Cuban intellectual Norberto Fuentes has written a "deliciously wicked construct" about – rather, by – Fidel Castro, a book that is in fact a "faux autobiography," a "brew of history and satire" that "purports to channel the wily Cuban strongman," says reviewer/journalist Ann Louise Bardach in The San Francisco Chronicle.
The Autobiography of Fidel Castro (W. W. Norton) is, in Bardach's opinion, "a masterful act of ventriloquism, offering a Castro who is prideful, intuitively Machiavellian and relentlessly cynical."
"Fuentes' Maximum Leader holds forth on all matters, great and small, just as Castro, now Cuba's convalescent-in-chief, does in his 'Reflections,'" Bardach writes. "What is most remarkable are the many similarities between Castro's version [of history] and that of Fuentes."
"In scant evidence are positive or human qualities," the reviewer writes. "Above all, this monumentally proud and narcissistic Castro trusts no one. And this is certainly true." For the entire review, click here.
Ann Louise Bardach, as The Chronicle reminds us, is the author of Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington, and Cuba Confidential: Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana. She will be in Florida soon, to talk about her own Fidel-related book, at • The Tangerine Theater, Jupiter Island, Jan. 23
at 5 p.m.
• Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m.
• The Blake Library of Martin County, 2351 S.E. Monterey Road, Stuart, Jan. 22-23 at 8:30 a.m.
• University of Miami Law School, Feb. 19-20. (SHOWN HERE: Fuentes, between Raúl and Fidel, in an undated photo.)
–Renato Pérez Pizarro.
Valdés promoted to VP of Council of State; so is Bejerano,Cuba's Comptroller General
Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, Minister of Computer Sciences and Communications, and Gladys María Bejerano Portela, Comptroller General, were elected vice presidents of the Council of State by the members of the National Assembly, the Cuban media announced Sunday.
Valdés, 77, is a vice president of the Council of Ministers; so is Bejerano.
A veteran of the Revolution with the rank of Comandante, Valdés joined Fidel Castro in the attack on the Moncada army barracks in 1953 and was a founding member of the 26 of July Movement. He has held many government posts, including chief of State Security, Minister of the Interior, and First Vice Minister of the Armed Forces.
Bejerano, 62, former Minister of Auditing and Control, was elected to her current post in August of this year by the National Assembly. A Communist Party cadre for more than 30 years, she has held various posts in the Council of Ministers.
Marino Murillo Jorge, Minister of the Economy and Planning, and Liudmila Álamo Dueñas, First Secretary of the Union of Communist Youths, were elected members of the Council of State.
Deputies Isis Diez Duarte, Kirenia Díaz Burque and Sergio Rodríguez Morales were also named members of the Council of State.
Valdés, 77, is a vice president of the Council of Ministers; so is Bejerano.
Marino Murillo Jorge, Minister of the Economy and Planning, and Liudmila Álamo Dueñas, First Secretary of the Union of Communist Youths, were elected members of the Council of State.
Deputies Isis Diez Duarte, Kirenia Díaz Burque and Sergio Rodríguez Morales were also named members of the Council of State.
Fidel gives Chávez a breakfast sendoff
Fidel Castro paid Hugo Chávez "the visit of the century" when he showed up Tuesday morning, unannounced, at the guest house in Havana where the Venezuelan president was preparing to travel to Denmark for the summit on world climate.
"Yesterday, Fidel arrived at the house where we were preparing the trip to Copenhagen. I had neither had breakfast nor showered," said Chávez in a phone call Wednesday to a Venezuelan radio station.
Chávez said he "flew" into the shower, dressed "in one minute" and then shared breakfast with Castro. The topic of the conversation was the summit in Denmark, he said.
The Cubadebate website, where this news tidbit was reported, did not show a picture of the meeting, using instead a photograph of the two made in January 2007.
In fact, the Cuban media have not published any recent pictures of Castro and Chávez, despite their relatively frequent meetings this year.
The last officially released photos of the two were made in June 2008; one appears above. Since then, Chávez's visits to Havana have been illustrated with pictures of him and Raúl Castro.
