Holguín, a Region of Important Natural Sites

There are some 36 natural sites in Holguin identified by their geographical, historical and cultural values, with view to their patrimonial classification. Some of them have been declared National Monument as is the case of the Natural Bridge of Bitiri River, close to the historic place Biran, in the municipality of Cueto. The site and the surrounding area including two hillocks and caves, are among the protected areas of Holguin. Just to name some sites there re the so called Colgadizos or Voladizos de Marea, Mazanga cave and surrounding valley, the cavern Tanque Azul and Natural Park Caballero Rojo, in the municipality of Gibara. In this territory also lie the stream of sulphurous water La Morena and migratory bird corridor Güirito-Punta Mangle. Also attracting attention are the Mujeres and Rey cays, the ecological path La Sabina, Salto del Guayabo, Charrascal de Las Cuevas, the Alto de La Estrella and Jardín del Pinar, in the municipality of Mayari . Banes Bay, The Peninsula El Ramon, in Antilla, Los Rejondones de Báguano, The botanical garden in Urbano Noris El Nispero, Mayari River Delta, cerro de Miraflores in Moa, cerros cársicos de Maniabón and Cejita of La Palma in Rafael Freyre, are part of the Holguin natural treasure.

Presentation In Memory Of President Chavez

It is not easy for me to speak to you tonight about somebody that I loved so much. As a matter of fact, it is hard: very, very hard. So please bear with me. I want to speak a bit about Chávez the man. He was born into a family of very modest means in 1954 in Sabaneta de Barinas. A small town in the Venezuelan plains: a town that had only three streets, none of them paved. Hugo was the second of 6 brothers and sisters. He was so poor that his family couldn’t afford to buy him shoes. His grandmother Rosa Inés took him to his first ever day of classes. Hugo wore a pair of alpargatas that she had made out of soft cloth and rope. But the kindergarten teacher would not allow the little boy into the class, until the family could find a way to buy him some shoes. President Chávez remembers he had no toys as a boy and said that he made do by playing with his brother, Adán, imaginary games using imaginary toys: imagen that. When Americans ask me why there is such an outpouring of emotion among Venezuelans over the death of this man, I point out that the ordinary people of Venezuela saw themselves in President Chávez. The President was a compendium of the very fabric of the country: part black, part indigenous and part white: a man who came from poverty and whose every decision as President was marked by his humble origins. President Chávez never forgot where he came from, and he always remembered who he was. He dedicated himself to giving a voice to the voiceless: to bringing dignity to a people who had been humiliated for centuries by those in power. To those ends, he empowered the Venezuelan people through the People´s Assemblies he forged throughout the land. Thanks to President Chávez, everything is open to debate in Venezuela. Everything. For the first time in their history, Venezuelans know how to govern themselves. President Chávez always called Venezuelans hermano, camarada or ciudadano: brother, comrade or citizen. And soon the people began to use those terms when addressing their compatriots. A workingwoman in Caracas summed up how much this meant to her and indeed to the people of Venezuela, when she said: “Citizens? Before Chávez, we didn´t even know we were human beings.” That, my brothers and sisters, is the President´s legacy. The Bolivarian Revolution has dramatically reduced poverty in Venezuela, virtually eliminated misery and totally eliminated illiteracy. The wealth generated by its oil company, PDVSA, now goes to people in need, rather than to the foreign oil companies that made billions of dollars from Venezuela´s natural resources—yet managed before Chávez to pay only a 1% tariff on their profits. The Revolution created Health Missions throughout the country to give free medical care to millions of needy citizens. I once rode in a plane from Havana to Caracas with over a hundred Venezuelans of humble means who were returning home after receiving medical treatment in Cuba, paid for by the Revolution. Many had arrived in Cuba blind in both eyes and they were now cured, thanks to President Chavez’ Operation Miracle. I will never forget that plane ride. Once they were blind and now they see. Those passengers savored the sight of white clouds against the backdrop of a bright blue sky and marveled at the sight of the aquamarine waters of the Caribbean Sea. They sang during the entire trip. And as the plane was landing, they broke out into a stirring rendition of “Gloria al Bravo Pueblo”, the Venezuelan national anthem, and finished it with choruses of: “Gracias Chávez, Gracias Fidel, Gracias Cuba, Gracias Venezuela.” That, my friends, is what the Revolution is all about. Yes, it´s true: President Chávez rubbed some the wrong way. The government of the USA, the Venezuelan oligarchy and the media it controls hated him. But the President used to say that unless there is opposition, there is no Revolution. And President Chávez was very much engaged in the business of making Revolution. He could have been just another