tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31939294399944250172024-03-18T21:57:34.351-07:00Holm on Cubawendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-12613285509675322012020-08-28T11:34:00.005-07:002020-08-28T11:34:37.971-07:00Petition to award Cuba's HENRY REEVES MEDICAL BRIGADE with the Nobel Peace Prize<p>Cuba's Henry Reeve Brigade has been fighting COVID-19 in 27 countries around the world. </p><p>From the petition website: <span style="background-color: white;"> "...<span style="font-family: Roboto, sans-serif;">Selflessness, solidarity and working for the common good characterize what the Nobel Peace Prize should be about. These traits aptly describe Cuba’s Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade, which has saved over 80,000 lives since 2005 and has been fighting COVID-19 in 27 countries. Join us in asking the Nobel Committee to award Cuba’s Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade a Nobel Peace Prize!</span></span></p><p>Here is the Petition website... Easy Peasy to sign <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cubanobel.org">http://www.cubanobel.org</a></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyPHcJA-yvaJOp8v0_uS56H1gZcl8vGFuvwih-1a6RGmvjXxkbcx-t-JGHp8jqiLseQR5BTiu_kQFyetZbp9Wz3EbOH9PvFKz-fSGFEzRlP9tRpR0MW4aNsEv6ntvVZvBUEP56A2m10I/s1280/flagsandche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyPHcJA-yvaJOp8v0_uS56H1gZcl8vGFuvwih-1a6RGmvjXxkbcx-t-JGHp8jqiLseQR5BTiu_kQFyetZbp9Wz3EbOH9PvFKz-fSGFEzRlP9tRpR0MW4aNsEv6ntvVZvBUEP56A2m10I/s640/flagsandche.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-78343514379500266242015-03-31T08:00:00.003-07:002015-03-31T08:00:41.218-07:00Don't expect Cuba to jump into the capitalist canoe any time soon...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
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<u><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As submitted Dec 18th (unpublished):</span></u><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">TO Globe and Mail Letters
to the Editor<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">re EDITORIAL <i>The next
move is yours, Mr. Castro</i> (Globe and Mail, December 18,
2014)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">As a
Canadian professional, I have worked in Cuba since 1999 and know
it well.
Cuba is most certainly NOT a "dictatorship" – it is a socialist
country with fully democratic elections. <span style="color: black;"> </span>This has been well documented by
Dalhousie University's Arnold August. (<span style="color: black;">A multi-party system
is not the hallmark of democracy and Canada is a good example
of
that!) </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Cuba
also respects democracy in its policy development process…Cuba's
new policy
guidelines, which open doors to micro enterprise and worker
cooperatives, had
their genesis in a request from Raul Castro to receive "all the
complaints" of the Cuban people on his desk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The document subsequently
crafted in response was then sent
back to the neighbourhoods for nine months of further
discussion/feedback.
The Social and Economic Policy Guidelines enacted in March 2011
reflect this
process, back-stoping Cuba's transformation to a more
cooperative,
people-centred economy and society. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Capitalism fears socialism. We get that. But Cuba is a
sovereign
nation and has the right to decide upon its own political
system. Don't expect
Cuba to abandon its socialist roots and jump into the capitalist
canoe any time
soon. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Wendy Holm, P.Ag., M.M.C.C.U.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Economist, Bowen Island, BC</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/">http://www.wendyholm.com</a></span></div>
</div>
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</div>
<br />
<u>As originally drafted (prior to editing for length):</u><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">re EDITORIAL <i>The next
move is yours, Mr. Castro</i> (Globe and Mail, December 18,
2014)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">How could the Globe and Mail have gotten this so
wrong? No fact checkers I assume... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">As
a Canadian Agrologist, r</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">esource economist, UBC lecturer, journalist and
public speaker, I have been building bridges of collaboration between Canada
and Cuba since 1999. During that time, I have brought over 700 farmers,
students and chefs to Cuba, traveling the countryside from one end to the
other.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> I know Cuba well. It is most
certainly NOT a "dictatorship" - Cuba is a socialist country that has
eloquently democratic elections. From the grass roots up. <span style="color: black;">A multi-party system is not the hallmark of democracy
- Canada is a sad example of that. </span>The democracy
inherent in the Cuban election process has been well documented by Arnold
August (Dalhousie University), a recognized expert in this area. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Cuba
respects democracy not only in its elections but also in its policy development
process… Los Lineamientos, Cuba's recently-enacted policy guidelines which open
new doors to micro enterprise and worker cooperatives, is a good example.
It had as its genesis a request from Raul Castro to the Cuban people that he
wanted "all their complaints" on his desk. The Cuban people
responded, and the draft document subsequently crafted to address these
concerns was sent back to the grassroots for nine months of further discussion
and feedback. The results were incorporated, forming the basis of the
final Social and Economic Policy Guidelines (March 2011) that backstop Cuba's
transformation to a more cooperative, people-centred economy and society.
