#Cuban Trade Embargo

[thenewdemocratus]

Foreign Affairs: Carlos W. Fernandez & Eric Lorber: Opening Cuba to Telecommunications Investment

Source:Foreign Affairs I agree that opening up the Cuban telecommunications industry and allowing for others to be involved there outside of the Castro Regime is a way to not only open up Cuba and open up a better relationship between America and Cuba, but the two government’s, is not only a good way to open up Cuba, but also a good way to open up the Cuban economy. The Castro Regime decided in…

[minnesotafollower]

Another Granma Article Against the U.S. Embargo (Blockade)  

Granma, the official newspaper for Cuba’s Communist Party, already has published an editorial against the U.S. recent extension of its embargo (blockade) against Cuba.[1] Here is the text of another Granma article voicing similar views.[2] “[It} is not news that the U.S. Government has extended, for one more year, the validity of the law that establishes the basis of the economic, commercial and…

[zvaigzdelasas]

[H]undreds of legal experts and groups on Monday urged the global community—and the United States government in particular—"to comply with international law by ending the use of broad, unilateral coercive measures that extensively harm civilian populations."

In a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden, the jurists and legal groups wrote that "75 years ago, in the aftermath of one of the most destructive conflicts in human history, nations of the world came together in Geneva, Switzerland to establish clear legal limits on the treatment of noncombatants in times of war."

"One key provision... is the prohibition of collective punishment, which is considered a war crime," the letter continues. "We consider the unilateral application of certain economic sanctions to constitute collective punishment."

Suzanne Adely, president of the National Lawyers Guild—one of the letter's signatories—said in a statement that "economic sanctions cause direct material harm not only to the people living on the receiving end of these policies, but to those who rely on trade and economic relations with sanctioned countries."

"The legal community needs to push back against the narrative that sanctions are nonviolent alternatives to warfare and hold the U.S. Government accountable for violating international law every time it wields these coercive measures," she added.[...]

"Hundreds of millions of people currently live under such broad U.S. economic sanctions in some form, including in notable cases such as Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela," the letter notes. "The evidence that these measures can cause severe, widespread civilian harm, including death, is overwhelming. Broad economic sanctions can spark and prolong economic crises, hinder access to essential goods like food, fuel, and medicine, and increase poverty, hunger, disease, and even death rates, especially among children. Such conditions in turn often drive mass migration, as in the recent cases of Cuba and Venezuela."

For more than 64 years, the U.S. has imposed a crippling economic embargo on Cuba that had adversely affected all sectors of the socialist island's economy and severely limited Cubans' access to basic necessities including food, fuel, and medicines. The Cuban government claims the blockade cost the country's economy nearly $5 billion in just one 11-month period in 2022-23 alone. For the past 32 years, United Nations member states have voted overwhelmingly against the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Last year's vote was 187-2, with the U.S. and Israel as the only dissenters.

According to a 2019 report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a progressive think tank based in Washington, D.C., as many as 40,000 Venezuelans died from 2017-18 to U.S. sanctions, which have made it much more difficult for millions of people to obtain food, medicine, and other necessities.

"Civilian suffering is not merely an incidental cost of these policies, but often their very intent," the new letter asserts. "A 1960 State Department memo on the embargo of Cuba suggested 'denying money and supplies to Cuba, to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation, and overthrow of government.'"

"Asked whether the Trump administration's sanctions on Iran were working as intended, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded that 'things are much worse for the Iranian people, and we're convinced that will lead the Iranian people to rise up and change the behavior of the regime,'" the signers added.

12 Aug 24

[wormtoxin]

sorry i can’t resist posting about stupid shit but. fuck dude. i keep thinking about this. It’s so telling.

Why do you think the US did that to Puerto Rico?? Why do you think the US keeps Puerto Rico as a pet pseudostate? Why do you think the US took sovereignty of PR from the Spanish empire, but maintains no material investment in her infrastructure and her people??

And furthermore, in whose name do you think Israel bombs Palestinian hospitals and settles her land? Why do you think the US continues to send Israel weapons, even as IDF soldiers bomb hospitals, kill doctors nurses technicians and citizens alike, restrict aid and emigration, kill aid workers attempting to bring medical supplies to Gaza?

And further, why does the US maintain trade embargo over Cuba? Cuba’s medical industry, doctors, and biotechnology manufacturing industries are top-notch, some of the best in the world. Their medical infrastructure was developed out of necessity, because the country ended up in precisely the situation you described above. Now, half a century later, they’re STILL under trade embargo, as renewed by the Biden administration. They still don’t have sterile supplies, fuel, food, and medicine, except that which the US allows or that they manufacture themselves. Cuba, miraculously, managed to establish a stable government. They invented medical infrastructure wholecloth out of love compassion, empathy, and yes, necessity. They still don’t have access to free trade with this all-important “global infrastructure” that apparently must be maintained, no matter the blood-cost. Is that what her citizens deserve? Is that payment for the original sin of once being host to a violent revolution? Is that what Cuban citizens have earned by not being sufficiently incrementalist for your tastes?

The United States needs to keep Cuba impoverished to prevent communist ideas from gaining a foothold in the rest of the Southern Hemisphere. If LatAm countries were to nationalize their industries under freely elected socialist leaders, the US would lose its functional economic advantage over the territory. It’s basic Backyard/Domino Theory. The US funds right-wing militaries to perform coups against freely elected socialist leaders in its pet territories. How many people were killed, or suffered medical shortages in those attacks???

I’m not a huge fan of Violent Revolution. That’s a stupid thing for anyone to advocate. But on the whole you are getting upset at frustrated zoomers and armchair would-be commies venting on their tumblr blogs. The “Defund Hospitals” bloc of socialists, notably, don’t really have a substantial impact on US politics. They barely even unionize.

