Paloma Makes Landfall In Cuba
November 9, 2008
(CNN) -Hurricane Paloma, an “extremely dangerous” storm, made landfall Saturday night in southern Cuba after lashing Grand Cayman with high winds and heavy rain, forecasters said.Paloma hit Santa Cruz del Sur, Cuba, about 6:20 p.m. ET, the National Hurricane Center reported. The storm’s winds, which reached 145 mph earlier in the afternoon, dropped to about 125 mph at landfall, weakening Paloma to a Category 3 storm.A hurricane warning was in effect for the Cuban provinces of Ciego de Avila, Camaguey, Las Tunas, Granma and Holguin. Read more
Whose Freedom at Midnight
October 21, 2008
Comment: on: WHOSE FREEDOM AT MIDNIGHT
Many people, including younger Guyanese, do not have a clear understanding of why Guyana with all of its natural resources and potential has not kept up with the rest of the Caribbean in development. They also wonder why people are leaving Guyana in such numbers and how the politics of racism has destroyed the country over the last fifty years. Here is an article that describes some historical and political realities of Guyana.
Machinations towards Guyana’s Independence, May 1966
By Clem Seecharan- Professor of Caribbean History and Head of Caribbean Studies, London Metropolitan University (October 2008)
Guyana (formerly British Guiana), the only British colony on the mainland of South America, became independent at midnight on 26 May 1966. But whose freedom was it? For nearly 20 years the Marxist leader of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Cheddi Jagan (1918-97), of Indian extraction, buoyed by the independence of India and obsessed with the dominance of the British company, Booker, in the colony’s plantation economy, had championed Guyana’s ‘struggle’ for independence. Yet, on the big night it was the African leader of the People’s National Congress (PNC), L.F.S. Burnham (1923-85), who was the recipient of the prize. Read more
Cuba: Photos from Havana
September 2, 2008
There is nowhere in the world like Havana. From the resplendent Spanish colonial architecture of the Old Town, to the spectacular dilapidation of Havana Centro, a city of stalwart survivors and masterful musicians rocks indefatigably to the syncopated beat of the rumba. Havana remains characterful, safe, and packed with a plethora of interesting museums.
In 1514 conquistador Panfilo de Narvaez founded a settlement named after a local Indian chief, San Cristobal de Habana. The settlement had to be moved a number of times because of mosquito infestations, but settled on the west side of Havana bay in 1519.
The Baiganchoka Team would like thank some wonderful friends in the Cayman Islands for lending us these photoes of Cuba.
Cuba: Havana from the Heart
September 2, 2008
Cuba is a totalitarian police state, which relies on repressive methods to maintain control. These methods, including intense physical and electronic surveillance of Cubans, are also extended to foreign travelers. Americans visiting Cuba should be aware that any encounter with a Cuban could be subject to surreptitious scrutiny by the Castro regime’s secret police, the General Directorate for State Security (DGSE). Also, any interactions with average Cubans, regardless how well intentioned the American is, can subject that Cuban to harassment and/or detention, and other forms of repressive actions, by state security elements. The regime is strongly anti-American yet desperate for U.S. dollars to prop itself up. The United States does not have full diplomatic relations with Cuba, but provides consular and other services through the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. The U.S. Interests Section operates under the legal protection of the Swiss government but is not co-located with the Swiss Embassy.
Cuba: A Pictorial Glimpse Continued
September 1, 2008
Cuba has a mixed population, with one percent Chinese, eleven percent black, thirty seven percent white and a major fifty one percent being mixed black and white, mulatto. The female population is 5,580,500 while the male population is around 5,597,233. The birth rate of Cuba at 9.88 births per thousand is one of the lowest in all of the Western Hemisphere. The population rate has stopped in the last few decades, though the total population has increased from seven million to around twelve million since the sixties.
Cuba has socialist principles and has a state controlled economy. The government controls the major means of production. Most of the labor force is employed by the state. The private sector is just starting out. The main industries in Cuba are the petroleum, tobacco, nickel, cement, steel, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals and the sugar industries. The Cuban GDP is around $32 billion. Cuba’s major agricultural products are tobacco, citrus, rice, potatoes, beans, livestock and sugar. The currency of Cuba is the Cuban Peso.
In February 2008, an aged and ailing Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba’s president, ending 49 years of uninterrupted rule. He named his brother, Raul, as successor.
Cuba: A pictorial Glimpse
September 1, 2008
Cuba is the most populated country in the whole of the Caribbean. The official name for Cuba is Republic of Cuba. The Tropical Island extends 750 miles (roughly the size of Pennsylvania) and is a beautiful mix of mountain ranges and plains. There are over 200 bays and 289 sun drenched beaches to explore. The City of Havana, located on the northern coast, particularly allures tourists with its architectural riches, the treasures of Old Havana and the cosmopolitan nature surrounding it.Like its population, Cuba also has a smattering of religions, making it a very diverse cultural place. The most prevalent faith professed in Cuba is Christianity. Cuba also has Protestants, Jews, Muslims and members of the Bahai faith. Another unique religion that is rampant in Cuba is Santeria, a mixture of Catholicism and other African faiths.
Must Read! AIDS in the Caribbean: The second-most affected region in the world.
June 12, 2008
At the end of 2007, an estimated 230,000 people were living with HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean. Some 17,000 people were newly infected during 2007, and there were 11,000 deaths due to AIDS.
In three of the larger countries in this region - the Bahamas, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago - more than 2% of the adult population is living with HIV. Higher prevalence rates are found only in sub-Saharan Africa, making the Caribbean the second-most affected region in the world. More than half of adults living with the virus are women. Read more
Guyana Imports Teachers from Cuba
February 27, 2008
According to February 27,2008 edition of Kaieteur News, Cuba has agreed to send Spanish teachers and boxing coaches to Guyana. The two countries signed the agreement in accordance with the Guyana/Cuba Joint Commission on Economic and Technical and Cultural Cooperation. Read more