[NYTr] Cuban Radar Newsbriefs - Nov 1, 2007 Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2007 17:12:35 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Progreso Weekly - Nov 1, 2007 http://progreso-weekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=221&Itemid=1 Cuban Radar Newsbriefs - Nov 1, 2007 A news service from the Havana bureau of Radio Progreso Alternativa * Critical reporting on Cuban TV * Cultured cadres wanted * Demand for electricity grows * New power-generating groups * Special U.N. envoy arrives in Cuba * Cuba in UNESCO * Church-state relations improve, Cardinal says * Critical reporting on Cuban TV During the Oct. 29 broadcast of "Good Morning Magazine," a news program on Telerebelde, shown daily from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m., a report was aired on the work being done at General Calixto GarcC-a Hospital in Havana. The physical state of this center, built more than a century ago, is depressing. "There are wards that were built 70 or 90 years ago and lack a system of regular maintenance," the hospital director said. Some of the repair work has been done but the hospital director acknowledged that "there are some problems with the work already done, such as leaks." He expressed dissatisfaction with "some of the finishing." The director said that this year he hopes to complete 52 projects of construction and repair. However, "the years of neglect multiply the cost of the investments. After the building and furnishings have been build or repaired, they can be affected by social indiscipline, erratic maintenance, or the poor quality of the materials used." Good Morning host RaC:l IsidrC3n said that one news report "would not be enough to comment on or attest to this problem, which affects the whole country." * Cultured cadres wanted The National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) will hold its congress in November. Prior to the congress, the various associations that form this institution are debating the topics of content, to eventually make them part of the UNEAC's general policy. During the Music Association meeting, on Oct. 25, issues were raised that -- while normal within the artistic and cultural sector -- generally are not reported in the media, much less in TV newscasts. Topics on the table ranged from differences between the Association and the Music Institute to the percentage of earnings that musicians must turn over to the state. At present, the share is 50 percent. On Oct. 25, the Cuban TV newscast reported that day's meeting of the Music Association and, in a news clip, showed Tony Pinelli (musician, musical producer and composer) saying: "The cadres [administrative leaders] in the culture sector must be cultured people. You cannot direct culture without being cultured." The burst of applause that followed was included in the news clip. The news is remarkable because most people in the world of culture criticize TV and radio precisely because of the shortage of cultured cadres. * Demand for electricity grows On Sunday, Oct. 28, Cubans set back their clocks one hour, ending the so-called summer schedule. With this habitual change, night will fall earlier and energy consumption will increase by 500 megawatts per hour, the newspaper Granma reported. An expert at the National Electrical Union told the newspaper that this increase represents a daily cost of "110 additional tons [of fuel] with an approximate value of US$66,000." Granma has called on citizens to use electricity sensibly, especially between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., which is considered to be the peak period for electrical consumption. * New power-generating groups A new power plant with low-consumption elements was inaugurated on Oct. 26 in the city of GC