hrs - Breakfast.

- Free morning.

12:00 hrs. - Lunch.

- Departure for the “José Martí” International Airport.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROBERT BURNS

2009-01-25T12:35:00.003Z

Happy birthday to Rabbie Burns - 250 years old and still having a birthday party !!

AULD LANG SYNE

Original scots version

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my jo,

For auld lang syne,

We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp !
And surely I’ll be mine !
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pu’d the gowans fine ;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot,
Sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae paidl’d i' the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere !
And gie's a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught,
For auld lang syne.

CHORUS

English translation

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old times since ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
And surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine^† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Cubans Celebrate Upcoming Anniversary of José Martí

2009-01-25T10:56:00.002Z

More than 500 messages were received on Thursday morning during this event which forms part of the activities organized by the Young Communist League (UJC) to celebrate the 156th anniversary of José Marti’s birth.

By: Dora Pérez Sáez

Email: digital@jrebelde.cip.cu

2009-01-23 | 17:59:00 EST

Photo: GoogleZoom

The Palacio Central de Computación (Computer Club Headquarters) hosted specialists on Marti who answered messages sent from the 611 Youth Computer Clubs across the country and discussed the legacy of Marti’s work for the new generations .

Armando Hart Dávalos, director of the José Martí Program Office, said that he will send a message to the Cuban youth on January 27, the eve of Marti’s birth date.Ana Sanchez, director of the Center for José Martí Studies, presented two new digital programs on Marti that will be available on line at www.jovenclub.cu.

The first, A chronology of Jose Marti, is based on the work of Ibrahim Hidalgo and won the National Prize for History. It was developed by graduates of Mathematics and Computer Sciences from the Enrique José Varona Pedagogical Institute and by workers at the José Marti Publishing House.

Sanchez said the chronology marks out the main events in Marti’s life, and features a geographical index showing the places Marti travelled to or wrote about; a gallery displaying photos of Marti and his family, drawings by Martí; and a brief virtual visit to the house where he was born.”

The second multimedia, titled Martí para todos (Marti for all), was made to mark the 30th anniversary of the Center for José Martí Studies. It includes Cuadernos Martianos, the latest edition of the three volumes of his Selected Works as well as methodological tools for teachers written by Cintio Vitier and Fina García Marruz.”

Julio Martínez, the first secretary of the UJC, said that “only by really learning about our history, will Cubans be able to defend our Revolution.”

“These efforts are aimed at bringing José Martí closer to new generations of Cubans. As we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, it is important to remember the importance of Marti´s work and life and to pass this on to the Cuban youth, enhanced by these new technologies which are much more attractive for them.”

Communist youth newspaper

Fidel praises Obama's 'honesty'

2009-01-22T18:44:00.001Z

Fidel Castro had not been seen or heard of for five weeks

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has praised US President Barack Obama for his "honesty" but says he has many questions to answer.

Mr Castro broke a five-week silence, writing an opinion column on a state-run internet site.

The 82-year-old's silence, after months of column writing, had contributed to speculation about his health.

His brother, President Raul Castro, said earlier that Mr Obama "seemed like a good man" and wished him luck.

But he cautioned that the new US president might be raising "hopes too high".

'Noble intentions'

Fidel Castro's essay on the www.cubadebate.cu site came hours after the president denied rumours that his health was worsening.

He did not give any reason for not writing columns, or "reflections" as he calls them, since 15 December, after averaging nine a month in 2008.

Mr Castro, whose Cuban revolution has survived 10 US presidents, had warm words for Mr Obama.

"I expressed that personally I had not the least doubt of the honesty with which Obama, the 11th president since 1 January, 1959, expressed his ideas, but in spite of his noble intentions there remained many questions to answer," he wrote.

Mr Obama has said he wants to meet Cuban leaders and improve US-Cuba relations. He has indicated he will ease restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba but maintain the 46-year US trade embargo on the island.

The Cuban president has also said he is willing to talk with Mr Obama, as long as there are no intermediaries and as equal parties to the dialogue.

If they met, it would be the first between leaders from the neighbouring nations in five decades.

Fidel Castro also confirmed that he had met Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Wednesday, near the end of her three-day visit to Havana.

President Fernandez said earlier that Mr Castro seemed healthy after she spent an hour of talks with him in Havana.

No pictures of the talks have yet been released.

bbc website

Obama orders Guantanamo closure

2009-01-22T18:33:00.002Z

US President Barack Obama has ordered the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp as well as all overseas CIA detention centres for terror suspects.

Signing the orders, Mr Obama said the US would continue to fight terror, but maintain "our values and our ideals".

Mr Obama has also ordered a review of military trials of terror suspects and a ban on harsh interrogation methods, which critics say amount to torture.

About 250 suspects have been held at Guantanamo Bay for years without trial.

At Mr Obama's request, military judges have suspended several of the trials of suspects at Guantanamo so that the legal process can be reviewed.

see full article

A step in the right direction , this should have be done years ago. but will he hand back guantanamo to the Cuban government who are the rightful owners ? - Gerry

Historical record of 2.319 million tourists broken

2009-01-21T21:05:00.000Z

• For the fifth consecutive year, Cuba has received more than two million visitors • It is expected that 2.35 million tourists will have visited the island by the end of 2008, according to Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero in his report to deputies

Susana Lee

A new historic record has been established today, breaking the 2005 record of 2.319 million visitors, announced Manuel Marrero, minister of tourism, during his report to the National Assembly of People’s Power, attended by President Raul Castro.

Presenting his report, the minister stated that, despite the impact of the hurricanes, which halted the growth trend of 13.4% accumulated by the end of the second quarter and damaged many facilities, the nation has received more than two million visitors for the fifth consecutive year. He estimated that the year will close with a figure of 2.35 million visitors.

Marrero outlined tourism in Cuba since the beginning of Revolution and the development process with the construction of new hotel facilities after the disappearance of the socialist camp in the 1990s. He also highlighted how, as a result of this policy, there has been an 11% annual average increase in the number of visitors from 1990 to 2007.

He also noted that the number of hotel rooms (62% of which are in four- or five-star establishments) rose from 12,900 in 1990 to 46,500 last year, signifying an annual average increase of 8%; that 13 international groups have management and administration hotel contracts, operating 62 facilities with 24,000-plus rooms, and that 5,700 are linked to joint ventures. There are also direct flight links with 39 cities throughout the world, thanks to 94 scheduled and charter airlines and 10 international airports linked to tourist resorts in the industry.

Over the past 17 years, the number of visitors has increased sevenfold, the number of rooms has tripled and income generated is up eight-fold. The work force has also doubled.

Other issues tackled were problems related to the sector, such as the need to ensure greater participation of national products in this industry. Although the situation has improved to some extent, it should not been seen as an issue that has been resolved. There is instability in relation to supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables, carbonated drinks, dairy products and pastas. There have also been difficulties with elevators, air conditioning systems and maintaining beaches.

The minister also referred to the policy on joint ventures, which has resulted in 37 projects in the negotiation phase and 21 at an advanced stage, in spite of slow process with respect to the constitution of new links.

He also outlined the development program over the 2007-2010 period, for which, despite slow progress due to a shortage of construction workers and, in certain cases, project preparations, the Ministry has drawn up medium-term plans for the renovation of existing facilities, hotel and leisure investments, and the infrastructure of highways and road signs, water supplies and waste disposal, as well as an action plan designed to reduce waiting times at the island’s airports.

He referred to the global tourism panorama and noted that although international tourist movements rose by 5% in the first semester of this year, the industry cannot escape from the international financial crisis and forecasts for the end of 2008 will not exceed 2%. At the same time, it is estimated that there will be a negative impact with respect to demand during 2009.

Mentioning the additional impact on the Caribbean region of hurricanes that forced large-scale evacuations of tourists to their countries of origin, he highlighted the recovery tasks that immediately went ahead in Cuba in order to promote the tourism industry, guarantee success during the high season for resorts most affected by these phenomena, and to ensure that the national tourism industry was ready to receive those visitors who had chosen our country as a vacation destination.

With respect to principal economic indicators for the year, he highlighted that income from tourism rose by 13.5% in relation to 2007, utilities by 16.7% and contributions to the national economy by 16.3%

Some 110,000 workers are directly employed by the industry, of whom 41.22% are women and more than one third are 35 or under; 57.14% have passed 12th grade and 20% are university graduates.

