After being shuttered for months, the Babalú kitchen reopens to bring you our Tuesday newsajiaco. Grab a seat at the table and breathe in that soothingly familiar aroma as it fills the house.

• ABC/Univision reports on the increasing number of Cubans "defecting" to the United States. An interesting choice of words to describe Cubans leaving the island by the new American/Mexican news partnership.

• The quest by FARC terrorists and their Cuban handlers to have one of their Colombian terrorists currently serving a 60-year prison sentence in the U.S. released so he can participate in "peace negotiations" has failed. The FARC terrorist will have to resort to sending letters and continue his cigarette sales business in prison.

• The AP brings us the newsworthy story of dog days in Cuba. No, not the dog days of living in a repressive island prison where State Security violently beats dissidents and murders opposition leaders. It is actually the dog days of a dog show in Havana.

• If you think the Catholic Church has cornered the market in corrupt appeasement to the Castro dictatorship, think again. The Episcopalians are not far behind, as Episcopal Bishop Julio Murray attests: "We consider Cuba a living proof to the world regarding religious freedom."

• It's "raining U.S. dollars" in Cuba as money flowing from Miami to the island has spurred a real estate boom in Havana that now has homes selling for higher prices than in Miami. The funny thing is that with all this money, no one is any freer in Cuba than they were before. I guess the good news is that at least someone is benefiting: The Castro brothers.