Yesterday’s National Public Radio segment on Cuban dissident Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet’s Presidential Medal of Freedom was a much needed breath of fresh air. Main stream media outlets in the United States have a long history of tacitly supporting the Castro dictatorship, often ignoring stories pointing out egregious human rights violations on the island. NPR’s [...]

Nothing too crazy here, folks, just a quick snap I happened on while editing through some images in my files. Pictured here is the Miramar residence of U.S. Marines stationed at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana - notice the barbed wire. The residence is located near the oceanfront in Miramar, between 1st and 3rd [...]

This morning while uploading some new comments at the CubaWatch blog, I was not at all surprised to see two comments from students at New York City’s Beacon School. Babalu and CubaWatch readers might recall the controversy sparked earlier in the year when Beacon teacher, Nathan Turner, 35, set off on a non-sanctioned class trip [...]

The White House today announced the names of the eight recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Number two on the list was Cuba's very own Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet. As most of you already know, Biscet is one of the island's more prominent and outspoken human rights advocates. Currently serving a [...]

"Recent protests in the country were created by the loudmouthed bully [USA], using the exiled dissidents and traitors . . . "
I ask you, who made these remarks?
Interestingly enough, it wasn't a Cuban "government" spokesman but rather, representatives of Myanmar's ruling military junta. The fat-cats in Burma are currently stepping up their propaganda efforts against [...]

Folks, my heart has once again been warmed by that contemptable shrew of a man, Cuban "Foreign Minister" Felipe Perez-Roque. Regular readers will recall my whole-hearted agreement with Roque's September 2007 statement regarding the UN, when Felipito remarked:
"The Human Rights Council should not repeat the mistakes of its predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights, he [...]

Fidel Castro once said during a television interview that in Cuba, the perverse idolatry of leaders does not exist, that no where on the island will you see billboards showing his face, or statues baring plaques extolling his virtues. He went on to reject the manner in which so many nations – usually dictatorships – [...]

About a week ago, I had phoned family in Cuba to check into the status of an uncle awaiting gall bladder surgery and was rather surprised to hear that he had been forced into yet another unexpected delay. It wasn’t for lack of a hospital bed or lack of a surgeon but, in fact, as [...]

Former CIA operative and Cuban exile, Gustavo Villoldo holds his scrapbook on the capture and execution of Che Guevara.
Photo: Nuri Vallbona/Miami Herald
A Texas auction house is planning to sell off a lock of Che Guevara’s hair and you know what? I’d like to purchase it.
What a fitting example of poetic justice it would be if [...]

“Ten piedad de mí, Señor, cubano soy”.
For those of you in the New York and Miami metro areas, Professor Carlos Eire, author of "Waiting for Snow in Havana," will be celebrating the release of a new Spanish translation at two speaking engagements in New York City and Miami, Florida.
Friday, October 6th at 6 p.m., Professor [...]

A recent statement by Cuba's ambassador to Mexico calling for a new immigration accord between the two nations raises some serious questions regarding the Cuban "government's" loss of touch with reality and the Mexican government's tacit acceptance of an outlaw regime.
In the statement released yesterday afternoon, Manuel Aguilera de la Paz called such an agreement [...]

For months now, the rumor mill has been spinning a trove of information regarding the condition of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. In a land as closed off as Cuba, the veracity of these reports is often difficult, if not impossible to ascertain. With that in mind, I recently set off to the Pearl of the [...]

An accident? That's rich. Gimme a break!

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The influential Mexican news daily, REFORMA published today, a new report concerning the deteriorating (if not already rotting) condition of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. I have taken the liberty of translating the first half of the article (the meat and potatoes) for our gringo (I'm using the term affectionately here) readers. The entire article can [...]

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While Cubans are generally relegated to filthy healthcare facilities lacking even the most basic necessities. While Cubans are forced to pay for their medical prescriptions, bed linens, hospital gowns and any number of other items they can scarcely afford during hospital visits. While Cuban political prisoners are sometimes denied healthcare as a form of [...]

Photo: The waters off the Havana suburb of Santa Fe served as the setting-off point for Matos' adjutants in 1960.
Of course, most individuals with a cursory knowledge of Cuban history are well acquainted with the tale of Huber Matos - his days as a comandante, his eventual disillusionment with the revolution and his subsequent arrest [...]

A buddy of mine out in the Big Apple just forwarded me a link to this - pretty much sums it up for a lot of the folks walking around with this brute's face on their chest.

Who is this guy?

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Photo: Huber Matos' adjutants were housed in a third-floor bedroom just above the highlighted room in this black and white photograph.
Of course, most individuals with a cursory knowledge of Cuban history are well acquainted with the tale of Huber Matos - his days as a comandante, his eventual disillusionment with the revolution and his subsequent [...]

Photo: Fidel Castro and Camilo Cienfuegos in 1959.
Of course, most individuals with a cursory knowledge of Cuban history are well acquainted with the tale of Huber Matos - his days as a comandante, his eventual disillusionment with the revolution and his subsequent arrest and imprisonment. The details of the escape of Matos' adjutants some 47 [...]