Latin American politician: crass and commonplace. But he transcended mediocrity. The President was a leader, a revolutionary, the Simón Bolivar of our time. He fought for a united Latin America, free of the domination long exercised by Spain and the United States. He was a very unconventional President. He cried with us, sang with us, ate arepas with us, laughed with us and bucked every known rule of diplomatic protocol. He was in a word human. Some talking heads, academicians, businessmen and bankers could never stomach a leader like that, but the people felt his sincerity, his humanity, his brilliance, and his joy of living. He would interrupt his speeches with personal greetings to workers and farmers he had met during his many trips among the people. “Hola Pepe. Un saludo para Pepe en Barquisimeto”. Or, “Gladys en Petare. We are going to finish that project we discussed”. Or he would break out in English and exclaim with his booming voice. Fidel: How are you Fidel? Or he would send a special message to President Bush in English. Mr. Danger, if you decide to invade Venezuela, I´ll be waiting for you in the Sabana. Come on here, Mr. Danger.” And who can ever forget his exclamation at the UN podium where Bush Jr. had spoken only a few hours earlier: “Azufre. It still smells like sulfur here.” He was not an armchair socialist, content to debate the metaphysics of revolution. He was committed to changing Venezuela and he did. He was committed to changing Latin America and he did. He knew that in order for revolutionaries to effect change, they need first of all to seize power and then construct a socialism that is, as Mariátegui said, neither calco ni copia, sino creación heroíca—neither an imitation or a copy, but instead a heroic creation. President Chávez was a Bolivarian tsunami. He radically changed Venezuela and indeed all of Latin America. Some have said that he has left a vacuum that can never be filled. I disagree. As José Martí said, “Dying is the same as living and even better still, if in life we have done what we ought to.” President Chávez’ deeds exceeded expectations. In death, he is now greater than ever. He shines a bright light on the dark wilderness of poverty, repression and exploitation. Twelve elections he won before his death at the young age of 58: a remarkable record. Yet his enemies called him a despot. How many elections did Mr. Danger win? King Juan Carlos of Spain, who so criticized President Chávez, has never stood for elections. Kings believe that they should not have to stoop to such trivial matters. They believe they have inherited a God-given right to rule over us mere commoners. Whenever I arrived in Caracas, turned on the television and saw President Chávez´ face I smiled. I smiled anticipating what he would say next. Among the many attributes that we assign to him, let us never forget fun. Yes. President Chávez was fun. He was a fun guy, and that is another reason he appealed to so many. Another reason he reached even the little children in our society. A few years ago, I watched a children´s theatre company performing in Caracas. After their performance, President Chávez went on stage to thank the kids. They were in their performance costumes. “What are you dressed as?” the President asked a little girl who was wearing a black cape, a pink blouse that glowed in the dark and a top hat. The little girl responded, “I am a magician.” “Well, don´t make me disappear”, he said to her. “No Mr. President. You, I would have to multiply”, she responded. Well ladies and gentleman, President Chávez is now multiplied. Today, together we are all Chávez. He is in our hearts and minds. But as President Nicolás Maduro said on Sunday in Caracas, “We are all Chávez, only if we are united. If we are divided, we are nothing.” Please allow me a variation on the words of one of the most beautiful of national anthems, Cuando el despotismo levanta la voz, seguid el ejemplo que Chávez nos dió. (When despotism raises its voice, follow the example that Chávez gave us). My brothers and sisters, we can make our dream a reality, but only if we remain united. As President Chávez sang to us many times, Compatriotas fieles, la fuerza es la unión. (Faithful fellow citizens, our strength is in our unity). Our north star is the south. It is Bolivar’s dream of a united Latin America, our dream of a better tomorrow for the poor people of this earth, our dream of making possible the seemingly impossible, our dream de tomar el cielo por asalto (to take heaven by storm): President Chávez’ dream to reach the unreachable star. It’s the same star that the Man of La Mancha also followed. This was his quest To follow that star No matter how hopeless No matter how far To fight for the right Without question or pause To be willing to march into Hell For a heavenly cause And he knew if he would only be true To this glorious quest That his heart would lie peaceful and calm When he´s laid to his rest And the world will be better for this That one man, scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To reach the unreachable star Que viva el President Chávez! Que viva el Presidente Nicolás Maduro! Que vivan los pobres de la tierra! Comandante Presidente Hugo Chávez Frías: te acompañaremos siempre! Chávez Vive, Maduro Sigue! Written by José Pertierra

