Simons Chase 
It is no surprise, given both the historic and present context, that Cuba earns an outsized impact at one of the world’s most important film festivals by punching way above its weight. This year, Cuba’s gifts will even brighter at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. In addition to two documentary premiers, the island nation will … Read more
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated retired Marine General John Kelly to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Kelly has accepted the offer according to media reports. Kelly’s qualifications for the job appear to stem from his time as the head of the U.S. Southern Command from 2012 to 2016, which helps take a more humanitarian … Read more
At the height of the Cold War, and following the Cuban government’s expropriation of U.S. properties and its move toward adoption of a one-party system of government, the U.S. imposed an embargo on Cuba in 1960 and broke diplomatic relations in 1961. On December 17, 2014, President Obama announced a new chapter in U.S.-Cuba relations. … Read more
Raul Castro permanently succeeded his elder brother as Cuba’s president in 2008, but he is believed to have led the communist country for more than a decade prior to Fidel’s death last month. Although Raul was part of the revolution that brought Fidel to power in 1959, he remained in the political background, holding several … Read more
Within weeks of Fidel Castro’s death, brother Raul opened the gates for a wave of thousands more Americans to visit Cuba via cruise ship. Three cruise companies — Pearl, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean — are among several that were rushing to conclude deals with Cuba before the start of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. On the … Read more
Intrepid travelers can now include Cuba as a destination with Delta Vacations, the airline’s new offering now that regular air service to Cuba is in full swing. Trips include hotel and flight packages to Havana, Varadero, and Cayo Santa Maria. In Havana, travel agents can book clients into rooms at the iconic Hotel Nacional de … Read more
When Kelsy Dominick was approached by Cuban Trade representatives after a showing at New York Fashion Week, she had no idea that she would become the first American designer since the 1960 to showcase her work in Cuba. The event that marked Kelsy’s debut in Cuba was this year’s Arte y Moda, the largest fashion … Read more
by Simons Chase The first sensation of the significance of my map coordinates (20°24”12.2’N 78°55”26.5’E) occurred while visiting the Gardens of the Queen (Jardines de la Reina), a palm-fringed national park situated along Cuba’s Caribbean coast. There sits a remote fishing and diving center, operated by Avalon, like a floating village tethered to a point … Read more
Cuba’s Cimavax gained media attention last month when Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved clinical trials there as part of a collaboration with Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology. But there are actually two parallel medical initiatives pursuing commercialization of the human cancer … Read more
The New York Times reported yesterday that, for a variety of reasons, tourists are straining the food system and reducing food available for Cubans. There are a variety of factors contributing to Cuba’s food shortage dilemma, but the following explains one of the major factors. The U.S. Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSRA) … Read more
