President Castro writes again
Cuban Radar Read Spanish Version
President Castro writes again
A Radio Progreso Alternativa Havana Bureau service
Under the headline “The Empire and the Independent Island,” all national dailies have begun the publication of a series of articles by Fidel Castro in which important aspects of the history of Cuba are discussed. The first of the series, printed on August 15, is titled “The Imposition of the Platt Amendment as an Annex to the Cuban 1901 Neocolonial Constitution”. Said amendment, voted on by the U.S. Congress and forced as a condition for the withdrawal of its troops from the island, forced Cuba to cede territories for military bases (one of them the infamous Guantánamo Naval Base), did not recognize Cuban sovereignty over the Isle of Pines (the present Isle of Youth) and gave the United States the right to intervene in Cuba when it deemed it necessary.
Castro recognizes that “Outstanding Cuban historians have discussed at large these issues,” but he stresses that “these reflections are addressed especially for the new generations so that they learn about very important and decisive facts of our country’s fate.”
Granma daily announces that the series of articles that began appearing on August 15 would run until August 18.
For the full Spanish text of the article, please go to http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/secciones/reflexiones/esp-042.html
More Americans will go to medical school in Cuba
The Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Cuba, where some 10,000 young students from several countries study medicine, particularly from Latin American and the Caribbean, is also forming U.S. medical doctors. Until recently there were 100 U.S. students, but now the figure will grow.
Reverend Lucius Walker, who heads the interdenominational NGO Pastors for Peace, announced on August 12, that by the end of the month another 18 students from different U.S. cities will arrive in Havana to attend medical school at ELAM.
The only condition asked by the Island’s authorities for granting full scholarships is that students lack the economic resources in their original countries and that after graduating they practice in their respective communities. All the students’ needs — tuition, books, rooming and board, and uniforms — are financed by the Cuban government.
Up to now, 8 U.S. students have received medical degrees at ELAM.
Fresh milk substituting powdered product
The eastern province of Camagüey has substituted 6.5 tons of powdered milk with 8 tons of fresh milk it processes daily. The remaining 1.5 tons will be substituted shortly, all thanks to the joint efforts of dairy producers and the industry.
The Adelante provincial daily reported that the Provincial Enterprise of Dairy Products is in charge of buying, processing in its plants and distributing some 74 million liters of milk a year.
According to Adelante, an average of 290,000 liters is bought from 4,500 dairy farmers every year.
Camagüey is the third milk producer in the country.
Documentaries on Fidel Castro
On August 13, Fidel Castro turned 81-years-old. As part of the celebration, the Cuban TV program “Round Table” presented two documentaries on Fidel.
The first, directed by Arleen Rodríguez and Roberto Ruíz, is titled Interviewing Fidel and shows the testimonials of four well known personalities that have interviewed Fidel Castro: Italian journalist Gianni Miná, Brazilian activist and priest Frei Betto, Nicaraguan political leader Tomás Borge, and French journalist Ignacio Ramonet.
The second documentary, directed by Rebeca Chávez and produced by the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), is part of the Cuban series Cuba: Paths of Revolution. Excellently made, the documentary shows important moments of the relation between Fidel Castro and the Cuban people.
Successful campaign against Aedes Aegyti
According to the August 11 edition of Juventud Rebelde, Cuban Vice Minister of Public Health Gonzalo Estévez said that there are no dengue fever cases reported in the country.
Cubans have waged a successful national campaign to eradicate sources of infection and favorable conditions for the development of the Aedes Aegyti mosquito, transmitter of dengue fever, a disease that in 2002 became an epidemic in Cuba and caused three deaths.
It is estimated that some 2.5 billion people in over 100 countries are in risk of becoming infected with dengue fever, which has an annual incidence of some 100 millions cases and 25,000 deaths a year.
In declarations to the National News Agency, Dr. Daniel Purcalla, sub-regional consultant for the World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization (WHO-PAHO) said that Cuba has a vast and successful experience in the control of dengue fever and of its vector, the Aedes Aegyti mosquito.
Population in Camagüey grows older
More than 15 percent of the population of Camagüey is over 60 years old, according to the local daily Adelante in its August 13 edition. But the figure is below the population’s increased aging, currently at 16 percent, which sounds alarm bells because of the mid-term consequences for Cuban society.
According to experts, the danger point is reached when the number of persons 60 years and older is higher than 12 percent of the population. The forecast for Cuba is that in 2025 it will be the oldest nation in Latin America, with 25% of the population over 60 years of age.