<span style="color: black;">Many in the international cooperative community are
looking to Cuba as a role model in this regard.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Capitalism fears socialism. We get that. But Cuba is a sovereign
nation and has the right to decide upon its own political system. It is
shocking to me that the Globe and Mail, a well-respected paper with deep
journalistic roots, does not understand, respect and support that. Don't
expect Cuba to abandon its socialist roots and jump into the capitalist canoe
any time soon. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Wendy Holm, P.Ag., M.M.C.C.U.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">Economist, Bowen Island, BC</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/">http://www.wendyholm.com</a></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">click here to return to wendyholm.com</span></a><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"> </span></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><i><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</i></span>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-6268067446774301752014-09-13T10:45:00.005-07:002014-09-13T11:09:42.968-07:00FARMERS ONLY: Come with me 2 Cuba this Winter!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJe-46HkewqUyehKYBHKbzUcefF8H9DQwnv6O6kAQTGnCLMGwrsCeRCIwpmQO5ufVtfNrAt2cmfszz40mLrVTCspc25L1fKEj6TrLuGzk_sdpxxRiPQVJ2bA_q-quNiSEa4j6gv15ry0/s1600/2015.rural.voice.ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJe-46HkewqUyehKYBHKbzUcefF8H9DQwnv6O6kAQTGnCLMGwrsCeRCIwpmQO5ufVtfNrAt2cmfszz40mLrVTCspc25L1fKEj6TrLuGzk_sdpxxRiPQVJ2bA_q-quNiSEa4j6gv15ry0/s1600/2015.rural.voice.ad.jpg" height="640" width="203" /></a>Join us this winter in Cuba Jan 26 to Feb 9 for an amazing two weeks.<br />
<br />
Visit Cuban farms, speak to the farmers, learn about Cuba's path to sustainable agriculture.<br />
<br />
Discover how Cuban farmers learned to produce food without chemicals and pesticides.<br />
<br />
Hear about Cuba's new cooperative path (Los Lineamientos) that is strengthening farmer cooperatives and encourage worker-coops in the non-farm sector. <br />
<br />
Hear about the international cooperative project I am leading to support Cuba's farm coops.<br />
<br />
Go to my webpage <a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">wendyholm.com</a> for more on Cuba and this trip (including itinerary).<br />
<br />
<br />
Sorry - farmers only. Also will bend the rules for Agrologists and professionals working directly with farmers or in the food sector.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
click here to return to <a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">wendyholm.com</a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-88683250816276561862014-07-24T15:00:00.001-07:002014-07-24T15:00:02.480-07:00Fernando Funes Conf. on Agroecology - Cuba Oct 2014Cross posted from Holm on Food<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">Fernando
Funes, affectionately known as "the Father" of sustainable organic
agriculture in Cuba, has organised a very special agroecology
event in October 2015. </span></span><br /><div class="article-content entry-content" itemprop="articleBody">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">
</span></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Third International AGRODEVELOPMENT Convention, Cuba</span></u></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Two Pre Conference Tours October 19-20</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Third International Convention AGRODESARROLLO <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>October 21-23, 2014</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Post-Conference Course: Cuban Experience in Agroecological
Practices<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>October 23-27</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">I COULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS MORE HIGHLY. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">See Fernando Funes personal letter of invitation plus lots more details on all of the above at: <a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/Third.International.Cuban.Convention.on.Agrodesarrollo.pdf" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.wendyholm.com/Third.International.Cuban.Convention.on.Agrodesarrollo.pdf</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="userContent">Contact me if you need more information than is posted there.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.co</a></span></span></div>
wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-37595148298438614082014-04-22T08:09:00.002-07:002014-04-22T08:16:25.951-07:00Hasta Siempre Gabriel!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6603jyLfA3jm9unYahQ-CTZfJJO2B4U-Q0uZ5aifOp6fCMN_5kRdTIFVK-ZrjxjckpTG4FSCQR1OE2i3CKFKaW8LUEoOD507JcwhjX29PPNNOjjw3Qpgr-WH3wbOdxwLmm4owxX9GBo/s1600/200px-Gabriel_Garcia_Marquez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6603jyLfA3jm9unYahQ-CTZfJJO2B4U-Q0uZ5aifOp6fCMN_5kRdTIFVK-ZrjxjckpTG4FSCQR1OE2i3CKFKaW8LUEoOD507JcwhjX29PPNNOjjw3Qpgr-WH3wbOdxwLmm4owxX9GBo/s1600/200px-Gabriel_Garcia_Marquez.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Very sad to say goodbye last Friday to the famed Colombian novelist and Nobel Prize Laureat <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Garc%C3%ADa_M%C3%A1rquez" target="_blank">Gabriel Garcia Marquez</a>. Perhaps best known for his novels <i>One Hundred Years of Solitude</i> and <i>Love in the Time of Cholera</i>, Garcia Marquez was a true friend of Cuba and a great personal friend of Fidel's. As he confided to Estela Bravo in her film "Fidel", Castro had for many many years been Marquez' final and most trusted proof-reader, reviewing everything Gabriel wrote before he submitted it for publication. <br />
<br />
Less well known perhaps was the fascinating cameo role Garcia Marquez played in the story of the Cuban Five - members of Cuba's elite counter-terrorism squad who'd infiltrated anti-Cuban groups in Miami to collect information on terrorist plots against Cuba.<br />
<br />
In the spring of 1998, Garcia Marquez carried a secret message from Fidel Castro to Bill Clinton describing a terrorist plot being hatched in Miami to blow up planes heading to Cuba, hoping to interrupt Cuban tourism. The intelligence was very specific, describing in detail the devices, locations on the plane where they would be hidden, and methods of triggering remotely. That session led to an unprecedented sit-down between the FBI and Cuban State Security in Havana in June 1998. IRONICALLY, it was those meetings that triggered the events that ultimately led to the arrest of the Cuban Five on September 12, 1998. Rather than take action against the Miami Americans who were planning yet another terrorist attack on Cuba, the FBI turned around and arrested the five Cubans undercover in the terrorist cells who had identified the plot...<br />
<br />
Fascinated? Click here for more:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://cubanfive.ca/2014/04/gabo-fidel-bill-and-the-curious-cuban-five-connection">http://cubanfive.ca/2014/04/gabo-fidel-bill-and-the-curious-cuban-five-connection</a><br />
<br />
A truly great novelist, journalist, humanitarian, and person, Gabriel Garcia Marquez will be remembered by many for a very long time... <br />
<br />
Click here to return to <a href="http://wendyholm.com/">wendyholm.com</a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-78779487207325131362014-03-10T08:57:00.002-07:002014-03-10T08:59:36.324-07:00Melba Hernandez Passes<br />
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<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=Iu9Cbw5sqqjFRM&tbnid=GVFpUH13UuhenM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Di%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%26esrc%3Ds%26source%3Dimages%26cd%3D%26docid%3DIu9Cbw5sqqjFRM%26tbnid%3DGVFpUH13UuhenM%3A%26ved%3D0CAUQjRw%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.granma.cubaweb.cu%252Fsecciones%252Festado_cubano%252Fciudad_habana.html%26ei%3DReAdU-SROo7xoATK0IHQCg%26bvm%3Dbv.62578216%2Cd.cGU%26psig%3DAFQjCNEps_AUjoXVuikNTJ1R_9qNSotWdQ%26ust%3D1394553265424463&ei=XOAdU6zyL8KHogTej4GgCw&bvm=bv.62578216,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNEps_AUjoXVuikNTJ1R_9qNSotWdQ&ust=1394553265424463" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px none; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img class="irc_mut" src="http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/secciones/estado_cubano/imagenes_c_habana/melba_hernandez_rodriguez_del_rey.jpg" height="191" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 119px;" width="120" /></a></div>
