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Art Exhibition Fuels US-Cuba Thaw - 0 views

0-sks.sirs.com.elibrary.mel.org/...hst-article-display Cuban embargo
shared by khamkhoun sedsaykongsa on 12 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • The show's American curator is gallery owner Alberto Magnan, whose parents left Cuba when he was five years old.
  • "I would love for this show to be a beginning step towards both countries getting a little closer together and starting a dialogue and I think art is a great way to do it," he said.
  • "This is the first exhibition we made after Obama rose to power," he says. "This is a kind of lighthouse of the next process of the culture and the politics between Cuba and the United States."
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  • The show is expected to attract large numbers of Cuban artists who have spent years working in isolation, with little real contact with what is going on across the straits of Florida.
  • During the Clinton years, US museums and art dealers used to regularly visit Cuba, buying works and helping Cuban artists to exhibit there. But the Bush administration tightened trade and travel restrictions, making art and other cultural exchanges increasingly difficult in recent years.
  • major exhibition of U.S. artists in Cuba in a quarter of a century, part of what organizers are calling a social experiment in connecting Cubans and Americans. "Art is a great bridge, the way to start a conversation," said Alberto Magnan, a New York gallery owner who is in Havana to oversee the exhibit. Havana is crawling with Americans these days." (Los Angeles Times) This article surveys the thawing of relations between the governments of America and Cuba, illustrated by the cooperative art exhibition taking place in Cuba.
  • khamkhoun sedsaykongsa on 12 Apr 11
     
    Wilkinson, Tracy. "American Tourists at Home in Cuba." Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA). 12 Apr 2009: n.p. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 12 Apr 2011. Summary: The art show between U.S and Cuba. To warmup  the relationship to both cultures and country. To be to know each other. Exchange the idea. Artist judge other less and don't carry much about politics. So it will be easier to trade in the future. Reflection: If the 2 groups of people get to know each other better, it would be easier to get rid of embargo. So they will be no more war. Art it a beautiful thing that could bring people together. It show the personal and the paint of the art of the different in both cultures  Question: 1. Is it alright to have the art show. When we have law and restricted for people to go to Cuban? 2. Should we later on having sport friendship game or other stuff to strengthening the 2 relationship? 
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Is trade with Cuba a reality? Humanitarian shipments were allowed under the Clinton adm... - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...retrieve.do Cuba trade
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  • World Trade 22.8 (August 2009): p38(5). (2373 words)  Reading Level (Lexile): N/A.
  • Yes, he acknowledged, the Obama administration's gambit may indeed have been the first step in a long journey toward a normalization of relations--with all the implications of commercial exchange those relations imply--but the fact of the matter is that scores of U.S. companies have been doing business with Cuba for years. With the appropriate product, the opportunities are now, he explained.
  • "Right now, at least 150 companies in 35 states are doing business with Cuba, thanks in large part to a loosening of the trade embargo during the Clinton years with regards to agricultural products," the president and CEO of Charleston-based Maybank Industries said.
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  • From then until roughly two years ago, when the company became Maybank Industries and the family sold off its shipping component, the family-owned business made nearly monthly trips to Cuba.
  • The elder Maybank first learned of the slight loosening of the longstanding embargo over Easter weekend in 2000. Within days, and not knowing a soul in the Communist country, Maybank set out for Cuba and waited several days before finally connecting with Pedro Alvarez, chairman of the Cuban food import company Alimport and the government official in charge of trade
  • Maybank's decision to jump on the opportunity was a master stroke. Alvarez, and Cubans generally, it turned out, place a tremendous amount of weight on personal contact and in doing business face-to-face.
  • She spoke from a unique perspective: Born in Cuba, she came to the United States immediately after the revolution. Today, she regularly sees cargo leaving her port for her home country, as the island nation is already Alabama's top customer for poultry products.
  • Maybank said the first step for anyone contemplating getting involved in the Cuban market is to secure a visa to attend the annual Havana Trade Fair, which is typically held in late October or November.
  • Thus far, President Obama has lifted longstanding restrictions on family travel and remittances to Cuba--a significant shift in U.S. policy--but is waiting to see how Cuba responds to a host of human rights and other issues before making further changes with respect to the trade embargo.
  • To begin with, U.S. banks were, and continue to be, forbidden from doing business with Cuba under threat of being cut off from access to the Federal Reserve.
  • Everything must be handled on a cash-on-delivery basis, and unlike traditional trade shipping, where ships ideally discharge cargo and pick up some more at each port of call, nothing can be moved from Cuba--even if it is destined for someplace other than the United States.
  • And as anyone experienced in international commerce knows, getting to know the culture of a new trading partner is a key prerequisite to a successful business relationship
  • Colvin also said an immediate and full lifting of the embargo is too much to expect in any event. For the moment, it would be enough for President Obama to send a message to Congress that he wants to lift the travel ban.
  • But its Mendez's contention, given how close Cuba is to the U.S.--a mere 32 hours by cargo ship--that several more shiploads of goods could be making their way weekly through the Port of Alabama, if only the embargo was lifted and U.S. exporters could offer Cuba and its consumers a variety of goods.
  • McCue, Dan. "Is trade with Cuba a reality? Humanitarian shipments were allowed under the Clinton administration, now a new President could open the door wider." World Trade Aug. 2009: 38+. Student Edition. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.
  • khamkhoun sedsaykongsa on 12 Apr 11
     
