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Tag: Angola
Cameroon Elected As Member of U.N. Human Rights Council
As has been discussed in many posts, for the last several years the government of Cameroon has been engaged in armed conflict with the minority of Cameroonians whose principal European language is English (the Anglophones). In the course of that conflict, the government allegedly has committed many human rights violations.[1]
This record and the objections against these acts were voiced by many other governments during Cameroon's recent Universal Periodic Review by the U.N. Human Rights Council, which is the body within the U.N. system made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe. These Council members are elected by the majority of members of the U.N. General Assembly through direct and secret ballot. The General Assembly [purportedly] takes into account the candidate States' contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard. (Emphasis added.)
Despite Cameroon's dismal human rights record, on October 12, 2018, the U.N. General Assembly elected Cameroon to be a member of the Council for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2019.[2]
Amnesty International Human Rights Watch and other rights groups objected to the election of Cameroon and certain other countries. "Elevating states with records of gross human rights violations and abuses is a tremendous setback," said Amnesty International USA's advocacy director, Daniel Balson. "It puts them on the world stage, and moreover, it empowers them to fundamentally undermine notions of human rights that are accepted internationally.[3]
In this context, Human Rights Watch raised "serious concerns about human rights in . . . Cameroon, . . . . [where] government security forces and armed separatists have committed grave abuses against residents of the country's Anglophone region. The region has been rocked by protests and violent clashes rooted in longstanding political grievances of the Anglophone minority. While the government has taken some positive steps in recent months, including signing the Safe Schools Declaration, violence and abuses in the Anglophone region continue."
The Council elections of Cameroon and four other African states (Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Somalia and Togo) are partially attributable to the Council's allocation of 13 of the 47 seats to African states; and to three of the African members having terms ending on December 31, 2018 and being ineligible for re-election after having served two consecutive terms (Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia and Kenya). The other African members are Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.[4]
[1] See Cameroonian President Biya Wins Re-Election by a Landslide, dwkcommentaries.com (Oct. 26, 2018); Continued Violence in Cameroon, dwkcommentaries.com (Oct. 4, 2018). See also posts listed in List of Posts to dwkcommentaries—Topical: CAMEROON.
[2] U.N., General Assembly Elects 18 Member States to Human rights Council, Allowing Vote by 3 Member States in Article 19 Exemption over Financial Dues (Oct. 12, 2018).
[3] Assoc. Press, US, Rights Groups Say UN Rights Council Vote Lets Abusers In, N.Y. Times (Oct. 12, 2018); Human Rights Watch, UN: Philippines, Eritrea Don't Belong on Rights Council (Oct. 11, 2018).
[4] U.N. Hum. Rts. Council, Membership of the Human Rights Council; U.N., General Assembly Elects 18 Member States to Human Rights Council, Allowing Vote by 3 Member States in Article 19 Exemption over Financial Dues (Oct. 12, 2018).
Posted on October 27, 2018 Categories Law, Other countries, PoliticsTags Amnesty International, Anglophones, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cameroon President Paul Biya, Cote d'Ivoire, Daniel Balson, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Francophones, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia, U.N. General Assembly, U.N. Human Rights CouncilLeave a comment on Cameroon Elected As Member of U.N. Human Rights Council
Cameroon's Human Rights Record Being Subjected to Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by U.N. Human Rights Council: Background
This year Cameroon's human rights record is the subject of its third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. This post reviews basic information about the Council and its UPR process. Future posts will look at the pre-hearing papers for Cameroon's current UPR and then its UPR hearing and then finally the results of the UPR.
The Human Rights Council[1]
The Council since 2006 has been an important arm of the United Nations in recognizing and helping to enforce international human rights norms in the world.
The Council is made up of 47 U.N. Member States, which are elected by the majority of members of the U.N. General Assembly through direct and secret ballot. The General Assembly takes into account the candidate States' contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard.
The Council's Members serve for a period of three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms. The seats are allocated on the following geographical basis:
African States: 13 seats
Asia-Pacific States: 13 seats
Latin American and Caribbean States: 8 seats
Western European and other States: 7 seats
Eastern European States: 6 seats
The current African members are Angola, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo and Tunisia.
The UPR Process[2]
One of the ways the Council seeks to encourage universal compliance with international human rights standards is its UPR of individual U.N. member states. The UPR is universal in that all 193 U.N. members and all human rights norms are reviewed and it is periodic because it done every four years. Such reviews are to be "based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfillment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments in a manner which ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment with respect to all States." This is to be done with "a cooperative mechanism, based on an interactive dialogue, with the full involvement of the country concerned."
The UPR process involves (a) the state's submission of a report to the Council; (b) submission of written questions and recommendations to the state from other states and stakeholders (human rights NGO's, etc.); (c) the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights' summary of U.N. information about the country; (d) questions submitted to the country in advance by the Working Group; (e) the hearing by the Council, (f) the preparation of a draft report on the state by a Council working group, (g) the state's comments on that report, (h) another hearing before the Council and (i) the Council's adoption of the final report on the outcome of the UPR.
Council's UPR Working Group for Cameroon's UPR[3]
The UPRs are conducted by the Council's 47 members acting as an UPR Working Group. In addition, any other U.N. Member State can take part in the review.
Each State's review is assisted by a groups of three States, known as a "troika," who serve as rapporteurs. The selection of the troikas for each State is done through a drawing of lots following elections for the Council membership in the General Assembly. For Cameroon's third UPR the Troika members are United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Iraq and South Africa.
The UPR Hearing
The May 16 hearing lasted three and a half hours, during which the state under review was given 70 minutes to present its report, as well as answer questions made by other states and present concluding remarks. The remaining 140 minutes were allocated to states participating in the review to ask questions, make comments and recommendations to the state under review.
The second stage of the process will take place during the Council's 39th period of sessions in September 2018, at which time the final report will be presented by the Troika.
[1] U.N. Hum. Rts. Council, Membership of Council; U.N. Hum. Rts. Council, Current Membership.
[2] U.N. Hum. Rts. Council, Basic Facts about the UPR
[3] U.N. Hum. Rts. Council, Cameroon's human rights record to be reviewed by Universal Periodic Review (May 11, 2018).
Posted on June 12, 2018 Categories Law, Other countries, PoliticsTags Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, human rights, Iraq, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia, U.N. General Assembly, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, U.N. Human Rights Council, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Universal Periodic Review (UPR)4 Comments on Cameroon's Human Rights Record Being Subjected to Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by U.N. Human Rights Council: Background
Nelson Mandela Was Inspired by Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution
The world this year rightfully commemorates the centennial of the birth of Nelson Mandela, who survived nearly 27 years in South African prisons to become the President of his country and to end its apartheid system with grace and humility.[1]
Also should be remembered was Mandel's "special fondness for Fidel Castro, who had inspired the African National Congress (ANC) radicals with his daring revolution in 1959 [and] Cuba's intervention in Angola. Mandela and his colleagues saw Cuba as "a dangerous model; a freak victory, but they were fired by the story of how Castro and Che Guevara, with only ten other survivors from their ship the Granma had mustered a guerilla army of 10,000 in eighteen months, and had marched on Havana in January 1959." For Mandela, "Castro, not the Party, . . . had realized the moment of revolution had come. He would never lose his admiration for Castro." Mandela's "chief defiance of the Western World was his championing of the two American bête noirés [persons one especially dislikes], Libya's Muammar] Qadaffi and Castro."[2]
That was why only a year-and-a-half after his release from prison, Mandela went to the city of Matanzas in Cuba to give an emotional speech on July 26, 1991, which is Cuba's national independence day, with Fidel in attendance as shown in the photograph below.
Mandela thanked Fidel and Cuba for helping the ANC to defeat Angolan invaders of South Africa in 1988. That defeat, Mandela said, "enables me to be here today."[3] Here are just a few of his other tributes to Cuba that day:[4]
"Today this is revolutionary Cuba, internationalist Cuba, the country that has done so much for the peoples of Africa. The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom, and justice, unparalleled for its principled and selfless character."
"From its earliest days the Cuban revolution has itself been a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people. We admire the sacrifices of the Cuban people in maintaining their independence and sovereignty in the face of a vicious imperialist-orchestrated campaign to destroy the impressive gains made in the Cuban revolution."
"We admire the achievements of the Cuban revolution in the sphere of social welfare. We note the transformation from a country of imposed backwardness to universal literacy. We acknowledge your advances in the fields of health, education, and science.
We "are moved by your affirmation of the historical connection to the continent and people of Africa. Your consistent commitment to the systematic eradication of racism is unparalleled."
In response, Fidel in his three-hour speech without notes called Mandela "one of the most extraordinary symbols of this era" by explaining that "apartheid is capitalism and imperialism in its fascist form."[5]
In July 1991 I was totally unaware of the Mandela-Fidel connection and of Mandela's speech in the city of Matanzas. It only was in the first decade of the 21st century that I learned of the existence of that city as a result of going there on three mission trips to visit its Versalles Redeemer Presbyterian-Reformed Church, which is a partner of my Minneapolis church, Westminster Presbyterian Church. Now I have friends from that city. [6]
I was somewhat surprised to find that Mandela's speech has no mention of Matanzas as a major port of entry for African slaves to work on sugar plantations, especially in the first half of the 19th century. As a result, it is said, due to the high number of both slaves and, importantly, free Afro-Cubans in Matanzas, the retention of African traditions is especially strong there. Perhaps that is the reason Fidel chose this celebration to be in that city. The city's San Severiino Museum has an exhibit about Cuba's slave trade.
