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03 Jul 2010 13:43

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World: Report: Cuban hunger striker Guillermo Farinas could die

  • 129 number of days he’s been on a prolonged hunger strike
  • Why did he protest?Since Feburary 24, Farinas has been hunger striking to protest the imprisonment of numerous political activists, as well as the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a prisoner who died during his own hunger strike.
  • His current statusFarinas is currently at Arnaldo Milian Castro University Hospital in Santa Clara. His doctor says he’s being fed a little via intravenous feeding and has gained weight, but has a blood clot that could prevent blood from getting to his heart.
  • A surprising facetPerhaps the most interesting thing about the Farinas situation is that the source which reported on the opposition activist was Granma, a communist newspaper – and they played it very big, devoting two of their eight pages to him. source
  • » Programming note: This is based on an AP article, which as you might know, we try to avoid here at the ShortFormHQ. But this article seemed important enough that it was worth bypassing the picket line, at least today.

01 Jul 2010 10:23

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World: Cuban cause celebré Elian Gonzalez: Thanks for the help, America!

  • Thanks to the help of a big part of the American people and of our people, today I’m with my father, and that is everything.
  • Elian Gonzalez • Looking back on that crazy raid that defined U.S./Cuba diplomatic relations about a decade ago. Seriously, it holds a place next to the Terri Schiavo case in terms of complete worse-than-it-needed-to-be theatrics. Gonzalez, now 16, is studying to become a Cuban military officer. Julius was considering a similar career path, except he doesn’t live in a communist regime. source

05 Apr 2010 23:14

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World: Elian Gonzalez (remember him?) on the Che Guevara path to fame

In the movie bound to be made about this hard-fought-for Cuban kid’s life, Shia LaBeouf needs to play the lead. Gotta love communism! source

14 Dec 2009 11:14

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U.S.: The Supreme Court skips out on defining Gitmo prisoner rights

Four Guantanamo prisoners (including these two) sued over torture allegations. An appeals court dismissed their case; now the Supreme Court does the same. source

11 Oct 2009 21:00

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U.S., World: It only took 41 years, but the U.S. nabbed a plane hijacker today

  • 1968 the year Luis Armando Peña Soltren and two others hijacked a Pan Am plane and demanded to be flown to Cuba source

13 Aug 2009 09:37

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World: Happy Birthday: Fidel Castro managed to live another year

  • 83 years old; get that man a cigar and a communist nation source

11 Aug 2009 11:01

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Offbeat: Communism in Cuba doesn’t guarantee a toilet paper supply

The state-run company that makes Cuba’s toilet paper says disaster and economics will prevent it from making enough. So Cuba’s gonna import it. source
 

24 Jul 2009 21:44

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World: Cuba joins the Internet age with a black-market Craiglist wannabe

The name, Revolico, stands for “disarray,” a cheeky way to describe the country’s post-embargo economy. But the site is a shot in the arm for the black market. source

22 Apr 2009 16:34

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U.S., World: Cuba’s Fidel Castro is still kicking from the nursing home


  • When the president of Cuba said he was ready to discuss any topic with the U.S. president, he meant he was not afraid of addressing any issue. That shows his courage and confidence on the principles of the revolution.
  • Fidel Castro • On his brother Raul’s recent comments signaling an olive branch for talks between Cuba and the U.S. We’re assuming that Fidel is not actually speaking for his brother, but hallucinating about actually still having power in the communist nation. • source

18 Apr 2009 14:30

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U.S., World: Obama seems to be wowing hard-nosed Latin American leaders

  • Eight years ago with this same hand I greeted Bush. I want to be your friend.
  • Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez • Speaking to President Barack Obama during the Summit of the Americas. Chavez, one of Bush’s harshest critics (and Bush, conversely, one of his), seems to actually like Obama and his approach to diplomacy. We expect in a couple of weeks Chavez and Obama will be having slumber parties in the capitals of their respective countries, playing Wii, watching South Park, playing fetch with the dog and eating cold pizza. • source