Finally, after mentioning the battle being waged against illegalities and corruption, and work related to personnel training, he affirmed that the tourism industry will continue to consolidate itself, prioritizing involving all workers in solutions to insufficiencies that still exist, as well as learning from errors committed.

Translated by Granma International

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2008/diciembre/sab27/Historical-record.html

Cuban Vaccine to Treat Prostate Cancer Shows Promise

2009-01-21T20:04:00.000Z

Camagüey, Jan 10, (RHC).- The Cuban Center for Medicine Quality Control has approved the first stage clinical trials for a new therapeutic vaccine against hormone-sensitive prostrate cancer.

Lab tests have proven the new vaccine to be safe. If approved for human use, it would be help curtail the number of men who die every year in Cuba from prostate cancer which is the second leading cause of death among Cuban males.

The vaccine has been named Heberprovac, and it was developed by medical researchers at Camagüey's Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center, and it was already successful tried on patients at the Marie Curie Provincial Oncology Hospital.

Its effectiveness on advanced prostate cancer is yet unknown. However, though the vaccine is not a cure for cancer, it may significantly improve the patients' quality of life and their chances of survival.

http://www.periodico26.cu/english/health/jan2009/cancer-vaccine011009.html

Popular Cuban Director Premieres New Film

2009-01-21T19:55:00.003Z

Juan Carlos Tabio

The Cuban Film Institute (ICAIC) began a nationwide showing Thursday of the film El cuerno de la abundancia (The Horn of Plenty) by director Juan Carlos Tabio. The film won third prize as best fiction film in the recent 30th edition of the Havana New Latin American Cinema Festival.

The movie is playing in the capital at the Yara, Payret, Acapulco, Infanta, Alameda, Ambassador, Lido and Regla theaters as well as in all provinces.

The comedy is about a family in the imaginary town of Yaraguey and revolves around a supposed large inheritance. Among the actors and actresses are Jorge Perugorria, Laura de la Uz, Mirta Ibarra and Vladimir Cruz.

Tabio’s filmography includes: Se Permuta (1985), Plaff (1991), Strawberry and Chocolate (1993), El Elefante y la Bicicleta (1995), Guantanamera (1997) and Waiting List (2000).

http://www.periodico26.cu/english/culture/jan2009/film011609.html

Opening to Cuba can give Obama momentum internationally

2009-01-20T17:17:00.000Z

by Wayne Smith, Centre for International Policy
01 January 2009

Former head of the US Interests Section in Havana, Wayne Smith, argues that a more sensible approach to Cuba would be one of the quickest and easiest ways for Obama to signal a change in US foreign policy and encourage support for broader foreign policy objectives in Latin America.
Read the article in full

Film on Human Rights in Cuba Presented in Sweden

2009-01-20T11:33:00.004Z

http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 14 (acn) A documentary about human rights in Cuba made by Argentinean filmmaker Carolina Silvestre was presented in Stockholm, Sweden as part of a wide program in homage to the 50th anniversary of the 1959 triumph of the Cuban Revolution.

The name of the film is "Hechos, no palabras. Los derechos humanos en Cuba," (Facts, not Words. Human Rights in Cuba.) During the presentation of the material, Cuban Ambassador to Sweden Ernesto Melendez Bachs answered several questions asked by the people in the audience, most of whom agreed on the need to play the documentary for different sectors of the Swedish society.

Bolivia declared third illiteracy-free Latin American nation

2009-01-20T10:59:00.003Z

COCHABAMBA, Bolivia. - Bolivian President Evo Morales has declared this country the third in Latin America to be free of illiteracy.

According to the president, the eradication of this social ill constitutes a triumph over colonialism, which rejected that social commitment.

Neither internal nor external colonialists wanted to end illiteracy, Morales said in remarks at the Coliseum of the Coronilla, a building in Cochabamba that was the venue of the event to celebrate Bolivia’s attainment of that status, joining Cuba (1961) and Venezuela (2005).

The president described that achievement as one of commitment to continue driving forward on education and other social projects.

In his speech, the leader of the Movement toward Socialism thanked Cuba and Venezuela for their help with the campaign.

More than 820,000 Bolivians learned how to read and write with the Cuban audiovisual instruction method "Yo sí puedo" (Yes, I Can).

According to the president, it should be emphasized that almost 30,000 of those who have learned how to read received instruction in their indigenous languages, Quechua and Aymara.

The ceremony was attended by Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo, Cuban Vice President José Ramón Fernández, representatives of different international agencies, and the ministers of education of Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela.

Translated by Granma International

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2008/diciembre/lun22/bolivia.htmlZ

UNESCO director general begins visit to Cuba

2009-01-20T10:30:00.001Z

UNESCO director general begins visit to Cuba

KOICHIRO Matsuura, director general of UNESCO, has arrived in Havana on an official visit.

Matsuura, who is visiting the island for the first time, has headed UNESCO since November of 1999.

During his stay, he will meet with Cuban officials and tour sites of historic and cultural interest.

Cuba has been a member of UNESCO since August 29, 1947 and since the triumph of the Revolution has qualitatively boosted its contributions to different aspects of the organization, principally related to education, the sciences and the cultural heritage.

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/enero/lun19/unesco.html

2009-01-19T14:02:00.002Z

SEE FULL ARTICLE HERE

SUGAR AND SOCIALISM — CUBA’S ECONOMY

Brian Pollitt is a lifelong socialist activist and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow. Brian spent many years in Cuba and in this article he looks at the challenges facing the Cuban economy.

Release of Cuban Five Depends on International Support

2009-01-18T09:27:00.003Z

CIEGO DE AVILA, Cuba, Jan 17 (acn) The release of the Cuban Five, unjustly imprisoned in the United States, will depend on international public opinion, said Rosa Aurora Freijanes, the wife of Fernando Gonzalez on Friday.
Along with relatives of the other four Cuban Five members, Gerardo Hernandez, Rene Gonzalez, Ramon Labañino and Antonio Guerrero, Rosa Aurora told young people from several nations studying in the central Ciego de Avila province that it’s necessary to break the wall of silence around the case.
She said that spreading around the world the legal and human rights violations committed in the case will help people understand the situation of these Cuban men who worked to prevent terrorist attacks against their country.
Rosa Aurora noted that the defense attorneys of the Cuban Five are currently preparing the arguments they will present before the US Supreme Court at the end of this month. She added that after the refusal of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals of Atlanta to reconsider the case, there’s hope that the Supreme Court will accept to review it, although there’s no assurance that will take place.
Fazi Saif Galib, of Palestinian nationality and president of the Ernesto Che Guevara Cuba Friendship Brigade at the Jose Aseff Yara University of Medical Sciences, insisted that it’s necessary to reach all US citizens so they know the true face of their government.
He pointed out that it Release of Cuban Five Depends on International Support

http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/cuba/2009-01-17/release-of-cuban-five-depends-on-international-support/

DEMIAN BICHIR

2009-01-18T09:18:00.002Z

Actor Playing Fidel Castro Praises the Cuban Revolutionary Leader
Mexican actor Demian Bichir, who in recent films on Ernesto Che Guevara plays the role of Fidel Castro, praised the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution on Thursday and spoke highlight of the achievement of such a genuine social project.