Saddened to hear of Sunday's passing of Melba Hernandez. Anyone who
has studied Cuban history knows of her bravery and spirit. She
stands as a wonderful example of a woman who believed in change and
made it happen<br />
<br />
Cuban Heroine Melba Hernandez Passed Away in Havana <br />
<br />
HAVANA, Cuba, March 10 (acn)The Cuban Communist Party informed that heroine Melba Hernandez, member of the Party’s Central Committee and deputy to the National Parliament passed away Sunday, March 9, from complications linked to Diabetes Mellitus, a disease she had suffered from during years. <br />
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Melba Hernandez was born July 28, 1921, in the town of Cruces, in the former Las Villas province, today’s Villa Clara in the center of the country. Hernandez graduated as a lawyer in 1943 at the University of Havana. <br />
<br />
She was among the first women to have joined the revolutionary movement headed by Fidel Castro and she actively fought the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship. She participated in the July 26, 1953 attack on the Moncada garrison, in eastern Santiago de Cuba and witnessed the murder of many of her compatriots. <br />
<br />
Melba joined the Rebel Army in the Third Guerrilla Front, under the command of Juan Almeida Bosque and after the victory of the Cuban Revolution she was assigned important responsibilities, such as president of the Cuban Committee in Solidarity with South Vietnam, and later similar committee in solidarity with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. She was also ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Kampuchea, and director of the Center for Studies on Asia and Oceania. <br />
<br />
She received countless decorations and national and international distinctions, including Labor Heroine of the Republic of Cuba. Meeting her will, here body will be cremated and her ashes will be temporarily under the custody of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, and later transferred to the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba, along the mortal remains of her comrades who assaulted the Mocada Garrison.<br />
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<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com </a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-31297187434395450802014-01-16T16:05:00.002-08:002014-01-16T16:05:58.257-08:00Havana's Top Paladars<div class="article-header">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXsqrgpCfCxgKInLCO8G9m11Na_7FE45QrWAIjl7YsSQH5zX9HfQxFhKiclHL-ULMfWb4jUs_zIR_iLT-2HT0NN8S5LASay7vrBwHxKrDlfogxLjHWUkPfwrCl0yNMwAv778OIjb8xCg/s1600/chefs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXsqrgpCfCxgKInLCO8G9m11Na_7FE45QrWAIjl7YsSQH5zX9HfQxFhKiclHL-ULMfWb4jUs_zIR_iLT-2HT0NN8S5LASay7vrBwHxKrDlfogxLjHWUkPfwrCl0yNMwAv778OIjb8xCg/s1600/chefs.jpg" style="display: inline-block;" width="320" /></a></div>
2013 was the second year I brought a group of young chefs, lead by
SAIT's Andrew Hewson and BC's Ian Lai, to Cuba to exchange culinary
experiences with their Cuban counterparts.<br />
<br />
We traveled afield - Vinales' mogotes, Cienfuegos' seaside, Topes de
Collante's serenity - but also managed to fit in SEVEN amazing meals at
Havana's top paladares, one of which we co-prepared:<br />
<ul>
<li>Atelier</li>
<li>Café Laurent </li>
<li>Le Chansonnier </li>
<li>Cocina de Lilliam </li>
<li>La Guarida </li>
<li>Mama Ines </li>
<li>Starbien</li>
</ul>
It became apparent as we cooked together that the chefs in these papadars shared a few common interests:<br />
<ul>
<li>commitment to cuisine, artistry, professionalism, skills-development and the client</li>
<li>desire for access to wider range of specialty ingredients, spices, etc.</li>
<li>interest in informal exchanges with chefs from other countries</li>
</ul>
<br />
The idea of a Chefs' Circle Coop has been playing in my brain ever since. :) Looking forward to this year's trip in May!</div>
wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-2906537283517471642013-08-20T09:50:00.003-07:002013-08-20T09:53:03.498-07:00 The little Baobob seedling, Elegua, and me...<i>Cross-posted from HolmonStuff...
</i>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5RR5n_zsoD6PokbPXO91Xrh5W0Y0oPAO80oUUt9RYxgakZh2P6SJ2OTZ6USlxR5nG2yphL8sjRSZvx3QXpZl-4surMCNl9U_a2hfVzXrmq_McFh_j022InrMKmVg_1Vbe5czPe7j0ok/s1600/baobob.seedling.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5RR5n_zsoD6PokbPXO91Xrh5W0Y0oPAO80oUUt9RYxgakZh2P6SJ2OTZ6USlxR5nG2yphL8sjRSZvx3QXpZl-4surMCNl9U_a2hfVzXrmq_McFh_j022InrMKmVg_1Vbe5czPe7j0ok/s320/baobob.seedling.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />
I about to head off to get the above little Baobob seedling tattooed on
my left calf by Liz (In the Flesh Tattoos), my favourite tattoo artist.
<br />
<br />
Inspired by my 2013 class (UBC LFS 302a International Field Studies in
Sustainable Agriculture Cuba), my students found it during our visit to
Cienfuegos Botanical Garden last May.<br />
<br />
I had been musing about my next tat for a while, and as we were
returning from Topes de Collante - bouncing together down the road in
our Russian army truck - I knew (thanks to a great photo taken by
Hayley) that this little seedling was IT.<br />
<br />
It expresses what I LOVE about teaching (planting a seed), commemorates a
great group of students (truly tat-worthy!) and to me also represents
the pluck and resilience of the Cuban people (bravely rising up from the
grass roots, led by Fidel, to overthrow a brutal dictator and seek a
better society).<br />
<br />
It is also a powerful symbol. The Baobab tree (Adansonia digitata, a member of the Ceiba family) is often
called the tree of life because it stores life-sustaining water inside
its trunk and branches. In Africa, India, and Madagascar, where the tree
grows in arid regions, the tree’s water is a valuable resource. The
Baobab tree is an ancient survivor; some Baobab trees live for
several thousand years.<br />
<br />
When the Spanish brought slaves to Cuba to work in the sugar fields,
these new arrivals adopted the Ceiba tree - cousin to their revered
Baobob - as spiritual home to Afro-Cuban religious deities (Orishas)
thought to perch in its lofty branches. In particular Elegua, who opens
and closes pathways. This has made Ceibas very special trees in Cuba:
farmers plant around them and they almost always are the centrepiece of
community squares and public places. <br />
<br />
In its fragility, this little Baobob emerging from its seed on the
ground also represents to me the vulnerability of today's younger
Cubans, who with no direct experience of the Revolution must now draw on
the patrimony of the past and the promise of the future to deliver a
strong socialist economy based on worker cooperatives, micro-enterprise
and transformational state engagement.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com</a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-18987831499767550692013-01-25T14:11:00.002-08:002013-01-25T14:11:22.855-08:00A DIFFERENT MODEL: Medical Care in Cuba<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1215226" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">A DIFFERENT MODEL: Medical Care in Cuba</span></a><br />
<br />
New England Journal of Medicine <br />
<br />
<br />
Link to the article in NEJM<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1215226">http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1215226</a></span><br />
<br />
Link to printable PDF<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1312532144"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/Cuban.Health.Care.Model.pdf">http://www.wendyholm.com/Cuban.Health.Care.Model.pdf</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com </a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-291794265434845442013-01-25T13:49:00.002-08:002013-01-25T13:54:20.942-08:00Cuba Legalizes Business Cooperatives (Globe and Mail)<h1 class="entry-title" title="More than 200 non-agricultural enterprises in planning stages">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">a good reference</span></span></h1>