Cubans Mourn Death of Pitcher Yadier Pedroso

Cuban Baseball mourns the death of the pitcher Yadier Pedroso Gonzalez, who was part of the national team to the III World Classic, and died here victim of a traffic accident the night of March 16. World Baseball Classic Recalls Deceased Cuban Pitcher Pedroso According to the information of the weekly Jit, from the Cuban Institute of Sports (INDER) the death was confirmed by Joan Molina, director of Sports in the Province of Artemisa, birth place of the pitcher, who was 26 years old. The car in which he was travelling with two other people, who also died, crashed a freight truck in a place known as Manga Central, on the road leading to Artemisa. Pedrosito, as he was called was considered one of the top pitchers in the current Cuban baseball due to his conditions as an athlete. He participated in 8 national championships and scored 76 victories and 45 games lost. At international level he was part of the Cuban team in 10 competitions and played in 26 matches, mainly as relief pitcher winning twice and with one defeat./ With information from PrensaLatina

Speech by Fidel Casto during the plenary session to set up Cuban parliament

Dear compañeros, I deeply appreciate the noble gesture of the people electing me as a deputy to Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power. The time I take for my comments today will not be long, nor will the period in which I occupy this honorable seat as a deputy be long, and not because of a lack of will, but rather as an imperative of nature. I never thought my existence would be so prolonged, or that the enemy would be so inept in its hateful task of eliminating adversaries committed to the struggle. In this unequal struggle, our people have demonstrated their amazing capacity to persevere and win. Yes, because every year of resistance between 1959 and 2013 has been a victory which our small country has the right to proclaim! We do not struggle for glory or honors; we struggle for ideas we consider just, those to which millions of Cubans have dedicated their youth and their lives, as heirs to a long list of exemplary individuals. One figure expresses everything: the number of Cubans who have completed self-sacrificing internationalist missions is close to 800,000. Considering that at the time of the triumph of the Revolution in 1959 we didn’t have seven million inhabitants, one can appreciate the significance of such efforts. However, this does not express it all. In October of 1962, the nation was at the point of becoming a nuclear battlefield. A year and a half before, a mercenary expedition trained and escorted by the United States Navy, came ashore at the Bay of Pigs and was at the point of provoking a bloody war which would have cost the U.S. invaders hundreds of thousands of lives – I say so without exaggeration – and our country, truly incalculable destruction and human losses. We had, at the time, around 400,000 weapons and we knew how to use them. In less than 72 hours, the powerful revolutionary counterattack prevented that tragedy, both for Cuba and for the people of the United States. We were victims of a "dirty war" for a long time, and 25 years after the October Crisis, internationalist troops defended Angola from the racist South African invaders, equipped in this period with several nuclear weapons based on technology and parts supplied by Israel with U.S. approval. On that occasion, the victory at Cuito Cuanavale and the subsequent resolute and audacious advance of the Cuban-Angolan forces, equipped with aircraft, antiaircraft weapons and adequate organization to liberate territory still occupied by the invaders, convinced South Africa that it had no choice but to abandon its nuclear ambitions and sit down at the negotiating table. The existence of the hateful racist system was ended. With the efforts of all, we have undertaken the work of a profound Revolution, which, starting from zero, our people were able to carry out. Others joined the first revolutionary cells. We were united by the desire to struggle and the pain caused by the country’s tragic situation following the brutal coup. While some had hope in a future they saw as still far removed, others of us were already thinking of the need to make a historical leap. Between the March 10, 1952 coup and January 1, 1959, only six years and 296 days transpired; for the first time in our homeland, power was totally in the hands of the people. The battle then began against political ignorance and the anti-socialist ideas which the empire and bourgeoisie had sown in our