Demian Bichir

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 16 (acn) Mexican actor Demian Bichir, who in recent films on Ernesto Che Guevara plays the role of Fidel Castro, praised the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution on Thursday and spoke highlight of the achievement of such a genuine social project.
In spite of the US blockade of Cuba for almost 50 years, there’s something undeniable in the archipelago: everybody eats and they all have access to health and education, stated Bichir in an interview with the Reforma newspaper.
The actor said that time has proven Fidel right, and that Fidel has led a country that’s superior to others in many indicators, like that of the infant mortality rate in children under one year of age, which on the archipelago is almost four times less to average in Latin America.
The Spanish news agency EFE stated that the film - Che, el argentino (Che, the Argentinean) - will be premiered in Mexico on Friday. Along with Che, el guerrillero (Che, the Guerrilla), it depicts the life of the defender of the causes of the peoples, since his meeting with Fidel in Mexico to his death in Bolivia 41 years ago.
The film, by US director Steven Soderbergh, has already been exhibited in several countries, like Spain, the United Kingdom, France and Argentina, as well as in the United States , in a limited way.

http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/culture/2009-01-16/actor-playing-fidel-castro-praises-the-cuban-revolutionary-leader/

FINAL ARRANGEMENTS

2009-01-17T10:50:00.003Z

Two weeks to go until we leave for Cuba and things are coming together. we have had a slight let down in terms of the banner, the person who was to do it has had to pull out as they are busy working for scottish opera but folk from my work place - Bonnington have jumped into the breach and are sewing away like mad - (actually they are probably sitting in the pub but will get round to it soon!!) special thanks to Gill who has been nominated as our artistic director ( in her absence).

the presentation packs are coming along - we have gone for a tri anniversary theme - the 50th of the Cuban revolution , the 250th of the birth of Robert Burns and the 10th birthday of the Scottish Socialist Party.

we are all meeting tomorrow in glasgow to finalise the arrangements and then .......... cuba here we come !!!!

EURO UPDATE

2009-01-17T10:41:00.002Z

in september 2008 500 Euros = £397
on december 28th 500 Euros = £488
on january 9th 500 Euros =£444
today january 17th 500 Euros = £451

SEVEN YEARS OF GUANTANAMO

2009-01-12T18:02:00.003Z

Seven Years of Guantánamo, Seven Years of Torture and Lies

http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=27409

Seven years ago, on January 11, 2002, when photos of the first orange-clad detainees to arrive at a hastily-erected prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba were made available to the world’s press, defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld reacted to the widespread uproar that greeted the images of the kneeling, shackled men, wearing masks and blacked-out goggles and with earphones completing their sensory deprivation, by stating that it was “probably unfortunate” that the photos were released.
As so often with Rumsfeld’s pronouncements, it was difficult to work out quite what he meant. He appeared to be conceding that newspapers like Britain’s right-wing Daily Mail, which emblazoned its front page with the word “torture,” had a valid point to make, but what he actually meant was that it was unfortunate that the photos had been released because they had led to criticism of the administration’s anti-terror policies.Rumsfeld proceeded to make it clear that he had no doubts about the significance of the prisoners transferred to Guantánamo, even though their treatment was unprecedented. They were, in essence, part of a novel experiment in detention and interrogation, which involved being held neither as prisoners of war nor as criminal suspects but as “enemy combatants” who could be imprisoned without charge or trial.

In addition, they were deprived of the protections of the Geneva Conventions so that they could be coercively interrogated, and then, when they did not produce the intelligence that the administration thought they should have produced, they were — as a highly critical Senate Armed Services Committee report concluded last month — subjected to Chinese torture techniques, taught in US military schools to train American personnel to resist interrogation if captured.But none of this mattered to Donald Rumsfeld. “These people are committed terrorists,” he declared on January 22, 2002, in the same press conference at which he spoke about the photos. “We are keeping them off the street and out of the airlines and out of nuclear power plants and out of ports across this country and across other countries.”

On a visit to Guantánamo five days later, he called the prisoners “among the most dangerous, best-trained, vicious killers on the face of the earth.”Seven years after Guantánamo opened, it should be abundantly clear that neither Rumsfeld nor Vice President Dick Cheney, President Bush or any of the other defenders of Guantánamo who indulged in similarly hysterical rhetoric, had any idea what they were talking about.The administration did all in its power to prevent anyone outside the US military and the intelligence services from examining the stories of the men (or even knowing who they were) to see if there was any truth to their assertions, but as details emerged in the long years that followed, it became clear that at least 86 percent of the prisoners were not captured on the battlefields of Afghanistan, as the government alleged, but were seized by the Americans’ allies in Afghanistan — and also in Pakistan — at a time when bounty payments, averaging $5000 a head, were widespread.

Moreover, it also emerged that the military had been ordered not to hold battlefield tribunals (known as “competent tribunals”) under Article 5 of the Third Geneva Convention, which had been held close to the time and place of capture in every military conflict since Vietnam, to separate soldiers from civilians caught up in the fog of war, and that senior figures in the military and the intelligence services, who oversaw the prisoner lists from a base in Kuwait, with input from the Pentagon, had ordered that every Arab who came into US custody was to be sent to Guantánamo.No wonder, then, that many of these men had no useful or “actionable” intelligence to offer to their interrogators at Guantánamo, and how distressing, therefore, to discover that torture techniques were introduced because, in a horrific resuscitation of the witch hunts of the 17th century, prisoners who claimed to have no knowledge of al-Qaeda or the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden were regarded not as innocent men captured by mistake, or foot soldiers recruited to help the Taliban fight an inter-Muslim civil war that began long before the 9/11 attacks and had nothing to do with bin Laden’s small and secretive terror network, but as al-Qaeda operatives who had been trained to resist interrogation.The fruits of this torture are plain to see, in the copious number of unsubstantiated — and often contradictory or illogical — allegations that litter the government’s supposed evidence against the prisoners, but as recent reports by the Weekly Standard and the Brookings Institution have shown, those who take the government’s claims at face value end up endorsing the kind of rhetoric spouted by Donald Rumsfeld when the prison opened, and ignoring other commentators whose opinions are considerably less shrill.These include the intelligence officials who explained in August 2002 that the authorities had netted “no big fish” in Guantánamo, that the prisoners were not “the big-time guys” who might know enough about al-Qaeda to help counter-terrorism officials unravel its secrets, and that some of them “literally don’t know the world is round,” and Maj. Gen. Michael E. Dunlavey, the prison’s operational commander in 2002, who traveled to Afghanistan to complain that too many “Mickey Mouse” prisoners were being sent to Guantánamo.

On Guantánamo’s seventh anniversary, the challenge facing Barack Obama, as he prepares to fulfill his promise to close the prison, is to untangle this web of false confessions, separate innocent men and Taliban foot soldiers from genuine terrorists, scrap the reviled system of trials by Military Commission that was established by Dick Cheney and his legal counsel (and now chief of staff) David Addington, and transfer those suspected of genuine links to al-Qaeda to the US mainland, to face trials in federal courts.Anything less, and America’s moral standing will remain tarnished. It is, moreover, a mission that must not be subjected to unnecessary delays. As has become apparent in the last few days, at least 30 prisoners — mostly Yemenis, who now comprise 40 percent of the prison’s population — have recently embarked on hunger strikes at Guantánamo. They are, understandably, incensed that Salim Hamdan, a driver for Osama bin Laden, was repatriated in November, to serve out the last month of the meager sentence he received after a trial by Military Commission last summer, while they, who have never been charged with anything, remain imprisoned with no way of knowing if they will ever be released.

With the Associated Press announcing that Hamdan has now been released and is reunited with his family, it must surely be conceded that the hunger strikers have a valid point, and that seven years without justice is far too long.

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK).

