Cuba

After Bay Of Pigs And Pedro Pan Campground, Cuban Exiles Build Family In Miami

Rene Ruiz — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:10:00 +0000

Our family came from Havana, a beautiful city that some have called a tropical paradise.

My brothers and I came to Miami on a Pan American flight and were taken to a campground that the Pedro Pan organizers had set up in Kendall, near where Town & Country Mall now stands. We were there for about two weeks before being sent to Albuquerque, N.M., where we were taken in by the family of Dr. Eugene Purtell.

The Life and Death Of Cuba's Largest Counterculture Music Festival

Daniel Rivero — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:18:13 +0000

In 1998, the cultural climate in Cuba wasn't exactly conducive to artistic freedom. While a thriving underground music scene did exist, official radio and television channels were notoriously selective, only airing artists who echoed the Communist Party line.

Cancer Patients Turn To Scorpion Venom From Cuba

Jean Friedman-Rudovsky — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

What You Don’t Know About the Cuban Revolution

Joseph Cooper, Bonnie Berman and Paul Leary — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Miami's Pitbull Responds In Kind After Jay-Z Raps About Cuba

Daniel Hicks — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:22:14 +0000

After Yoani Sanchez: What Changes Linger In The Miami Air?

Daniel Rivero — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Seven or eight years ago, during a sociology class at Miami-Dade College, the professor asked us to write a sociological history of our lives. It was the first time I thought long and hard about my life in the scheme of history, about the chain of events that brought me to my life in Miami as a Cuban-American.

Jay-Z Stirs Passions About Cuba With New Song

Daniel Hicks — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:09:34 +0000

Yoani Sanchez on Cuba-US Relations, Her Future And Life After The Castro Brothers

Marva Hinton — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Famed Cuban blogger and dissident Yoani Sanchez visited The Miami Herald editorial board Monday morning. We spoke to her in our studios with translation by WLRN's Patricia Sagastume.

Sanchez discussed the way people in Cuba perceive Miami, how she hopes to change things in Cuba through her blogging and the future for Cuba after the Castro regime ends.

You can read full coverage of her visit at miamiherald.com.

Miami Is Final Stop On Cuban Blogger's World Tour

Daniel Hicks — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Inspiring millions of virtual fans with heartfelt dispatches and persistent calls for greater political freedom, blogger Yoani Sanchez is the most visible symbol of both sweeping change inside Cuba and the modern power of social media to crack some of the world's most closed societies.

What These Eyes Have Seen: Reporter Reflects On Four Decades at Miami Herald

Phil Latzman — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 17:26:39 +0000

After nearly 43 years, John Dorschner has left The Miami Herald, and he will be sorely missed around here.

Cubans Wonder If Aid Will Still Flow Following Death Of Chavez

editor — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:19:05 +0000

The death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is an especially tough blow for Cuba, whose feeble state-run economy has been propped up for more than a decade with Venezuelan oil shipments and other subsidies.

The Castro government has declared three days of mourning, calling Chavez "a son" of Cuba, but privately Cubans are quietly fretting about the potential loss of billions in trade and the threat of a new economic crisis.

When he was first diagnosed with cancer in 2011, Hugo Chavez turned to Fidel Castro and Cuba's doctors to save him.

Music! Life! Culture! Cuba!

James March — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:09:36 +0000

http://youtu.be/zUCIL1D5LjU

Music! Life! Culture! Join us as find out what los sones means to the people and music of Cuba! "Los Cien Sones de Cuba," Tonight at 8pm on WLRN Channel 17!

Venezuelan Government Releases Photos Of Chávez In Cuba, Says He's On Breathing Tube

Eyder Peralta — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:43:24 +0000

The Venezuelan government has released photographs of ailing President Hugo Chávez, who has not made a public appearance since he left for Cuba in December.

According to Venezuela's El Universal, Chávez, 58, is breathing with the help of a "tracheal cannula," or as El Nacional reports, a kind of tube inserted during a tracheotom

Cuba's Secret Side: How To Order A Pizza In Havana

Daniel Rivero — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:30:00 +0000

Airing Sunday, February 10 and February 17 at 2:00pm on WLRN channel 17

Filmmaker and author Karin Muller had always heard the argument over Cuba, but was never satisfied with what she learned.

According to some it is a tropical paradise, and according to others it is a police state that people are dying to escape from.

Legislators Want To Deny Licenses To U. S. Graduates Of Free Cuban Medical School

Rick Stone — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0000

American medical students who get their diplomas in Cuba could forget about practicing in Florida if legislative bills filed by two Hialeah Republicans are passed this session.

State Rep. Manny Diaz Jr. said Americans who overlook human and civil rights abuses just to get a cheap medical degree lack the "moral clarity to serve patients in Florida."

The Senate bill, SB 456, was filed by State Sen. Rene Garcia.

DNC Chair: 'Unbelievable Oppression' In Cuba Makes Continuing Embargo Necessary

Christine DiMattei — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:00:00 +0000

The leader of the Democratic National Committee says the U.S. embargo of Cuba should remain in place, in spite of recent reforms in the Communist island nation.

Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz spoke before a crowd of over 500 people Friday at an event sponsored by the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches.

The DNC chair says it doesn't make sense to lift the embargo, in light of what she calls the "unbelievable oppression" in Cuba.

After 50 Years, Cuba Drops Unpopular Travel Restriction

editor — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:33:00 +0000

For the first time in five decades, Cubans will no longer need an "exit permit" to travel. The change, which takes effect Monday, is part of a broader immigration reform by President Raul Castro making it easier for Cubans to go abroad — and also to return.

But critics say the communist government continues to treat travel as a privilege, not a right, and a useful tool to punish dissent.

A block from the massive U.S.