<h1 class="entry-title" title="More than 200 non-agricultural enterprises in planning stages">
<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/latin-american-business/cuba-legalizes-business-co-operatives/article6198952/" target="_blank">Cuba legalizes business co-operatives</a>
</h1>
<div class="byline author vcard">
MARC FRANK
</div>
<div class="creditline source-org vcard">
HAVANA — Reuters</div>
Published
<time datetime="2012-26-11T19:12:35Z" pubdate="">Tuesday, Dec. 11 2012, 2:26 PM EST</time>
<br />
<br />
Link to article on Globe and Mail website:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/latin-american-business/cuba-legalizes-business-co-operatives/article6198952/">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/latin-american-business/cuba-legalizes-business-co-operatives/article6198952/</a><br />
<br />
Link to printable PDF<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/Cuba.legalizes.business.co-operatives.G&M.pdf">http://www.wendyholm.com/Cuba.legalizes.business.co-operatives.G&M.pdf</a><br />
<br />
<br />
click here to return to wendyholm.com<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">http://www.wendyholm.com</a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-81546466616437518032013-01-25T13:00:00.001-08:002013-01-25T18:26:11.280-08:00Seven Actions Obama Should Take On Cuba Now<br />
<br />
WONDERFUL<b>! </b>As a CANADIAN, I would add an EIGHTH:<br />
<br />
#8 Create a special license for Americans to travel to Havana to learn more about the power of cooperatives to build a people-centred economy, why Cuba is going there, and what resonance this has for neighbourhoods across North America. <br />
<br />
<hr class="print-hr" />
<a href="http://www.thenation.com/print/article/172414/seven-actions-obama-should-take-cuba-now" target="_blank">
</a><br />
<h1 class="print-title">
<a href="http://www.thenation.com/print/article/172414/seven-actions-obama-should-take-cuba-now" target="_blank">Seven Actions Obama Should Take On Cuba Now</a><span id="goog_1094990482"></span><span id="goog_1094990483"></span> </h1>
<div class="print-logo">
<img alt="The Nation" class="print-logo" id="logo" src="http://www.thenation.com/sites/default/themes/thenation/images/logo-main.gif" />
</div>
<div class="print-site_name">
Published on <i>The Nation</i> (<a href="http://www.thenation.com/">http://www.thenation.com</a>)</div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thenation.com/print/article/172414/seven-actions-obama-should-take-cuba-now">http://www.thenation.com/print/article/172414/seven-actions-obama-should-take-cuba-now</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com</a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-87583192160671842382012-12-23T10:45:00.001-08:002012-12-28T09:12:17.437-08:00Cuba passes five new laws to create non-ag coops...<style>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">Non-agricultural
cooperatives<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Progress in the updating of Cuba's economic model<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 7.5pt;">• </span><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">New laws create legal
framework for non-agricultural cooperatives</span></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #004080; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 7.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">O. Fonticoba Gener</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cuba is moving strongly ahead in its commitment to open its economy to cooperative control. Below an article from Gramna. <a href="http://www.granma.cu/ingles/cuba-i/20dic-cooperatives.html">http://www.granma.cu/ingles/cuba-i/20dic-cooperatives.html</a></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">"...As part of the updating of Cuba's
socio-economic model, and the implementation of Policy Guidelines approved at
the 6th Party Congress - in particular numbers 25-29 - five new laws went into
effect December 11, creating a legal framework for the gradual establishment of
cooperatives for non-agricultural purposes, and providing provisional
regulations which will govern the process.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The new laws allow for the initial
establsihment of cooperative associations to undertake more than 200 different
activities throughout the country, including transportation, restaurant
services, fishing, personal and domestic services, recycling, production of construction
materials, as well as construction services.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">This new non-state management format
offers promise given its more social nature and its development can benefit
from the positive, a well as negative, experience of agricultural cooperatives. </span></i><br />
<br />
<i>
</i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The option of renting state facilities to
these associations is also included in the newly enacted laws...."</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">To read more, download the full article at <a href="http://wendyholm.com/granma.cu.Non-ag.coops.pdf">http://wendyholm.com/granma.cu.Non-ag.coops.pdf </a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com </a> </span><br />
<br />wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-79103303736989012712012-12-19T08:43:00.001-08:002012-12-19T10:25:23.390-08:00Cuba and sustainable economics...<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"If you were impressed with Cuba's leadership in
sustainable agriculture, <br />you'll be wowed by their leadership in
sustainable economics..."</i></div>
<br />
The above my elevator speech on Cuba. As a result of the participation of eight Cuban delegates in IMAGINE 2012 and QUEBEC SUMMIT ON COOPERATIVES,* there is a growing (and happily impatient) interest in understanding/supporting Cuba's journey to convert major sectors of her economy from state \bureaucracies to worker co-operatives.<br />
<br />
I will be speaking with colleagues in Havana this February to discuss the development of a program (workshops and field visits) to further the <a href="http://www.theholmteam.ca/HAVAVA.WORKSHOPS.Dec.2011.pdf" target="_blank">dialogue begun in Havana in December 2011</a>and in <a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/Cuban.Deleg.IMAGINE.SUMMIT.pdf" target="_blank">Quebec City this fall</a>.<br />
<br />
Watch this blog for further details...<br />
<br />
<br />
____________________________<br />
* Canada's two premier IYC 2012 events held in Quebec City October 6-12.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">Click here to return to wendyholm.com</a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-76025367600046032412012-11-15T07:52:00.001-08:002012-11-15T07:52:53.332-08:00Right On Raul Revisited...During her one month visit* to Canada, my long time Cuban friend and colleague
Mavis Alvarez and I spent lots of time talking about what was happening in her country. <br />
<br />
At one point, I turned to her and said "Mavis, it seems I am hearing more stories of people jailed for corruption; is it on the rise in Cuba?"<br />
<br />
"No," Mavis replied. "It is that Raul is not tolerating it..." <br />
<br />
When he was elected, Raul Castro Ruz said he was not going to allow what happened in the former Soviet Union (apparatchik - the bureaucratization of the State; creation of enclaves of privilege) to occur in Cuba. <br />
<br />
Today, he is acting on that commitment, Another reason to admire this man. As I said in an earlier post, <a href="http://holmoncuba.blogspot.ca/2012/10/right-on-raul.html" target="_blank">Right On Raul...</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
_____________<br />
* One of 8 Cubans to attend IYC 2012's IMAGINE 2012/QUEBEC SUMMIT OF COOPS in Quebec City Oct 6-12, Mavis spent the rest of her time <a href="http://holmoncuba.blogspot.ca/2012/09/mavis-is-coming-mavis-is-coming.html" target="_blank">speaking in BC</a>. wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-53104034179459520542012-11-01T09:17:00.003-07:002012-11-01T09:17:44.343-07:00Why Cuba is important....