    World Trade 22.8 (August 2009): p38(5). (2373 words)  Reading Level (Lexile): N/A Author(s): Dan McCue. Document Type: Magazine/Journal Summary: We been trading with Cuba for so long, since Clinton time. Now Obama trying to trade more with Cuba. 150 companies in 35 states are doing trade with Cuba. It would be good for  us and it would also be good for Cuba. Even tough Embargo thing still going on, but we still trade. Reflection: It good for both the side to trade. Cuba can get more product, food and other stuff. Cuban people can get jobs. But it also hard because we used to fought with Cuba. And Cuban are not really a social country. Question:  1. How long will the trading with Cuba last? 2. How many more companies would want to trade with Cuba?
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Perestroika continues: will Cuba post-Fidel be ready U.S. trade - 0 views

find.galegroup.com/...retrieve.do Cuba trade economy
shared by khamkhoun sedsaykongsa on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Perestroika continues: will Cuba post-Fidel be ready U.S. trade?
  • Inc. 29.5 (May 2007): p36(1). (666 words)  Reading Level (Lexile): 1090.
  • Author(s):Sarah Goldstein.  Document Type:Magazine/Journal
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  • Full Text :COPYRIGHT 2007 Mansueto Ventures LLC on behalf of Inc.
  • What will happen to Cuba's economy after Fidel Castro dies?
  • Cuba's not huge. There are 11 million people there, and the $40 billion economy is extremely centralized. The Internet, for example, is state-controlled and Cuba has no interest in expanding access.
  • How would U.S. companies fare if Cuba's economy opened up?
  • Even if the U.S. lifted its embargo, you always work with Cuba on Cuba's terms. You can't just buy land and build a hotel. That said, if Americans were only able to travel to Cuba freely, you would see some increase in trade.
  • How big is the market?
  • when El Comandante transferred power to his brother Raul amid reports about his deteriorating health. Philip Peters has been watching the new leadership for signs that it will liberalize the economy.
  • What types of items would be in demand? I think the opportunity in the short term would be for people selling into specific niches of the Cuban market. That's what we've seen with the limited trade--roughly $400 million--that we do with Cuba today. [Limited trade began after a hurricane in 2001.]
  • How likely is reform? I think an economic opening is very likely. Raul is not allergic to reform. In fact, he was behind a series of reforms in the 1990s that legalized self-employment, that allowed farmers to sell their surpluses, and that opened Cuba up to foreign investment. Plus, Raul's government needs to earn political support, and there's no easier way to win support than by opening the economy.
  • Source CitationGoldstein, Sarah. "Perestroika continues: will Cuba post-Fidel be ready U.S. trade?" Inc. May 2007: 36. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.
  • khamkhoun sedsaykongsa on 08 Mar 11
     
