then For decades, Cuban gave its citizens socialist housing, which was tough to move out of because that required government approval; many families and even divorced couples stayed together under the same roof as a result.
now Cuba’s changing its policies in reaction to economic concerns, it’s now allowing people to buy and sell property — which sounds kinda like capitalism. The government, however, says they’re working hard to protect socialism. source
first The Washington Post published an article that punched holes in Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s life story — saying that his parents left Cuba before the 1959 revolution.
then Rubio responded in an op-ed for Politico: “The essence of my family story is why they came to America in the first place,” he wrote, “and why they had to stay.”
now But the article did lead to some changes. Though Rubio shot back against the article, in the end, his staff changed the bio on his Web site to reflect the Post’s article. source
Tropical Storm Emily update: Meteorologists predict that Haiti will receive anywhere between 6 to 12 inches of rain, while some mountain regions could receive up to 20 inches. The current path puts the storm closer to the eastern coast of Florida, but after hitting Haiti/Cuba, the track may change. Worth keeping an eye on, guys. source
An unexpected homecoming: On the heels of revealing his medical plight to the Venezuelan public (he recently revealed he had cancer surgery), Hugo Chavez has returned to his homeland. “Here I am then, in my house and very happy!! Good day to my lovely Venezuela! Good day to the lovely people! Thanks to my God! This is the beginning of the return,” the leader wrote on Twitter. This comes as a surprise — he was expected to stay in Cuba for further treatment for some time, but it makes sense that he’d see a return as the only way to quell speculation he’s physically unable to remain President. source
Well, that’s no laughing matter. The Venezuelan leader — adored in some corners, criticized in others — finally made a statement on his bizarre leave of absence in the country he leads. He hasn’t just been hanging with Fidel Castro for kicks, guys. There was some real stuff going on. Cancerous cells, surgery, the whole bit. His vice president, Elías Jaua, says that he could stay out of the country for as long as six months, but he won’t take over his job in the meantime. So what does that mean for the country he leads? source
twothe number of terms — five years each — Raul Castro just suggested Cuba limit its elected officials to
47the number of years his brother Fidel led the communist nation for; which explains why this is a surprise source
» A rare meeting: Raul made the suggestion at a meeting of the Communist Party Congress — the first get-together of the organization in 14 years. Raul said the country needed the changes to encourage a “systematic rejuvenation of the whole chain of party and administrative posts.” Let’s face it, Raul Castro (the 79-year-old younger brother) isn’t going to live forever. No word on what his brother thinks of this.
» And they’re going private: The country, with its economy in steep decline, had made a pledge to shed a million state workers and allowed them to be replaced by private jobs. But instead of sticking to the five-year timeframe that they put forward, these jobs are going to dissipate in the next six months. Hopefully the private sector can keep up.
Who showed that he [Bin Laden] is indeed a CIA agent was WikiLeaks. It proved it with documents.
Former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro • Saying some crazy crap about Osama bin Laden, the CIA, George W. Bush and Wikileaks. We wish we could add more to this, but we simply can’t. It’s just too crazy. source
Instead of taking practical steps towards the reduction of the chilling threat of the proliferation of nuclear weapons in Iran or any other part of the world, the United States is moving towards the control of the vital oil-producing regions of the Middle East — with violent means should other means fail.
Former Cuban president Fidel Castro • Speaking in a rare television interview tonight on the United States’ foreign policy, which he says is slowly building up to nuclear war with Iran. It’s an oddly-timed event, seemingly designed to make sure Castro’s stance on foreign policy was still part of the discussion. It worked – he’s currently Twitter’s top trending topic. source