Your post employs rhetoric that does have a substantial impact on US foreign and domestic policy, though. Namely, threatening US citizens with impoverishment, violence, neglect, sickness, and death to keep them from complaining inelegantly about the current system and the way that it functions. Outside the imperial core, the United States doesn’t need to threaten or imply the damage it might inflict by restricting access to life-saving medical technology. It just does so.

So honestly, fuck you for pretending to be a neutral level-headed party in all this. To respond to people advocating for violence, you’re just advocating for different violence. The medical industry IS a wonderful, powerful, vital, life-saving thing. But it is not apolitical, nor is it uniquely immune to suggested improvement, or exploitation of many kinds. Don’t pretend you’re my fucking ally.

Why does medical infrastructure get to benefit from global economies without questioning its own culpability in the destruction of foreign economies? As physicians we have a responsibility to take care of people. If you’re going to pretend to care about global medicine, you don’t get to half-ass it. We need to be thoughtful about where our tools and medicines come from and who they’re permitted to heal.

Why does the US spend more on healthcare than any other nation, and have worse health outcomes than any comparable first-world nation? Why do we even separate countries into “first world” and “developing” nations for our popsci statistics in the first place? Where do the terms “first world” and “third world” even come from in the first place? surprised, it’s fucking cold war policy again!

It doesn’t even work here. We warmonger and neocolonize and gut other nations for our precious healthcare infrastructure and it’s not even working. I don’t have a solution either. But I’m not gonna go online and defend the status quo either.

[billscheft]

Luis Tiant, who passed away today at (cough, cough....) 83, was that rarest of baseball players. Nobody existed like him before he arrived in the big leagues in 1964 and nobody has come close to resembling him since he retired 18 seasons later. The Red Sox literally plucked him off the scrap heap after he was cut by the Twins and Braves a month apart in 1971. He won 20 games three times in eight seasons with Boston, and if he missed a start, I don't remember it. With the Sox down 2-1 in the 1975 World Series, he threw a complete game at the Big Red Machine on....wait for it....155 pitches. I'm not a guy who goes on and on about the Hall of Fame, but if it's about being a dominant pitcher in your era, he's in (and we can clear his spot by tossing out Don Sutton). Lastly, maybe the thing I admire the most....a seven-decade unapologetic flaunter of the Cuban trade embargo. Ave atque vale, El Tiante....

[terrence-silver]

Any random 80s Terry headcanons please :)

---

― Undoubtedly fell into the (in)famous aerobic craze of the 80's, or rather, was the aerobic craze of the 80's, where he appeared in multiple extremely high-end, glossy, legitimate and very stylish articles concerning body wellness. Not of the neon spandex variety that was fresh and hip. I mean, truly elegant stuff that only aided his image of a positive benefactor that 'cares about the role models young people consume'. If Kreese had his life-size cardboard cutouts of himself on the entrance of the Cobra Kai dojo, Terry Silver had entire exclusive Men's Health type periodicals detailing how he balances high-powered Yuppie corporate work as CEO and maintaining an immaculately trimmed physique (humbly speaking).

― Relished in having an All-European staff at the time (an English secretary, a Czechoslovakian butler...a Swiss pool cleaner for the laughs and gags, for all we know.) because it was a personal showcasing of wealth on his part and served to cement the idea that America's an exceptional World power during that particular decade, and that he, by extension of money being that plenty and that exceptional, can have a handful of classy, Old World employees and all the status symbol and traditionally associated 'mystique' that entailed as being their Boss (and not the other way around). Economy was booming. He was booming all around. He wanted to show off, simply because he could. So, he did.

― Was possibly embroidered and secretly or not so secretly in cahoots with multiple corrupt governments Worldwide going through the tumultuous transition from dictatorship to an unstable democracy during the 70's and 80's, which tactically allowed Terry (and Dynatox, by extension) to, yes, you guessed it, dispose of toxic materials with ease in the Global South and in Third World Countries as a whole. Toxic materials that would be deemed illegal and absolutely out of the question in any developed ones, but were passable if you knew the right people and officials in (throws dart) Nicaragua. Or hey, case and point, in Borneo. Basically, I am convinced Terry Silver had some very questionable and bizarre names marked down in his phonebook.

― Case and point; to keep it properly 80's --- drugs. Cocaine! He got all of his substances and narcotics right from the source, directly from the people that produced it just for him. Cleanest, purest, highest of quality, because his organism and taste palette deserves the best. Same as his Cuban cigars, which were deemed illegal due to a trade embargo with Cuba at the time. Generally, if one keeps their brain open, again, just envision the type of acquaintances and contacts Terry knew and was connected with during the decade to get ahold of all of these goods. I don't know, it is hilarious (and a little frightening with the right context involved) how plausible and easy it is to imagine a crossover between The Karate Kid III and Narcos, for example.

― On a slightly lighter note, I feel that all throughout the decade, Terry Silver had the tendency to disguise himself; as various things, yes. A hobby all of his own. Hard done by dojo owner, regular Joe Schmoe at the club downtown, struggling martial artist, blue collar guy of the most ordinary variety or just another nameless stranger on the street. You name it. Pre-Internet era, when it was infinitely more difficult to recognize someone, look them up or photograph them in public, he enjoyed going about unbothered and just observing things. People. Situations. Being a bit of a voyeur and a prankster of his own variety, he liked seeing and experiencing how people treat him when they think he's just some nobody and playing with their mind through it for his own amusement.