SOURCE: http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/

THE CUBAN REVOLUTION AFTER 50 YEARS

2009-01-10T23:01:00.002Z

Scottiah Socialist party - Cuba

The Cuban revolution after 50 years
by Brian Pollitt

When Fidel Castro entered Havana in January 1959, there was widespread elation throughout Latin America. An unpopular military dictatorship had been overthrown; the young revolutionaries seizing power were obviously supported by the vast majority of the Cuban populace; and the general programme outlined by Castro – urban income redistribution, land reform and national control of the country’s major economic assets – reflected reformist nationalist sentiments throughout the continent.
From its first days its example was thus a potent threat both to Latin America’s ruling elites and to the US political and economic interests to which they were subservient.
The ideology of the Revolution in 1959 was not clearly defined and was popularly known as “Fidelismo”. (In much the same way, in later years, Nicaraguan radical thought became “Sandinismo” and Chavez’ Venezuela became a “Bolivarian” revolution.).
But from its earliest days, and certainly with the first suggestions that “Fidelismo” might adversely affect US interests in oil, telecommunications and the sugar economy, Washington sought to brand Castro as a “Communist” who had “betrayed” his Revolution. This was designed not just to foment dissent within Cuba but, more importantly, to isolate Cuba within the Western Hemisphere by asserting that the guiding political and economic philosophies of the Cuban Revolution, far from being rooted in Latin American nationalist thought, were entirely alien to it.
Cuba did not represent any Latin American interest but was, according to Eisenhower’s Administration, a mere puppet in Moscow’s Cold War with “the West”.
The interaction between Cuba’s agenda of domestic economic reforms – notably an agrarian reform which asserted State control over the bulk of the nation’s sugar factories and cane-lands – and Washington’s punitive response, expressed in economic sanctions and threats of military intervention, made US policy and propaganda a self-fulfilling prediction.
By 1961, in the Western Hemisphere, only Mexico and Canada had resisted US pressure and maintained their diplomatic relations with the island. And with shrinking prospects of securing necessary credits, investments, raw materials and consumer goods, Cuba perforce developed closer political and trading ties with the Soviet block. These were formally consolidated in April 1961 with the US-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion and Castro’s declaration that Cuba’s Revolution was now “socialist” and geopolitical polarization became complete with the Missile Crisis of October 1962.
Cuba’s policies within the Soviet block were generally unorthodox, not least because her national Communist Party had played no prominent role in the making of the Revolution. By 1965, she had duplicated the formal institutional structures of Soviet-style States, with a Party General Secretary, Political Committee, Central Committee, etc. but the key posts were all held by members of Castro’s inner circle from the Sierra and the 26th July movement.
After unsuccessful endeavours to industrialize – thwarted by limited national material resources (most notably oil) and by an increasingly comprehensive US economic embargo – Cuba settled for a strategy of increasing her export capacity by expanding her newly profitable sugar trade with the USSR and other countries of Eastern Europe.
Education and public health provision were also prioritized. More controversially from the standpoint of the USSR and other Latin American Communist Parties, Cuba’s international policy sought to foment revolution throughout Latin America drawing on experiences of rural guerrilla warfare that had proved successful in the making of the Cuban revolution. This conflicted with orthodox CP strategies which emphasized the leading role to be played by the urban proletariat, not the peasantry, in the making of socialist revolutions, with the general strike – not the guerrilla ambush – as the key social instrument of popular insurrection.
In this arena, Cuba’s efforts did not prosper, culminating in the disaster of Guevara’s campaign and death in Bolivia in 1967. That failure was then compounded by a costly domestic defeat when an over-ambitious plan to produce 10 million tonnes of sugar in 1970 fell well short of its target. In the early 1970s, both foreign and domestic policies were thus revised.
Domestically, and stimulated by more formal ties to COMECON and by generous additional Soviet subsidies offered for Cuba’s sugar, economic plans were more modest and placed less emphasis on “moral incentives” and unpaid voluntary labour and more on the linkages between material rewards and worker productivity. And internationally, from a small island, Cuba became what a US academic termed a “small country but a big power”.
Throughout the 1960s and early ‘70s, the Cuban armed forces had been equipped with most of the modern weaponry utilized by East European countries confronting NATO as members of the Warsaw Pact. The calculation was not that this would enable Cuba to defeat a direct US invasion but could deter it by its capacity to inflict unacceptable losses upon US forces.
Meanwhile, a continent away, South Africa’s “Defence Forces” outgunned all the so-called African “frontline States”, operating freely along the borders of Mozambique and up through occupied Namibia to threaten Angola.
As the war against Portuguese colonialism ended with the victory of the MPLA in Angola, South Africa confidently dispatched tanks, aircraft, artillery and elite infantry to join the MPLA’s pro-Western rivals and crush it.
In an audacious tour de force, quite unforeseen by either South Africa or its US ally, Cuba rapidly dispatched first the shock troops of the Ministry of the Interior, rapidly followed by the maritime delivery of heavy armour, artillery, infantry and MIG 21s and 23s.
When finally assembled in organized conventional formations, South Africa – hitherto militarily dominant throughout southern Africa – found itself outgunned and, eventually, in the battle of Cuito Cuanavale, outfought by combined Cuban and MPLA forces. Abandoning the field in Angola, the South African armed forces also withdrew from Namibia, accelerating firstly Namibian independence and then the crumbling of South Africa’s apartheid regime.
When Fidel Castro attended Nelson Mandela’s inauguration as President of South Africa, his appearance prompted applause that startled many overseas observers unaware of the wider impact of Cuba’s armed intervention in Angola. It was ironic to contrast Cuba’s failure to promote successful guerrilla struggles in Latin America with the decisive impact of its deployment of a modern conventional armed force in Africa.
Cuba’s emergence as a power with a significant and unexpected international reach coincided in 1979 with revolution in Grenada and the victory of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Ronald Reagan, inaugurated as US President in 1980, announced his determination to “roll back communism” and embarked on a vigorous programme of rearmament and of military intervention in Central America and the Caribbean. The Soviets initially sought to match US military spending but her ailing and increasingly inefficient economy bankrupted itself in the process.
Between 1989 and 1991 the Soviet block in Eastern Europe disintegrated and the USSR itself imploded.
It seemed inconceivable that Cuba’s Revolution could survive the loss of its most important trading partner and source of credits, investment, raw materials and finished goods. The US Administration certainly didn’t think it could and made the terms of its economic embargo yet more stringent in its final push to topple a regime that – while no remotely plausible threat to US “national security” - had survived the sustained hostility of no less than nine US Presidents.
In the early 1990s, Cuba’s import capability, investment, export earnings and popular living standards all collapsed, while open and disguised unemployment dramatically increased.
In such conditions – euphemistically described by Castro as a “Special Period” – the Revolution had but one major priority: survival. But it was a survival that was to maintain “the gains of the Revolution”. These in turn were defined as the maintenance of Cuba’s national independence and of her principal social gains in the fields of education and public health. Government income and expenditures were both slashed, but while the budgets for defence and public order were drastically reduced, those for education and public health were substantially maintained.
Observing such priorities contributed greatly to the maintenance of the bulk of the regime’s popular support. That support was also reinforced by nationalist sentiments exacerbated by a sustained hostility from Washington that seemed to be no more than the sterile pursuit of a historical vendetta.
Economic survival in Cuba’s new conditions demanded important changes in Cuban State policy.
The tourist industry – hitherto discouraged because of the social ills traditionally associated with that sector – was now stimulated with joint-ventures with (mainly) Spanish capital. Canadian and South African investment was secured to modernize and expand mining and extractive industries. Independent overseas oil companies engaged with Cuba in off-shore oil exploration.
China became an increasingly important source of imports and credits. By the year 2000 there was a significant overall process of economic recovery with the emergence of new or growing sectors to offset the decline in Cuba’s traditionally dominant source of export earnings: sugar. The year 2000 also witnessed important transformations in Latin American politics with the emergence of several progressive regimes willing to engage on amicable terms with Cuba. The most important of these, of course, was the Venezuelan regime of Hugo Chavez.
By 2000, Cuba’s past investments in the development of facilities for medical and educational training had provided her with a growing annual flow of trained doctors and teachers willing and able to work with deprived communities overseas.
Hugo Chavez, meanwhile, pursued social “missions” to provide free health and education facilities to Venezuela’s marginalized population in both town and countryside. Chavez could not fulfill these “missions” by relying on Venezuela’s professional medical and pedagogical classes: these were accustomed to provide their services for a generous remuneration, predominantly from the country’s urban middle class.
But Chavez commanded handsome oil revenues that he could exchange for the services of many thousands of Cuban doctors and teachers. He could thus fulfill his social “missions” while the Cuban State could earn hard currency income to offset that lost with the decline of her traditional commodity exports. Morever, Chavez could and did finance Cuba’s provision of health and educational personnel to other countries in the region such as Bolivia and Nicaragua that collectively comprised what was known as the “pink tide” of progressive regimes emerging in Latin America.
Throughout the region, Cuba hence became best known not as an exporter of armed revolution but as a provider of better health and education for the underprivileged on many countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean. In such a context, the US’s pursuit of “regime change” in Cuba, employing savage (and illegal) extra-territorial economic sanctions did not leave Cuba isolated in the Western Hemisphere. The isolated power was the US itself.
On the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, one can look back on a turbulent history that has seen profound international transformations. Cuba itself has witnessed important changes in its economic and social structure and in its domestic and international strategies.
Fidel Castro himself has left the scene as regards the day-today running of political and economic events. His brother Raul presides over a government most of the Ministers of which are in their 40s or 50s. The island is open to international visitors and, since many important enterprises are joint-ventures with foreign capital, the State has a less comprehensive role in economic decision-making than it once did.
The sugar sector, which used to earn more than 70 per cent of the nation’s export earnings now earns only 10 per cent. By contrast, the service sector, which used to earn 10 per cent of export earnings now earns 70 per cent. More decentralization in economic decision-making is still required, especially in Cuban agriculture where worker productivity and total output remain stubbornly low.
But the past half-century has certainly seen Cuba earn the name by which it was once popularly known: Cork Island. It can be battered and soaked in stormy seas but not sunk. And to achieve that while at the same time producing a progressively more educated and healthy population is quite an achievement.