[1] Details about the commemoration are available on the website of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. One of the events is the 16th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture on July 17, 2018, which this year will be given by former U.S. President Barack Obama and will be covered in a future post to this blog.
[2] Sampson, Mandela: The Authorized Biography at 152, 191, 414, 554 (Alfred Knopf, New York, 1999).
[3] Id. at 414.
[4] Speech by Nelson Mandela at the Rally in Cuba (July 26, 1991).
[5] Sampson at 414.
[6] See these posts to dwkcommentaries: The Cuban Revolution and Religion (Dec. 30, 2011); Minneapolis' Westminster Presbyterian Church's Connections with Cuba (Jan. 13, 2015); Minneapolis' Westminster Presbyterian Church Celebrates U.S.-Cuba Reconciliation (Jan. 4, 2015).
Posted on May 18, 2018 Categories Economics, History, Other countries, Politics, ReligionTags Africa, African National Congress (ANC), Angola, Barack Obama, Cuba, Cuba slave trade, Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, Libya, Matanzas Cuba, Minneapolis Minnesota, Muammar Qadaffi, Nelson Mandela, Nelson Mandela Foundation, San Severiino Museum, South Africa, South African Border War, Versalles Redeemer Presbyterian-Reformed Church, Westminster Presbyterian Church5 Comments on Nelson Mandela Was Inspired by Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution
Bleak Economic Prospects for Cuba
Although Cuba has reported a 1.1% increase of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first six months of 2017, the prospects for the rest of the year are bleak.[1] Here are the problems:
Possible deepening of Venezuelan crisis and further reduction of its oil exports to Cuba.
Possible increased cost of oil from Russia, Angola, Algeria and other suppliers in the Caribbean.
Possible reduction of American travel to the island.
During the first half of this year Cuba paid $ 2.306 billion on its external debt and still has to catch up on current payments to foreign suppliers.
Decreased Cuban nickel production and drops in international prices for this commodity.
Reduced sugar production.
Elusive foreign investment on the island, and complicated, lengthy Cuban process for approval of same.
Recent Cuban government measures to control and stifle the country's private sector.
[1] Economists: The picture could complicate Cuba even further this second semester, Diario de Cuba (Aug. 19, 2017).
Posted on August 20, 2017 Categories Economics, Other countriesTags Algeria, Angola, Cuba, Cuban economy, Cuban private sector, foreign investment, nickel, Russia, sugar, United States of America (USA), Venezuela1 Comment on Bleak Economic Prospects for Cuba
Another U.N. Condemnation of the U.S. Embargo of Cuba
U.N. General Assembly
On October 26, the United Nations General Assembly voted, 191 to 0 (with two abstentions), to adopt a resolution proposed by Cuba to condemn the United States embargo of Cuba. For the first time in the 25-year history of the annual vote on such resolutions, the U.S, rather than opposing the text, cast an abstention, prompting Israel to do likewise.[1]
This post will examine the resolution's text, its presentation by Cuba, its support by other countries and the arguments for abstention offered by the U.S. and Israel. This post will then conclude with a brief discussion of reaction to the abstention in the U.S. Prior posts discussed the similar General Assembly resolutions against the embargo that were adopted in 2011, 2014 and 2015.
The Actual Resolution
The actual resolution, "Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba" (A/RES/71/5 and A/71/L.3) had two principal operative paragraphs.
It reiterated "its call upon all States to refrain from promulgating and applying laws and measures [like the U.S. embargo against Cuba] . . . in conformity with their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and international law, which, inter alia, reaffirm the freedom of trade and navigation (¶ 2). It also urged "States that have and continue to apply such laws and measures to take the steps necessary to repeal or invalidate them as soon as possible in accordance with their legal regime (¶ 3).
The resolution's preamble reaffirmed "the sovereign equality of States, non-intervention and non-interference in their internal affairs and freedom of international trade and navigation, which are also enshrined in many international legal instruments" and recited the previous General Assembly resolutions against the embargo. It then welcomed "the progress in the relations between the Governments of Cuba and the [U.S.] and, in that context, the visit of the President of the [U.S.], Barack Obama, to Cuba in March 2016" while also recognizing "the reiterated will of the President of the [U.S.] to work for the elimination of the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba" and "the steps taken by the [U.S.] Administration towards modifying some aspects of the implementation of the embargo, which, although positive, are still limited in scope."
Cuba's Presentation of the Resolution
Speaking last in the debate, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, presented arguments for adopting the resolution. Here are extracts of that speech:
"[T]here has been progress [between Cuba and the U.S. since December 2014] in the dialogue and cooperation on issues of common interest and a dozen agreements were signed [and] reciprocal benefits reported. Now just announced the vote of the US abstention on this draft resolution."
"The [U.S.] president and other top officials have described [the embargo/blockade] as obsolete, useless to advance American's interests, meaningless, unworkable, being a burden for [U.S.] citizens, . . . [harming] the Cuban people and [causing]. . . isolation to the [U.S.] and [have] called [for the embargo/blockade] to be lifted."
"We recognize that executive measures [to reduce the scope of the embargo] adopted by the government of the [U.S.] are positive steps, but [have] very limited effect and scope. However, most of the executive regulations and laws establishing the blockade remain in force and are applied rigorously to this minute by U.S. government agencies."
"Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress has not approved any of the 20 amendments or legislative initiatives, with bipartisan support, . . . [for] eliminating some restrictions of the blockade or even all of this policy. [Moreover,] there have been more than 50 legislative initiatives that threaten to reinforce key aspects of the blockade, preventing the President [from] approving new executive or implementing measures already adopted."
"It cannot be underestimated in any way the powerful political and ethical message that [action by this Assembly] . . . sends to the peoples of the world. The truth always [finds] its way. Ends of justice prevail. The abstention vote announced surely is a positive step in the future of improved relations between the[U.S.] and Cuba. I appreciate the words and the efforts of Ambassador Samantha Power."
"[There] are incalculable human damages caused by the blockade. [There is no] Cuban family or industry in the country that does not suffer its effects on health, education, food, services, prices of goods, wages and pensions." For example, the "imposition of discriminatory and onerous conditions attached to the deterrent effects of the blockade restrict food purchases and the acquisition in the U.S. market for drugs, reagents, spare parts for medical equipment and instruments and others."
"The [embargo/] blockade also [adversely] affects the interests of American citizens themselves, who could benefit from various services in Cuba, including health [services]."
"The [embargo/] blockade remains a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of human rights of all Cubans and qualifies as an act of genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948. It is an obstacle to cooperation [in] international humanitarian areas."
"The blockade is the main obstacle to economic and social development of our people. It constitutes a flagrant violation to international law, the United Nations Charter and the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace. Its extraterritorial application adds further to its violation of international law nature of magnitude."
"Other causes, in addition to [the blockade/embargo] . . . , determine our economic difficulties: the unjust international economic order; the global crisis; the historical distortions and structural weaknesses caused by underdevelopment; high dependence on energy and food imports; the effects of climate change and natural disasters; and also . . . our own mistakes."
"Between April 2015 and March 2016, the direct economic damage to Cuba by the blockade amounted to $4.68 billion at current prices, calculated rigorously and prudently and conservatively. The damages accumulated over nearly six decades reach the figure of $753 billion, taking into account depreciation of gold. At current prices, [that is] equivalent to just over $125 billion."
"On 16 April 2016 President Raul Castro Ruz said, 'We are willing to develop a respectful dialogue and build a new relationship with the [U.S.], as that has never existed between the two countries, because we are convinced that this alone . . . [will provide] mutual benefits.' And last September 17, he said 'I reaffirm the will to sustain relations of civilized coexistence with the [U.S.], but Cuba will not give up one of its principles, or make concessions inherent in its sovereignty and independence.'"
"The government of the [U.S.] first proposed the annexation of Cuba and, failing that, to exercise their domination over it. The triumph of the Cuban Revolution . . . [prompted the U.S. adoption of the embargo whose purpose] was 'to cause disappointment and discouragement through economic dissatisfaction and hardship … to deny Cuba money and supplies, in order to reduce nominal and real wages, with the aim of causing hunger, desperation and overthrow of government. '"
"The [new U.S.] Presidential Policy Directive [states] that the Government of the [U.S.] recognizes 'the sovereignty and self-determination of Cuba' and [the right of] the Cuban people to make their own decisions about their future.'" It also states "the U.S. will not seek a 'change of regime in Cuba.'"[2]
But the Directive also says "'the [U.S.] will support the emerging civil society in Cuba and encourage partners and non-governmental actors to join us in advocating in favor of reforms. While the United States remain committed to supporting democratic activists, [we] also [will] participate with community leaders, bloggers, activists and other leaders on social issues that can contribute to the internal dialogue in Cuba on civic participation.' The Directive goes on to say: "The [U.S.] will maintain our democracy programs and broadcasting, while we will protect our interests and values, such as Guantanamo Naval Base … The government of the United States has no intention of modifying the existing lease agreement and other related provisions.'"
The Directive also asserts that Cuba "remains indebted to the [U.S.] regarding bilateral debts before the Cuban Revolution."
The U.S. needs to "recognize that change is a sovereign matter for Cubans alone and that Cuba is a truly independent country. It gained its independence by itself and has known and will know how to defend [its] greatest sacrifices and risks. We are proud of our history and our culture that are the most precious treasure. We never forget the past because it is the way never to return to it. And we decided our path to the future and we know that is long and difficult, but we will not deviate from it by ingenuity, by siren songs, or by mistake. No force in the world can force us to it. We will strive to build a sovereign, independent, socialist, democratic, prosperous and sustainable nation. We will not return to capitalism."