–Renato Pérez Pizarro.
"Yesterday, Fidel arrived at the house where we were preparing the trip to Copenhagen. I had neither had breakfast nor showered," said Chávez in a phone call Wednesday to a Venezuelan radio station.
Chávez said he "flew" into the shower, dressed "in one minute" and then shared breakfast with Castro. The topic of the conversation was the summit in Denmark, he said.
The Cubadebate website, where this news tidbit was reported, did not show a picture of the meeting, using instead a photograph of the two made in January 2007.
The last officially released photos of the two were made in June 2008; one appears above. Since then, Chávez's visits to Havana have been illustrated with pictures of him and Raúl Castro.
–Renato Pérez Pizarro.
Castro scolds Obama over peace prize
In an article titled "Obama was not obligated to perform a cynical act," published in the website Cubadebate.com, Castro equated Obama with his predecessor in the White House.
The article was noteworthy because in previous "reflections" Castro has given Obama the benefit of the doubt on several world issues, a fact the Cuban leader stressed at the start of Wednesday's commentary.
But, while listening to Obama's Dec. 1 speech at West Point, in which the American president announced a major troop buildup in Afghanistan, "I had the impression I was listening to George W. Bush," Castro wrote.
"[Obama's] arguments in no way differ from the philosophy of his predecessor, except for a fig leaf – Obama opposed torture. [...] The policy offered to the people of the United States by the new administration is the same as Bush's," Castro wrote.
"Why did Obama accept the Nobel Peace Prize when he had already decided to carry the war in Afghanistan to its final consequences? He was not obligated to perform a cynical act," the Cuban leader said.
"Now we have to expect another theatrical speech in Oslo, a new compendium of phrases that conceal the real existence of an imperial superpower with hundreds of military bases deployed around the world," the article went on.
"The problem now facing Obama and his wealthiest allies is that the planet they dominate with an iron fist is crumbling in their hands."
As if that weren't enough, Castro added that, when it comes to global warming, "Obama is not ignorant [...] but he vacillates and shows weakness when dealing with that country's irresponsible and blind oligarchy. He does not act like a Lincoln [...] or like a Roosevelt." [For a report on Obama's acceptance of the Nobel prize, click here.]
–Renato Pérez Pizarro.
A Castro son is elected world baseball VP
Antonio Castro Soto del Valle, 41-year-old son of Fidel Castro Ruz, on Sunday was elected one of the three vice presidents of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) in Lausanne, Switzerland. The term will last four years.
The news was released in Cuba by the national Sports Institute (INDER).
Castro Soto, an orthopedic surgeon, is vice president of the Cuban Baseball Federation and the Cuban national team's physician.
According to INDER's website, "Castro emerges as an important bridge between America, Europe and Asia for the development of [baseball]". His election "is an endorsement to Cuban sports in general and to its baseball in particular."
Castro Soto made headlines in June of this year when a Miami TV station revealed that he had conducted an 8-month-long cyber-romance with someone he thought to be a 26-year-old Colombian woman but who turned out to be a male Internet prankster, a 46-year-old Cuban-born Miamian.
[RELATED STORY: "Can baseball help bring U.S. and Cuba together?" is the title of an article in the IBAF website. Click here.]
–Renato Pérez Pizarro.
Cuba and Libya reestablish trade relations
Cuba and Libya on Friday resumed trade relations after an 11-year pause by signing a protocol in Havana, the Cuban agency Prensa Latina reported.
The signatories were Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmed Fituri and Cuban Deputy Foreign Trade Minister Ramón Ripoll Díaz.
The agreement covers commerce, tourism, biotechnology, medicine and construction. Libya has requested the assistance of the UNECA construction company to build highways, public buildings, hospitals and schools, Prensa Latina said.
Prior to the ceremony, another accord was signed "to strengthen diplomatic relations, and in the next several months other agreements will be signed to renew [bilateral] exchanges in various sectors," the announcement said.
(ABOVE: Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and Fidel Castro in an undated photo.]
The signatories were Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmed Fituri and Cuban Deputy Foreign Trade Minister Ramón Ripoll Díaz.
