SOJA - AMERICA"S NUMBER 1 REGGAE BAND

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SOJA - AMERICA"S NUMBER 1 REGGAE BAND

Calling time on America"s blockade of Cuba

19 October 2014 Last updated at 06:09 By Will Grant BBC News, Havana The Castro government has long blamed the embargo for its shortcomings, arguing that it has served to keep ordinary Cubans cut off from the world On 19 October 1960, less than two years after Fidel Castro swept into Havana, the United States announced its economic embargo of Cuba. It has been in place ever since but now it is under scrutiny again.

In a recent editorial, the New York Times called for the embargo to be lifted.

The newspaper outlined a host of ways in which it says the measure had been counter-productive to US interests and those of the long-suffering Cuban people.

“Over the decades, it became clear to many American policy makers that the embargo was an utter failure,” the editorial said.

Could they soon see a world where relations with the US become more cordial? Old-fashioned vehicles plying the streets of Havana are one interesting off-shoot of the embargo It is argued that sanctions have been harmful to the long-suffering Cuban people as well as being counter-productive to US interests

Among the legislation through which the measure is enforced is the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 as well as the inclusion of Cuba on a US state department list of state sponsors of terrorism, alongside Syria, Iran and Sudan.

Although the embargo cannot be ended without the backing of Congress, the newspaper argued there was much President Barack Obama could do unilaterally – from removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism to lifting caps on remittances.

“Mr Obama should seize this opportunity to end a long era of enmity and help a population that has suffered enormously since Washington ended diplomatic relations in 1961,” it said.

It certainly caught the attention of Fidel Castro who wrote an article of his own in the state newspaper, Granma, extensively quoting the New York Times editorial.

‘Cold War product’

Michael Shifter, director of the Inter-American Dialogue think-tank in Washington DC, believes the New York Times editorial was a “sound appraisal” and “cogent case”.

“The embargo was a product of the Cold War and a very intense moment in the Cold War,” he says.

“I’m not sure it even made sense then, but certainly it just doesn’t make sense today. It is anachronistic.

The Cuban government says that the costs of the embargo to the economy have been astronomical – about $117bn Cuba may have the raw materials, but the embargo has made it harder for them to be exported

“Its double standards and hypocrisy are so glaring – the United States has closer diplomatic ties and trade relations with many governments that are far more authoritarian than Cuba’s.”

But he still does not expect the embargo to be lifted any time soon: “There are some strong, powerful Cubans in Congress that can make life difficult for the administration at a time when it needs as much support as it can get.

“I think this is not something that really occupies a lot of time at the highest levels – especially given what else is going on in the world.”

‘Injustice’

Most ordinary Cubans are simply exhausted by the impasse.

“It’s unjust,” says electrician Juan Carlos, as he waits in a long queue outside a government bank in central Havana.

“They have condemned a whole population no matter what our political views might be. We don’t deserve this. It’s obsolete.”

Some argue that the embargo is a relic of the Cold War and should not still be applied in the 21st Century The government has taken tentative steps to liberalise and diversify Cuba’s tightly controlled economy

His view is echoed by the next person in the queue. “Enough already!” says retiree Orlando Garcia. “So many years of this. Everything in life should have a start point and an end – I hope we’re nearing the end of this.”

Of course, the New York Times’s call for change also came in for heavy criticism, particularly from Cuban-Americans online and on Twitter.

Much of the criticism focused on the fact that it had said in one breath that the embargo had “forced Cuba to make reforms”, while also describing the embargo as an “utter failure”.

It cannot be both things at once, its supporters say.

Yet many argue that the relatively recent economic reforms do not justify the past five and a half decades of restrictions on Cuba.

‘A gift’

The Cuban government delivered its latest report on the effects of the embargo, or “the blockade” as they call it, inside a school for children with learning difficulties.

Their inference was clear: these are the kinds of places that suffer because of Washington’s policy towards Cuba.

But Shifter believes its effects can be seen another way. The embargo has presented the Castro government with “its rationale for the way it conducts itself”.

“The embargo has given Fidel and the regime a gift,” he says.

The embargo is supported by many Cubans in the US

Either way, the economic impact has undoubtedly been huge. The Cuban government says that the costs of the embargo to the economy have been astronomical, about $117bn (£72.6bn).

It is not just in the economic sphere that the embargo is felt either.

“A distant relationship with the United States is always difficult for any country but is particularly tough for a country like Cuba,” acclaimed Cuban writer Leonardo Padura told the BBC in Havana recently.

“For example, during the Bush administration, cultural exchange programmes practically disappeared.”

Over the years, the United Nations’ General Assembly has voted 22 times on the embargo, and every time member states have voted overwhelmingly in favour of lifting it.

In general, only the US and Israel oppose the proposal.

Later this month, the UN will hold vote Number 23. There is little to suggest it will be any different.