Other Countries' Statements of Support[3]
During the debate the following 40 countries expressed their support of the resolution:
Latin America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic (for Commonwealth of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)), Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica (for Caribbean Community (CARICOM)), Mexico, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Uruguay and Venezuela (for Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)).
Africa: Algeria, Angola, Libya, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger (for African States), South Africa, Sudan and Tonga.
Middle East: Egypt, Kuwait (for Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)) and Syria.
Asia: Belarus, China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea [North Korea], India, Indonesia, Iran, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Russian Federation, Singapore (for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)), Thailand (for Group of 77 and China) and Viet Nam.
Europe: Slovakia (for European Union (EU)).
U.S. Abstention[4]
The U.S. Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samantha Power, announced the U.S. abstention before the debate and voting on the resolution. Here are extracts of her speech about that vote.
"For more than 50 years, the [U.S.] had a policy aimed at isolating the government of Cuba. For roughly half of those years, U.N. Member States have voted overwhelmingly for a General Assembly resolution that condemns the U.S. embargo and calls for it to be ended. The [U.S.] has always voted against this resolution. Today the [U.S.] will abstain."
"In December 2014, President Obama made clear his opposition to the embargo and called on our Congress to take action to lift it. Yet while the Obama Administration agrees that the U.S. embargo on Cuba should be lifted, . . . we don't support the shift for the reason stated in this resolution. All actions of the [U.S.] with regard to Cuba have been and are fully in conformity with the U.N. Charter and international law, including applicable trade law and the customary law of the sea. We categorically reject the statements in the resolution that suggest otherwise."
"But [today's] resolution . . . is a perfect example of why the U.S. policy of isolation toward Cuba was not working – or worse, how it was actually undermining the very goals it set out to achieve. Instead of isolating Cuba, . . . our policy isolated the [U.S.], including right here at the [U.N.]."
"Under President Obama, we have adopted a new approach: rather than try to close off Cuba from the rest of the world, we want the world of opportunities and ideas open to the people of Cuba. After 50-plus years of pursuing the path of isolation, we have chosen to take the path of engagement. Because, as President Obama said in Havana, we recognize that the future of the island lies in the hands of the Cuban people."[5]
"Abstaining on this resolution does not mean that the [U.S.] agrees with all of the policies and practices of the Cuban government. We do not. We are profoundly concerned by the serious human rights violations that the Cuban government continues to commit with impunity against its own people – including arbitrarily detaining those who criticize the government; threatening, intimidating, and, at times, physically assaulting citizens who take part in peaceful marches and meetings; and severely restricting the access that people on the island have to outside information."
"We [,however,] recognize the areas in which the Cuban government has made significant progress in advancing the welfare of its people, from significantly reducing its child mortality rate, to ensuring that girls have the same access to primary and secondary school as boys."
"But none of this should mean that we stay silent when the rights of Cuban people are violated, as Member States here at the [U.N.] have too often done. That is why the [U.S.] raised these concerns directly with the Cuban government during our [recent] historic dialogue on human rights . . ., which shows that, while our governments continue to disagree on fundamental questions of human rights, we have found a way to discuss these issues in a respectful and reciprocal manner.[6] We urge other Member States to speak up about these issues as well."
"As President Obama made clear when he traveled to Havana, we believe that the Cuban people – like all people – are entitled to basic human rights, such as the right to speak their minds without fear, and the right to assemble, organize, and protest peacefully. Not because these reflect a U.S.-centric conception of rights, but rather because they are universal human rights – enshrined in the U.N. Charter and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – which all of our 193 Member States are supposed to respect and defend. Rights that are essential for the dignity of men, women, and children regardless of where they live or what kind of government they have."
The U.S. concedes that it "has work to do in fulfilling these rights for our own citizens. And we know that at times in our history, U.S. leaders and citizens used the pretext of promoting democracy and human rights in the region to justify actions that have left a deep legacy of mistrust. We recognize that our history, in which there is so much that makes us proud, also gives us ample reason to be humble."
"The [U.S.] believes that there is a great deal we can do together with Cuba to tackle global challenges. That includes here at the [U.N.], where the decades-long enmity between our nations has at best been a distraction – and at worst, an obstacle – to carrying out some of the most important work of this institution and helping the world's most vulnerable people."
U.S. Reactions[7]
Engage Cuba, a U.S. national coalition of private companies, organizations and state and local leaders working to lift the embargo, said, "Year after year, the international community has condemned our failed unilateral sanctions that have caused great economic hardship for the people of Cuba and continue to put American businesses at a competitive disadvantage. The fact that the Administration and Israel abstained from voting for the first time ever demonstrates the growing recognition that the U.S. embargo on Cuba is a failed, obsolete policy that has no place in today's international affairs."
Senator Marco Rubio (Rep., FL), on the other hand, blasted the abstention, saying the Obama administration had failed to honor and defend U.S. laws in an international forum. Similar negative reactions were registered by Senators Ted Cruz (Rep., FL) and Robert Menendez (Dem., NJ), Republican Representatives from Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, and the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC.
As an U.S. citizen-advocate for ending the embargo as soon as possible, I am pleased with the U.S. abstention and agree with Ambassador Power that this vote does not mean the U.S. agrees with the resolution's stated reasons.
Moreover, too many in the U.S. believe the Cuban damages claim from the embargo is just a crazy Cuban dream, but I disagree. Given the amount of the claim, Cuba will not someday tell the U.S. to forget it. A prior post, therefore, suggested that the two countries agree to submit this and any other damage claims by both countries for resolution by an independent international arbitration panel such as those provided by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague in the Netherlands.
[1] U.N. Press Release, U.S. abstains for first time in annual UN vote on ending embargo against Cuba (Oct. 26, 2016).
[2] A prior post replicated the Presidential Policy Directive while another post provided reactions thereto.
[3] U.N. Press Release, General Assembly Plenary (Oct. 26, 2016); The defeat of the blockade is the world's largest moral and political victory for the people of Cuba against the empire, Granma (Oct. 26, 2016) (Venezuela's statement); Today not only do we vote against the blockade, we voted for hope, Granma (Oct. 26, 2016) (Bolivia's statement).
[4] Ambassador Power, Remarks at a UN General Assembly Meeting on the Cuban Embargo (Oct. 26, 2016). Israel, which also abstained, merely said that it welcomed the improved U.S.-Cuba relations and hoped it would lead to a new era in the region.
[5] A prior post reviewed President Obama's eloquent speech in Havana to the Cuban people.
[6] A prior post reviewed the limited public information about the recent human rights dialogue.
[7] Ordońez, For 1st time, U.S. changes its position on U.N. resolution blasting Cuba trade embargo, InCubaToday (Oct. 26, 2016); Engage Cuba, Press Release: Engage Cuba Praises First Ever Unanimous Passage of United Nations Resolution Condemning the Cuban Embargo (Oct. 26, 2016); Lederer & Lee, US abstains in UN vote on Cuba embargo for the first time, Wash. Post (Oct. 26, 2016); Rubio, Rubio: Obama Admin Ignoring U.S. Law on Cuba Embargo, Giving More Concessions to Castro Regime at U.N. (Oct. 26, 2016).
Posted on October 27, 2016 Categories Economics, History, Law, Other countries, PoliticsTags African States, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Caribbean Community (CARICOM), China, Colombia, Commonwealth of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Engage Cuba, European Union (EU), Group of 77 and China, human rights, India, Indonesia, international law, Iran, Jamaica, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Permanent Court of Arbitration, President Barack Obama, President Raul Castro, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Samantha Power, Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Robert Menendez, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Tonga, U.N. Charter, U.N. General Assembly resolution against the U.S. embargo of Cuba, U.S. Congress, U.S. embargo of Cuba, U.S. Presidential Policy Directive--United States-Cuba Normalization, U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC, United Nations General Assembly, United States of America (USA), Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam5 Comments on Another U.N. Condemnation of the U.S. Embargo of Cuba
Economists Discuss Cuba's Current Economic and Political Situation
On July 28, Cuba's "Current Economic and Political Situation" was the opening session of the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy, a U.S. non-political, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting "research, publications, and scholarly discussion on the Cuban economy in its broadest sense, including on the social, economic, legal, and environmental aspects of a transition to a free market economy and a democratic society in Cuba."[1]
The presenters at this session were (1) Joaquín P. Pujol, International Monetary Fund (retired); (2) Omar Everleny Pérez Villanueva, Cuban Economist, Temas Magazine;[2] and (3) Jorge R. Pińón, Researcher, Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Texas at Austin.
Economists' Comments
Joaquín P. Pujol discussed "Cuba: Great Expectations, but How Real Are They?" Cuba is facing problems in servicing its foreign debt, unifying its unwieldy dual currency system, fixing its decrepit infrastructure and promoting sluggish foreign investment. "The Cuban government now finds itself again in need of foreign financing and they're not going to get it. In fact, it has turned to Miami" as Cuban relatives and friends have become an important source of funding for small start-up businesses in Cuba.
Omar Everleny Pérez Villanueva discussed "Cuba: Economia y Desafios" [Cuba: Economy and Challenges]. Although the government has projected the Cuban economy will grow by 1 percent this year, "I'm not sure it will reach that this year."
Even though final figures for 2015 haven't been announced yet, he said Cuba would show a deficit in goods and services trade. And even though tourism is growing briskly, he said taking into account expenditures in the tourism sector, the yield can be disappointing.