The agreement covers commerce, tourism, biotechnology, medicine and construction. Libya has requested the assistance of the UNECA construction company to build highways, public buildings, hospitals and schools, Prensa Latina said.
(ABOVE: Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and Fidel Castro in an undated photo.]
Chávez pays a 'lightning' visit to Raúl, Fidel after talks with a high-level Cuban mission
Hugo Chávez made an unannounced trip to Havana on Tuesday to meet with Raúl and Fidel Castro, the Venezuelan president said Wednesday in Caracas during a ceremony for the visiting president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“I made a lightning trip to Cuba and spent seven hours yesterday with Fidel going over various topics. We do this with considerable frequency," Chávez said, according to the Venezuelan daily El Universal.
"Fidel told me: 'Tell Ahmadinejad that going to Venezuela is like coming to Cuba, because they're one and the same country,'" Chávez said.
Chávez's trip to the island came two days after he met in Caracas with a top-level Cuban delegation, reportedly to make plans for the summit of ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of Our America) set for Dec. 13-14.
The delegation, led by Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, vice president of the Council of Ministers, included:
• Jorge Luis Sierra Cruz, vice president of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Transport
• Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment
• Salvador Pardo Guerra, Minister of the Iron and Steel Industry
• Yadira García Vera, Minister of Basic Industry
• Rogelio Sierra Díaz, Vice Minister of Foreign Relations
• Alberto Rodríguez, Vice Minister of Computer Sciences and Communications
• Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, Ambassador to Venezuela
The Cuban news agency Prensa Latina reported that Chávez's trip was to discuss ALBA-related matters. (PHOTO at left shows Chávez and Raúl Castro at the airport. No pictures of Chávez and Fidel were immediately released.)
–Renato Pérez Pizarro.
"Fidel told me: 'Tell Ahmadinejad that going to Venezuela is like coming to Cuba, because they're one and the same country,'" Chávez said.
Chávez's trip to the island came two days after he met in Caracas with a top-level Cuban delegation, reportedly to make plans for the summit of ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of Our America) set for Dec. 13-14.
The delegation, led by Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, vice president of the Council of Ministers, included:
• Jorge Luis Sierra Cruz, vice president of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Transport
• Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment
• Salvador Pardo Guerra, Minister of the Iron and Steel Industry
• Yadira García Vera, Minister of Basic Industry
• Rogelio Sierra Díaz, Vice Minister of Foreign Relations
• Alberto Rodríguez, Vice Minister of Computer Sciences and Communications
• Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, Ambassador to Venezuela
–Renato Pérez Pizarro.
Spanish daily urges EU to pressure Cuba
The influential Spanish newspaper El Pais – normally a left-of-center daily – has sided with hardliners who would like Spain and the European Union to pressure Raúl Castro into relaxing his control of society.
Here are excerpts from an editorial it published Sunday, titled "Repression in Cuba."
"Fidel Castro's replacement by his brother Raúl more than three years ago raised hopes of a softening in the Cuban dictatorship. It also raised expectations that a change in the island's rigid economic schemes might improve the lives of Cubans. The illusion grew with the arrival in power of Barack Obama, from whom a swift thawing of the 50-year cold war between both countries was expected.
"Nothing has happened according to the script of the best-intentioned people. Despite encouraging measures, the unfair and counterproductive U.S. embargo remains in place, the economic situation in Cuba worsens to critical extremes, and its political system remains implacable. A report from the nongovernmental U.S. organization Human Rights Watch this week verifies the full implementation of the police state. [...]
"Havana seems armor-plated in the face of international pressure. The Spanish government [...] wants to utilize its presidency of the European Union to soften that body's intransigence with Cuba for its permanent abuses in that field. In the light of HRW's diagnosis, it would not be improper to take advantage of such a springboard to sharply accentuate the absolutely necessary democratization of the Cuban regime."
For the entire editorial, in Spanish, click here. For background, read our previous items "Spain's two top parties..." (Nov. 21), "Granma denounces report..." (Nov.19), and "Cuba rejects HRW report" (Nov. 18).