country. The class struggle unleashed just a few miles from the empire was the most efficient political school any country has ever had. I’m talking about a school which opened its doors more than 50 years ago. Men and women, from pioneros to much older persons, we have been students within this school. Nevertheless, according to what Raúl was telling me a few days ago, the great battle which is imposing itself is the need for an energetic and relentless struggle against the bad habits and errors which many citizens, and even Party members, commit in the most diverse sectors, on a daily basis. Humanity has entered a unique stage in its history. The last decades have no relation to the thousands of centuries which preceded them. In 2011, the world’s population reached seven billion inhabitants, an alarming figure. In only two centuries, the world’s population has grown seven times over, requiring a basic level of food supplies which science, technology and the planet’s natural resources are far from being able to provide. You can do dozens of estimates, talk about Malthus or Noah’s Ark, but it is enough to know what a gram is, and what amount of any food can be produced on one hectare of land, to draw your own conclusions. Perhaps the British Prime Minister or President Obama know the answer that could prolong human life a few days more, the multiplication of a few fish and loaves, the magic words to persuade Africans, the inhabitants of India, Latin America and all countries of the Third World, not to have children. Two days ago, an international agency recalled that one U.S. multi-millionaire, Dennis Tito, had spent 20 million dollars on his a trip to the International Space Station, where he stayed several days in 2001. Now Tito, who appears to be a veritable fanatic about space exploration, was discussing the details of an expedition to Mars. The journey would take 501 days. This, yes, is enjoying surplus value! Meanwhile, the polar caps are rapidly melting, sea levels are rising as a result of global warming, flooding large areas in only a few decades – all that assuming that there are no wars and that the sophisticated weapons being produced at an accelerating rate are never used. Who can understand them? I will conclude to fulfill my promise of being brief in my words greeting our National Assembly. On the 118th anniversary of the Grito de Baire and the 160th of the birth of our national hero, it pleases me honor the revolutionary, the anti-imperialist, the Bolivarian who planted the first seeds of duty in our youth. Thank you very much!

In Search of the Almiquí

Cuban and Japanese scientists, with backpacks, cameras and other equipment in tow, have begun a tour of sites in the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity, to pursue the study of Almiquí populations in this area, in a second phase. In the first stage, which began in 2012, they found seven adults (four males and three females) of Soledon cubanus –the scientific name of this endemic species- something that had not happened for the last hundred years. The discovery took place in the El Toldo plateau, in the same area that showed promising evidence of the presence of other specimens. This animal is a true living fossil whose ancestors bones have been found dating back 30 million years. This is a primitive mammal, and the few who possess venom. The investigations are part of an agreement signed between Cuba and Japan last year, which was restored due to its results, and is in effect for the five years 2012-2017. This time specialists from the Budgeted Unit of the Alejandro de Humboldt Environmental Services, Guantanamo, biologists from the University of Havana, and the Japanese Tsukuba, Hokkaido and Miyage Universities are participating. Using different methods of capture, the scientists will continue to study the behaviour of these nocturnal animals using recordings of the sonic and ultrasonic calls between them, for future use of a monitoring program for the species. Also, thanks to the Japanese support additional research may be made, like the advanced study of population genetics, which previously was almost impossible due to the financial and economic blockade imposed by the United States on Cuba. Saliva analysis will be done for the first time in Guantanamo and our country on this mammal, one of the few in the world whose secretions contains poison. They will assess their toxicity and possible ecological role and determine its possible role a priori in biomedical and other applications still unknown to science. With information from Juventud Rebelde