Scottish Socialist Voice article

2009-01-10T21:25:00.004Z

SSP DELEGATION SETS OFF FOR CUBA

On Friday 23rd May 2008, Terasita Trujillo, an Official of the Foreign Relations Department of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party, met with members of the SSP executive and international committee, with a view to strengthening relations between the SSP and the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. With that in mind the SSP were asked to send a delegation to visit Cuba to meet with the officials and local community groups.

In February, the SSP, will send a nine strong delegation to Cuba. For two weeks the delegation will meet with community groups in Havana, Pinar del Rio and Santa Clara. The delegation have requested meetings with Trade Unions, women’s groups, environmental and artistic groups which, they hope will give a better understanding of what everyday life is like for a Cuban worker.

To compliment these visits the group will also have formal meetings with the Cuban Communist Party and with representatives from the Cuban government to investigate if there are areas where Cuba and Scotland can link and be mutually supportive of each other.

Of course, this all comes with the background of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution and it is no accident that the delegation has picked 2009 for the visit. It is important that this milestone is celebrated, not just by Cubans but by the larger world community. At a time where the capitalist dream seems to be collapsing around them, we need practical examples of how socialism may work. Cubans are the first to admit that the Cuban system is not perfect but it has been working for the last 50 years and we can all learn from their mistakes and victories.

Some of the economic and environmental hardships that we are starting to face here, Cuba has been experiencing for the last 4 decades due to the American blockade of Cuba and have come up with some innovative solutions that could be transferable to other societies. Converting brown field urban sites into local allotments to provide fresh fruit and vegetables was a response to food rationing and as it didn’t involve transportation helped with the oil shortages too.

Unfortunately , there is another anniversary that we would prefer not to be marking when we are there. The tenth anniversary of the jailing of the “Miami five” . These five Cubans were sent to Miami to infiltrate local terrorist groups planning terrorist atrocities against Cuba. They drew up a dossier on these groups and handed it to the American FBI, where they were promptly arrested and jailed. One of the men, Gerardo Hernandez was given two life sentences plus a further 15 years. This must be one of the worst miscarriages of justice at the present time, even though the facts are publicly known, still the US courts refuse to listen. At the same time, Posada Carrilles, wanted for the destruction of a Cuban airliner in 1976 when over 70 people were killed, is able to walk freely around Miami . Carilles still wanted in Venezuela for this terrorist act but the US government refuses to extradite him.

All that said, the delegation hopes it will be a good and enjoyable trip, but we also would like to bring what we see back to Scotland and as such we intend to film a “video diary” and set up a blog , which we will update as often as we can . we also will give talks to branches and community groups who would like to talk to similar groups in Cuba. Hasta la Victoria siempre !!!!

OSWALDO GUAYASAMIN

2009-01-10T20:45:00.003Z

http://www.guayasamin.com/pages_ing/index.html

in 2006 we went to the opening of an exhibition, in Havana, of art by the artist above and one of the other guests was Gerard Depardieu.

i'm a bit of a philistine when it comes to art - especially contempary art, but i quite like Oswaldo Guayasamin's stuff

Oswaldo Guayasamin

Oswaldo was born in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, on July 6, 1919. He graduated from the School of Fine Art in Quito as painter and sculptor. He carried out his first exhibit when he was 23, in 1942. He achieved in his youth all National Awards, and was credited, in 1952, at the age of 33, the Grand Award of the Biennial of Spain and later the Grand Award of the Biennial of Sao Paulo. His last exhibits were personally inaugurated in the Palace Museum of Luxemberg in Paris, and in the Museo Palais de Glace in Buenos Aires, in 1995.

He died on March 10, 99, when he was 79 years old.

His work has been shown in museums in all capitals of America and in many countries in Europe, for example, in Leningrade (L'Ermitage), Moscow, Prague, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, and Warsaw. He carried out 180 individual exhibits, and his production was fruitful in paintings, murals, sculptures and monuments. He has murals in Quito (Government and Legislative Palaces; Central University; Provincial Council); Madrid (Barajas airport); Paris (UNESCO headquarters); Sao Paulo (Latin American Parliament). In his monuments "A la Patria Joven" (To the Young Country) (Guayaquil, Ecuador); "A la Resistencia" (To the Resistence) (Rumiñahui) in Quito.

10 YEARS - MISSCARRAGE OF JUSTICE !!

2009-01-09T20:29:00.006Z

FREE THE CUBAN 5

Roberto Gonzales, a Cuban lawyer and brother of Rene Gonzales
meeting with the SSP in 2004

http://www.freethefive.org/whoarethefive.htm

Who are the Cuban Five?

The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who are in U.S. prison, serving four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being wrongly convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami, on June 8, 2001.

They are Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González.

The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related charges.

But the Five pointed out vigorously in their defense that they were involved in monitoring the actions of Miami-based terrorist groups, in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their country of Cuba.

The Five’s actions were never directed at the U.S. government. They never harmed anyone nor ever possessed nor used any weapons while in the United States.

The Cuban Five’s mission was to stop terrorism

For more than 40 years, anti-Cuba terrorist organizations based in Miami have engaged in countless terrorist activities against Cuba, and against anyone who advocates a normalization of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. More than 3,000 Cubans have died as a result of these terrorists’ attacks.

Terrorist Miami groups like Comandos F4 and Brothers to the Rescue operate with complete impunity from within the United States to attack Cuba—with the knowledge and support of the FBI and CIA.

Therefore, Cuba made the careful and necessary decision to send the Five Cubans to Miami to monitor the terrorists. The Cuban Five infiltrated the terrorist organizations in Miami to inform Cuba of imminent attacks.

The aim of such a clandestine operation by the Cuban Five—at great personal risk—was to prevent criminal acts, and thus protect the lives of Cubans and other people.

But instead of arresting the terrorists, the FBI arrested the Cuban Five ANTI-terrorists on September 12, 1998. The Five were illegally held in solitary confinement for 17 months in Miami jail.

The trial began in November 2000. With the seven-month trial based in Miami, a virtual witchhunt atmosphere existed. Defense attorneys’ motions for a change of venue were denied five times by the judge, although it was obvious that a fair trial was impossible in that city.

In a blow to justice, the Cuban Five were convicted June 8, 2001 and sentenced to four life terms and 75 years in December, 2001.

A victory in appeals, then a surprise reversal

On August 9, 2005, after seven years of unjust imprisonment, the Cuban Five won an unprecedented victory on appeal. A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the convictions of the Cuban Five and ordered a new trial outside of Miami.

(The Aug. 9 court decision can be read here (PDF file)

However, in an unexpected reversal on Oct. 31, the 11th Circuit Court vacated the three-judge panel’s ruling and granted an “en banc” hearing before the full panel of 12 judges. Exactly one year after the victory that granted the Five a new trial, the panel voted 10 to 2 to deny the Five heroes a new trial, and instead affirmed the trial court.

Nine remaining issues of appeal are before the three-judge panel (it is actually two judges now, one has retired), and as of December 2006, final supplemental documents were submitted by defense and prosecution. For an explanation of the legal issues, read the Nov. 21 interview with Leonard Weinglass here.

Your support is more important than ever

This case is a political case and the Cuban Five are political prisoners.

Their freedom will depend not only on the arduous work of the defense team but just as importantly on the public support that can be organized. Over 250 committees have been established in the United States and around the world, demanding immediate freedom for Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio, Fernando and René.