― At the height of 80's consumerism, there was no need to downplay his wealth, quite the contrary; if Terry lived in a mansion, it was the biggest, most gigantic brutalist bit of property overlooking all of LA from Beverly Hills. If he dressed rich, he wore a red silky ascot like he's a character straight off of Dynasty (and he knew it too!) If he drove around in a car, it was a chauffeured Rolls Royce, of all things. He trained in a white satin Gi as peak decadence. It was only the coming decades that he, as I see it, choose to strategically go about the route of a bit of stealth-wealth, because it became the new acceptable way of being a member of the 1%, and chameleon that he was, he went and adapted. Flew under the radar. Downsized on purpose. Means, that when the 80's ended, the tenure of him dwelling at the Ennis House ended too. And everything that went along with it as well. Times change. Terry (seemingly) changes with them. The earring in his ear had to go too (once it went out of fashion.)

[trashinthealley]

THIS IS AN ADULT BLOG WHICH INCLUDES LABELED RESTRICTED MATERIAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DEFINITIONS OF COMMUNITY GUIDELINES... IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF LEGAL MAJORITY (18 - 21 YRS. DEPENDING UPON LOCALITY) YOU ARE NOTIFIED AND REQUIRED TO EXIT THIS PAGE IMMEDIATELY, UNFOLLOW AND DO NOT INTERACT 🧐

I AM AMERICAN OF GERMAN/IROQUOIS DESCENT, I AM MESSIANIC CHRISTIAN AND DEMOCRATIC LEANING, I AM PORN/KINK/BDSM POSITIVE HOMOSEXUAL MALE, I AM APLAROALLO PREFERRING THE PRONOUNS HE AND HIM, I AM TAURUS/SNAKE/(CAN'T TELL YOU MY SPIRIT ANIMAL), I AM OLD AND WISE, AND VERY ECLECTIC BY NATURE... AND I HATE "PINNED POSTS" MORE THAN YOU DO (BUT MINE'S BIGGER) 😏

MY ANCESTORS WERE HAPPY ON THIS LAND, LONG NAMED FOR VESPUCCI, IN AND AROUND THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, LONG BEFORE COLUMBUS AND THE COLONIZING SUBJECTS OF KING GEORGE ARRIVED... AND DESPITE A LINGERING GRUDGE WITH MARYLAND OVER THE BEAVER WARS, I AM STILL COMFORTABLE HERE 😌

MY ENTIRE FAMILY FOUGHT THE BRITISH EMPIRE AGAINST "COLONIAL IMPERIALISM" ALMOST 250 YEARS AGO AND WON THE RIGHT TO FORM AND FUNCTION IN THIS UNITED STATES DEMOCRACY WITH IT'S ALL OF IT'S FREEDOMS INCLUDING CAPITALISM, OCCASIONAL GLUTTONY, AND FULL SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE... 🤨

I ADVOCATE FOR COMPLETELY ENDING EMBARGO AGAINST CUBA AND WELCOMING THEM WITH PUERTO RICO INTO THE UNITED STATES... BEING A BIT OF A JÍBARO MYSELF, WITH FAMILY ROOTS IN THE ALLEGHENIES, I ADMIT THAT I MIGHT EASILY RETIRE THERE AND ENJOY THE REST OF MY DAYS IN WILD CARIBBEAN WARMTH, SURROUNDED BY INDIGENOUS COCKS... (I NEVER NEEDED TO SET AN ALARM TO WELCOME THE SUNRISE WITH STRONG CUBAN COFFEE AND A GOOD CIGAR IN ALL MY YEARS OF LIVING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS... WHAT?!) 😧

ALTHOUGH ONE COINCIDENCE IN MY LIFE WAS HAVING A GRANDFATHER WHO WINTERED AS A HANDYMAN IN THE SAME SOUTHERNMOST LOCAL, NONE OF MY ANCESTORS EVER PARTICIPATED IN ORGANIZED COLONIZATION, NOR DID THEY EVER SUPPORT OR PERFORM IN ANY KIND OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING, SUCH AS THE CARIBBEAN RUM TRADE, NOR DID THEY EVER OWN ANY SLAVES TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF 🤔

MY FAMILY LIVED AND WORKED NORTH OF THE MASON-DIXON LINE THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR UNTIL SLAVERY IN THIS COUNTRY WAS RIGHTFULLY ABOLISHED... I RESIDE AT THE NORTHERN END OF THE DIXIE HIGHWAY, WHICH WAS ONCE ALSO THE NORTHERN END OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, BEFORE CONTINUING TO MONTREAL QUEBEC 🥱

I WAS BORN IN A CITY NEAR DETROIT MICHIGAN NAMED FOR THE WYANDOTTE TRIBES, ONE OF WHICH LIVED THERE, NOW THE WYANDOTTE NATION PRIMARILY OF OKLAHOMA, WHO IRONICALLY WERE MY IROQUOIS ANCESTORS' ENEMIES (EVEN TO THE POINT OF FIGHTING ALONGSIDE THE BRITISH DURING THE REVOLUTION, CAUSING THEM TO BE DRIVEN FROM THEIR LANDS) 😔

SOME OF MY OWN DISTANT RELATIVES HAD THEIR FREEDOMS REMOVED, THEIR SOVEREIGNTY LIMITED AND/OR THEIR RESIDENCY REVOKED ON VARIOUS UNCEREMONIOUS HISTORICAL OCCASIONS... MANY OF MY DISTANT COUSINS NOW LIVE IN THE COUNTRY KNOWN AS MEXICO, PRIMARILY THE STATE OF OAXACA, BY CHOICE OR NOT, AND I WILL ALWAYS WELCOME THEM HERE IN THE "NORTHERN" UNITED STATES (¡MALDITA SEA EL MURO FRONTERIZO!) (¡ELIGE TU TEQUILA: TE MOSTRARÉ QUIÉN ES UN GRINGO!) 🤠