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<i>My elevator speech is "if you were impressed with Cuba's leadership in sustainable agriculture,<br /> just wait till you see what Cuba is doing in sustainable economics..."</i></div>
<br />
<br />
Los Lineamientos are the policy guidelines Cuba put in place in April 2011 that - among other things - open the path for a more cooperative, people-centred economy. (Extension of producer and worker coops from agriculture to sectors currently served by the state - e.g. housing, transportation, construction. <a href="http://holmoncuba.blogspot.ca/2012/10/right-on-raul.html">http://holmoncuba.blogspot.ca/2012/10/right-on-raul.html</a> )<br /><br />If Cuba is successful - and there are many challenges - Cuba could be the first to develop a strong socialist model for worker co-ops. Worker coops function differently in a socialist society; they are not the same as their capitalist cousins. Successful models are needed to support their incubation. This is important to many nations. Eastern Europe's attempt to do this failed because it was a top down approach, and viewed by the people as a way-station on the road to capitalism. <br /><br />In Cuba's case, the foundation upon which they are working to create a people-centred, socially just and equitable society is being built from the ground up. (<a href="http://holmoncuba.blogspot.ca/2012/10/right-on-raul.html">http://holmoncuba.blogspot.ca/2012/10/right-on-raul.html</a>). <br /><br />Luckily (we all have a stake in this), a panel of co-op experts from three countries who gathered in Havana in Dec 2011 said Cuba is going about this in exactly the right way (see <a href="http://www.theholmteam.ca/HAVANA.WORKSHOPS.Dec.2011.pd" target="_blank">Walking the Walk </a><a href="http://www.theholmteam.ca/HAVANA.WORKSHOPS.Dec.2011.pd">http://www.theholmteam.ca/HAVANA.WORKSHOPS.Dec.2011.pd</a>f ). <br /><br />Which is why Saint Mary's University, together with IDRC, Desjardins and Vancity, sponsored 4 Cubans to attend IMAGINE 2012/QUEBEC SUMMIT, Canada's twin conferences celebrating 2012 International Year of the Cooperatives. Three more Cubans joined them with the support of CIDA and UNDP. Gathered in Quebec City, they and some 2,800 delegates from 100 countries discussed the power of cooperatives to build a better world. <br />
<br /><br />Follow my blog on Cuba at <a href="http://www.holmoncuba.blogspot.com/">http://www.holmoncuba.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />Follow my blog on Co-ops at <a href="http://www.holmoncoops.blogspot.com/">http://www.holmoncoops.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />Follow my blog on Policy at <a href="http://www.holmonpolicy.blogspot.com/">http://www.holmonpolicy.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />Follow my blog on Food at <a href="http://www.holmonfood.blogspot.com/">http://www.holmonfood.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />Follow my blog on Governance at <a href="http://www.holmongovernance.blogspot.com/">http://www.holmongovernance.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />Follow my blog on Stuff at <a href="http://www.holmonstuff.blogspot.com/">http://www.holmonstuff.blogspot.com</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com </a><br /><br /><br /><br />
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wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-69409912250210217432012-10-31T08:49:00.003-07:002012-11-15T06:33:57.644-08:00Right On Raul... I continue to be impressed with Raul Castro...<br />
<br />
In April 2011, the Cuban government adopted a new set of policy guidelines (Los Lineamientos) that present a comprehensive blueprint to update and modernize Cuba's socialist economy consistent with and supportive of the principles of social justice, equity and efficiency.<br />
<br />
The way in which these guidelines came forward is remarkable. In 2008. when Fidel stepped down and his brother (then Vice-President) stepped up, Raul asked Cubans to tell him "everything that is wrong with our country". People were amazed. And inspired. Across Cuba, through their community and trade associations, people met and talked and sent their complaints and suggestions to Raul's desk.<br />
<br />
Raul and his government ministers took all this feedback and from it crafted a set of policy guidelines (Los Lineamientos) that were then circulated back to the people. Across the country, ANOTHER NINE MONTHS of grassroots discussions ensued. The final document, reflecting this process, was enacted in April 2011. <br />
<br />
Among other things, the guidelines provide that cooperatives, which have proven so successful in agriculture, will occupy
a much more significant part of the Cuban economy as large state players exit
the sector in favour of worker/producer coops. (In early October eight Cubans participated in IMAGINE 2012/QUEBEC SUMMIT,
Canada's two premier conferences for 2012 International Year of
Cooperatives. For more on this read the report that sparked their participation: <a href="http://www.theholmteam.ca/HAVANA.WORKSHOPS.Dec.2011.pdf" target="_blank">Walking the Walk.) </a><br />
<br />
Last year, just under 200 new types of micro-business licenses were
created, allowing for the growth of many new "cuenta propistas" (private entrepreneurs) selling
everything from services to salsa music.<br />
<br />
Earlier this year, restrictions on the sale of houses by Cubans were removed. (Prior to this, housing was "swapped" through a complex system...) <br />
<br />
Cuba's <i>paladares</i> (private restaurants) may now have up to 50 seats, employ non family members and operate in premises outside their home. <br />
<br />
In the past 2 years, over 1.5 million acres of farmland has been given to 150,000 new farmers. One third of the new farmers are 18-35 years of age. The size of the farms averages 9 hectares.<br />
<br />
Last week, a new immigration law was been passed that
allows Cuban citizens to travel freely without the permission of
government. Cubans can be away for up to 2 years, can extend this if
needed, and can bring their families. Those who have left Cuba can
obtain current passports and return providing there has been no criminal
activity. <br />
<br />
You don't run an army for 50 years without being a good listener and a good leader. Raul is obviously both. No-one but Fidel could have brought Cuba to where she stands today. I am equally convinced that Raul is exactly the man Cuba now needs to withstand the siren winds of capitalism and steer a socially just, people-centered and community sustaining economic path that we all must respect and support. There will be many obstacles. It will be a difficult path. Good thing they are Cubans!<br />
<br />
______________________________________________<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com</a><br />
<br />
wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-10561691523492725912012-09-11T10:10:00.000-07:002012-09-11T21:37:12.316-07:00Mavis is coming... Mavis is coming...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErXlso5OrIboUtT11oyqGGsiP2JF1svA2oFQlMwU2ZFNcCAPob13wugUpnes1hNODjsSRaySM5DHIXLi6Y3YxnqoIvhBBQXMXiLRq8UWH5Dao4wq-fhyphenhyphenKGtPRrG4frsuSeEqCc1EHXCU/s1600/mavis.pointing.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErXlso5OrIboUtT11oyqGGsiP2JF1svA2oFQlMwU2ZFNcCAPob13wugUpnes1hNODjsSRaySM5DHIXLi6Y3YxnqoIvhBBQXMXiLRq8UWH5Dao4wq-fhyphenhyphenKGtPRrG4frsuSeEqCc1EHXCU/s320/mavis.pointing.sm.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Revolution begins in the mind... And lives in the spirit...</i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>If you were impressed with Cuba's
global leadership in sustainable food production, just wait till you
see what they are doing to build a sustainable, people-centred
economy...</i></div>
</div>
<br />
My dear friend and Cuban colleague Mavis Dora Alvarez is coming to British Columbia in October.<br />
<br />
As a young woman, Mavis was part of the revolutionary underground that had the audacity (belief in themselves!) to overthrow a despicable dictator and - for the first time since conquest - create in Cuba a socialist, egalitarian society.<br />
<br />
But Cuba had a complex road to walk. When local US refineries were asked by the Cuban government to process Soviet crude, Washington forbid it. In response, Cuba nationalized the properties of American oil refineries. In response, Washington cut of Cuba's sugar quota. In response, Cuba nationalized US interests in Cuba. Washington then imposed an economic blockade which has endured for 50 years. <br />
<br />
For much of this time, Cuba supplied sugar to the Soviet Union in exchange for food, fuel, machinery, materials,and manufactured goods. In the mid 1980's, Cuba's standard of living exceeded that of the US based on Latin American indices. When the former Soviet Union collapsed, Cuba was thrown into economic darknesss: the "Special Period" began.<br />
<br />
Cuba's success in converting its monoculture, sugar-based economy to a sustainable, diverse and healthy cooperative sector is a success story for the world. And the world is watching. In 1999, Cuba won Sweden's Right Livelihood Award for global excellence in organic urban agriculture. Several years ago, the World Wildlife Fund recognized Cuba as the only nation to achieve sustainability based on ecological footprint and human development. It is why I have taught a UBC course for Canadian students in Cuba every May since 2005.<br />
<br />
The NEW news is that Cuba is taking bold steps to support the growth of worker cooperatives as a way to deliver - within the socialist construct - a truly people-centered economy. For more on Cuba's cooperative path, read the report of the December 2011 Havana Workshops <a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/HAVANA.WORKSHOPS.Dec.2011.pdf">http://www.wendyholm.com/HAVANA.WORKSHOPS.Dec.2011.pdf</a><br />
<br />
<u>A leading member of the team of passionate Cubans that have together moved Cuba forward on ALL these fronts is Mavis Alvarez. </u><br />
<br />
While in BC, Mavis will speak on two topics.<br />
<br />
The first, <u>Sustainable Food + Sustainable Economics: Cuba's New Co-operative Path </u>(see
write up below) is presented by
SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement on October 29th
from 7 to 9 pm at the <span class="visible">Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.</span><br />
<span class="visible"></span><br />
<br />
The second <u>Women, Farming and Revolution - towards a sustainable food future</u> will be a more informal dialogue with communities touching on much of above and why communities need to support farmers and local food networks. Mavis is presently scheduled to speak in Sooke (Oct 22), Courtney (Oct 23) and UBC (Oct 24).<br />
<br />
Together with five Cuban colleagues, Mavis was invited to Canada by Saint Mary's University to participate in Imagine 2012/Quebec Summit, Canada's top conferences celebrating the UN's 2012 International Year of Cooperatives (Quebec City, Oct 5-11). Funding for the visit of the five Cubans was provided by SMU, IDRC and several partners. Mavis Alvarez' visit was kindly supported by Vancity.<br />
<br />
____________________________________________________________ <br />
<br />
Write up from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/463690753651048">http://www.facebook.com/events/463690753651048</a>/ <br />
<br />
<b>Sustainable Food + Sustainable Economics: Cuba's New Co-operative Path with Mavis Dora Alvarez</b><br />
Presented by SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement<br />
<br />
Cuba today is immersed in a very intense process of perfecting its agricultural production structures with the goal of making them more efficient and sustainable in their economic administration and in their social and environmental management.<br />
<br />
Agricultural cooperatives in Cuba have the responsibility of producing on 73% of the country's farmland. Their contributions are decisive to developing agricultural production and to ensuring more and better food for the population, in addition to reducing high levels of food imports.<br />
<br />
In that context, a comprehensive strategy is being implemented to empower co-operativism as a socioeconomic model in which technical skills and management training is a priority issue.<br />
<br />
The experience of applying new training and education concepts in cooperative management is a theme that those of us who are specialists in this area would like to share with our allies in the Canadian and global co-operative movements.<br />
<br />
-----------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
Mavis Dora Alvarez is an agricultural engineer and educator who consults with Cuban family farming and cooperatives. She is a member of the UNDP's Palma Project, an advisor to the Canadian International Development Agency on gender issues in the Canada-Cuba project 'Development of Forestry in Cuba' and for forty years has been member of the national leadership of the National Association of Small Farmers. She hold a bachelors degree in agricultural engineering and a masters degree in gender studies.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com</a> wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-87413993473957507022012-09-04T16:29:00.000-07:002012-09-04T16:35:28.251-07:00Cuba's support for settlement of Colombian conflict<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtP2qBs2ywd5k5JshtKSCM7rZ2-F-01JsUqfo0Be2XELnGpbwACC8VZcI93UkAqFx2zRasqDOl0t1iwAkGp65vRhxptTXofs4L8g84MtZmV5jhopT7Uh8O97DswWpyxitkGBKFEMbLl-k/s1600/flagsandche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtP2qBs2ywd5k5JshtKSCM7rZ2-F-01JsUqfo0Be2XELnGpbwACC8VZcI93UkAqFx2zRasqDOl0t1iwAkGp65vRhxptTXofs4L8g84MtZmV5jhopT7Uh8O97DswWpyxitkGBKFEMbLl-k/s200/flagsandche.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Havana, September 4, 2012. STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA<br />
<br />
The Cuban Revolution has had a historical commitment towards peace in Colombia and the efforts aimed at putting an end to the political, social and military conflict in that Latin American and Caribbean sister nation.<br />