Jorge R. Pińón's subject was "Cuba's Energy Crisis: Truth or Fiction?" Faced with mounting energy problems, Cuban officials announced strict energy savings measures at state enterprises earlier this month in hopes of avoiding blackouts during the sweltering summer months. Officials have said Cuba will have to cut fuel consumption by 28 percent during the second half of the year.
Cuba produces about 50,000 barrels of crude oil a day and has relied on Venezuela for the other 80,000 to 90,000 daily barrels it needs. But with Venezuela on the ropes economically, continued oil supplies are uncertain. Indeed, over the last six months, he said, total Venezuelan oil production has come dangerously close to dropping below 2 million barrels a day. "In our business that's catastrophic."
"As of last week there was enough oil . . . [in Cuba] to keep the lights on," Piñón said. "June and July deliveries were sufficient."
Some analysts, looking only at declines in oil arriving in Cuba directly from Venezuela, have predicted an even worse outlook for the island, but Cuba also receives oil from offshore Venezuelan facilities.
Cuba also has been stockpiling oil, and there is an estimated 60-day supply on the island. The question is what happens with Venezuelan deliveries in August and September. "The [economic] hurricane is coming in Venezuela and it's a Category 5 hurricane. The question is: Will it hit Cuba?"
Already hours have been cut for some state workers, fleets at nonessential enterprises have been parked and some neighborhoods have reported blackouts, drawing comparisons to the 1990s "special period" when after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of its generous subsidies, there were severe shortages in Cuba in everything from fuel to food.
Indeed, Raúl Castro in his recent speech to the National Assembly said, "There is speculation and rumors of an imminent collapse of our economy and a return to the acute phase of the special period." Raúl Castro said during a recent speech to Cuba's National Assembly. But he said the island was "in better conditions than we were then to face them."[3]
The surge in Cuban tourism and the growth of private enterprise also is putting more pressure on Cuba's energy sector. About 68 percent of oil consumption in Cuba is fuel oil for its inefficient electrical power sector. The government has said it will protect the tourism sector and private businesses from cutbacks.
If Venezuelan oil supplies dry up, it's unlikely Cuba would be able to find another benefactor like Venezuela in Algeria, Angola, Russia, China or any other country, forcing it to go to the world market to buy about $1 billion worth of petroleum annually.
In recent years, Cuba has actually been receiving more oil from Venezuela than it needs and has been selling the excess on the world market as refined petroleum products. But Piñón suggests it would be cheaper and more efficient for Cuba to shut down its refineries and buy gasoline and jet fuel than buying crude and refining it.
Other Gloomy Outlooks [4]
An even gloomier outlook was voiced by Pavel Vidal, a former Cuban central bank employee who is now a professor at Colombia's Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali. He said, "Under current conditions, [Cuban] gross domestic product will dip into negative territory this year and decline 2.9 per cent in 2017. If relations with Venezuela fall apart completely, GDP could decline 10 per cent."
Another economic negative is anticipated declines in Cuba's export of medical services (its foreign medical missions), especially to Algeria, Angola and Brazil. In 2014 such medical services earned Cuba about $8 billion or 40% of its total exports.
Karina Marrón, deputy director of Granma, has warned of possible street protests. "A perfect storm is brewing . . . this phenomenon of a cut in fuel, a cut in energy. This country can't withstand another '93, another '94."Rapid response brigades in the 1990s were formed to quell social unrest; they are now reportedly on alert.
"Just when we thought we were going forward, everything is slipping away again," says Havana retiree Miriam Calabasa. "I am worried people are going to decide enough is enough: then what?" A mechanic, Ignacio Perez, stated, "Nothing will get better any time soon; it can only get worse. The roads won't be paved, schools painted, the rubbish picked up, public transportation improved, and on and on."
But foreign businesses hope these great economic challenges may speed economic opening. "Venezuela's problems increase the chance of Cuban reforms. This government only acts when it has to," says one Spanish investor on the island.
[1] Whitefield, Economists debate how hard Venezuela economic storm will hit Cuba, InCubaToday (July 28, 2016).
[2] As mentioned in a prior post, Omar Everleny Perez was one of the Cuba's best-known academics, an expert in developing economies and a consultant for Castro's government when it launched a series of market-oriented economic reforms in 2011. This last April (three weeks after Obama's visit to Cuba), he was fired by the University of Havana for allegedly having unauthorized conversations with foreign institutions and informing "North American representatives" about the internal procedures of the university. Perez said he believed he was fired because of his critical writings about the slow pace of economic reforms.
[3] President Castro's recent speech to the National Assembly was discussed in a prior post. His earlier speech to the Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba also touched on Cuba's economic problems; this speech was covered in another post.
[4] Frank, Venezuela's Economic Woes Send a Chill Over Closest Ally Cuba, Fin. Times (July 25, 2016).
Posted on August 1, 2016 Categories Economics, History, Other countries, PoliticsTags Algeria, Angola, Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy, Brazil, China, Cuba, Cuba's "special period", Cuba's National Assembly, Cuban economy, Cuban energy, Granma, Joaquín P. Pujol, Jorge R. Pińón, Karina Marrón, Omar Everleny Pérez Villanueva, Pavel Vidal, Raul Castro, Russia, Seventh Congress of Communist Party of Cuba, Venezuela1 Comment on Economists Discuss Cuba's Current Economic and Political Situation
New York Times Calls for End of U.S. Program for Special Immigration Relief for Cuban Medical Personnel
On November 17th the New York Times published another editorial in its series urging changes in U.S. policies regarding Cuba.[1] Under the title "A Cuban Brain Drain, Courtesy of the U.S.," the editorial targets the U.S.'s Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program (CMPPP).
In order to understand the editorial, we first must look at the Cuban government's policy and program of sending Cuban medical personnel to other countries and then at the CMPPP's response to that Cuban program. Thereafter we will examine the Times' rationale for its recommendation along with the arguments for the Wall Street Journal's support of the CMPPP before we voice our conclusions.
Cuban Policy and Program of Sending Medical Personnel Abroad
According to a 2011 article in the Wall Street Journal, since 1973 Cuba has been sending medical 'brigades' to foreign countries, "helping it to win friends abroad, to back 'revolutionary' regimes in places like Ethiopia, Angola and Nicaragua, and perhaps most importantly, to earn hard currency. [The] Communist Party newspaper Granma reported in June [2010] that Cuba had 37,041 doctors and other health workers in 77 countries. Estimates of what Cuba earns from its medical teams—revenue that Cuba's central bank counts as 'exports of services'—vary widely, running to as much as $8 billion a year."
Again, according to the same Wall Street Journal article, Cuban doctors often desire such overseas assignments because they provide opportunities to earn significantly more money than at home. "When serving overseas, they get their Cuban salaries [of $25 per month], plus a $50-per-month stipend—both paid to their dependents while they're abroad. . . . In addition, they themselves receive overseas salaries—from $150 to $1,000 a month, depending on the mission." Many on-the-side also engage in private fee-for-service medical practice, including abortions. As a result, many of the Cubans are able to save substantial portions of their overseas income, which they often use to purchase items they could not have bought in Cuba like television sets and computers. Other desirable purchases are less expensive U.S. products that they can sell at a profit when they return to Cuba.
The Wall Street Journal article adds, "Since Hugo Chávez came to power in Venezuela in 1998, Cuba has been bartering its [medical personnel] . . . for Venezuelan oil. The U.S. Energy Department estimates that in [2010] Venezuela ships Cuba 90,000 barrels of oil a day—worth more than $2 billion a year at [then] current prices. In addition, Venezuela pays Cuba for medical teams sent to countries that Mr. Chávez considered part of Venezuela's "Bolivarian" sphere: Bolivia, Honduras, Ecuador and Paraguay."
As a result of this quid pro quo, Cuba has over 10,000 medical personnel serving in Venezuela. According to the Los Angeles Times just this past September, the working conditions in that country for the Cubans are horrible. Many of the clinics lack air-conditioning and functioning essential medical equipment. The Cubans' workload is often "crushing." Common crime is rampant, and the Cubans are often caught in the middle of Venezuela's civil unrest between followers of the late Hugo Chavez who want the Cubans to be there and more conservative forces that oppose the Cuban presence. As a result, as we will see below in the discussion of CMPPP, many Cuban medical personnel serving in Venezuela have chosen to defect to the U.S. under CMPP.
The Times editorial says, "This year, according to the state-run newspaper Granma, the government expects to make $8.2 billion from its medical workers overseas. The vast majority, just under 46,000, are posted in Latin America and the Caribbean. A few thousand are in 32 African countries."[2]
Facts Regarding CMPPP
A U.S. Department of State website says this program was announced on August 11, 2006, "by the Department of Homeland Security in conjunction with the Department of State, [as a program] that . . . would allow Cuban medical personnel conscripted to study or work in a third country under the direction of the Cuban government to enter the United States."[3]
Under the program "Cuban Medical Professionals" (i.e., health-care providers such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, physical therapists, lab technicians and sports trainers) are eligible if they meet the following criteria: (1) Cuban nationality or citizenship, (2) medical professional currently conscripted to study or work in a third country under the direction of the Government of Cuba, and (3) not otherwise ineligible for entry into the U.S. Spouses and/or minor children are also eligible for such parole.
According to the Times' editorial and the Wall Street Journal, the program "was the brainchild of Cuban-born Emilio González," a former U.S. Army colonel, the director of the U.S. Citizen & Immigration Services from 2006 to 2008 and a "staunchly anti-Castro exile." "He has characterized Cuba's policy of sending doctors and other health workers abroad as 'state-sponsored human trafficking.'" The Cuban doctors, he says, work directly for health authorities in other countries and have no say in their assignments.