I AM DISABLED AND SELF-SUPPORTING, FILING TAXES EVERY YEAR, WITHOUT COLLECTING ANY GOVERNMENT OR EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS... I THEREFORE HAVE AN ADMITTED LOW TOLERANCE FOR WHINING -- AS I DO NOT OWN A BANK, NOR OPERATE A CREDIT UNION, NOR SECURE GRANTS FOR ANY 501C3 ORGANIZATION MYSELF 😬

I RESPECT ALL RELIGIONS, OR THE ABSENCE THEREOF, INCLUDING MY OWN -- WHICH MAY VARY SLIGHTLY AS I CONTINUE UPON MY LIFE PATH... AND FINALLY I AM GLAD THAT IN MY OWN LIFETIME, THE LGBT+ COMMUNITY OF WHICH I AM PART HAS WON, AND CONTINUES TO EXPAND UPON, EQUAL LEGAL AND SOCIETAL RIGHTS BASED ON HUMAN SEXUALITY AND IT'S RESULTANT CHOICES 🤓

I FULLY SUPPORT ANYONE WHO WANTS TO ACHIEVE THE EQUALITY, FREEDOM, JUSTICE AND JOY -- INCLUDING WEALTH -- THAT THEY, THEIR FAMILY, THEIR FRIENDS, THEIR RACE, THEIR RELIGION, THEIR SEXUALITY, THEIR (DIS)ABILITY AND THEIR COUNTRY OF BIRTH AND/OR RESIDENCE DESERVE(S)... HOWEVER... 🙄

IF YOU WISH TO LABEL ME, MY FAMILY OR MY COUNTRY AS "WHITE SUPREMACIST", "WHITE PRIVILEGED", "IMPERIALISTIC", "COLONIZING", OR ANY OTHER INACCURATE (REVERSE-)DISCRIMINATORY TERM, SLANDER ME THUSLY, AND/OR LAY BLAME FOR THE TROUBLES OF YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR RACE, YOUR COMMUNITY OR YOUR COUNTRY HERE: YOU ARE NOT WELCOME ON THIS URL... 😠

THE SAME CONTINUES TO HOLD TRUE FOR SERIOUS DISCRIMINATION OF ANY CLASS, AND SUSTAINED HATEFUL SPEECH OR BEHAVIOR EVIDENCING SUCH (I.E. GAY/BI/LESBIAN/TRANS, BDSM/KINK/PORN, ACE/APL/ARO/ALLO, MENTALLY CHALLENGED, PHYSICALLY DISABLED, CHEMICALLY DEPENDANT, HOMELESS, JEWISH, MUSLIM, WHITE, BLACK, ASIAN, ARABIAN, LATINO...) -- ALTHOUGH I CAN OCCASIONALLY ENJOY BOTH GIVING AND TAKING A LITTLE BAD-JOKING AND A LOT OF IRONY IN MY OWN FIELD... (SORRY ABOUT THAT, YOU'RE (NOT) WELCOME) ☹️

I AM TRULY SADDENED THAT THE WORLD HAS COME TO THIS, BUT IF YOU WOULD NOT AFFORD ME/MINE/OURS THE SAME BASIC RESPECT, WELL-WISHES AND HUMAN DECENCY THAT I WOULD FREELY AFFORD YOU/YOURS: A PROBLEM EXISTS THAT IS NOT MINE TO SOLVE 😟

I REMAIN OPEN TO CRITICISM OF MY MISTAKES AND WELCOME DISCUSSION OF OUR POTENTIAL DIFFERENCES, AND YOU MAY FOLLOW, LIKE, REBLOG, COMMENT AND/OR CONTACT ME AT ANY TIME... BLOCKERS, WHINERS, BLAMERS, HATERS, BRAINDEAD, JAILBAIT, AND WOMEN SEEKING SEXUAL FAVOR WILL BE BLOCKED -- AND REPORTED IF THEY ARE BOTS... YOUR MATERIAL MAY BE COMMENTED UPON AND/OR HAVE CORRECT COMMUNITY LABEL SUGGESTED OR APPLIED IN REBLOG IF IT CROSSES MY DASHBOARD 😇

PLEASE READ THE BASIC DISCLAIMERS ABOVE IN THE BLOG DESCRIPTION BEFORE SEEKING LEGAL COUNSEL... IT'LL SAVE US BOTH TIME, MONEY, AND GRIEF... IF YOU FOLLOW AFTER ALL OF THIS NECESSARY NONSENSE, YOU MAY BE NOTIFIED OF MY ADDITIONAL BLOG AVAILABILITY... 😒

THANKS FOR VISITING AND PLEASE ENJOY THE ARCHIVES! 😉

[amelia-rate]

"When Cuba found itself abruptly cut off from trade with the Soviet bloc in 1989, the country entered into an economic crisis of unprecedented severity. Already sidelined from international trade due to US embargoes, Cuba became, almost overnight, a country detached from the rest of the world."

"Presented with a near collapse of its food provisioning system, the Cuban government responded with an overhaul of agriculture on the island, prioritising organic farming methods, the production of useful edible crops and the use of peasant labour. In urban areas, guerrilla gardening initiatives blossomed into new state-supported urban farming programmes, with widespread voluntary participation. These farming efforts have produced ‘what may be the world’s largest working model of a semi-sustainable agriculture’, [1] and in the process, resurrected the country’s local, affordable and accessible foodshed.[2]"

Endnotes: "Today the Cuban government has identified hundreds of large state-sponsored urban farms, 162 school gardens, 7,848 vacant lot gardens, and 34,970 yard gardens (González, 2008, p24)."