<br />
The Cuban Government has made discreet and constructive efforts to contribute to find a negotiated solution, always in response to a request from the parties involved and without influencing in the least their respective stands.<br />
<br />
For more than one year and at the expressed request of the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP), and while strictly observing the confidentiality commitment entered into, the Cuban Government has offered its cooperation and support to hold exploratory talks that may lead to a peace process, and has also participated as a guarantor during the deliberations. At the request of both parties, Cuba has also acted as a guarantor, together with the governments of Norway and Venezuela, during the transfer of the representatives of FARC-EP to Cuba.<br />
<br />
As a result of the exploratory talks held in Havana since February 23, 2012, and as was declared by the parties, a process of dialogue committed to peace and the settlement of a historical conflict in Colombia has opened up, which Cuba supports, being aware of its importance for the Colombian people and its significance for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Cuban Government will continue to offer its solidarity assistance and good offices in favor of this endeavor for as long as the Colombian Government and the FARC-EP request so.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com</a><br />
<br />wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-32313643634807810472012-08-31T12:14:00.004-07:002012-08-31T12:14:35.711-07:00New laws for co-operatives in Brazil and Cuba...<br />A great article on Cuba's support for worker co-ops from <a href="http://www.2012.coop/">http://www.2012.coop</a>, the official International Cooperative Association website for United Nations International Year of Cooperatives.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
"<i>Two countries in the Americas region have passed legislation to allow co-operatives to prosper without restrictions.</i><br />
<i><br />Cuba has set aside USD100 million to help fund co-operatives, while Brazil has passed a law to support the growth of worker co-operatives.</i><br />
<i><br />The Cuban pilot programme, announced in the country's parliament by economy minister Marino Murillo, will cover 222 co-operatives. Currently the country is dominated by agricultural co-operatives, but this programme will allow non-agricultural co-ops to exist and loosen restrictions on basic services and increase productivity.</i>.." <br />
<br />
to continue, go to <a href="http://2012.coop/en/media/news/new-laws-co-operatives-brazil-and-cuba">http://2012.coop/en/media/news/new-laws-co-operatives-brazil-and-cuba</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com </a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-65898077478256709472012-08-27T11:54:00.000-07:002012-08-27T11:55:36.609-07:00Student Chefs Cook in Cuba in May 2013If you are a student chef or a chef/chef instructor, you will for certain want to know about this!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOwkPysrRka3-RJregIAt7E7Fqp7SZakM22mSdc_8bBFhN2d4qqnbk-8kBV5wmT8uwIgObVZykcxaATmknmuIt9nLxd1gFBlZ0-G0WbO_Pahg2GaWhwdKyrr59ZVCPx-B_5Bm5bAptW4/s1600/2013.Student.Chefs.Tour.Cuba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOwkPysrRka3-RJregIAt7E7Fqp7SZakM22mSdc_8bBFhN2d4qqnbk-8kBV5wmT8uwIgObVZykcxaATmknmuIt9nLxd1gFBlZ0-G0WbO_Pahg2GaWhwdKyrr59ZVCPx-B_5Bm5bAptW4/s320/2013.Student.Chefs.Tour.Cuba.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_177742113"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com</a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-10035182917938272522012-08-25T15:17:00.004-07:002012-08-25T15:17:41.630-07:00R u a student? Come to Cuba next May!<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Registration is now open for this amazing University of British Columbia 3 credit course <a href="http://ctlt.ubc.ca/distance-learning/courses/lfs/lfs302a/" target="_blank">International Field Studies in Sustainable Agriculture Cuba. </a> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Full information posted at <a href="http://ctlt.ubc.ca/distance-learning/courses/lfs/lfs302a/">http://ctlt.ubc.ca/distance-learning/courses/lfs/lfs302a/</a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHme4c9bfd4Eiey1bQ9rvDv95cIHaHK-3gv3ERFb4kn5pkqUp0SOg-a78UOuRiZjn1V3geUA3zx4WGDVaUTY6veskvKRtJB5_KRKuSzzuuDNW3Y9p8qmQJZ6KAuKpCxUjL6ZOi1zU9o8/s1600/LFS.302A.2013.Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHme4c9bfd4Eiey1bQ9rvDv95cIHaHK-3gv3ERFb4kn5pkqUp0SOg-a78UOuRiZjn1V3geUA3zx4WGDVaUTY6veskvKRtJB5_KRKuSzzuuDNW3Y9p8qmQJZ6KAuKpCxUjL6ZOi1zU9o8/s320/LFS.302A.2013.Poster.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-54656958963037570632012-08-25T15:09:00.002-07:002012-08-25T15:09:18.772-07:00Cuba: Tiny Nation, Big Vision
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong></strong><br />
I have been working in Cuba for 15 years. Over that time, I have introduced
over 32 groups of Canadian farmers (600 in all) and 7 groups of Canadian
students to Cuba’s leadership in sustainable farming practices. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Today, Cuba is
walking a new path towards a more cooperative economy. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">While Canada and Cuba
are two very different countries, there are some very significant lessons to be
learned. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span>___________________</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span>New 2013 Presentation just posted on my <a href="http://nsb.com/speakers/view/wendy-holm" target="_blank">National Speakers Bureau Speakers Page </a>For more go to <a href="http://nsb.com/speakers/view/wendy-holm">http://nsb.com/speakers/view/wendy-holm</a></span></span></div>
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wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-4438428641518211352012-07-26T07:28:00.000-07:002012-08-06T14:42:45.822-07:00Cuba puts $100 million aside to support worker coops...THIS IS VERY EXCITING!<br />
<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-24/cuba-plans-100-million-fund-to-aid-worker-run-businesses-1-.html">http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-24/cuba-plans-100-million-fund-to-aid-worker-run-businesses-1-.html</a><br />
07/24/12. Bloomberg. <br />
<b><u>Cuba Plans $100 Million Fund to Aid Worker Run Businesses</u></b><br />
<br />
Cuba's communist government will set aside $100 million to help establish private cooperatives as President [1]Raul Castro takes further steps to boost economic growth on the island.<br />
<br />
Cooperatives with as many as five employees will be allowed to manage their own operations by the end of the year, a policy meant to loosen restrictions on basic services and increase productivity, Castro [2]told the National Assembly yesterday. Agricultural cooperatives account for about half the 200 businesses selected, Marino Murillo, deputy chairman of the Council of<br />
Ministers, said.<br />
<br />
