“We are trying to be provocative in the best use of that term.” –Jon Rubin, Conflict Kitchen co-director
GREAT story we just posted about Conflict Kitchen, a Pittsburgh restaurant that only serves food from countries in conflict with the USA. Check this out, a great concept, and some great quotes.
“Reaction’s been great,” Rubin says when asked the obvious. “There’s never been this kind of food in Pittsburgh, and we didn’t know whether people would be into that. But people are starving for food and diversity.”
Such an amazing idea.
“I could be an international rap star, too.” Please don’t, Dana Perino. Please don’t. (If this wasn’t painful enough, watch these.)
I guess nothing rhymes with Treasury.White House spokesman Jay Carney • Responding to questions about a newly released Jay-Z track which seems to suggest that Hov and Beyonce got permission from the White House to travel to Cuba last week. When pressed on the matter, Carney once again denied that President Obama ever spoke with Mr. and Mrs. Knowles-Carter about their trip, saying that Open Letter “is only a song.” source
Now that [North Korea] has demonstrated its technical and scientific achievements, we remind her of her duties to the countries which have been her great friends, and it would be unjust to forget that such a war would particularly affect more than 70% of the population of the planet. If a conflict of that nature should break out there, the government of Barack Obama in his second mandate would be buried in a deluge of images which would present him as the most sinister character in the history of the United States. The duty of avoiding war is also his and that of the people of the United States.Fidel Castro, writing in Cuban state media to advise its ally North Korea against starting a war. source
Cuban President Raul Castro says he will not seek another five year term after the one he’s starting Sunday ends.
He has tapped 52-year-old Miguel Diaz-Canel as his top deputy, ready to assume the presidency without any disruption.
Castro says the country has reached a “transcendent” moment in which it is ready to start transferring responsibility and power to a younger generation.
DIaz-Canel is the first high-level government official under Cuba’s current Communist rule who did not take part in the 1959 revolution. It’s worth noting that Raul Castro is 81, who, while younger than his 86-year-old brother Fidel, is nonetheless probably not in a spot to keep running after the current term.
New pictures of Hugo Chavez surface: Months after leaving the spotlight again due to another cancer-related operation in December, the Venezuelan president is shown reading a copy of the Cuban state newspaper. He’s currently in a Havana hospital undergoing ongoing treatments. This is the first time Chavez has been seen or heard from in two months. (AP Photo/Miraflores Presidential Press Office)
Guess what? In three months, Cubans will be allowed to travel abroad without a permit. Currently, residents of the island nation have to obtain a costly permission slip from the state in order to travel overseas, and are allowed to spend less than a year total off Cuban soil. However, the foreign ministry announced today that the permit requirement will be eliminated within 90 days, and Cubans will now be permitted to spend two years abroad. (Photo: AP). source
First Mexico, then Cuba: Pope Benedict was well-received in Mexico, where almost 350,000 people attended his Sunday Mass. But Cuba’s a bit of a challenge: Focusing less on his mass appeal there, the Pope hopes to use his trip to unite the world’s Catholic countries with those considered to be less Catholic. And Cuba, which until recently was an officially atheist nation, is certainly “less Catholic.” Smaller crowds were expected to attend his services in Cuba — despite the government providing transportation and a paid day off of work. Pope Benedict said last week that he hopes the people of Cuba can move away from Marxism to “find new models, with patience, and in a constructive way.” Hopefully he helps them along while wearing funny hats. source
First of all, you thank heavens that Fidel Castro has returned to his maker.Mitt Romney • On what he would do with Cuba if Fidel Castro were to die. Newt Gingrich, conversely, suggests he wouldn’t be meeting his maker. DUDES, HE’S STILL ALIVE! Ron Paul, meanwhile, doesn’t understand why the U.S. isn’t willing to open up its doors to Cubans: “I think we’re living in the dark ages when we can’t talk to the Cuban people.” Santorum thinks the sanctions should continue for now: “We need to have a very solid offer to come help the Cuban people.”
(pictured above: Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology)Looks like the United States will be forced to seriously consider whether or not we want to keep treating Cuba like a second-class country. Scientists in Havana have announced the creation, and release, of a therapeutic vaccine which reduces lung cancer from deadly disease to a chronic illness. [more]
Fascinating. Is the embargo still in effect?
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
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