[markizydore]

How Cigars Became Symbol of Status and Sophistication

The cigar has its roots in the Western Hemisphere. Over time, it became a symbol of status and sophistication.

Indigenous people across the Americas cultivated and smoked tobacco for medicinal and religious purposes hundreds of years before Europe discovered the New World. On his 1492 expedition, Christopher Columbus witnessed local people in the Caribbean smoking bundles of tobacco leaves twisted cylindrically and wrapped in corn husks or palms. The Mayans called them scars, which became cigarros in Spanish.

By the 16th century, the Portuguese and Spanish courts became acquainted with tobacco. Tobacco was a mass-market product in France and Great Britain within a hundred years. In the 18th century, small factories started producing cigars in Spain, France, and Germany, and by the early 19th century, there were operations in Britain. By parliamentary fiat, foreign cigars were subject to a hefty UK import tax starting in 1821. It classified cigars as luxury items. Demand for high-end tobacco items increased, with Cuban-made cigars supplanting those from Spain.

In the 1830s, Dutch tobacco purveyor Gustave Block introduced the cigar band to prevent counterfeit Cuban cigars. Many manufacturers soon incorporated this, with the band offering the additional benefit of protecting the gloves of the upper class from unseemly smudges. Plain oval or rectangular bands evolved into colorful art pieces, with many aficionados collecting “banderoles” of particularly memorable cigars. Cigar bands have become collectibles that can have immense value, depending on condition, maker, and provenance.

In 1837, Queen Victoria decreed that the English could smoke cigars only at home and in private clubs. This law lasted until King Edward VII took the throne in 1901. The newly crowned monarch famously declared, “Gentlemen, you may smoke!” This moment inspired the creation of the famous King Edward the Seventh cigar brand in the 1940s.

By the early 20th century, Cuba had established such a reputation for quality that it introduced a seal assuring authentic cigar production. In 1912, Cuba launched this system. In 1929, a reciprocity treaty with France bolstered it. By 1959, dozens of specific terms, such as "Habano" and "Cuba," were registered for use in Cuban cigar products only.

The mystique of cigars had much to do with the leaders and literary men associated with them. Mark Twain smoked as many as 22 cigars a day. He quipped, “I smoke in moderation, only one cigar at a time.” The profile of cigars reached an apogee during World War II, with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill often appearing in newsreels puffing a cigar, a defiant gesture of freedom against oppressive forces.

By the 1960s, the mystique of the cigar had shifted to revolutionaries such as Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Castro’s favorite brand, Cohiba, took a prominent place in the world of cigars that it retains. President John F. Kennedy was also a passionate cigar smoker. The day before signing his Cuban embargo order, he sent press secretary Pierre Salinger on a mission to purchase as many H. Upmann Demi Tasse cigars as possible from local tobacco shops. Only after he amassed 1,200 cigars did Kennedy sign his executive decree halting trade with Cuba.

[yetisidelblog]

Earlier this year, the United Nations General Assembly renewed calls for the United States to end its punitive sanctions regime against Cuba with an overwhelming majority – after years of targeted, ineffectual actions to harm their people.

Public polling shows overwhelming support from the public for this action from both political parties – with two in three Americans calling for normalized relations with the island.

With just two weeks to go, President Biden can take powerful action to center the ideals of international trade & diplomacy, not punitive sanctions. Will you ask the White House to remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism and restore the right of Americans to travel freely to Cuba?

Sanctions like the ones targeted at Cuba are little more than a relic of the cold war era, serving neither the interests of the American people nor the people of Cuba. The economic hardship that occurs from these actions is not just unjustified, but are also blatantly immoral.

After nearly 60 years of embargo, the United States saw promising results & international renown from the beginning of normalized relations in 2014. Unfortunately, that course was reversed in 2017 – and President Biden has refused to take action since.

With less than two weeks to spare, President Biden can send a powerful message to the international community that the American global presence is one of international cooperation and diplomacy, not strong-armed political punishment. Send a message to demand normalized relations with Cuba and an end to the embargo!

@upontheshelfreviews

@greenwingspino

@one-time-i-dreamt

@tenaflyviper

@akron-squirrel

@ifihadaworldofmyown

@justice-for-jacob-marley

@voicetalentbrendan

@thebigdeepcheatsy

@what-is-my-aesthetic

@ravenlynclemens

@anon-lephant

@bogleech

@writerofweird

[newstfionline]

Friday, November 1, 2024

Canada prepares for U.S. election that ‘keeps people up at night’ (Washington Post) Canada survived Donald Trump’s first term—but it wasn’t easy. He tore up the North American Free Trade Agreement, setting off a bruising renegotiation. He imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, prompting retaliation. He hurled insults at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling him “very dishonest and weak.” He injected friction into a relationship known for its closeness. Canadian opinion of the United States, by far Canada’s largest trading partner, plunged. A Harris victory in next week’s razor-tight presidential election would offer a U.S. leader with whom Canada has not struggled to find common ground. She lived in Canada for five years as a teen and graduated from high school in Montreal. But the possible return of the intemperate former president to the White House, coupled with rising protectionism on both sides of the U.S. political aisle—which will remain a key issue whichever side wins—has Ottawa dispatching top officials across the United States in a bid to stave off policies that could jeopardize Canadian interests. The U.S. election “keeps a lot of people up at night,” said Canadian Sen. Peter M. Boehm.