Important declarations have been made by hundreds of parliamentarians in Britain, Italy, and the European and Latin American Parliaments. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, with five judges, ruled that there were irregularities in the Five’s trial and arrest, effectively denying them a fair trial and calls on the U.S. government to remedy this injustice.

In the United States, the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five is working very hard to build broad support for these anti-terrorist heroes, with forums and video showings, media and publicity work, and a march that was held on Sept. 23, 2006 in front of the White House.

The year 2007 will be critical for the struggle to win freedom for the Cuban Five. Call or write us! Find out how you can do your part to win justice for five men who dedicated their lives to save others.

MORE THAN TORTURE FROM GUANTANAMO

2009-01-06T21:06:00.002Z

www.cubaheadlines.com

MEANWHILE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE........

Natural Medicine in Eastern Cuba

The eastern Cuban province of Guantánamo produced two million bottles of natural medications in 2008.

!--

The Empresa de Farmacias y Opticas reported an 11-percent increase in production, compared to the previous year.

That volume accounts for an average of more than six bottles of natural medications per each of the province's 511,000 inhabitants.

One of the most demanded products is Vimang, which contributes to preventing the harmful effects of oxidative stress.

Vimang, which is obtained from the bark of 17 varieties of mango trees, comes in the form of cream, extract, syrup and infusion.

Vimang has been successfully used to improve the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic diseases.

(ACN)

HAVANA BOOK FAIR

2009-01-06T20:43:00.003Z

The havana book fair will be on when the delegation is in cuba , hopefully we will get the chance to have a wander round

http://www.cubaheadlines.com/

Havana's Book Fair to Launch Titles by some of the World's Greatest Authors

Novels, short stories and books of poetry penned by some of the world's best authors of all times like Dylan Thomas, Rabindranath Tagore, Bertold Brecht, Robert Luis Stevenson, José Martí, Marcel Proust, Gabriel García Márquez and Arthur Conan Doyle are part of the catalogue of the 17th Havana's International Book Fair due for February 13 through March 9.

Arte y Literatura publishing house, with a four-decade history devoted to the world best literature, has announced the launch of three books of poetry by Americans writers Richard Wrigth, Edgar Lee Masters and Dylan Thomas. Cuban authors translated the volumes.

In all, Arte y Literatura label will put out seven poetry editions including works by German Bertold Brecht and Indian Rabindranath Tagore. Lourdes González, director of the publishing house, said that the wide spectrum of nationalities of the authors suits the label's interest in publishing quality texts from different parts of the globe.

Among the 36 titles printed by Arte y Literatura specifically for this year's Book Fair, five are penned by Galician writers. No coincidence at all since the event is paying homage to this Spanish autonomous region.

And last but not least, the publishing house will issue Portuguese José Saramago's most recent novel Historia del cerco de Lisboa as well as One Hundred Years of Solitude, the most famous novel by Colombian Gabriel García Márquez. In addition to the volumes by these two Nobel Prize winners, Arte y Literatura has published Sodoma y Gomorra, by French Marcel Proust, a book with excellent reviews for its original approach to sexuality. The catalogue also includes writers of the like of Arthur Conan Doyle, Ken Kesey, Wilkie Collins and Gore Vidal.

Meanwhile, Gente Nueva publishing house, the Cuban label specializing in children and youth's literature, is issuing a number of works by Cuban José Martí, American Mark Twain, Italian Carlo Collodi and Venezuelan Horacio Quiroga among other writers.

Havana's Book Fair organizers have announced that eight and a half million of books will be on sale. Novelties amount to over one thousand titles.

CUBAN CELEBRATIONS - RAUL

2009-01-05T22:29:00.001Z

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/enero/juev1/raul-i.html

RAÚL AT CELEBRATION OF THE REVOLUTION’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY
This has been the most fruitful half century of Cuban history

SANTIAGO DE CUBA. - President Raúl Castro Ruz described the half century that has passed since the triumph of the Revolution as the most fruitful in Cuban history.

In a closing speech at the main event celebrating 50 years since the clarion call of January 1959, Raúl paid tribute to Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

After evoking excerpts of his speeches at key moments of the nation’s history, he reiterated that individuals don’t make history, but there are essential men capable of influencing its course, and Fidel, he said, is one of them.

The Cuban president said that the Commander in Chief has always fought against what is fatuous and fleeting; hence, he has held up the maxim of José Martí that all the glory of the world fits on a grain of corn.

In that sense, Raúl called on the leaders of tomorrow to follow that example, to never forget that this is the Revolution of the humble, with the humble and for the humble.

He called on them to avoid faltering in face of the siren’s song of the enemy and to be aware that, because of its very essence, the enemy will never stop being aggressive, dominant and treacherous, and he emphasized that it is essential to never become separated from workers, farmers and the rest of the people.

Let us learn from history — he emphasized — and if you act like that, you will always have the support of the people, and you will not lack for the moral authority that is only granted by the masses to those who do not cede in struggle.

He warned that on the contrary, you could end up being impotent in the face of external and internal dangers and incapable of preserving the project that is the fruit of the blood and sacrifice of generations of Cubans.

If that should happen, our people will know how to put up a fight, and the Mambises of today will be on the front lines; they will not be disarmed ideologically nor will they let their swords fall, the Cuban president affirmed in a resounding speech.

After dedicating his first words to those who have fallen during this long struggle, Raúl Castro reviewed the history of events since the attack on the Moncada.

It was in the heat of struggle that we learned how to turn dreams into reality, he said, and to not lose our heads in the face of danger and threats; to raise our spirits when we suffered setbacks.

Those of us who have had the privilege of living through this stage of history in all its intensity know how true Fidel’s assertion was on January 8, 1959, when he warned that much remained to be done, and that perhaps everything would be more difficult from then on, Raúl said.

He noted that nothing morally valuable has been alien to the revolutionary whirlwind in Cuba, and that even before January 1st, it began to sweep away dishonorable things and inequalities, and open the way to the entire people.

Raúl referred to the many acts of aggression and sabotage suffered by Cuba, including the Bay of Pigs invasion, the state terrorism that has left more than 3,000 dead, the plans for assassinating Fidel and other leaders and the murders of farmers, fishermen and students.

One after another, every U.S. administration has tried to force Cuba to change its system one way or another, with more or less aggressiveness, and resistance has been the watchword of all of these years, he emphasized.

He stated that the resistance of the Revolution and its people has been firm, free of fanaticism, based on solid convictions and on the determination of an entire people to defend itself at whatever price necessary.

One example of that, he said, is the steadfast firmness of the five glorious heroes, the Cuban Five.

Today we are not alone in facing the empire on this side of the ocean, as was the case in the 1960s; today the Revolution is stronger than ever, and it has never ceded one millimeter in its principles, the Cuban president affirmed.

Reflecting on the future, especially the next 50 years, Raul said that they would also be years of ongoing struggle, and we should not think that they will be easier considering the turmoil in the world.

More than 3,000 people from Santiago, representing all Cuban people, attended the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution, held in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba,

2009-01-04T21:34:00.002Z

This is the Cuban Trogon, The national bird of Cuba
wikipedia entry

THE FART BIRD

2009-01-04T21:12:00.002Z

i have to admit that when i came across this beautiful little bird and then found out what it was called, it quite tickled my school boy humour. It comes from a family of birds unique to the Caribbean, called Todies. The Cuban Tody has an unfortunately atribute of making a noise when flying that resembles someone breaking wind. and so earns its common name " The Fart Bird"

cuba solidarity campaign

2009-01-04T16:24:00.003Z

The Cuba Solidariy Campaign (SCS) and its scottish sister organisation, Scottish Cuba Solidarity Campaign (SCSC) are organisations worth subscribing to. The SCS website below has up to date info on cuba and events in the UK

the quarterly magazine "Cuba Si" is well worth a read and has a load of great articles. you can also subscribe to their email news bulletin at :
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org/news.asp?ItemID=1546

"cuba si" here

CUBA WEATHER

2009-01-04T16:01:00.002Z

Today's Cuba Weather News:

2009-01-03 11:00 WEATHER FORECAST. NATIONWIDE.
The good weather conditions will continue today with mostly clear skies and sunny. Later on, in the afternoon, it could turn partially cloudy in some places of the interior with isolated short-term showers.