The Times' editorial includes the following table showing the official numbers of CMPPP visas that have been issued:
Fiscal Year Number
Given the large numbers of Cuban medical personnel that are sent to Venezuela to help pay for Cuba's importation of Venezuelan oil, it is not surprising that the largest number of defections of Cubans has been from that country. As of the end of FY 2010, according to the previously mentioned Wall Street Journal article, the total defections by country were the following: Venezuela, 824; Colombia, 291; Bolivia, 60; Dominican Republic, 30; Ecuador, 28; Guatemala, 25; Brazil, 21; Namibia, 21; Peru, 19; and Guyana, 14.
Apparently the largest number of defections from Venezuela continues in light of the previously mentioned difficult working conditions. For FY 2011-2014 there were an additional 1,181 Cuban defections from Venezuela to the U.S. under CMPPP for a grand total of 2,005.[4] In addition, many of the Cubans in that country fear being seen going to the U.S. embassy in Caracas and instead fly to neighboring Colombia and apply there for CMPPP.
Another obvious reason for such defections under CMPP is the desire of the Cubans to earn more income in the U.S. I have met a Cuban neurologist whose wife was a skilled nurse, but who worked as a waitress in a nearby resort in order to earn more income and obtain tips in hard currencies. Like almost all Cubans, they did not earn enough to afford to have their own automobile and told me about Cuban television announcements that people who had an automobile or other vehicle had a special obligation to give rides to anyone in a white coat. Later while on a mission in Central America they defected to the U.S. under CMPPP. At least as I heard their story, they were merely looking for a way to improve their lives financially.
The Times' Reasons for Ending CMPPP
The editorial starts by noting, "Secretary of State John Kerry and the American ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, have praised the work of Cuban doctors dispatched to treat Ebola patients in West Africa. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently sent an official to a regional meeting the Cuban government convened in Havana to coordinate efforts to fight the disease. In Africa, Cuban doctors are working in American-built facilities.The epidemic has had the unexpected effect of injecting common sense into an unnecessarily poisonous relationship."
Therefore, says the Times, "it is incongruous for the [U.S.] to value the contributions of Cuban doctors who are sent by their government to assist in international crises like the 2010 Haiti earthquake [and the current Ebola crisis in West Africa] while working to subvert that government by making defection so easy [under CMPPP]."
Moreover, says the Times, "Cuba has been using its medical corps as the nation's main source of revenue and soft power for many years. The country has one of the highest numbers of doctors per capita in the world and offers medical scholarships to hundreds of disadvantaged international students each year, and some have been from the United States. According to Cuban government figures, more than 440,000 of the island's 11 million citizens are employed in the health sector."
The creation of CMPP was really motivated by a desire by anti-Castro Americans "to strike at the core of the island's primary diplomatic tool, while embarrassing the Castro regime." This is hardly a worthy motivation for the U.S.
For a poor country like Cuba, it makes sense to use one of its few economic strengths to bolster its foreign exchange earnings. Is this not an example of the concept of comparative advantage first formulated by classical economists Adam Smith and David Ricardo? The program also helps Cuba garner good will around the world for helping to improve the health of others. There is no legitimate reason for the U.S. to be opposed to such a program.
Adds the Times editorial, "American immigration policy should give priority to the world's neediest refugees and persecuted people. It should not be used to exacerbate the brain drain of an adversarial nation at a time when improved relations between the two countries are a worthwhile, realistic goal."
In 2006 when CMPPP was commenced, Cuban medical personnel could not obtain their government's permission to leave the island for any reason, and this was asserted as one of the reasons for the U.S.' creation of CMPPP. Last year, however, the Times says, "the Cuban government liberalized its travel policies, allowing most citizens, including dissidents, to leave the country freely. Doctors, who in the past faced stricter travel restrictions than ordinary Cubans, no longer do."
Moreover, the Times asserts, "The Cuban government has long regarded the medical defection program as a symbol of American duplicity. It undermines Cuba's ability to respond to humanitarian crises and does nothing to make the government in Havana more open or democratic. As long as this incoherent policy is in place, establishing a healthier relationship between the two nations will be harder."
Finally, according to the Times, "Many medical professionals, like a growing number of Cubans, will continue to want to move to the United States in search of new opportunities, and they have every right to do so. But inviting them to defect while on overseas tours is going too far."
The Wall Street Journal's Reasons for Supporting CMPPP
The Wall Street Journal's opinions on this subject are frequently uttered by its columnist on Latin American issues, Mary Anastasia O'Grady. The headline for her November 9, 2014, column makes clear her ultimate conclusion: "Cuba's Slave Trade in Doctors." She asserts that Cuba's policy and practice of sending some of its medical personnel to other countries is an "extensive human-trafficking racket now being run out of Havana."
Her argument centers on the Cuban government's being paid for these services by other countries like Venezuela or by international organizations like WHO and the government's paying its medical personnel only some of the Cuban government's revenues for their services. But this ignores the fact that any corporation or other business entity that sells services, pays the people who actually provide the service less than what is collected by the corporation because there are other cost factors that have to be covered plus a profit.
While she admits that "Cuban doctors are not forced at gunpoint to become expat slaves," she argues they "are given offers they cannot refuse."
When the CMPPP was created in 1966, Cuba's government prohibited its medical personnel from leaving the island, and one of CMPP's original rationales was providing a legitimate way to provide them with a way to leave Cuba and go elsewhere. Now, however, the Cuban government permits such citizens to leave. This change, in this blogger's opinion, eliminates the only arguably legitimate basis for CMPPP.
The allegation by some supporters of CMPP that Cuba's practice of sending medical teams to other countries is a form of human trafficking is absurd, in this blogger's opinion. The Cuban government has paid for all of the education of its medical personnel, and sending some of them to serve in foreign countries is a way for them to compensate the state for their free education. This Cuban practice is like the U.S. practice during some wars of having a selective service system and drafting some people to serve in our armed forces. Similarly we in the U.S. from time to time have debated having some kind of required national non-military service program for younger citizens without anyone arguing that it would be illegal human trafficking.
The U.S. State Department issues annual reports on the status of other countries' human trafficking, which the reports define as "umbrella terms for the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion." This compelled service requirement uses "a number of different terms, including involuntary servitude, slavery or practices similar to slavery, debt bondage, and forced labor."
Although the latest U.S. report on this subject unjustly casts Cuba into the report's Tier 3 status,[5] as argued in a prior post, that report rejects the argument that Cuba is engaged in human trafficking when it sends its medical personnel to other countries. Here is what that report says on this issue:
"Some Cubans participating in the work missions have stated that the postings are voluntary, and positions are well paid compared to jobs within Cuba. Others have claimed that Cuban authorities have coerced them, including by withholding their passports and restricting their movement. Some medical professionals participating in the missions have been able to take advantage of U.S. visas or immigration benefits [under the CMPPP], applying for those benefits and arriving in the United States in possession of their passports—an indication that at least some medical professionals retain possession of their passports. Reports of coercion by Cuban authorities in this program do not appear to reflect a uniform government policy of coercion; however, information is lacking."
This blogger, therefore, supports the Times' calling for an end to CMPPP.
[1] Under the overall title of "Cuba: A New Start," the prior editorials (all of which are simultaneously published in Spanish) have urged overall reconciliation between the two countries, including ending the ending of the U.S. embargo of the island, the U.S. designation of Cuba as a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" and re-establishing normal diplomatic relations; U.S.-Cuba collaboration in combatting Ebola in West Africa; recognizing changing U.S. public opinion on relations with Cuba; U.S.-Cuba exchange of prisoners; and ending USAID covert programs to promote regime change in Cuba.
[2] Another issue unrelated to CMPPP is whether or not the services provided by the Cuban medical personnel meet the professional standards of the country where they serve. A South American ophthalmologist has told this blogger that she frequently has been called to fix problems created by Cuban doctors on such missions, but this blogger has no information about any comprehensive study of this issue.
[3] The program's stated statutory authorization is INA section 212(d)(5)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(5)(A) (permits parole of an alien into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit); 8 CFR 212.5(c) & (d) (discretionary authority for granting parole), whereby the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may exercise its discretionary parole authority to permit eligible Cuban nationals to come to the United States.
[4] This calculation is based upon a November 9, 2014, article in Venezuela's El Universal newspaper.
[5] Tier 3 is a U.S.-created category of countries that the U.S. asserts "do not fully comply with [a U.S. statute's] minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so".
Posted on November 23, 2014 Categories History, Law, Other countries, PoliticsTags Adam Smith, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Colombia, comparative advantgage, Cuba, Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program (CMPPP), David Ricardo, Dominican Republic, ebola, Ecuador, Emilio González, Ethiopia, Granma, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hugo Chávez, human trafficking, John Kerry, Namibia, New York Times, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Samantha Power, U.S. Citizen & Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of State, United States of America (USA), Venezuela, Wall Street Journal, West Africa12 Comments on New York Times Calls for End of U.S. Program for Special Immigration Relief for Cuban Medical Personnel
U.N. General Assembly Again Condemns U.S. Embargo of Cuba
U.N. General Assembly Voting Results Screen
On October 28, 2014, the U.N. General Assembly by a vote of 188 to 2 again condemned the U.S. embargo of Cuba. The two negative votes were cast by the U.S. and by Israel while three small Pacific nations abstained–Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. All the other U.N. members supported the resolution. [1]
The resolution [A/69/L.4] reiterated the General Assembly's "call upon all States to refrain from promulgating and applying laws and measures of the kind referred to in the preamble to the present resolution ['the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the [U.S.] against Cuba' and the Helms-Burton Act], in conformity with their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and international law, which, inter alia, reaffirm the freedom of trade and navigation."