"We selected a group of business organizations to run an experiment with sufficient autonomy and power," Castro, 81, said, according to a transcript of the speech posted on the government website Cuba Debate. "This experience will lift the brake that exists on the development of<br />
productive forces."<br />
<br />
Since his 85-year-old brother Fidel started handing over power in 2006, Raul Castro has initiated measures to open the Caribbean island's economy, including loosening of property laws and controls prohibiting private enterprise such as taxi and mobile phone companies.<br />
<br />
More than 390,000 Cubans were self-employed at the end of June, up from almost 233,000 in 2010, when the government vowed to "redesign" the country's economy and cut 500,000 state workers. Transportation and food services are the largest source of private employment, Murillo told lawmakers.<br />
<br />
Abandoned Exploration<br />
<br />
The latest moves may help soften the blow from Repsol SA's decision earlier this year to abandon oil exploration off the island's northern coast after a test well came up dry. Falling prices for nickel, Cuba's biggest export, have also undermined growth.<br />
<br />
Not all of Castro's measures have aided entrepreneurs. Earlier this month, the government announced they would impose new taxes on imported goods in September, adding to the costs for businesses that rely on materials from abroad.<br />
<br />
Cuba's economy expanded 2.1 percent in the first half of the year, up from 1.9 percent in the same period of 2011, Castro said yesterday.<br />
<br />
To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Sabo in Panama City at <a href="mailto:esabo1@bloomberg.net">esabo1@bloomberg.net</a><br />
<br />
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Joshua Goodman at <a href="mailto:jgoodman19@bloomberg.net">jgoodman19@bloomberg.net</a><br />
<br />
Original Source / Fuente Original:<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1746095782">http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-24/cuba-plans-100-million-fund-to-aid-</a><br />
<a href="http://worker-run-businesses-1-.html/">worker-run-businesses-1-.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/">To return to wendyholm.com click here </a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-80542738111733774672012-07-25T09:37:00.004-07:002012-07-31T08:59:07.663-07:00What would Che say?Read John Restakis' brand new piece on Cuba's path towards a more cooperative economy...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.newint.org/features/2012/07/19/cuba-co-operatives">http://www.newint.org/features/2012/07/19/cuba-co-operatives</a> <br />
<br />
EXCERPT:<br />
<br />
Today,
Cuba is at a crossroads. Caught in the opposing tensions of economic
survival on one hand and adherence to its socialist revolution on the
other, the country is embarking on a process that will either salvage
the meaning of socialism, or bequeath the country to those who are
waiting, once and forever, to bury the ideals of its revolution.<br />
<br />
It’s not a new problem.<br />
<br />
Cuba,
sheltered for so long under the umbrella of its Soviet protector, is
among the last in a long string of socialist states that have had to
confront the failures of centrally planned economies in the age of
capital. But Cuba is utterly determined not to fall prey to the
free-market fictions that led to such wreckage in Russia and in all
those former Eastern Bloc countries that had been lured down the
capitalist path.<br />
<br />
Cuba is taking a different route – one
that seeks to reconcile socialist ideals with enterprise. Slowly,
reluctantly, Cuba’s leaders, spearheaded by Fidel’s brother, Raúl
Castro, are flirting with the market. They are relaxing the stranglehold
of the state on the private economy. They are restructuring large
swathes of Cuba’s agricultural sector. They are devolving a measure of
economic planning and control to municipalities. They are allowing the
emergence – very limited to be sure – of private enterprise. But most
interesting of all, they are paying serious attention to the role of
co-operatives in transforming the Cuban economy.<br />
<br />
Read more at <a href="http://www.newint.org/features/2012/07/19/cuba-co-operatives"> http://www.newint.org/features/2012/07/19/cuba-co-operatives</a><br />
<br />
<p>
TO RETURN TO <a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/">WENDYHOLM.COM</a> CLICK HERE </p>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3193929439994425017.post-87808761308530855402012-07-18T12:33:00.002-07:002012-08-31T12:25:17.831-07:00Cuba's Coming Co-operative Economy? <title>Socialist Project | The Bullet</title>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Reflections From Two Recent Field Trips </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Marcelo Vieta</div>
<br /><a href="http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/667.php">http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/667.php</a><br /><br />
<br />
<i>"In 2011, I made two trips to Cuba to study the new co-operatives. In June I was kindly invited by Camila Piñeiro Harnecker, a professor at the University of Havana and one of the country's leading experts on its co-operative movement, to participate in two conferences. In December, Wendy Holm (Canadian agronomist and co-operative facilitator working in Cuba for the last dozen years) extended an invitation to participate in the “Walking the Walk: Cuba's path to a more co-operative and sustainable economy” workshops, again in Havana. Both trips had international guests share experiences and knowledge of the co-operative organizational model with our Cuban hosts. The backdrop was, on both occasions, the recently proposed economic reforms coming out of los nuevos lineamientos (the new guidelines) of the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, completed and released on April 18, 2011.<br /><br /><br />Both of these experiences were eye opening and inspirational, and full of promise for a possible broadening of the co-operative movement in Cuba, while building lasting transnational networks of co-op practitioners and researchers from Cuba and afar. In a nutshell, these trips suggest that Cuba stands on the brink of making a major effort to build a co-operative-based sector. This recalls some of the classic thinking of Robert Owen, William King, George Holyoake, and even Karl Marx, on a co-operative based society. But, undoubtedly, major challenges along this path remain for Cuba, as they have for other state-centred command economies as they entered a period of structural transformation. The following is a report from these field trips and the discussions at the conferences….</i>"<br /><br /><a href="http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/667.php" target="_blank">click here to read more http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/667.php</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.wendyholm.com/" target="_blank">click here to return to wendyholm.com</a>wendyholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266724853650098243noreply@blogger.com0