The day will be warm with maximum temperature between 27-30 degrees Celsius, somewhat hotter in zones of the South-east portion whereas at night it will drop down to 18-21 degrees Celsius.

The winds will blow from the East to South-east in the Western and from the East in the rest of the country with speed between 10-25 km per hour. There will be unrest of the sea in the Eastern North coast, slight unrest in the rest of the North coasts, as well as from Punta de Maisi to Cabo Cruz; in the rest of the South coasts the sea will remain calm.

get daily updates at cubaweather.org

2009-01-03T10:07:00.001Z

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2008/diciembre/lun29/gaza.html

Cuba condemns Israeli attack on Gaza

CUBA has expressed its most energetic condemnation of the massive air attack on Gaza perpetrated by Israel, which has resulted in more than 200 deaths and hundreds of injured Palestinians.

A statement from the Cuban revolutionary government describes that military operation as criminal, "the most bloody executed by Israel against the Palestinian people," it notes.

It adds that that action "is occurring in the midst of the illegal blockade imposed for the last 18 months by the Israeli government on the Gaza Strip and directed at annihilating the Palestinian population, including children, women and the elderly, and forcing them to surrender out of hunger and sickness."

The text, quoted by Prensa Latina, continues, "Cuba expresses its most energetic condemnation of this genocidal act on the part of the Israeli government, which is in violation of the most elemental principles of international law and the UN Charter."

It ends with a call on the international community to "condemn this massacre and to mobilize to demand an immediate end to these attacks on the Palestinian civilian population," and reiterates Cuba’s solidarity with and unshakeable support of "this suffering and heroic people."

Translated by Granma International

BBC ON CUBAN ANNIVERSARY

2009-01-02T22:50:00.001Z

Cuba has marked the 50th anniversary of the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power, creating a communist state on the United States' doorstep.

President Raul Castro, who took over from Fidel last year, spoke from below the same balcony where his brother declared victory on 1 January 1959.

He predicted the revolution would survive another 50 years.

The festivities have been muted as Cuba struggles with big economic challenges and the aftermath of three hurricanes.

Reacting to the anniversary, a White House spokesman said the US continued to seek freedom for the Cuban people.

see more at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7806928.stm

EURO

2009-01-02T19:36:00.002Z

As a socialist, i don't tend to follow the money markets that close, but this trip has given me a (temporary) interest in the Euro as most of the costs in Cuba are quoted in Euros. One of the main costs is for accommodation which we pay when we get there . with the credit crunch - we can always hope its the start of the fall of capitalism - the Euro / Pound ratio has gone mad!!

in september 2008 500 Euros = £397
on december 28th 500 Euros = £488

i will keep you up to date on the Euro watch !!!!

2009-01-02T00:19:00.002Z

The "Yo, sí puedo " or "yes, i can" system of literacy training / teaching is one of the areas we have requested to look into when we are in cuba. i'm especially interested in whether it is translatable into English and if it can be used in literacy training for adults with learning difficulties.

gerry

http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID={A0570A62-2308-453F-89D2-14CC82B45A90}&language=EN

Uruguay Praises Cuba Literacy Method
Montevideo, Dec 30 (Prensa Latina)

The Cuban literacy program "Yes, I Can," has been highly effective in Uruguay, where the number of literate people is greater than in other countries where the method is also applied, an official from the Social Development Ministry (MIDES) said on Tuesday.

Yamandu Ferraz, director of the MIDES Division for Attention of Groups and Vulnerable Population, praised the good quality of the method, with 81 percent successful implementation.
That figure is higher that the amount of adults literate with the same method in another 23 countries including Canada, New Zealand or Spain, where the highest records range from 75 to 78 percent.

Created by a Cuban expert from the Latin American and Caribbean Pedagogical Institute, the program was adapted to the Uruguayan situation and called In the Country of Varela, Yes, I Can, in honor of Pedro Jose Varela, reformer of the Uruguayan education.

Highly recognized by UNESCO, the Cuban method has allowed more than 3,000 Uruguayans to learn to read and write, helping the country to bring forward the projected goal to end illiteracy.

Practically summer in Scotland

2009-01-02T00:03:00.001Z

http://www.periodico26.cu/english/offbeat/cold103008.html
Cold Snap Sets October Record
BY ORFILIO PELAEZ

Record low temperatures for October were registered on Wednesday in several localities of the interior of western Cuba. The lowest was 9.0 degrees Celsius recorded in the Havana Province city of Guines, southeast of the capital.

Anolkys Mengana of the Cuban Forecast Center said that other record lows were set with temperatures of 9.2 in Tapaste; 9.3 in Melena del Sur; 9.4 in Bainoa; 10.9 in Batabano; and 11.2 in Guira de Melena.

The weather stations in Santiago de las Vegas reported 12.5 and Casablanca, across the bay from Old Havana, registered 18.4.

The sharp drop in temperature, unusual for this time of year, is due to a massive continental Artic air mass, along with little cloud cover and weak winds in the interior and south of the country.

Mengana said the early mornings will remain cold for the rest of the week in western and central, with a gradual increase in daytime temperatures.

FREEDOM CARAVAN

2009-01-01T23:21:00.004Z

http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/cuba/2008-12-30/cubans-to-recall-fidel-entry-into-havana/

Cubans to Recall Fidel Entry into Havana

From January 2-8 the Cuban people will remember Fidel Castro’s victorious 1959 entry into Havana following the triumph of the Revolution.

Over 50 people were selected from each province to participate in the event to recall Fidel Castro’s victorious entry into Havana at the head of the “Freedom Caravan” following the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.

Fidel, along with several members of the Rebel Army, traveled across the island from Santiago de Cuba to Havana, consolidating then the defeat of the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship.
Those people to participate in this event will be students of the Federation of Middle Teaching Students (FEEM) and the Federation of University Students (FEU), outstanding young people, teachers, doctors, artists, sportsmen, scientists, internationalists, farmers, members of the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution, officers and soldiers of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of Interior (MININT).

Each province will select people to participate in this Freedom Caravan, which will include outstanding individuals and Heroes of Labor with distinguished records as workers. This event aims to mark Fidel’s victorious journey to Havana from January 2 to 8, 1959. The celebration will end with a huge rally at what was then Columbia Military Camp, presently Ciudad Libertad School Grounds.

In addition to the main activities to be held in each province, participants will have the opportunity to visit a number of historic sites and meet with several combatants and relatives of martyrs of the Revolution.

The Freedom Caravan will depart from Santiago de Cuba on January 2 at 8 a.m. and is expected to arrive in Ciudad Libertad on January 8, although it will arrive in Pinar del Río City on January 17, coinciding with Fidel’s visit to this region in 1959.

50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION

2009-01-01T00:44:00.003Z

HAPPY 50TH TO THE CUBAN REVOLUTION !!

2008-12-31T17:44:00.003Z

UNA ROSA ROJA, ROJA
Robert Burns

EN ESPAÑOL
(in spanish)
Mi amore es cual la rosa roja
Que en junio floreció
Mi amor, como una melodía
Tocado con primor

Tú estás tan Linda, amada, como
Enamorado yo.
Y te amaré hasta que se agote
El ancho mar, mi amor

Hasta que el mar se agote y fundanse
Las rocas bajo el sol
Mientras la arena de la vida
Se deslice veloz

Adiós, adios por breve tiempo;
Adios, mi único amor;
Aunque estuviera a diez mil millas
A ti volveré yo

Translation : Ramón Sangenis

A RED, RED ROSE
Robert Burns

EN ESCOCÉS VIEJO
( in old scots)

My luve is like a red, red rose
that’s newly sprung in June;
o my luve is like the melodie
that’s sweetly played in tune

as fair art thou, my bonnie lass
So deep in luve am I;
and I will luve thee still, my dear;
till a’ the seas gang dry

till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
and the rocks melt wi’ the sun
I will luve thee still, my dear
while the sands of life shall run

and fare thee weel, my only love
and fare thee weel, awhile!
and I will come again, my love
tho’ it were ten thousand miles

To a mouse - scots and spanish versions

2008-12-31T17:34:00.003Z

A UNA RATON
Robert Burns

Pequeña y temerosa bestezuela;
¡cuánto miedo en su pecho diminuto !
No tienes por qué huir tan azorada,
Súbitamente esquiva;
Seria muy malvado si intentase
Perseguirte y matarte

Es en pena que el poder del hombre
Haya quebrado la hermandad del mundo
Y que por eso., pobrecilla raton,
Tengas que huir de me
Tú que naciste como yo en la tierra
Y has de morir también

Es cierto que te entregas al pillaje ……
¿y qué? También tú tienes que vivir
¿qué valor tiene un grano en una espiga?
¡cuán pequeño botín!
A mi me basta con lo que tú dejas,
Si aprendo a aprovechario.