The resolution also "again urges States that have and continue to apply such laws and measures [i.e., the U.S.] to take the steps necessary to repeal or invalidate them as soon as possible in accordance with their legal regime."
Cuba's Statement Supporting the Resolution
Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, the Cuban Minister for Foreign Affairs, introducing the resolution, said that in recent times "the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the [U.S.] against Cuba had been tightened, and its extraterritorial implementation had also been strengthened through the imposition of unprecedented fines, totaling $11 billion against 38 banks . . . for carrying out transactions with Cuba and other countries." In addition, Cuba's "accumulated economic damages of the blockade totaled $1.1 trillion . . . [and] human damages were on the rise."
Nevertheless, "Cuba had offered every possible form of assistance to the [U.S.] in the wake of disasters there, such as in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Cuba had never been a threat to the national security of the [U.S.]. Opinion polls showed that there was increasing support from all sectors of [U.S.] society for lifting the blockade. Religious leaders had citied legitimate, indisputable ethical and humanitarian reasons."
In addition, "the blockade was harmful to . . . the [U.S.]. The 'absurd and ridiculous' inclusion of Cuba on the [U.S.] list of States that sponsored international terrorism redounded to the discredit of the [U.S.]. Cuba would never renounce its sovereignty or the path chosen by its people to build a more just, efficient, prosperous and sustainable socialism." Neither, he continued, would his Government "give up its quest for a different international order, nor cease in its struggle for 'the equilibrium of the world.'"
Rodríguez also invited the U.S. government "to establish a mutually respectful relation, based on reciprocity. We can live and deal with each other in a civilized way, despite our differences."
Other Countries' Statements Supporting the Resolution [2]
The following Latin American countries voiced support for the resolution: Argentina (MERCOSUR [3]) (embargo was "morally unjustifiable" and violated "the spirit of multilateralism and was immoral, unjust and illegal"); Barbados (CARICOM [4]); Bolivia (Group of 77 [5] and China); Brazil (Group of 77 and CELAC [6]); Colombia; Costa Rica (CELAC)); Ecuador; El Salvador (Group of 77 and CARICOM); Mexico; Nicaragua; St. Vincent and the Grenadines (CARICOM, Non-Aligned Movement, [7] Group of 77 and CELAC); Uruguay; and Venezuela.
The African supporters of the resolution that spoke were Algeria (Non-Aligned Movement, Group of 77, Group of African States [8] and Organization of Islamic Cooperation [9]); Angola; Kenya (Group of 77, Non-Aligned Movement and African Group); Malawi (African Group); South Africa (Group of 77, Non-Aligned Movement and African Group); Sudan (Group of 77, Non-Aligned Movement and Organization of Islamic Cooperation); United Republic of Tanzania; Zambia (Non-Aligned Movement) and Zimbabwe (Non-Aligned Movement, Group of 77 and African Group).
From Asia and the Pacific were Belarus; China (Group of 77); Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea); Indonesia (Group of 77); India (Group of 77 and Non-Aligned Movement); Iran (Non-Aligned Movement); Lao People's Democratic Republic; Myanmar (Group of 77 and Non-Aligned Movement); Russian Federation; Solomon Islands; and Viet Nam (Non-Aligned Movement, Group of 77 and China).
Middle Eastern countries speaking in favor of the resolution were Egypt, Saudi Arabia (Organization of Islamic Cooperation); and Syria (Non-Aligned Movement, Group of 77 and China).
The sole European supporter of the resolution that spoke at the session was Italy (European Union [10]), which said the U.S.' "extraterritorial legislation and unilateral administrative and judicial measures were negatively affecting European Union interests").
U.S. Statement Opposing the Resolution
Although Israel voted against the resolution, it chose not to speak in support of its vote. Only the U.S. by Ambassador Ronald D. Godard, U.S. Senior Advisor for Western Hemisphere Affairs, tried to justify the negative vote.
Ronald D. Godard
Ambassador Godard said the U.S. "conducts its economic relationships with other countries in accordance with its national interests and its principles. Our sanctions toward Cuba are part of our overall effort to help the Cuban people freely exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and determine their own future, consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the democratic principles to which the United Nations itself is committed."
Ambassador Godard also said, "the Cuban government uses this annual resolution in an attempt to shift blame for the island's economic problems away from its own policy failures. The Cuban government now publicly recognizes that its economic woes are caused by the economic policies it has pursued for the last, past half-century. We note and welcome recent changes that reflect this acknowledgement, such as those that allow greater self-employment and liberalization of the real estate market. But the Cuban economy will not thrive until the Cuban government permits a free and fair labor market, fully empowers Cuban independent entrepreneurs, respects intellectual property rights, allows unfettered access to information via the Internet, opens its state monopolies to private competition and adopts the sound macro-economic policies that have contributed to the success of Cuba's neighbors in Latin America."
According to Ambassador Godard, the U.S. "remains a deep and abiding friend of the Cuban people. The Cuban people continue to receive as much as $2 billion per year in remittances and other private contributions from the [U.S.]. This support . . . was made possible . . . by U.S. policy choices. By the Cuban government's own account, the [U.S.] is one of Cuba's principal trading partners. In 2013, the [U.S.] exported approximately $359 million in agricultural products, medical devices, medicine and humanitarian items to Cuba. Far from restricting aid to the Cuban people, we are proud that the people of the [U.S.] and its companies are among the leading providers of humanitarian assistance to Cuba. All of this trade and assistance is conducted in conformity with our sanctions program, which is carefully calibrated to allow and encourage the provision of support to the Cuban people."
Furthermore, the U.S. "places the highest priority on building and strengthening connections between the Cuban people and [our] people. U.S. travel, remittance, information exchange, humanitarian and people-to-people policies updated in 2009 and 2011 provide the Cuban people alternative sources of information, help them take advantage of limited opportunities for self-employment and private property and strengthen independent civil society. The hundreds of thousands of Americans who have sent remittances and traveled to the island, under categories of purposeful travel promoted by President Obama, remain the best ambassadors for our democratic ideals."
Ambassador Godard continued, "[The U.S.] strongly supports the Cuban people's desire to determine their own future, through the free flow of information to, from, and within Cuba. The right to receive and impart information and ideas through any media is set forth in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the Cuban government's policies that continue to prevent enjoyment of this right. The Cuban government now claims to share our goal of helping the Cuban people access the Internet. Yet the Cuban government has failed to offer widespread access to the Internet through its high-speed cable with Venezuela. Instead, it continues to impose barriers to information for the Cuban people while disingenuously blaming U.S. policy."
"Moreover, the Cuban government continues to detain Alan Gross, a U.S. citizen who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for facilitating Internet access for Cuba's small Jewish community. [[11]] The [U.S.] calls on Cuba to release Mr. Gross immediately, [[12]] allow unrestricted access to the Internet, and tear down the digital wall of censorship it has erected around the Cuban people.
{T]his resolution only serves to distract from the real problems facing the Cuban people. . . . Though Cuba's contributions to the fight against Ebola are laudable, they do not excuse or diminish the regime's treatment of its own people. We encourage this world body to support the desires of the Cuban people to choose their own future. By doing so, it would truly advance the principles the United Nations Charter was founded upon, and the purposes for which the United Nations was created."
Media Coverage of the Resolution and Debate
U.S. media coverage of this important U.N. vote was almost non-existent. It was not mentioned in the "World" or "Americas" news sections of the New York Times, and only its "Opinion" section had a short article about the issue. It got no mention whatsoever in the Wall Street Journal. Not even the Miami Herald, which has a separate page for Cuba news, mentioned it. [13]
At 2:37 p.m. on October 28th the Associated Press published a release on the subject, and the Washington Post published it online while the StarTribune of Minneapolis/St. Paul picked it up the next day in its online, but not its print, edition.
Cuba's state-owned newspaper, Granma, of course, headlined this vote while stating that the embargo has caused $1.1 trillion of damage to the Cuban economy and "incalculable human suffering." Its article also emphasized that this was the 23rd consecutive such resolution with a table showing that the number of votes in favor of the resolutions has increased from 59 in 1992 to 188 in 2012-2014, that the largest number of votes against the resolutions was only 4 in 1993 and 2004-2007 and that the number of abstentions has decreased from 71 in 1992 to 1 in 2005-2007 and now 3 since 2010.
This overwhelming international opposition to the U.S. embargo in and of itself should be enough to cause the U.S. to end the embargo. Moreover, the embargo has not forced Cuba to come begging to the U.S. for anything that the U.S. wants. The U.S. policy is a failure. The New York Times recently called for abandonment of this policy as has this blog in urging reconciliation of the two countries, in an open letter to President Obama and in a rebuttal of the President's asserted rationale for the embargo and other anti-Cuban policies.
[1] This post is based upon the sources embedded above and upon U.N. General Assembly Press Release [GA/11574], As General Assembly Demands End to Cuba Blockade for Twenty-Thjrd Consecutive Year, Country's Foreign Minister Cites Losses Exceeding $1 Trillion (Oct. 28, 2014); Londoño, On Cuban Embargo, It's the U.S. and Israel Against the World, Again, N.Y. Times (Oct. 29, 2014); Associated Press, UN General Assembly Condemns US Cuba Embargo (Oct. 28, 2014); U.S. Dep't of State, Explanation of Vote by Ambassador Ronald D. Godard on the Cuba Resolution in the General Assembly Hall (Oct. 28, 2014). The General Assembly also has videos of the debate (A and B). A prior post reviewed the 2011 General Assembly's adoption of a similar resolution against the embargo.
