Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Coffee With Castro
HAVANA — Cuba, where super-strong shots of espresso are a way of life, says it had its worst coffee harvest in history last year, and officials are warning that they will no longer be able to afford to fill the shortfall with imports.
Cuba was the world’s top coffee exporter in the 1940s, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported, producing a bean “that was very coveted in discerning markets.’’ As recently as the harvest of 1961-1962, Cuba produced 60,000 tons.
Last year, production yielded a mere 5,500 tons.
The newspaper cited inefficiency and negligence as reasons for the drop in production but did not go into detail....
I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't some level of CIA sabotage, either. It's been going on for over 50 years now.
As part of an effort to improve coffee production, Cuba recently abandoned the long-held practice of using teams of ill-trained student volunteers to harvest coffee, most of which is grown in the island’s east.
They bringing in illegals like AmeriKa?
Strong, almost tar-like espresso is most commonly served on the island in thimble-sized shots.
Going to be a quick cup.
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So what did the old man have to say?
HAVANA — Fidel Castro gave his longest speech since illness forced him from power four years ago, but limited his comments yesterday to describing Cuba’s past and avoided any mention of the tumultuous economic changes the country is embarking on under his brother’s leadership.
The speech before tens of thousands marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of neighborhood watch groups designed to defend the government against subversive activity.
As is his style lately, Castro, 84, offered no opinions on contemporary Cuban life, such as the recent decision to fire half a million workers and embrace small pockets of private enterprise.
Related: Cuban Revolution is Dead
Nor did Castro say anything about his health or future plans. Though he is no longer Cuba’s leader, he is still head of the Communist Party.
Related: Two Castros Are Better Than One
Instead he spent much of the first part of his address quoting his old speeches and joking about his age.
Good thing it was a small shot because I'm getting bored.
He used reading glasses to decipher prepared remarks and deviated little, mostly railing against what he described as the all-powerful imperialist monster of the north: the United States.
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Also see: Castro's Wardrobe Deserves Special Attention
"Cuba details economic reforms to boost free enterprise" by Paul Haven, Associated Press | September 25, 2010
HAVANA — Cuba’s communist leaders mapped out a brave new world of free enterprise yesterday, approving a laundry list of small-time businesses, allowing islanders to take on employees, and even promising credit to burgeoning entrepreneurs.
The reforms, laid out in a three-page spread in the Communist Party daily Granma, seem sure to create a society of haves and have-nots in a land that has spent half a century striving for an egalitarian utopia....
Many will welcome the changes in a country where young people have been clamoring for more opportunities for years. But the changes will almost certainly create tension and upheaval.
Whether the reforms will work depends on the reaction of Cubans who have seen past openings fizzle, and on the cash-strapped state’s ability to draw fresh tax revenues from the new businesses....
Private businesses would not only pay personal income tax, but also sales and payroll taxes — as well as contribute to social security.
A vibrant, untaxed black market exists in Cuba, offering many of the services the government hopes to legitimize....
All sounds great, doesn't it?
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Until you count the costs:
HAVANA --Cuba has already promised to fire a half-million state workers and reshape its communist economy. Now universal free education and health care, the very building blocks of the 1959 revolution that swept Fidel Castro to power, could face cutbacks.
A signed editorial in the Communist Party newspaper Granma on Tuesday argued that the government cannot continue to run up large spending deficits -- while noting that 46.7 percent of state spending goes to providing free medical care and education through college for all citizens....
AmeriKa spent its on wars, banks, and Israel.
It also singled out the high cost of providing basic food to all Cubans through a monthly ration card, as well as subsidized cooking oil and other domestic fuels.
Cuba is about to become even more of a hell than it is already.
"It is a matter that is going to require analysis and participation to find effective answers," Granma wrote, "as well as a rational use of resources and a permanent practice of saving."
It's the kind of opinion piece in the government-controlled press that can auger imminent announcements of reform. Last October, Granma's editor wrote in a full-page editorial that it could be time to cut back on a ration system that allows Cubans to buy a series of foods at heavily subsidized prices every month.
Since then, the government has cut potatoes, peas and other staples from the "libreta," or ration book, that Cubans have depended on since 1962 to put meager meals on their tables....
I guess that means no breakfast this morning.
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