Hoy tu casita está arruinada. Mira :
Su frágil estructura el viento esparce,
Sin dejar nada para rehacerla,
De tantas hojas verdes
Ahora, cuando el viento de diciembre
Se acerca, frio y crudo.

Tú sabes de los campos desolados
En el invierno cruel: acurrucada
Al abrigo del viento, tu soñabas
Vivir en tu nidal;
Mas, ¡ay dolor!, pasó el cruel arado
Y destruyó tu celda.

¡cuán duras penas te costó reunir
Ese montón informe de hojarasca
En que se ha convertido, pobricilla,
La casa que debía
De la invernal llovizna guarecerte
Y del cruel granizo!

Nada debes, ratita, reprocharte;
Hubiera sido en vano prevenirlo
Los planes de las ratas y los hombres
A menudo fracasan;
Y en lugar de la dicha prometida
Quedan dolor y llanto

Y aun asi eres dichosa, comparada
Conmigo; a ti el presente solo afecta;
Mas yo, si miro atrás, solo contemplo
Lúgubres perspectivas;
Y hacia adelante, aunque no puedo verlo,
El mal remo y presiento

TRANSLATION : Ramon Sangenis

TO A MOUSE
ROBERT BURNS
Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie,
O, what a panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty
Wi bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murdering pattle.

I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
An' justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth born companion
An' fellow mortal!

I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
'S a sma' request;
I'll get a blessin wi' the lave,
An' never miss't.

Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
It's silly wa's the win's are strewin!
An' naething, now, to big a new ane,
O' foggage green!
An' bleak December's win's ensuin,
Baith snell an' keen!

Thou saw the fields laid bare an' waste,
An' weary winter comin fast,
An' cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro' thy cell.

That wee bit heap o' leaves an' stibble,
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now thou's turned out, for a' thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the winter's sleety dribble,
An' cranreuch cauld.
But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Still thou are blest, compared wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear!

2008-12-31T17:00:00.003Z

SSP STATEMENT ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION

To : The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and the Peoples of Cuba.
From: The Scottish Socialist Party

The Scottish Socialist Party sends fraternal greetings and congratulations to the people of Cuba, on the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution.

We congratulate the Cuban people for having overcome great hardship in the last 50 years , due to the illegal US blockade. Your sacrifice and commitment to your revolution has been an inspiration to the Scottish Socialist Party and to wider Scottish society. The great progress achieved in so many areas, especially in medicine and education, have been all the more impressive given this great blockade imposed against you.

We condemn the government of the United States of America for its attacks on Cuba over the past 50 years. Typical of its attitude is their outrageous and entirely unjust incarceration of the five Cuban heroes who have been languishing in American jails for 10 years now and the awful treatment of the men's families.

In February of 2009, the Scottish Socialist Party plans to send an official delegation to Cuba to learn more about your country. We continue to encourage community, trade union and political groups in Scotland to start a dialogue with similar groups in Cuba.

The Scottish Socialist Party wishes to join the people of Cuba in marking this, the 50th anniversary of the revolution as an important occasion for the world as well as Cuba.

Viva la Revolución Cubana

The International Committee
The Scottish Socialist Party

2008-12-31T16:55:00.003Z

diary pt 2

2008-12-31T16:54:00.001Z

After two planning meetings ,one in October and one in November , we had an idea of the kind of things that we would like to take with us to Cuba. A info pack with stuff about both the SSP and Scotland in general. We split the tasks up between the delegates and came up with a rough idea of what it would include. A history of the SSP, a single sheet calendar, and some Robert Burns poems translated into Spanish.
I imagined that the final item, the burns poems would be readily available in Spanish. Not so . After 6 weeks of searching, i was finally pointed in the direction of the national poetry library, situated in a close (an alleyway for non scots) off the high street (the royal mile for tourists!!!). They were so helpful and found two obscure translations for me :- “to a mouse” and “my love is like a red red rose”. I was really looking for “a man's a man” but these will do!!. if someone has a good command of both Scots and Spanish there may be a wee niche market in burns translations.
Two other things we are to arrange are : a banner to present to the PCC (Communist Party of Cuba)
which one of the groups friends are helping with, and a CD of “Scottish” music. Each of the delegates were asked to pick 2 songs that they associated with scotland – when we get the final results i'll post them up. What would you pick?
On the visa front; we have now received our tourist visas, we sent off the forms and money and waited – i've mentioned cuban bureaucracy before and how slow it can be – the visas were back with me within 5 days so as far as the travelling goes, that's all the paperwork done.

cuba emnbassy in london website here

diary Pt.1

2008-12-30T16:10:00.002Z

CUBAN DELEGATION TRIP 2008

On Friday 23rd May, Terasita Trujillo, Official of the Foreign Relations Department of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party, met with members of the SSP executive and international committee, with a view to strengthening relations between the SSP and the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. With that in mind the SSP has been asked to send a delegation to visit Cuba to meet with the government and local community groups.

The Delegation is open to all SSP members and will travel to Cuba at the beginning of February 2009. all delegates will have to be self financing.

The above flyer was given out at the SSP national council in Perth to encourage more members to join the delegation. Up until that point we had one possible and 4 confirmed delegates.

By the Tuesday the number of delegates had risen to 10. I had been researching flights for a number of weeks but now I had to make a decision so opted for a local company Barrhead travel. I sent an email with our requirements as most travel companies can only book up to 6 people at a time. I waited and waited and by the next Sunday I had not had a reply so phoned their customer services Dept. to be told the request was passed on to the Dundee office but they would deal with it. They gave me a price for the group and I asked them to give me until Wednesday to contact everyone and confirm the price was OK. They said they would phone me back on Wednesday.!!

Wednesday came and went and no reply , and Thursday, and Friday. Finally, on Saturday I phoned them and was told that someone would phone back by the end of business that day. No phone call on Saturday , Sunday or Monday. Tuesday came I was so pissed off that I phoned netflights.com and asked for a quote, which turned out to be £50 per person cheaper than Barrhead. So I booked and was asked to spell everyone's name as they appear on their passport, which I did. The process was fairly easy and apart from the (nearly) £5000 , painless.
I received the confirmation and e-tickets from netflights. Only one mistake Morag's name had a letter missing from her surname. The girl that booked the tickets was very adamant that there could be no changes, what so ever. I had a feeling I was in for a bit of a fight.

I couldn't have been more wrong. One phone call to the customer services desk to explain got a reply of “ the computers are down but we will fix it within 48 hours” . They were wrong. By the time I got home from work there was an email with the changes already documented. So that's the flights sorted (I hope).

Now to the Cuban side. I had emailed Luis Marron, the political councillor of the Cuban embassy in London to let him know that we had changed the dates from November 2008 to February 2009. this was because we had a few conferences in the autumn and wouldn't have much time to organise things properly. I hadn't heard from him for a few weeks , which is not unusual as the Cuban system can be slow and bureaucratic but Luis is usually quite good at replying. However I discovered he was back in Cuba for a month and sorted it out when he came back. So the dates are set and the request for the PCC (Cuban communist party) hotel has been sent for the new dates. The other thing that we need to check out is the visa status of our visit, a tourist visit may be sufficient but the work camps require a special visa for them. Luis is on the case !!!

There is a meeting booked for the 5th October to discuss the trip and for everyone to meet up

2008-12-29T14:28:00.001Z

hi all, this blog is for the SSP delegation to Cuba in February 2009 to keep everyone informed about our trip and what we are up to. i will post some of the history of the trip over the next few days and of course the exciting stuff will come in February when we actually get there. hopefully we will be able to access the Internet fairly frequently when we are there.

but for now you can access another trip i did in 2006 to whet your appetite

http://scottish-socialist.spaces.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0&sa=504118485

Gerry