What’s in a word: Embargo o Bloqueo?

Hitting Uncle Sam in the face with an iron fist.

For the 20^th time, the United Nations General Assembly voted again today, 25 October, in favor of Cuba, condemning the unilateral trade, financial and economic sanctions being imposed by the United States on Cuba by a vote of 186-2-2. This is an emotional issue which, rightly, majority of the UN member states including the Philippines have condemned. As history has shown, embargos, blockades or sanctions, however one calls it, never work. In the entire history of its utilization, not a single state which had been subjected to it had succumbed under its pressure. Read More ...

Unwinding in Havana's Necropolis

The peaceful and serene Necropolis de Colon, Havana's City of the Dead.

Once in a while, I visit the Necropolis de Cristobal Colón (Christopher Columbus) just to get away from the daily grind. Named after the famed Genoese explorer who discovered Cuba in 1492, this ageing Havana cemetery reflects the Cuban society at large – traces of a bygone splendor stoically presenting a regal front amid the decay and disrepair around it. Read More ...

Summer Sojourn al Norte

Boston Financial District skyline

Visiting the United States post-9/11 has been a taxing experience. However, being only 90 miles away from  Cuba, it still is the most convenient location to chill out despite the blood-sucking prices those Charter flights are charging for a mere 45-minute flight. Never mind those cranky Homeland security personnel and those over-the-top security searches. Vale la pena! Still, this must be the most expensive route per nautical mile on earth. It’s actually cheaper to go to Caracas than to fly to Miami. Read More ...