"Fidel Castro's replacement by his brother Raúl more than three years ago raised hopes of a softening in the Cuban dictatorship. It also raised expectations that a change in the island's rigid economic schemes might improve the lives of Cubans. The illusion grew with the arrival in power of Barack Obama, from whom a swift thawing of the 50-year cold war between both countries was expected.
"Nothing has happened according to the script of the best-intentioned people. Despite encouraging measures, the unfair and counterproductive U.S. embargo remains in place, the economic situation in Cuba worsens to critical extremes, and its political system remains implacable. A report from the nongovernmental U.S. organization Human Rights Watch this week verifies the full implementation of the police state. [...]
"Havana seems armor-plated in the face of international pressure. The Spanish government [...] wants to utilize its presidency of the European Union to soften that body's intransigence with Cuba for its permanent abuses in that field. In the light of HRW's diagnosis, it would not be improper to take advantage of such a springboard to sharply accentuate the absolutely necessary democratization of the Cuban regime."
For the entire editorial, in Spanish, click here. For background, read our previous items "Spain's two top parties..." (Nov. 21), "Granma denounces report..." (Nov.19), and "Cuba rejects HRW report" (Nov. 18).
Books, magazines, Fidel and Obama
A reminder to bibliophiles and Castro-watchers in the Miami area 
that, on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 11 a.m., journalist Ann Louise Bardach will be at the Miami Book Fair to discuss her book "Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington." (A review Saturday in The Miami Herald describes the book as "clear-eyed and well-researched." Click here to read it.)
The site is Miami Dade College, 300 NE Second Ave., Pavilion Tent A.
P.S. The latest from Fidel is that the French publication Paris-Match this week ran several photographs of him at home, made in January during a visit by filmmaker Oliver Stone, and titled the report "Fidel, l'inoxydable" – "Fidel, the rustless one."
Also, today Thursday (Nov. 12), El Comandante published a critical article about Barack Obama ("How much I regret having to criticize Obama," it begins) in which he describes the American president's upcoming trip to Asia and Russia as "a science fiction tale."
It's in Cubadebate; click here. [UPDATE: For Bardach's views on Castro's long goodbye, read her article in Friday's issue of the Los Angeles Times, titled just that: "Fidel Castro's long goodbye." Sample quote: "Until Castro is in the grave, we will be hearing from him." Click here.]
–Renato Pérez Pizarro.
The site is Miami Dade College, 300 NE Second Ave., Pavilion Tent A.
P.S. The latest from Fidel is that the French publication Paris-Match this week ran several photographs of him at home, made in January during a visit by filmmaker Oliver Stone, and titled the report "Fidel, l'inoxydable" – "Fidel, the rustless one."
Also, today Thursday (Nov. 12), El Comandante published a critical article about Barack Obama ("How much I regret having to criticize Obama," it begins) in which he describes the American president's upcoming trip to Asia and Russia as "a science fiction tale."
It's in Cubadebate; click here. [UPDATE: For Bardach's views on Castro's long goodbye, read her article in Friday's issue of the Los Angeles Times, titled just that: "Fidel Castro's long goodbye." Sample quote: "Until Castro is in the grave, we will be hearing from him." Click here.]
–Renato Pérez Pizarro.
Unproductiveness is decades-old problem, judging from Castro's recycled speeches
Excerpt from a speech by Fidel Castro, Dec. 7, 1970, published Wednesday atop Page One of the daily Granma. For context, read our Nov. 10 blog item, "Too many brains..." "Productivity has practically been forgotten, and unproductiveness is the abyss that threatens to swallow the nation's human resources and riches. [...] ...the workers must become aware of this problem. These are obligations that cannot be sidestepped, they are realities that cannot be ignored.
"We still have enormous resources with the productivity that can be achieved [...] with very little or no additional effort, by clearing some bottlenecks, with better organization, with better use of the workday, with more discipline, with some rationality, with some common sense..."
(ABOVE: Castro in a 1970 photo.) [UPDATE: In another excerpt, from a July 1986 speech, Castro reminds everyone that "the workday is sacred." To read it, click here. Read also his elegy to labor, on Page One of Granma on Nov. 18.]