It will then be down to the Obama administration to decide whether to consign the longest trade embargo in modern times to history.

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Calling time on America"s blockade of Cuba

VIDEO: Rio: Latin America"s first "smart city"?

As well as playing host to the World Cup and Olympics, Rio de Janeiro has ambitions to become Latin America’s first smart city.

From the operation centre into which data from 900 cameras around the city is fed, to the famously chaotic favelas, technology is playing a role in improving the lives of citizens.

Jane Wakefield reports.

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VIDEO: Rio: Latin America"s first "smart city"?

Jamaica lose 66-68 to Uruguay in FIBA Americas Champs

Sport

BY SANJAY MYERS Observer staff reporter myerss@jamaicaobserver.com Saturday, August 31, 2013 | 1:56 PM

CARACAS, Venezuela — Jamaica put in a battling display on Saturday but mistakes at critical moments against Group A opponents Uruguay saw them losing 66-68 in the dying seconds of the FIBA Americas Championship game at the Poliedro de Caracas.Forward Samardo Samuels led Jamaica with 19 points from 6/13 shooting along with six rebounds. The lively point guard Akeem Scott, who played over 36 minutes, was 4/7 from three-point range to end with 18 points. He also had four steals and two assists.Uruguay’s centre Esteban Batista led all scorers with 22 points. After defeat to Canada on Friday, the Jamaicans now have a 0-2 record from their opening two matches. The Jamrockerz have a break on Sunday before clashing with Puerto Rico Monday at 1:00 pm Jamaica time. On Tuesday, Jamaica will close out the preliminary phase with a 7:00 pm clash with Brazil. The top four countries in each of the two groups advance to the second round. The four semi-finalists automatically qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.

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Jamaica lose 66-68 to Uruguay in FIBA Americas Champs

Samuels hopeful for FIBA Americas tourney

Sport

BY PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com Wednesday, August 14, 2013

THERE are hopes that Jamaican power forward Samardo Samuels should be fully fit and ready to go when the Jamaican team opens their FIBA Americas tournament against Canada in Caracas, Venezuela, on August 30, after he suffered a “mild strain in his left hamstring” in last week Thursday’s opening game of a two-game friendly series against Canada in Toronto.The Jamaican Basketball Association (JABA) confirmed the injury and, as a precaution, kept him out of the second game as the Jamaicans lost both games 81-72 and 77-72.According to reports, Samuels, who has signed a two-year contact with Italian club AC Milan, left the court with less than a minute to go and team physician Dr Melita Moore, who also serves as the team doctor for the National Basketball Association’s Sacramento Kings, the injury does not appear to be severe.“Samardo sustained a mild left hamstring strain that typically resolves in several weeks,” she was quoted to have said. “We fully anticipate him being able to play in the FIBA Americas Championship that begins on August 30.”Samuels has also played down the severity of the injury. “It is nothing big to be worried about, if Game Two was an important game, I think I could have played.”“The tournament in Venezuela is important, and I want to be 100 per cent by then,” he added. “This is just a mild injury, nothing too serious.”The Jamaican team has since returned to their training base in Montego Bay, where they are expected to be joined by several other top players, including Patrick Ewing Jnr and Jerome Jordan, before leaving for Venezuela.In addition to Canada, the Jamaican group will also include Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, a release from JABA said.The teams that finish in the top four of the FIBA Americas tournament next month will qualify for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup tournament scheduled to commence in August 2014 in Madrid, Spain.SAMUELS … sustained a mild left hamstring strain that typically resolves in several weeks

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Samuels hopeful for FIBA Americas tourney

VIDEO: The rise of America"s warrior cops

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VIDEO: The rise of America"s warrior cops

British Airways appoints new head for Americas

Business

Friday, July 26, 2013

BRITISH Airways has appointed Sean Doyle its new general manager and executive vice president for the Americas, effective September 1, 2013.He will be responsible for the airline’s extensive commercial business in the USA, Canada, Mexico, South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda, said the carrier in a press release.The airline added that Doyle will oversee sales and marketing and will lead the airline’s efforts to grow the Atlantic joint business between American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia and Finnair.“Sean’s extensive experience managing alliance relationships, combined with his global mindset, made him the ideal candidate for this position. Our transatlantic business is incredibly important and presents a large growth opportunity and we are excited to have Sean lead the way forward,” noted Drew Crawley, British Airways’ chief commercial officer.Doyle previously held the position of head of business planning and strategy for British Airways, where he focused on alliances, network and fleet planning, infrastructure development and corporate business planning. He brings with him a wealth of experience, including managerial roles in Cargo and the Asia Pacific region, the airline said.Doyle graduated from University College Cork with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He is also a Chartered Management Accountant. In his new position, he will divide his time between the British Airways global headquarters in London Heathrow and the Americas regional head office in New York City, stated the airline.

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British Airways appoints new head for Americas