    Inc. 29.5 (May 2007): p36(1). (666 words)  Reading Level (Lexile): 1090. Author(s): Sarah Goldstein. Document Type: Magazine/Journal Summary: What would happen if Fidel Castro dies? and pass down the power to his brother Raul. Open up the Cuba trading with U.S. Right now the Cuba economy is still small. Reflection:If the Cuba could open up trade  with America. Cuban would be better place, better economy. Because American business could go in and start making factory over there. People would have more jobs. Better money to take care of their family. The Cuba government is taking too much control on food resource. That would not be enough for the people in the country. America will help fixing that problem, and they will also make it equal for all the people to have food to eat. Question: 1. Will Raul let U.S go into Cuba and start open business? 2. What will Fidel Castro saying about this.
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Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Toward Capitalism? - 0 views

0-sks.sirs.com.elibrary.mel.org/...hst-article-display Cuba embargoes
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  • CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR July 23, 2008, n.p. © Copyright 2008, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR. All rights reserved.
  • Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Toward Capitalism?
  • By Sara Miller Llana and Matthew Clark Staff Writers of The Christian Science Monitor
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  •      Such gray-market microenterprises exemplify a spirit of dynamism and creativity straining to be fully unleashed, say some observers of Cuba. The question of the day: Is Raul Castro about to release it?
  •      The island nation's economy has struggled mightily since losing the support of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
  •      Raul's reputation as a pragmatist is unfurling expectations here that the era of asceticism and austerity is coming to a close. Major agricultural reforms have been unveiled. And in a speech earlier this month, he seemed to be preparing the populace for an economic shift.
  • And a recent flurry of headline-grabbing changes--such as allowing Cubans to patronize tourist hotels and to own cellphones, DVD players, and computers--is fueling speculation about how fast Raul will pursue the "China model" of a managed creep toward free markets.
  • The government created about 150 categories of licenses for Cubans to start their own businesses, and the ranks of self-employed swelled to 200,000.
  • Raul granted private farmers the right to till plots of up to 99 acres of unused government land. This follows a previous announcement to shift control of farms from the central government in Havana to local councils, raise prices for certain products to boost production, and give farmers the right to use whatever farm equipment they can afford to buy.
  •      Cuba now relies heavily on Venezuela, whose leftist President Hugo Chavez sends nearly 100,000 barrels of oil a day to the island in exchange for social services, such as Cuban doctors and teachers.
  •      Currently more than half of arable land lies fallow or is under used, according to Cuban government figures cited by The Associated Press. Cuba spent $1.5 billion importing food last year. This year it is expected to spend $1 billion more, say officials.
  •      But while some Cubans blame their economic woes on strict controls and prohibitive taxes, many still view the US and its 1962 trade embargo as the bigger culprit. No matter how much Raul seeks to open the economy, the embargo will stand in the way of much-needed foreign investment, analysts say.
  • On May 27, a group of trade representatives from Texas wrapped up the first official state visit to the island since the US established the embargo.
  • Cuba is an important market for Texan cattle, rice, poultry, cotton, and processed food products that enter under provisions in the US embargo that allow small amounts of trade in agricultural products.
  •      Such goodwill may not be the status quo in either nation right now, but the sense that change is coming certainly is. "The social values we espouse mean nothing if there is no economic basis," says Renel, a young lawyer in Havana. "Whether it is socialism, communism, capitalism, even feudalism, things are going to change."
  • Citation: You can copy and paste this information into your own documents. Llana, Sara Miller, and Matthew Clark. "Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Towards Capitalism?." Christian Science Monitor. 23 Jul 2008: n.p. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 08 Mar 2011.
  • khamkhoun sedsaykongsa on 08 Mar 11
     
    Llana, Sara Miller, and Matthew Clark. "Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Towards Capitalism?." Christian Science Monitor. 23 Jul 2008: n.p. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 08 Mar 2011. Summary: The article describes how Cuba has an underground free market economy that Raul Castro is allowing. They is a shortage of food and texans want to end the embargo to sell their cattle and crops. Reflection: Their people are hungry, hardly any food for their own people. So the U.S and Cuban should work together to get rid of the embargo because it would help both. Question:  1. How much will Fidel Castro let Raul making change? 2. How Cuban American fell about getting rid of embargo?
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