(Illustration: Jasper Rietman for NY Times) Tomorrow is January 20th. It’s official. Mr Trump will now be our President, and despite all the other issues to face internationally, this blog post is about one thing only — How “the Donald” will be handling Cuba/US relations and how you as an American can help shape policy…
Hello Trump. Now What?
Cuba Takeover at Sundance
Utah is getting a big injection of Cuban fever at the start of 2017. We’ve spent the better part of the year reading about the importance of Cuba/US engagement from media outlets like New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and a myriad of other outlets. Journalists have played an important role in opening this discussion…
Edgaro Gonzalez
I first met Edgar when he was 16 years old in early 2000's out of his bedroom making beats in the secluded neighborhood of Alamar (the Bronx of Cuba). Since then, his hunger and passion for music has grown and grown. Once the new kid on the block, he is now a forefather to Millennials…
A Woman of 2 Islands
Hurricane Matthew just passed 1 week ago through both Cuba and Haiti, leaving major devastation in both our wakes. Record shopping in Havana a few days ago, this album seemed to have found me. Probably because my mind is there this moment. In Haiti, Cuba is already present and pitching in. Members of the Cuban…
“Ones to Watch” for Cuba Tech
(Relentless Creators: Slim use of Internet time means USB sticks are golden. Photo: NPR) This week was a big week for Cuba tech startups. Ten young Cuban tech leaders were awarded a chance at more "next level" resources. We realize that most foreigners view Cuba as a place stuck in time with its old cars…
The Costco of Cuba
Another shred of progress has been bestowed upon the residents of Havana. It is not so large in the grand scheme of things, but it does make day-to-day life just a tad bit easier. The very first bulk goods store has opened in Cuba. This means Cubans can buy items in larger amounts (think Costco…
Au Revoir, Tim Cole!
It's the end of an era for British Ambassador to Cuba. Tim Cole has done his 4 years of duties, and is moving on. He's leaving Cuba just as things start to get really interesting, but has served under a most pivotal moment in history for the island nation. I'm posting this essay because it's…
Cult Hero
"With Cult Hero, I wanted to draw attention to the saturation that causes the image of Martí to be repeated everywhere. I do not think we need it in every workplace, in every block for the need to remember. I do not need to see the bust everywhere to think about it; and seeing it…
Hello Commercial Flights to Cuba!
In honor of this mornings epic Flight 387 Jetblue, from Ft Lauderdale (Florida) to Santa Clara (Cuba)... Kudos to the first commercial flight in over 50 years! Here's a cheat sheet of upcoming flight routes: Flights to Cuba from the U.S. JetBlue - All flights originate in Fort Lauderdale (FLL) • Beginning Aug. 31: Three…
MC & ATM’s for Americans in Cuba?
Rumour mill says, MasterCard is now allowed in Cuba? It seems lots of American friends keep telling me MasterCard can be used in Cuba now. This is partly correct, and partly incorrect. Here is the real deal. Are you willing to change Banks? For those that remember, last year, a Florida-based bank named Stonegate rose…