Alejandro Ramierez Anderson, 35, a Guatemalan who studied to become a film director in Cuba, is in the hard hit Haitian port city of Jacmel. Dismayed by the press coverage he’s seen in the days following the devastating earthquake on Jan. 12, he decided to send out an open letter with his vision of the events.
Read MoreCuban baseball has once again been in the world news this last week with the signing of lefthander Aroldis Chapman to a US $30 million 6-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds of MLB. Back home on the island the current 90-game season reached the two/thirds mark on Tuesday with Sancti Spiritus (Western Division) and Guantanamo (Eastern) continuing to lead the pack by comfortable leads.
Read MoreThe Tourism Office and the Cuban embassy in France will participate in the Dijon International Fair, dedicated this year to the island, to be held January 29-31, announced Gilberto López, representative of the Ministry of Tourism. The Caribbean country will also be the guest of honour at the Alencon Fair in Normandy, February 24-March 1.
Read MoreThe U.S. Finca Vigia Foundation Inc. and the Cuban National Council of Cultural Heritage (CNPC) signed an agreement to advance in the conservation of Ernest Hemingway’s heritage, which will mainly make it possible to save the books by the writer in the Finca Vigia, his former house on the outskirts of the island’s capital.
Read MoreMy first sailing mission intent was not with the Seaweed. I came to the Seaweed because the first tanker I sought to sail with, the Shark, was crippled and under repairs between periodic short-distance exercises during the six weeks I was aboard. The Shark was my first objective because its captain, Antonio García Urquiola, had infiltrated the CIA as a double agent for the Cuban government. He had formed part of my book, “Backfire”.
Read MoreHavana’s annual International Jazz Plaza festival takes place in 2010 on December 16-19. This year’s festival could include the participation of artists previously forbidden by the US government from traveling to Cuba.
Read MoreThe Cayman Islands trembled from a 5.8 earthquake on Tuesday, with the center located some 40 miles from the capital George Town, and some 6.2 miles deep in the Caribbean Sea. US geologists reported that the aftershocks were felt in both Cuba and Miami.
Read MoreAlthough the normal tourist visa is good for one month, it is usually possible to extend it for a second month. To do so one must go to the immigration office indicated below with one’s passport, visa and return flight ticket. In general, there is a charge of CUC 25 in special “tax stamps” (officially known as Especies Timbradas but commonly referred to as sellos de timbre), which are available at some banks. You MUST have an official receipt showing purchase of the stamps and you will be asked to show identification when you buy them. The immigration office can direct you to the nearest location where these stamps are available.
Read MoreTo find out what’s happening in Cuba – dance, music, art, theatre, etc. – there is no one website that provides all the information. Still, some sites do exist that can be consulted, although the list below is by no means definitive.
To find out the schedule of performances by the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, check out their Spanish-only website atwww.balletcuba.cult.cu On their homepage click on Presentaciones and their full program of performances for both 2009 and 2010 appears, including date, time, theatre, city and, in many cases, dances to be performed.
Read MoreSome 50 Haitian fifth year medical students studying at Cuba’s Latina American Medical School (ELAM) arrived in Port au Prince on Tuesday to join the relief effort to a large extent organized by the Cuban physicians and specialists.
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