International scientific event at Holguin university

The "Oscar Lucero Moya" university of Holguin, will hold its 6th International Scientific Conference from April 24 to 26, 2013, at the Hotel Club Amigo: Atlantico-Guardalavaca. "University and Society" is the slogan of this event that offers a wide program of activities including topics for debate such as Computer Science and Mathematics for development, Organizational Management, Higher education Sciences, Engineering and Development, Social Sciences and humanities to the challenges of today's world, Local Development and Gender Studies, Agriculture and aridity: producing, preserving and developing the rural environment. The program also includes the event “TheBIG Mini-WEFLA 2013”, the "7th International Seminar on Canadian Studies" and the workshop "One science-technology-society and axiological integration of knowledge in the Current world". The conference aims to show the results of researches carried out by specialists at the Holguin univesity and professional exchange with researchers from other similar centers in the world, interested in the development and common good.

Cuban elections: between the right and the duty

Without large amounts of money at stake, conflicts between political parties of different tendencies or smear campaigns in favor of one candidate or another, this February 3 Cuba will hold the general elections, to elected Members of Parliament and delegates to the Provincial Assemblies of People's Power, the second phase of the Cuban electoral process. This general elections started, in the first stage, with meetings to nominate candidates for delegates and the subsequent election of those who represent the people in the municipal assemblies, as district delegates. The Cuban electoral law stipulates that in the country there are two types of electoral processes. Every five years general elections are held, where people elect deputies to the National Assembly of People's Power, while every two and a half years partial elections are held to select delegates to the municipal assemblies of People's Power. The proposals coming out of the base, along with a nomination process carried out by the mass organizations, make up the core of the delegates to the provincial assemblies and deputies to Parliament. According to data released by the National Electoral Commission (CEN), since 1976, all elections held in Cuba have involved more than 95 percent of those registered, which shows that in our country the elections are characterized by active and massive participation of the people and transparency throughout the process. LAST STEPS For several days, the members of the polling stations and other authorities in charge of the general elections have been working in the preparation of the same. According to Caridad Alvarez, member of the CEN, the next elections are different from those held in late 2012 to elect the 14,537 delegates to the municipal assemblies of People's Power, so it requires a better preparation. "This time we have two ballots instead of one, to exercise a free, equal and secret vote and choose separately the 612 members of Parliament and the 1, 269 delegates to the provincial assemblies," she said. A few days after the general elections to be held on Sunday in Cuba, the electoral commissions and municipal offices of the Identity Card and Voter Registration checked the Register of Electors, in order to verify the correct update regarding the elections. Electoral authorities in the island have been carrying out several actions to allow voters to know the candidates to deputies better, such as the exibition of photos and biographies of them in public places and meetings held in various areas throughout the country. Lieutenant Colonel Julio Torres García, member of the CEN, said that about 26,000 young Cubans will be voting for the first time for their representatives in the Parliament and the 15 Provincial Assemblies of People's Power. In Cuba everyone older than 16 can exercise their right to vote. Current legislation only sets with inability to suffrage those judicially sanctioned and people with mental problems that prevent them from exercising that right. The leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, once said: "Democracy means to me that governments, first, are closely linked with the people, emerge from the people, with the support of the people, and devote themselves entirely to work and fight for the people and for the people's interests. " It is then for every Cuban an enormous responsibility to attend to this important moment for our democracy and elect those who they consider that will best represent them. With information from Cubasí.cu