Sick In Cuba, Chavez Is Likely To Miss His Swearing In

editor — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:19:40 +0000

In the Bolivar Plaza of downtown Caracas, supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrive carrying photographs of their leader and singing songs urging him on. Music blares from loudspeakers, repeating over and over, "Chavez, my commander, is here to stay."

Chavez, however, is most definitely not here, and increasingly many Venezuelans wonder if he'll ever be back. He flew to Cuba, Venezuela's closest ally, for an operation that took place on Dec. 11.

2012: The Year of What Didn't Happen In Latin America

Phil Latzman — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 20:30:00 +0000

2012 may be remembered in Latin American for what didn't happen more than for what actually did, especially in Venezuela and Cuba.

VENEZUELA

The year began ominously for Venezuelan nationals living in South Florida. The U.S. State Department expelled the country's consul-general, alleging she was involved in a cyber-terrorism plot. In January, Venezuela's Miami consulate was shut down by President Hugo Chavez, who was facing a tough reelection campaign.

Christmas Eve In Miami: Never Look A Pig In The Eye Before Roasting It

Carlos Frias — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:35:00 +0000

Today is Nochebuena, Christmas Eve, and for many Hispanics, that means roasting a whole pig. This Christmas tradition scared journalist and author Carlos Frias as a boy. But he got through it with one piece of advice: “Never look a pig in the eye.”

Frias told a version of this story at a Lip Service event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6gx2Kddd5I&feature=youtu.be

Every December 23, Papi would get that murderous gleam in his eye and say, "Let's go pick out el lechón!"

For Two Cubans In Guantanamo, Daily Commute Between Two Worlds Ends

editor — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:08:00 +0000

We've had to focus on news about the school shootings in Newtown, Conn., since Friday, which means we missed some interesting stories over the past few days. NPR intern Rachel Brody shares one of them.

Cuba To Ban Reggaeton In Public Places

Ashley Lopez — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:00:00 +0000

The Cuban government officially doesn't like reggaeton. As some of you know, reggaeton is that mix of Jamaican dancehall music and Spanish hip hop that you hear blasted through car speakers all over Miami and in almost any club you go to in the city.
I would say reggaeton is an acquired taste, but the Cuban government was some pretty serious feelings about this.

South Florida In The Cross-Hairs: Charles Carter

Rich Halten — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000

October 1962 was life-changing for Miami native Charles Carter. Though he was only 16, he skipped school to go to an Army Recruiting Office the morning after President Kennedy's speech revealed Russian missiles in Cuba. Because he was underage, his parents had to give permission for him to enlist. Luckily, they did. And soon Carter found himself manning a missile site in the 'Glades -- one of four hastily erected around South Florida in the fall of '62 (pictured in above photos taken by Carter).

How The Cuban Missile Crisis Shaped Miami

Rich Halten — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:06:48 +0000

Where were you on October 22, 1962?
If you aren’t old enough to remember, ask someone over 50. That day, when President Kennedy revealed in a national TV broadcast that there were missiles in Cuba, was life altering for many, especially in South Florida.
It was a day that inspired Miami native Charles Carter, who was 16, to skip school and go to the Army Recruiting Office. With his parents' consent, he successfully enlisted in the military and was assigned to one of the four, hastily built missile sites in the Everglades - a mere 90 miles from a potential nuclear threat.
Producer Rich Halten spoke to Carter and several other people who lived through that time, tapping their memories about the Cuban Missile Crisis, as this week marks the 50-year anniversary.
Archival audio is from the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives.
We were also fortunate to gather tales and memories from members of the Public Insight Network to enhance the already incredible story Halten produced. You can listen to the radio story above, and you can read what contributors remembered and thought of those two horrifying and sleepless weeks below.
Two Sleepless Weeks

How Obama and Romney Differ On U.S. Relations With Cuba And Haiti

The Florida Roundup — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:06:21 +0000

Castro Brushes Off Death Rumors, Proves He's Still Alive With Pictures

Eyder Peralta — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:37:00 +0000
The lead story on the digital version of Cuba's communist newspaper Granma puts to rest the death rumors that have plagued Fidel Castro for weeks.
They show Castro, not in a military uniform and not in the track suit, which he has so often donned the past few years, but in a plaid red and blue shirt and a straw sun hat.

Week After Latest Death Rumors, Cubans Get Letter From Fidel Castro

Mark Memmott — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:00:00 +0000
One week after the latest rumors of his death, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has emerged — sort of — in a letter he's said to have written.
"The Cuban government-run newspaper Granma has published a letter signed by Fidel Castro, the first by the 86-year-old former president to be made public since July," The Associated Press reports from Havana.

Cuba Softens Travel Restrictions With A Big Catch

Ashley Lopez — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:55:49 +0000

Today the Cuban government announced that Cubans will no longer need an exit visa from the state in order to leave the country for travel, etc. However, the government simultaneously cracked down on travel for high skilled workers.
As of January 14, 2012, Cubans will only need a visa from the country they are traveling to in order to leave the country.

Cuban Nostalgia For 3 Cents A Cup

Laura Isensee — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:08:09 +0000

For many Cubans living in South Florida, the pre-Castro years in Cuba represent a golden era. Nostalgia for friends, family and yesteryear traditions can be felt at Cuban coffee counters across South Florida. One local business owner decided to take this yearning for tradition one step further by selling coffee for 3 cents, the price it was sold for in pre-Castro Cuba.

In Their Shoes: A Narrow Escape From Mariel

Staff — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:36:41 +0000

Listen as Alfredo Malagon tells WLRN-Miami Herald News reporter Rick Stone the story of a harrowing inspection by Cuban authorities at a detainment camp before his family left the island.
The music in this piece is “Jazz Sepulchre” by Up, Bustle, and Out.