Could ‘adult dorms’ save city downtowns? (The Week) American cities have two big problems these days: Too much empty office space and not enough affordable housing. There may be a solution. Those empty offices could be converted to “micro-apartments”—“ultracompact rentals about the size of a cruise ship cabin,” said The Minnesota Star Tribune. A study from urban planners said a typical micro-apartment in Minneapolis would rent for about $750 a month, “about half the cost of a typical rental” in the city’s downtown. But they would definitely be micro, about 150 square feet. Each apartment would have room for a bed, desk and half-sized refrigerator. Living room, kitchen and laundry areas would be communal shared spaces. These would be “tiny, tiny, apartments,” Andrea Riquier said at USA Today. They could serve young adults, older people and even the homeless. Most importantly, it would let developers add housing to a “market at the most affordable price point.”

UN General Assembly condemns the US economic embargo of Cuba for a 32nd year (AP) The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to condemn the American economic embargo of Cuba for a 32nd year. The vote in the 193-member world body was 187-2, with only the United States and Israel against the resolution, and one abstention. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez blamed the U.S. government’s “maximum pressure policy” aimed at depriving Cuba of the imported fuel it relies on for a widespread blackout this month, including when Hurricane Oscar lashed the island.

8 of 11 members of Mexico’s Supreme Court to resign in protest of controversial judicial overhaul (AP) Eight justices of Mexico’s Supreme Court have said they will leave the court rather than stand for election as required by a controversial judicial overhaul passed last month. Supreme Court President Norma Piña and seven others submitted letters Tuesday and Wednesday stating they would leave their posts rather than compete in judicial elections scheduled for next June. Last month, Mexico’s Congress passed—and a majority of states ratified—then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s initiative to make all of the country’s judges subject to election. López Obrador and his allies, including his successor Claudia Sheinbaum, have said the radical change will help rid the judicial system of corruption. However, critics say the courts will become less independent and more subject to political forces.

Argentina’s public universities are paralyzed by protests (AP) After 11 months in office, Argentina’s President Javier Milei has fulfilled his flagship pledge to eliminate the country’s monumental deficits by shrinking the public payroll, slashing subsidies and suppressing already low wages of state workers. The austerity has spawned misery. But with the country’s left-wing opposition in disarray after delivering the economic disaster that Milei inherited, Argentina hasn’t seen the kind of widespread social unrest that has characterized past economic crises. That could change. The country’s teachers are fed up. Milei’s recent veto of a bill boosting spending on university budgets struck a collective nerve in a nation that long has considered free education a right, drawing the broadest demonstrations since the libertarian leader took office. Last week’s open-air classes held in Plaza de Mayo, the main square home to government headquarters, marked the latest in a new wave of protests supporting public universities that has gripped Argentina over the past month. Students are taking over college campuses in the coming days ahead of another mass protest.

European countries, trailing U.S. economy, hike taxes and trim spending (Washington Post) Europe is facing tight times, with the governments of the largest economies—Britain, France and Germany—confronting sluggish growth and soaring debt as they struggle to produce their budgets for next year. On a day of more good news about the sturdy growth of the U.S. economy, the outlook across the Atlantic was gloomier. Britain’s Labour Party government unveiled its long-awaited fiscal plan Wednesday, proposing to raise $52 billion in new taxes—the biggest increase in a generation. That comes after the new French government this month revealed austerity plans. The French economy got a bit of an Olympic boost, but the country is grappling with what the government has called a “colossal” debt burden and a spiraling deficit, one of Europe’s worst. And Germany learned Wednesday that it had narrowly avoided a recession, but the country that has been the economic engine of Europe is experiencing anemic growth—and facing budget cuts as a result.

Russia fines Google more than the world's entire GDP (NBC News) Google may need to consider a payment plan for the latest allegations against it. On Wednesday, Russia fined the company $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000—a sum worth more than the world’s entire GDP put together. The 37-digit figure, otherwise known as 2 undecillion rubles, aims to punish Google for blocking content from 17 Russian TV stations and media outlets on YouTube, which Google owns. But even the Kremlin on Thursday admitted that the fine is more of a symbolic gesture than one expected to be paid off. Phew.

Russian propaganda is increasingly targeting Switzerland (NZZ/Switzerland) For decades, Russia has used disinformation as a way of skewing debates in the world’s free democracies, creating a constant background noise in the public discourse. Switzerland has been less affected than many other countries, but now the noise is getting louder in this country too. An analysis of the Russian propaganda platform Russia Today shows the scale of the change. In late January 2024, RT’s German-language website introduced a separate section focusing specifically on Switzerland. Since then, RT has increased its reporting on Switzerland by a factor of 10. Roman Horbyk, a media researcher at the University of Zurich, says an information war is currently underway. The content of these RT articles follows classic Russian disinformation strategies. They portray a dismal picture of the country, in which it is apparently quite normal for foreigners to stab children, refugees to defraud the state, and the government to act arbitrarily and corruptly. However, 0ne of the most frequent topics is the war in Ukraine. The reports often center on Ukrainian refugees, typically in a disparaging and distorted way. For example, in mid-October, one article carried the headline: “‘Gorge yourself, you freeloader!’ Dissatisfaction with Ukrainian refugees grows in Switzerland.” In addition, Swiss banks, the army and Switzerland’s neutrality policy often come off badly.

Russian drones hunt civilians in streets of southern Ukrainian city (Washington Post) Russian forces have escalated indiscriminate drone attacks against civilians in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing and maiming scores of people in what locals have described as a “human safari.” Unlike elsewhere on the 600-mile-long front, Russian forces in Kherson are just across the river from the city and are using small drones to harass the population, either by crashing into targets and exploding or by dropping grenades and small camouflaged mines. The situation is fairly unique compared with the rest of Ukraine, where Russian troops must use longer-range weapons to reach civilians. Humanitarian operations and city services such as fire trucks and buses seem to be under particular threat, officials said, though children on bicycles and older people gathering at markets have also been struck.