[2] Many of the cited statements supporting the resolution were issued on behalf of, or aligned with, larger groups of nations as noted above. In addition, prior to the October 28th session of the General Assembly, the U.N. Secretary General submitted a report containing statements against the embargo from 154 states and 27 U.N. agencies.
[3] MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) is a customs union and trading bloc of five South American countries with five other associate members in the continent.
[4] CARICOM (Caribbean Community) is a group of 15 Caribbean countries with five associate members for economic cooperation.
[5] The Group of 77 was established in 1964 by 77 developing countries to promote their collective economic interests and South-South cooperation; now there are 134 members that have retained the original name for historical significance.
[6] CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) is a group of 33 states in the region to deepen economic integration and combat the influence of the U.S.
[7] The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of 115 developing countries that are not aligned with or against any major power bloc. Its current focus is advocacy of solutions to global economic and other problems
[8] The African Group is a group of 54 African states that are U.N. Members.
[9] The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is a group of 57 states that seek to protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting peace and harmony in the world.
[10] The European Union is a group of 28 European states that have combined for a peaceful, united and prosperous Europe.
[11] The activities in Cuba by Mr. Gross are not so simple. A Cuban court in 2011 found him guilty of participating in a "subversive project of the U.S. government that aimed to destroy the revolution through the use of communications systems out of the control of authorities," and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. According to his own lawsuit against the U.S. Government, and subsequent disclosures, Gross alleged the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its contractor, DAI, sent him on five semi-covert trips to Cuba without proper training, protection or even a clear sense of the Cuban laws that led to his detainment. The case highlighted the frequent haste and lack of attention to the risks of the USAID programs in Cuba under the Helms-Burton Act, which allowed for money to be set aside for "democracy building efforts" that might hasten the fall of Fidel and Raúl Castro.
[12] In discussions with the U.S., Cuba already has expressed a willingness to exchange Mr. Gross for one or more of the three of "the Cuban Five" who remain in U.S. prisons.
[13] Nor did I find any mention of the vote in London's Guardian or Madrid's El Pais.
Posted on October 30, 2014 October 30, 2014 Categories History, Law, Other countries, PoliticsTags African Group, Alan Gross, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Barbados, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, CARICOM (Caribbean Community), CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), ebola, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, European Union (EU), Granma, Group of 77, Helms-Burton Act, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malawi, Marshall Islands, MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market), Mexico, Miami Herald, Micronesia, Myanmar, New York Times, Nicarauga, Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Palau, Ronald D. Godard, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, StarTribune, Sudan, Syria, U.N. Charter, U.N. General Assembly, U.S. designation of Cuba as "State Sponsor of Terrorism", U.S. embargo of Cuba, United republic of Tanzania, United States of America (USA), Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Zambia, Zimbabwe9 Comments on U.N. General Assembly Again Condemns U.S. Embargo of Cuba


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[ARCHIVED] 7-3-20 Daily Update: 273 Positive, 148 Active, 122 Recovered, 3 Deaths
(RILEY COUNTY, KS – July 3, 2020) Riley County has 12 new positive cases since yesterday's report, bringing the total to 273. There are now 148 (+3) active, 122 (+9) recovered, and 3 deaths. Almost 56% of all the cases in Riley County have been identified in patients between the ages of 18-24. The next largest group are patients between the ages of 25-34, representing almost 17%.
The Riley County Health Department is closed today but contact tracing staff are still working from the Emergency Operations Center. The Riley County Screening Line 785-323-6400, where residents can call for information about symptoms and testing, will be open today until 5:00 p.m. The Swabbing Station is not open to administer tests today or over the weekend, and will reopen on Monday.
Kstat West is open today and tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you are having a medical emergency call 911.
Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan has one positive patient who is on a ventilator and no (0) PUI patients currently hospitalized.
Riley County Statistics for Friday, July 3, 2020:
Total positive cases in Riley County Residents: 273*
Total Recovered: 122
Currently Hospitalized: 1
Total deaths: 3
Pending test results: 238
Negative test results: 2,755
Gender: Female: 43.2% Male: 56.8%
Average age: 30.7 years
*Please note, KDHE is reporting a total of 249 for Riley County. That number is incorrect. The total number of positives for Riley County is 273. The public can find daily updates for statewide statistics at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas.
There will be a live update on the Riley County Facebook page today at 4:15.
For more information about Riley County's response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, visit the Riley County website at https://www.rileycountyks.gov/covid19, follow RCHD on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Rileycountyhealthdepartment/ and Twitter @RileyCoHealth.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Delegate when we use inline cell editing.
Delegate for events and customization of PSPDFContainerViewController.
/// Returns YES when we're allowed to use the network.
Designates common UIToolbar or UINavigationBar functionality.
Delegate for PSPDFFontPickerViewController, calls back when a font is selected.
Protocol for UIViews that wish to be the loadingView of a PSPDFGalleryContentView.
Protocol for UIViews that wish to be the errorView of a PSPDFGalleryContentView.
Protocol for UIViews that wish to be the captionView of a PSPDFGalleryContentView.
Delegate for callbacks on the state of the link annotation editing container view controller.
Protocol for delegate actions of the link annotation editing view controller.
The delegate of an outline cell.
Handles touches of the thumbnail grid button in the page label view.
Protocol for the annotation store implementation.
Implement this delegate to get notified of scrubber bar events.
/// Called when a signature was successfully removed from the document.
Delegate to be notified on actions.


On Tour is a music and performance program recorded live on location at local venues in PA, NJ & DE. It features regional, national and international artists performing a wide variety of styles including rock, R&B, country, jazz, blues, alternative, indie, folk and classical. The hallmark of the series is the seamless weaving of intimate artist interviews with great performances.
Neon Trees, known for their energetic live performances, began rocking a decade ago.
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Playing For Change is a movement created to inspire and connect the world through music.
Four time Grammy nominated band is known for playing traditional Cajun and Creole music.
Founding members reveal the stories behind their magnitude of hit songs.


A total of 12 funded places are available for experienced staff who work in the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), diabetic eye (DES) or newborn hearing (NHSP) screening programmes.
This Level 4 Award in Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice is for staff who would like to become internal quality assurers (IQAs) to support the implementation of the new Level 3 Diploma for Health Screeners.
IQAs are the main contact between an approving/awarding centre and an awarding organisation (AO) in monitoring the quality of assessors and assessor activities. Approving centres usually employ IQAs on an ad hoc/sessional basis. Each local screening service does not need an IQA in order to provide the new qualification.
The IQA qualification has 2 mandatory units.
This is a knowledge-based unit. Candidates gain the knowledge and understanding required to internally assure the quality of assessment: the principles, techniques and the planning involved.
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PHE Screening's education and training team will review applications and inform successful applicants by 9 December 2016.
If you have any queries please email the PHE Screening helpdesk at PHE.screeninghelpdesk@nhs.net.


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Potluck Media	Gov. Kim Reynolds wrong to back billion dollar borrowing scheme
Gov. Kim Reynolds wrong to back billion dollar borrowing scheme
December 11, 2019 December 11, 2019 | Joe Bolkcom
Governor Reynold's support of an exotic and risky funding scheme is an admission of her failure to support our public universities. GOP tax cuts for wealthy Iowans have led to a dramatic decline in support for our public universities.
It's hard to believe that Governor Reynolds and Legislative Republicans think it makes sense to borrow more than $1 billion dollars to pay for on-going programs at the University of Iowa over the next 50 years.
Like a hedge fund, the University of Iowa will invest this borrowed money in the markets, in hopes of realizing large capital gains to both payback the borrowed money to the investors and realize a financial gain to fund the University.
Like a home mortgage, every dollar that the University receives in an upfront payment will have to be paid back with interest over the next 50-years.
The plan relies on the performance of the markets to succeed. If for some reason the University can't pay back the money, Iowa taxpayers will.
There's no transparency in this secret deal.
Except for handful of legislative leaders and the Governor's office, Iowans have been left in the dark about the financial details of this secret deal. The assets of the University of Iowa belong to Iowa taxpayers, not any board or unelected administrator.
We have not privatized the University of Iowa yet! Iowans deserve a far more transparent process and a timely sharing of the financial details of such a complicated long-term deal.
Iowans have had no opportunity to express their views on the final details of borrowing plan. Taxpayers deserve some straight answers to basic questions. Some of the questions include:
How much money will need to be paid back?
Who is financially responsible if the plan fails?
Why does the University of Iowa continue to pay all the costs of staff, fuel and capital improvements to operate the utility systems?
Why have Iowans been left in the dark?
This is no way to run a public university. This is not a long-term solution to fund higher education. Iowa taxpayers and University of Iowa faculty, staff and students deserve better.
Photo credit: Vkulikov [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Related: budget education
Joe Bolkcom is a State Senator, representing the 43rd District.
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People is the most important part of software making. Software is many times termed as peopleware for this reason.
We hire freshers and junior developers, and provide them guidance to become world class professionals. Under the guidance of senior seasoned staff, the junior staff picks the up the skills and becomes productive engagements quickly. This turns out to be a very cost-effective model — suitable to many engagements. The junior resources are expected to make mistakes or get stuck at times — but those are caught quickly and corrected by better processes and efficient management to a good extent.
On mission-critical projects, this tradeoff does not work and the quality requirements weigh higher. On such a project, the proportion of engagement of senior resources is high.
In areas where we do not possess inhouse expertise, we engage external contractors as needed. This typically happens for User Interface design and development, or some other specialized skill. For engagements that run for over an year, hiring experienced staff inhouse is an option.
