[NYTr] Cuban Radar Newsbriefs - Sep 20, 2007 Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 04:41:11 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Progreso Weekly - Sep 20, 2007 http://progreso-weekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=159&Itemid=1 Cuban Radar Newsbriefs - September 20, 2007 A Service by the Radio Progreso Alternativa Havana Bureau * Cuba issues report to the United Nations General Assembly * Who keeps families apart? * Tribute to Noel Nicola * There is water in the reservoirs *Isle of Youth and the ophthalmologic program * Cuba issues report to the United Nations General Assembly The effects of the blockade imposed by U.S. administrations on Cuba have reached the $89 billion figure. During a press conference held on Tuesday, September 18, Cubabs Felipe Perez Roque presented the Cuban study to journalists reported to the UN General Assembly which will be held in October. The document titled bThe need to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the U.S. on the people of Cuba,b compiles the effects of the blockade over the past year, which rose to 1.3 billion U.S. dollars. Among the things that have caused this upward movement, Perez Roque said, among others, is the search for distant markets, the so-called Cuba risk and the expensive banking transactions. The report also points at the prohibition that the country use the dollar and the stealing of national brands. More than 30 countries reported being affected, penalties, threats, notifications, among them Germany, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, Spain, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, and others. Complaints came from institutions and persons. * Who keeps families apart? Reverend Joan Campbell, a U.S. pastor, has written a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in defense of Olga Salanueva and Adriana PC)rez, married to RenC) GonzC!lez and Gerardo HernC!ndez, two of the Cuban Five who are serving jail sentences for infiltrating terrorist groups in South Florida. Both women have applied for visas to visit their respective husbands in prison, but the State Department has denied them for the eighth consecutive occasion. According to Reverend Campbell, bas a pastor and as a person that has personally met Olga and Adrianab they bare not women whose objective is to overthrow the U.S. government or threaten our freedom. Their concern is much more profound and personal. They love their husbands and wish to visit them.b The letter, which has been printed by Cuban national media, exhorts the U.S. Secretary of State to bopt for a humane way and allow these women to visit their husbandsb. Campbell also stated her willingness to accompany both wives. She believes that bour continuous denial of that application is cruel and politically motivated, not by concerns for our national securityb. * Tribute to Noel Nicola On September 17 a tribute on behalf of Noel Nicola was held. The musician who died a little over two years ago, was a founder of the Nueva Trova and an icon of Cuban popular music. At Casa de las AmC)ricas, singer/songwriter Silvio RodrC-guez presented an album with 37 of Nicolabs most significant songs by great performers from Cuba and abroad. Considered a guitar virtuoso, and with a special sensitivities, Nicola was, together with Silvio RodrC-guez and Pablo MilanC)s, one of the three cornerstones of the new song on the island. The album, under the general production of RodrC-guez and co-edited by OjalC! and the Spanish SGAE (General Society of Authors and Editors), had the collaboration of well known performers from Cuba, Argentina, Peru, Spain, Venezuela and Uruguay. The album notes were written by GermC!n Piniella (who is assistant editor of Progreso Weekly), a close friend of Nicola for 40 years and producer of his first recording in the 70s. Silvio offered a vivid portrayal of Noel from their mutual experience in performances, projects and trips together, and revealed how Noel, already stricken by cancer, chose the first 20 songs in the album. * There is water in the reservoirs The Islandbs water reservoirs are at 83% of capacity, something that has not happened since 1993. In its September 13 edition, Granma reported that 10 of the countrybs 15 regions bhad rainfall over 100%, while the remaining five (La Habana, Havana City, Matanzas, Granma and Santiago de Cuba) reported 89 to 98%, in respect to the average recorded from January to August of the present year.b For years the island has been severely affected by drought which caused damage to agriculture and animal breeding, as well as significantly decreasing water supply to many towns. Now the situation has been reversed. *Isle of Youth and the ophthalmologic program Until now, 36,000 people from the Isle of Youth, south of Havana, have been treated through the national ophthalmologic plan. A report by the National Information Agency (AIN) mentions the case of 102 year old Miguel LamorC: Linaza, who had a btotal cataract in his right eye and an irreversible lesion in the cornea of his left eye.b LamorC: "was the 37th patient to be implanted with an intraocular lensb, after extracting the damaged crystalline with the novel Blumenthal technique. Since April 31, the ophthalmologic plan has been carrying out a complete survey among the population at the Isle of Youth over 5 years old in order to detect several eye diseases. According to AIN, up to September 10,440 people had been surgically treated for several eye affections. * ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us Our main website: http://www.blythe.org List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================