The 21st century space race (BBC) China’s Shenzou 19 spacecraft has successfully docked at the Tiangong space station, the latest feat in a record year of space exploration for the country. The three-person crew will use their six months in orbit to conduct experiments and carry out spacewalks as part of Beijing’s mission to put someone on the Moon by 2030. Yet some see China’s ambition as a threat. Nasa chief Bill Nelson has said the US and China are “in a race” to return to the Moon, where he fears Beijing wants to stake territorial claims. The Moon’s resources include rare earths, the value of which has been estimated to be anywhere between billions to quadrillions of dollars. In Dongfeng Space City, a town built to support the launch site, China’s space programme is celebrated. Every street light is adorned with the national flag, cartoon-like astronaut figurines and sculptures sit in the centre of children’s parks and plastic rockets are a centrepiece on most traffic roundabouts. This is a moment of national pride. But even though China has invited international press to witness their space progress—there are key restrictions. We were kept in a hotel three hours from the launch site and a simple trip to a friendly local restaurant was carefully guarded by a line of security personnel. We also noticed a large sign in town holding a stern warning: “You’ll be jailed if you leak secrets. You’ll be happy if you keep secrets. You’ll be shot if you sell secrets.” China is taking no chances with its new technology, as its rivalry with the US is no longer just here on Earth.

Typhoon Kong-rey makes landfall in Taiwan (Foreign Policy) Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall in Taiwan on Thursday, bringing fierce winds reaching the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. It is the most powerful storm to hit the island in nearly 30 years. Already, at least one person was killed and more than 200 injured. Local authorities urged residents to stay home, and Taipei has put 36,000 troops on standby to assist rescue efforts. More than 11,900 people across 14 cities and counties have been evacuated, according to Taiwan’s Interior Ministry. Taiwan Power has reported power outages in half a million households, authorities closed Taiwan’s financial markets and schools, and hundreds of flights were canceled due to high winds.

Israel Widens Hezbollah Strikes, Hitting Lebanese Cities Beyond Border Area (NYT) The Israeli military widened its campaign against the militant group Hezbollah on Wednesday, launching airstrikes around the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek and forcing large numbers of people to flee. Israel’s strikes against Hezbollah, initially focused on smaller, border villages in the south, are expanding beyond the country’s periphery to port towns and urban centers where the group has supporters, including Baalbek, Tyre and Sidon. Famed for its towering Roman ruins, Baalbek, which had a population of about 80,000 people, had largely been spared Israeli bombardment until recent days. “People are panicking,” said Ibrahim Bayan, a mayoral deputy in Baalbek, adding that about a dozen strikes had landed in or around the city since Israel issued its evacuation warnings on Wednesday. The Israeli military said it struck fuel depots belonging to Hezbollah, stocked with fuel supplied by Iran.

Uganda struggles to feed more than 1.7 million refugees as international support dwindles (AP) For months, Agnes Bulaba, a Congolese refugee in Uganda, has had to get by without the food rations she once depended on. Her children scavenge among local communities for whatever they can find to eat. “As a woman who’s not married, life is hard,” Bulaba told The Associated Press. Some locals “keep throwing stones at us, but we just want to feed our kids and buy them some clothes,” said the mother of six, who often works as a prostitute to fend for her family. Uganda is home to more than 1.7 million refugees, the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Despite being renowned for welcoming those fleeing neighboring violence, Ugandan officials and humanitarians say dwindling international support coupled with high numbers of refugees have put much pressure on host communities. Approximately 10,000 new arrivals enter Uganda each month, according to U.N. figures.

[ci12]

Exploring the History of Cigar Culture

Cigars have long been associated with luxury, power, and tradition. Their rich history spans centuries, evolving from a simple pastime of indigenous people in the Americas to a symbol of status among global elites. The story of cigar culture is one of craft, community, and passion, transcending borders and becoming an integral part of many societies. In this article, we’ll explore the fascinating journey of cigars, tracing their roots and how they have shaped a distinct culture that continues to thrive today.

1. The Origins of Cigar Culture

The history of cigars dates back to the ancient civilizations of the Americas, particularly among the indigenous people of the Caribbean and Central America. Tobacco was initially used in religious ceremonies and as a form of currency. When European explorers, including Christopher Columbus, arrived in the New World, they encountered the native practice of rolling and smoking tobacco leaves, which would later become the foundation for the modern cigar.

It wasn’t long before tobacco became a highly sought-after commodity in Europe. By the 16th century, cigar smoking had spread throughout Spain and Portugal and soon reached other parts of Europe, becoming a popular indulgence among the aristocracy. The rich flavor of tobacco, combined with its calming effects, made it a beloved item in royal courts and among the wealthy.

2. The Golden Age of Cigars

The 19th century marked the golden age of cigars, particularly in countries like Cuba, where ideal growing conditions helped produce some of the finest tobacco in the world. Cuban cigars, still considered the epitome of quality and craftsmanship, became the gold standard during this period. Factories in Havana were known for their meticulous production processes, and cigar rolling became an art form.

During this era, cigar smoking was also embraced by prominent figures, including Winston Churchill and Sigmund Freud, who helped cement its image as a symbol of sophistication. The growing popularity of cigars gave rise to dedicated lounges and clubs where connoisseurs gathered to share their passion.

3. Cigars in Popular Culture

In the 20th century, cigars became a part of the fabric of popular culture. Celebrities, business moguls, and politicians alike were often seen with cigars in hand. Figures like John F. Kennedy, who famously bought a large number of Cuban cigars just before signing the Cuban trade embargo, further fueled their allure. Cigar smoking became more than a habit; it was a statement, a reflection of one’s personality and status.