By definition, the person who has created the code is never the right one to certify the quality. We therefore insist on having dedicated testers on the team. Testers play a very important role in owning the product functionality, coordinating with the customer and manage quality on an ongoing basis.
Our HR policies reward good work. More than the seniority, a person's past performance is taken into account during the appraisals. There is a special focus on skill upgrade. On the other hand, non-performers are weeded out.
Customer focus is nurtured within our employees. During the engagement, we have a continuous dialog with the customers Our testers are required to understand the customer perspective in depth, as they stand in for the customer in the day-to-day work.
We follow daily scrum to keep employees in synch and up to date on project happenings, and to keep their productivity up.
To reduce the occurrence of common mistakes, we have evolved checklists that are used while carrying out day-to-day work.
We listen to our employees and take their feedback in project and organizational matters. Acism policies towards employees are transparent.
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We encourage our employees to get involved in online / offline communities that are relevant to their work or technologies.
What has resulted out of this is a customer caring, open minded, eager to learn and motivated workforce.


Subject: Re: I NEED HELP!!!!!
I can't offer anything but sympathy and the fact that I have a friend who's daughter went through the same thing. The doctors in Virginia gave her the same explanation as yours did. It's a hateful weed to say the least!! I would hate for your son to miss Scout camp (I have 3 Eagle Scout sons) for something that may or may not be a problem. One of my sons was highly allergic but often didn't have a problem if he stayed out of the weeds. Send him supplied with the remedies you can and stay close to a phone just in case!


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The Tiger Times
A public forum for students of The Fleetwood Area School District
Women Finally Allowed to Enter Holiest Temple in India
Posted on January 31, 2019 by thetigertimes7
On 2 January 2019, two individuals made history for women in India. In Kerala, India, two women entered one of the holiest temples in all of India just after a ban on women was removed. Although this was a big step towards equality, many people were not happy.
Over the years, women have struggled to achieve equal opportunities and rights. Even with laws supporting women, obtaining equality has been a fight.
The Sabarimala temple, located in Kerala, had a ban on women of menstruating age placed on it for decades. In September of 2018, the court ruled it unfair to continue this law. After the ruling, many people were divided on the idea.
Ever since the ban was lifted, many women attempted to enter the holy temple but were turned away by protesters standing around. The two women who finally entered were a university professor named Bindu A. and a government worker.
The women's entry prompted riots that broke out between the opposing sides. The priest of the temple even closed down the sanctuary for a "purification ritual." This historical event did not just impact those in Kerala; when word got, out riots began in the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, as well.
The whole ruling also acted as a test for the Indian government. Many riots and protests occurred, and the government was in a place to decide how to handle it. They put themselves in a difficult position, being pinned against women's rights and century-long traditions.
For the brave women who entered the temple, it was not just about the holy place; it was a fight for their rights.
"We are proud of these women who helped to implement the supreme court verdict. We broke the inequality being carried out in the name of God for all these years." Prasad Amore, a psychologist who was in the temple with the women, said.
Tagged: Religion
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The Tiger Times is a high school news journal that is produced using funds from The Fleetwood Area School District as well as club fundraisers. All subjects and topics appearing within The Tiger Times are self-selected by student reporters themselves; however, article suggestions are accepted from all students, staff, administration, and community members. Opinions and viewpoints stated in The Tiger Times are not necessarily the opinions and viewpoints of the Fleetwood Area School District, its administration, its faculty, the club advisor, or even the entirety of The Tiger Times staff. The Tiger Times is a public forum whose primary goal is to provide an outlet for student expression to The Fleetwood Area School District and its constituent communities. Viewpoints and opinions that are contrary to those appearing in The Tiger Times are welcomed, but they are not guaranteed publication except by approval from the student editors. Students who are not matriculated in the Journalism course or who are not among the club's roster are still eligible to submit content for the periodical. All articles and letters selected for publication may be subject to editing for length and language consistent with the style established by student editors of The Tiger Times.


"Book of life" is the follow-up album from Danish singer Nana Schwartzlose after her acclaimed debut "Notes to Remember". The album features a handful of songs that centers round the personal and irresistible voice of Nana Schwartzlose.
Nana Schwartzlose. Book of life.
"Book of life" is the follow-up album from Danish singer Nana Schwartzlose after her acclaimed debut "Notes to Remember".
"Book of life" is recorded in Denmark with a selected group of local musicians but the sound and feel of the album is vibrantly universal.
The album features a handful of songs that centers round the personal and irresistible voice of Nana Schwartzlose – and ranges from passionate introvert tales of lost love to songs of hope and happiness. Nana Schwartzlose delivers each word with the personal, relevant, and beautiful sincerity that has become her musical trademark. Pain and joy are mercifully balanced and every emotion of every song stands out crystal clear. All songs are accompanied by the extremely skilled and dedicated rhythm group – creating the perfect background setting for Nana's voice.
On the song "You and I", Nana joins forces with Texan singer Eric Beverly, who has co-written and sings on the track. This is by no means the only American influence on "Book of Life". New York is Nana's second home and serves as a natural subject in both her music and in her lyrics. And her intimate interpretation of the big city is equally revealing and refreshing.
Siig Family, DJBFA, friends and family.
like the one you know.
about life and this day, that now has come.
Wish I could fly home to you. Walk next to you.
I´ll sing you a lullaby under the red morning sky.
Hope you hear me now, when I sing to you.
about to begin here in New York.
fish are jumping and so are you now.
Thursday morning, it´s time to go.
We´ll walk through town. Going slow.
at the cafe by the lake.
I´m used to it, so I sit and read.
Now and then you make sounds.
Something´s wrong I try to wake you.
Something isn´t okay, right now.
No it isnt´t okay right now.
The doctors take over now.
I guess that it is okay now. It´s okay, now..
a book with an unknown end.
She turns around and then she´s gone.
New stories come my way.
Smoke in your eyes. Is that why you cry?
Would you let me know. if it wasn't so.
truth washed up on the shore.
I´m wanting you now. It´s different somehow.
Yet I don´t know where we would go.
I would ask for you hand.
But I see you´re fine where you stand.
I just came to say. I´m going away.
I´ve already tried. Is this a final goodbye?
even people I have known for a long time.
mailman didnt reach my door.
be updates from everybody´s life.
Sat there for a second or maybe 2 hours.
Is this how it goes when you walk home alone.
No one sees me now.
No one will track us down.
I walk where I want. I make decisions on my own.
I´m a dog. I´m on the run. The world is my own.
I don´t know the words, "wrong way".
I ain´t got a map. I just follow my nose.
I´m a Snoop Doggy dog and I walk on my own.
I got my four brown shoes and I ain´t got a phone.
´cause I am a street dog. I´m a street dog baby.
If you´re lost and need a sign just ask me very nice.
Cause I´m a dog on the run.
If you ask me where I go.
If I meet a friend, I´ll stop and say hello.
´Cause I walk on my own. No train to catch.
Take the A or C train Uptown.
Get of fat 168th street.
old bridge is in your sight.
My favorite spot is right on Broadway.
An old man dances in my greengrocer store.
To Washington Heights. Washington Heights.
The Chinese chef on the corner isn´t shy.
He always jumps out the door and asks me kindly.
Where did you go? Where have you been?
Will you be back and buy my rice?
Here in Washington Heights. Washington Heights.
With my backpack I hike through the Alps.
The only sound is when the glacier looses a piece.
I´ve got no watch only the sun. No stress no noise.
only got my answering machine.
© Nana Schwartzlose / L'atelier Clair inc.


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Sequoia 2 Sun, Oct 6, 2019 4:30 PM
Rafael 3 Tue, Oct 8, 2019 2:30 PM
Section: Valley of the Docs
Resist Revolt Reform
Premiere Status: World
Director: Emily Harris
Producer: Emily Harris
Cinematographer: Nick Gordon Smith
Editor: Emily Harris
Cast: Stewart Brand
Country Joe Mcdonald
Michael Lang
Caroline Coon
Denise Kaufman
Lee Felsenstein
Print Source: Emily Harris
Note Writer: Michael Fox
Can we revisit the '60s yet again, not in a futile attempt to recapture that blissful, perfect (nostalgia) trip but as an incubator for the kind of volcanic change needed at this fraught moment in the human experiment? That was the thinking behind "You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-1970," an idea-and-artifact packed exhibition at London's V&A Museum of art and design in the fall-winter of 2016-2017. The veddy British curators guide us through the upheavals of the second half of the decade, from the fashion freedom of Carnaby Street to the murderous clampdown at Kent State, with a special appreciation for the Bay Area. Filmmaker Emily Harris invites idealists and futurists Stewart Brand and Lee Friedlander, and cultural avatars Peter Coyote and Country Joe McDonald, to bring their experiences to bear on the present moment. In the face of looming ecological catastrophe, they prescribe worldwide transformation—with or without LSD—to cure our conformity, consumerism, and capitulation to the status quo.
EXPECTED GUESTS: Director Emily Harris
Thank you to our Community Partners the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Oakland Museum of California!
Emily Harris is a visual storyteller spanning film, theater, exhibition, and installation. Her work has won several international awards and has been shown at major film festivals and museums worldwide. Her short film, Three Towers (2006), directed with Jonathan Bentovin, won multiple festival prizes, including Best Short Film at the Raindance Film Festival. She made her feature debut with Borges and I (2009), winner of the Festival Prize for Best No-Budget Feature at the London Independent Film Festival. Her other features include Paragraph (2015), Love Is Thicker Than Water (2016), Carmilla (2019), and You Say You Want a Revolution? (2019), a documentary.
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