The post-war boom saw the expansion of cigar production across the globe, with new markets emerging in the United States and Europe. Today, while Cuban cigars still hold a special place in cigar culture, premium cigars are crafted in various regions, including the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras, contributing to a diverse range of flavors and experiences for smokers.

4. Cigar Culture in the Modern World

In recent years, cigars have experienced a resurgence, particularly among younger generations. While cigarettes faced declining popularity due to health concerns, cigars have maintained a niche following, celebrated for their artisanal craftsmanship and slow, intentional smoking experience. Cigar lounges and clubs have adapted to modern tastes, offering a refined setting where enthusiasts can enjoy cigars while socializing with like-minded individuals.

The cigarette online store in UAE has also made premium cigars more accessible than ever. Enthusiasts no longer need to travel to cigar-producing regions to obtain high-quality cigars; they can simply browse a wide selection online and have them delivered to their doorstep. This convenience has helped cigar culture thrive in markets like the UAE, where cigar smoking is appreciated for both its history and craftsmanship.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.6 (after 1940)

1940 – Estonia is annexed by the Soviet Union. 1942 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands becomes the first reigning queen to address a joint session of the United States Congress. 1944 – The Warsaw Uprising occurs on August 1. It is brutally suppressed and all able-bodied men in Kraków are detained afterwards to prevent a similar uprising, the Kraków Uprising, that was planned but never carried out. 1945 – World War II: Hiroshima, Japan is devastated when the atomic bomb "Little Boy" is dropped by the United States B-29 Enola Gay. Around 70,000 people are killed instantly, and some tens of thousands die in subsequent years from burns and radiation poisoning. 1956 – After going bankrupt in 1955, the American broadcaster DuMont Television Network makes its final broadcast, a boxing match from St. Nicholas Arena in New York in the Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena series. 1958 – Law of Permanent Defense of Democracy, outlawing the Communist Party of Chile and banning 26,650 persons from the electoral lists, is repealed in Chile. 1960 – Cuban Revolution: Cuba nationalizes American and foreign-owned property in the nation. 1962 – Jamaica becomes independent from the United Kingdom. 1965 – US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. 1986 – A low-pressure system that redeveloped off the New South Wales coast dumps a record 328 millimeters (13 inches) of rain in a day on Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 1990 – Gulf War: The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. 1991 – Tim Berners-Lee releases files describing his idea for the World Wide Web. WWW makes its first appearance as a publicly available service on the Internet. 1991 – Takako Doi, chair of the Social Democratic Party, becomes Japan's first female speaker of the House of Representatives. 1996 – NASA announces that the ALH 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, contains evidence of primitive life-forms. 1997 – Korean Air Flight 801 crashed at Nimitz Hill, Guam, killing 229 of the 254 people on board. 2001 – Erwadi fire incident: Twenty-eight mentally ill persons tied to a chain are burnt to death at a faith based institution at Erwadi, Tamil Nadu. 2008 – A military junta led by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz stages a coup d'état in Mauritania, overthrowing president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. 2010 – Flash floods across a large part of Jammu and Kashmir, India, damages 71 towns and kills at least 255 people. 2011 – War in Afghanistan: A United States military helicopter is shot down, killing 30 American special forces members and a working dog, seven Afghan soldiers, and one Afghan civilian. It was the deadliest single event for the United States in the War in Afghanistan. 2012 – NASA's Curiosity rover lands on the surface of Mars. 2015 – A suicide bomb attack kills at least 15 people at a mosque in the Saudi city of Abha.

[minnesotafollower]

U.N. Experts Urge the U.S. to Stop  Actions Adverse to Cuba

U.N. experts called on the U.S. to remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and to end the U.S. embargo  of the island. They also warned of the U.S. expansion of restrictions against Cuba that will add additional constraints on the island and impose adverse effects on its capacity to meet the needs of the Cuban people.[1] “These additional trade restrictions expanded the list of…

[thenewdemocratus]

Keith Hughes: Cuba Explained: Ending the Embargo

. I’m not saying ending the Cuban trade embargo unconditionally is a good idea and sure as hell hope that is not what President Obama did. I’m in favor of ending the embargo conditionally. That any American trade and business that goes into Cuba goes to the Cuban economy and the Cuban people. That the Cuban Government doesn’t tax most of it away, or all of it way to boost up their communist…

[comradegarf]

This is a declassified memorandum from Lester D. Mallory, to (at the time) U.S Assistant Secretary of State Roy R. Rubottom. Mallory states both that most Cubans support the Communist government, and that military action in Cuba would be a grave misstep (which was taken a year later anyway).

He therefore proposes that the U.S government should adopt a policy of economically starving Cuba, "to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.".

This is what they are doing to this day. The embargo on Cuba has been upheld in it's full extent since 1962. It makes it illegal for American corporations to trade with Cuba and for companies that trade with Cuba to trade with America. This has a severe effect on the Cuban economy, considering the U.S is the largest economy on Earth. This effect means Cuba struggles to import the food and medical supplies it needs to survive, which is killing Cuban citizens.

The Embargo is often defended by people citing the fact that it does not apply to medical or food trade, but this is really just for show. The law makes it incredibly vague what is actually allowed to be traded, and the process for organizations or companies to find out is very drawn out and complicated. This practically guarantees food and medicine imports will be all but completely non-existent as well.

The U.N Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, article 2.c, states that: "Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part" is Genocide.

Joe Biden has yet to reverse any of the further restrictions placed on Cuba during the Trump administration, and has not taken Cuba off the "State Sponsors of Terrorism" list. The U.N votes on a resolution to condemn the embargo every year, demanding it be removed. In 2022, only the United States itself and the U.S puppet state Israel voted against.