MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'cuba'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:17:04 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139697&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fs0GZFEFvci8%2F By Sallie JamesPresidential Candidate Ron Paul has a decidedly mixed record on trade policy. He often votes against trade agreements because he sees them as “managed trade” and  an interference with true free trade. Well, ok, but that’ s like voting against income tax cuts because you think the IRS shouldn’t exist. I get the point, but c’mon… In any event, he was the only participant in Thursday night’s debate between the Republican presidential candidates who spoke about trade with any sense at all. As Inside US Trade [subscription required] points out, trade policy was not a prominent theme of the debate, but that didn’t stop Mitt Romney from (again) spouting nonsense about balanced trade: Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney late las... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139697 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:16:35 +0100 5139697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086560&cid=t_99745_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FfEJZC4F4xVU%2F Good morning, everyone. Hope you had a nice weekend. Now, of course, the routine resumes, although this is often a slow time of year. Nonetheless, there is much to be done here in the official Pharmalot c-suite, where we are catching up on interesting documents and conversations. And of course, we are brewing that mandatory cup of stimulation and invite you to join us. Meanwhile, here are a few tidbits from around the world. Hope your day goes well and you accomplish much… Teva’s Copaxone Successor Fails In Latest Clinical Trial (Bloomberg News) Pfizer Says FDA Delays Prevnar Review For Three Months (Bloomberg News) Cuba Sentences Pharma Execs For Corruption (Associated Press) Japan’s Shionogi Acquires C&O Pharmaceutical Tech (ChannelNewsAsia) New FDA Commish Asks Co... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086560 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:00:25 +0100 5086560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133679&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWvPLjnK5VpY%2F By Daniel GriswoldOne of the many implications of yesterday’s election is that the new Congress will likely be more friendly toward trade-expanding agreements and less inclined to raise trade barriers. Trade was not a deciding factor in the election, despite efforts by a number of incumbent Democrats to make it so. Many House and Senate contests were peppered with ads accusing an opponent of favoring trade agreements that gave away U.S. jobs to China. It was a stock line in President Obama’s stump speeches that Republicans favored tax breaks for U.S. companies that ship jobs overseas (a charge I dismantled in an op-ed last week). Yet on Election Day the trade-skeptical rhetoric and ads did not save Democratic seats. Republicans Pat Toomey, Rob Portman, and Mark Kirk all won Senate seat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133679 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:11:25 +0100 4133679 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082070&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOA0TAGOETfw%2F By Ian VasquezFifty years ago Tuesday, the United States began to impose sanctions on Cuba in what would turn into a comprehensive U.S. trade, finance and travel embargo. Though the embargo is not the cause of Cuba’s dismal and deteriorating economic and social conditions, neither has it worked to change Cuban policies or even lead to regime change. It is time to lift the embargo. Doing so will not save communism from its inherent flaws; that system collapsed spectacularly elsewhere around the world in places where the West maintained or established trade. Keeping the sanctions will only further allow the dictatorship and its sympathizers to explain away the regime’s own failings. It would be better for Cubans and the world to see the unraveling of Cuban communism without U.S. interve... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082070 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:30:12 +0100 4082070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3998952&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqhT4H1b49dI%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoFollowing the announcement of massive layoffs in the public sector, the Cuban government published today new guidelines that will allow private employment in 178 economic activities. Among the newly authorized private occupations are masseurs, clowns, shoemakers, locksmiths, and gardeners. However, these new entrepreneurs will face a few hurdles before enjoying the benefits of their own work. Not only must they get a government license in order to operate (according to official sources the number of permits will be capped at 250,000), but they will also have to pay high taxes. A leaked document from the Communist Party says that small businesses will pay between 10 to 40 percent of their gross income in taxes. On top of that, they will have to contribute 25 percent of... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3998952 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 21:09:39 +0100 3998952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993887&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaWcB096JdVc%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI’ve already commented on Cuba’s surprising announcement to slash the number of government workers. And I’ve complained about the federal workforce expanding in the United States. This is not what one would expect when comparing policy developments in a communist nation and a (supposedly) capitalist nation. Well, Russia wisely is following the Cuban approach on this issue (I never thought I would type those words!) and plans to get rid of 100,000 bureaucrats over the next three years. Russia will cut its army of bureaucrats by more than 100,000 within the next three years, saving 43 billion rubles ($1.5 billion), Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said on Monday. “We assume more than 100,000 federal state civil jobs will be cut within three years. ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993887 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:34:51 +0100 3993887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3968993&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fd4uxrN7GofI%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoConfirming Fidel Castro’s recent confession that “the Cuban model doesn’t even works for us anymore” (did it ever work?), Havana has announced the massive layoff of 500,000 state workers in the upcoming months. This is approximately 12 percent of the government workforce (and 10 percent of the total labor force). The big question is whether the meager non-state sector can absorb such an influx of workers in such a short period of time. My take is that the only way Cuba can accomplish this is by aggressively liberalizing its economy: privatizing most industries and farmland, cutting red tape, freeing prices, lowering taxes (which fall heavily on the tiny private sector), and getting rid of thousands of restrictions on private businesses that currently thwar... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3968993 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:58:18 +0100 3968993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3961809&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FM2IgRCfBeas%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI touched a raw nerve with my post about Fidel Castro admitting that the Cuban model is a failure. Matthew Yglesias and Brad DeLong both attacked me. DeLong’s post was nothing more than a link to the Yglesias post with a snarky comment about “why can’t we have better think tanks?” Yglesias, to his credit, tried to explain his objections. This leads Daniel Mitchell to post the following chart which he deems “a good illustration of the human cost of excessive government.”…this mostly illustrates the difficulty of having a rational conversation with Cato Institute employees about economic policy in the developed world. Cuba is poor, but it’s much richer than Somalia. Is Somalia’s poor performance an illustration of the human costs of ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3961809 Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:50:15 +0100 3961809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954231&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBWKkFHPWghU%2F By Daniel J. MitchellHere’s a story for the better-late-than-never file. Former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro confessed that communism doesn’t work and that his nation’s economic system should not be emulated. Fidel Castro told a visiting American journalist that Cuba’s communist economic model doesn’t work, a rare comment on domestic affairs from a man who has conspicuously steered clear of local issues since stepping down four years ago. The fact that things are not working efficiently on this cash-strapped Caribbean island is hardly news. Fidel’s brother Raul, the country’s president, has said the same thing repeatedly. But the blunt assessment by the father of Cuba’s 1959 revolution is sure to raise eyebrows. Jeffrey Goldberg, a national co... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954231 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:25:13 +0100 3954231 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954232&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHov1qgivtKo%2F By Roger PilonToday POLITICO Arena asks: In his speech in Ohio yesterday, did President Obama draw a stark enough contrast with House Minority Leader John Boehner, whom he attacked by name eight times, to help his party in November? My response: The contrast the president drew was clear enough. His problem is that the people aren’t buying what he’s selling – and for good reason. His ideas, far from being new, have been tried countless times, both here and abroad. They don’t work. And they undermine basic American principles about individual liberty and free choice. So when Obama says that Boehner and the Republicans have no new ideas, he’s partly right. (They have new ideas about how to address unsustainable entitlement programs — ask Rep. Paul Ryan... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954232 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:18:48 +0100 3954232 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946438&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FhJHhtqdodZc%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoThe latest feature in Venezuela’s road to socialism was introduced yesterday by President Hugo Chávez. It’s the “Good Life Card,” an instrument that, according to the government, will make it easier to buy groceries at government-owned supermarkets. Even though Chávez denies that the card is a way “to promote communism,” the concept of a government-sponsored card to buy food in a country suffering from acute shortages is well known. They call it a “rationing card” in Cuba. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946438 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:32:40 +0100 3946438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920822&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUpnbaPxADCw%2F By Daniel GriswoldThree of the world’s largest companies involved in wireless telecommunications—Nokia, AT&T, and Verizon—this week asked the Obama administration to further loosen the U.S. embargo against Cuba. According to a Bloomberg News story this morning: Nokia, the world’s biggest mobile-phone maker, is urging the U.S. to ease its 47-year-old trade embargo so it can sell handsets to Cuba. AT&T and Verizon, the largest U.S. wireless providers, urged regulators to make it easier for U.S. companies to directly connect calls to and from Cuba. The almost half-century-old embargo no longer serves any legitimate national security purpose, as I’ve argued before. The remaining restrictions on providing wireless communication services only demonstrate how the embargo act... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920822 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:15:59 +0100 3920822 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3907586&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTo3wPTy-80M%2F By Roger PilonI’ve just sent a short post to ”The Corner” at NRO on the Obama State Department’s new report to the U.N. Human Rights Council on human rights conditions in the U.S.  In a word, we’ve got problems, especially concerning women, minorities, etc., but we’re trying to live up to the expectations of other human rights exemplars on the council — Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Cuba. Read and weep. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3907586 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:41:19 +0100 3907586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858139&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FX4XJ5hwFQqE%2F By Ian VasquezDuring the past several years, the growth of the Cuban dissident blogger movement has become a major irritant to the Cuban regime. Some bloggers, such as Yoani Sanchez, are becoming well known around the world. Her blog has even been available in English for a few years. I’ve written about her here and Cato published a recent paper by her. The Cuban blogosphere is vibrant and diverse, but has been available almost exclusively in Spanish. Now, a new English blog site, Translating Cuba, is posting the thoughts of leading Cuban bloggers in Cuba, including Sanchez and recent hunger striker Guillermo Fariñas. Contributors to the site don’t share identical points of view, but they hope that “the voices on this site will mirror the free, open and plural society we all know th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858139 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:51:59 +0100 3858139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3618072&cid=t_99745_147_f&fid=39202&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnicolaziady.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F31%2Fphysicians-per-1000-people-by-country%2F Rank Country Amount 1 San Marino 47.35 per 1,000 people 2 Cuba 5.91 per 1,000 people 3 Monaco 5.81 per 1,000 people 4 Saint Lucia 5.17 per 1,000 people 5 Belarus 4.55 per 1,000 people 6 Greece 4.4 per 1,000 people 7 Russia 4.25 per 1,000 people 8 Italy 4.2 per 1,000 people 9 Turkmenista 4.18 per 1,000 people 9 Georgia 4.09 per 1,000 people Misc. related information :: Rank Country Number 41 Ireland 2.8 per 1,000 peopl 52 United States 2.5 per 1,000 people For additional data from NationMaster.com (Source: Nicola Ziady) Nicola Ziady blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3618072 Mon, 31 May 2010 21:21:13 +0100 3618072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3533821&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Flu8sjBQEwEE%2F By Ian VasquezRenowned Cuban writer Carlos Alberto Montaner speaks for millions of Cubans in his statement on freedom below. It is a translation of the speech he gave in Madrid last Friday upon accepting a well deserved award given by the Instituto Juan de Mariana for defending liberty.    Freedom for What?*  In 1980, shortly after making a dramatic exit from Cuba, the magnificent writer Reinaldo Arenas collected in a book his more combative articles and essays and titled it “The Need for Freedom.” It was a shout. Reinaldo felt the need to be free. Human beings need to be free. He was asphyxiating in Cuba. He lived in sadness, fear and indignation. None of those three emotions is pleasant, and sometimes they twisted in his heart to the point of desperation. After finding exile, R... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3533821 Tue, 04 May 2010 17:37:50 +0100 3533821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3508165&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_gfAuvvTSEo%2F By Daniel GriswoldPresident Obama has committed his administration to the ambitious goal of doubling U.S. exports in the next five years. I don’t believe the government should be setting such targets—the rate of growth of U.S. exports should be left to the marketplace—but I am all for the administration seeking ways to expand the freedom of U.S. companies to sell in global markets. In the “Economic Watch” column of the Washington Times today, I suggest six policy changes that will help American producers sell more of their goods and services abroad. None of them involve subsidies, threats of sanctions, or other government involvement. Among my suggestions: enact into law the three free-trade agreements that have already been negotiated, repeal the trade embargo against Cu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3508165 Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:14:39 +0100 3508165 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3411088&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FLox5rixfciM%2F By Michael F. CannonAs Dave Barry would say, I swear I am not making this up. Yesterday, the Associated Press reported that the world’s last unreconstructed communist dictator endorsed President Obama’s new health care law: HAVANA (AP) — It perhaps was not the endorsement President Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress were looking for. Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro on Thursday declared passage of American health care reform “a miracle” and a major victory for Obama’s presidency, but couldn’t help chide the United States for taking so long to enact what communist Cuba achieved decades ago. “We consider health reform to have been an important battle and a success of his (Obama’s) government,” Castro wrote in an essay pub... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3411088 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:55:53 +0100 3411088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3306826&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQeZLx8BeJR0%2F By Ian VasquezA report (PDF) released today by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemns in well documented form the growing violation of human rights under the regime of Hugo Chavez. The 302-page study is yet another confirmation of the multitude of ways in which individuals, NGOs, union leaders, politicians, activists, businessmen, students, judges, the media and others who disagree with Venezuelan government policies are targeted by the government and its supporters through intimidation, arbitrary use of administrative and criminal law, and sometimes violence and homicide. Among the many cases it documents, the report describes how the government last year shut down a publicity campaign in defense of private property run by our colleagues at the free-market think tank CEDIC... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3306826 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:44:59 +0100 3306826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3171875&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FxARilHuwfH0%2F By Chris Moody Nat Hentoff: If you’re looking for reform in Cuba, don’t rest your hopes on Raul Castro. Tim Carney, author of Obamanomics: How Barack Obama Is Bankrupting You and Enriching His Wall Street Friends, Corporate Lobbyists, and Union Bosses gives the inside scoop on why big government is good for big business. The Patriot Act: What should go, and what should stay? Dear Poor People- “Please remain poor.” Sincerely, Obamacare. Podcast: “Obamanomics in Health Care” featuring Tim Carney. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3171875 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:36:53 +0100 3171875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3145951&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYzgHWs1zuds%2F By Chris Moody Nat Hentoff reports on racism in Cuba. Federal judge dismisses charges against Blackwater guards over the killing of 17 in Baghdad. David Isenberg: “The fact that the Blackwater contractors are not getting a trial will only serve to further increase suspicion of and hostility towards security contractors. It is going to be even more difficult for them to gain the trust of local populations or government officials in the countries they work in.” New report shows state and local government workers have higher average compensation levels than private workers. Podcast: “Televising and Subsidizing the Big Game” featuring Neal McCluskey. “Everybody should watch the National College Football Championship because whether you’re interested or... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3145951 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:51:56 +0100 3145951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3139026&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBY86I2qcA9M%2F By Chris Moody Michael Tanner says the difficult part of passing the health care bill has only just begun: “The bill must now go to a conference committee to resolve significant differences between the House and Senate versions. And history shows that agreement is far from guaranteed.” Get ready for Cash for Clunkers…the Home Edition. Gene Healy on the new decade: “Yes, it was a rotten 10 years for America. But cheer up: Things aren’t as bad as they seem, and there’s a good chance they’ll get better.” Will the market rise or fall? Richard Rahn: “The long-term outlook for the stock market is not good, and here is why. For the past 100 years, there has been an inverse relationship between changes in the size of government and the gr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3139026 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:23:23 +0100 3139026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3008067&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-Ggtb4lU96U%2F The House Foreign Affairs Committee is holding a hearing today on the almost 50 year old ban on travel to Cuba. The ban is part of a broader economic embargo in place since the early 1960s that was supposed to bring about change in the island’s oppressive, communist regime. Instead, the embargo and travel ban have needlessly infringed on the freedom of Americans, weakened our influence in Cuba, and handed the Castro government a handy excuse for the failures of its Caribbean socialist experiment. I wrote an op-ed recently advocating change in U.S. policy toward Cuba, and delivered a talk on the same theme at Rice University in 2005. Will Congress finally change this failed U.S. policy? (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3008067 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:26:03 +0100 3008067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3008075&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTEziLo8Q570%2F Human Rights Watch has just released a lengthy report detailing the constant and blatant abuses of human rights and basic individual freedoms in Cuba under the rule of Raul Castro. Some hoped that the timid economic reforms announced by the “younger” Castro brother, when he assumed the official leadership of the geriatric regime, would constitute the opening salvos toward a more open and freer Cuba. However, a few of us spotted cracks in that fairy tale early on. The recent beatings of Yoani Sánchez and other independent bloggers (described here by my colleague Ian Vásquez) are a clear reminder that, in Cuba, it’s business as usual under the Castro brothers’ rule. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3008075 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:30:27 +0100 3008075 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2999506&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8ppq29kt2ac%2F It’s the 490th anniversary of Havana today and the Cuban government has arranged for celebratory activities. Ordinary residents of Havana and all Cubans who cherish their civil and human rights have less to celebrate, however, as Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez regularly reminds us. Sanchez has become a major irritant of the regime because of her penetrating posts about the absurdities and injustices of everyday life in communist Cuba. You can see her blog in Spanish here, and in English here. Just over a week ago, in an incident that was widely reported in the international press and that reveals the threat to the Cuban regime of the growing Cuban blogger movement, Sanchez was assaulted in Havana by plain-clothed government agents. Though she was forcefully beaten, she and her friends manag... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2999506 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:36:44 +0100 2999506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927291&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FP1waZt5_BYY%2F Even Cuban-Americans appear to have turned against U.S. policy.  Reports the Miami Herald: A new poll of Cuban Americans shows a strong majority favor allowing all Americans to travel to the island, a major shift from a 2002 survey that showed only a minority supporting the change, the Bendixen & Associates polling firm reported Tuesday. Executive Vice President Fernand Amandi said he was surprised by the magnitude of the swing in just seven years — from 46 percent in favor in 2002 to 59 percent in the Sept. 24-26 survey. Only 29 percent were opposed in the new survey, compared to 47 percent in 2002. …A campaign to allow all Americans to travel to Cuba has become a key Washington battleground this year for those who favor and oppose easing U.S. sanctions on the island. Per... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927291 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:43:27 +0100 2927291 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2912164&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6G5ixTDG44M%2F That’s today’s Arena question over at Politico. My response: This morning, both Bret Stephens, in the Wall Street Journal, and Mona Charen, at Real Clear Politics, catalogue Obama’s silence on human rights — China, Tibet, Sudan, Iran, Burma, Honduras — and his backpedaling from his campaign rhetoric. Meanwhile, Eric Posner, at the Volokh Conspiracy, rightly credits Obama for, among other things, not backing the Goldstone Report and pressuring Spain to water down its undemocratic “universal jurisdiction” statute, even as he condemns the administration, again rightly, for its decision to join “the comically named U.N. Human Rights Council,” bastion of some of the world’s worst human rights abusers. What’s missing, it seems, is... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2912164 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:46:44 +0100 2912164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2838904&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvvX7j9SH63w%2F The Washington Post has an interesting story today on the program of the Cuban government to transfer idle state-owned land to private farmers so they can resurrect the dilapidated agricultural sector on the communist island. As Ian Vásquez and I wrote in the chapter on U.S. policy toward Cuba in Cato Handbook for Policymakers, before this reform, the agricultural productivity of Cuba’s tiny non-state sector (comprising cooperatives and small private farmers) was already 25 percent higher than that of the state sector. At stake is an issue of incentives. Collective land doesn’t give farmers an incentive to work hard and be productive, since the benefits of their labor go to the government who distributes them (in theory) evenly among everyone, regardless of who worked hard or not. Whi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2838904 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:57:50 +0100 2838904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823968&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvVttEbFpft4%2F Bloomberg News reports today that the U.S. House may pass a bill by the end of the year lifting the almost five-decade-old ban on travel to Cuba by American citizens. The step is long overdue. According to the article: A group of House and Senate lawmakers proposed in March ending restrictions to allow all U.S. citizens and residents to travel to Cuba. [Rep. Sam Farr, a California Democrat] said the legislation, known as the “Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act,” also has enough votes to clear the Senate, where Senator Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, and Republican Senator Michael Enzi of Wyoming introduced the legislation. As Rep. Farr succinctly added, “If you are a potato, you can get to Cuba very easily, but if you are a person, you can’t, and that is our problem.” “If yo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823968 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:07:28 +0100 2823968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570387&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUMANFZ4yFM4%2F It’s fair to say that civil liberties and limited government were not high on President George W. Bush’s priorities list.  Indeed, they probably weren’t even on the list.  Candidate Barack Obama promised “change” when he took office, and change we have gotten.  The name of the president is different. Alas, the policies are much the same.  While it is true that President Obama has not made the same claims of unreviewable monarchical power for the chief executive–an important distinction–he has continued to sacrifice civil liberties for dubious security gains. Reports the New York Times: Civil libertarians recently accused President Obama of acting like former President George W. Bush, citing reports about Mr. Obama’s plans to detain terrorism ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570387 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:58:38 +0100 2570387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2527762&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FgYWp_-MLJEA%2F How come President Obama can find time to call and congratulate Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa on his reelection (someone who has said that he prefers “a thousand times” to be a friend of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez than to be an ally of the United States) but can’t find time to meet with, or at least issue a statement supporting, Cuban dissidents at the White House as his predecessors did? (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2527762 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:43:26 +0100 2527762 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2473205&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fr93a2zjiokI%2F “Cuba recognized in the UN Human Rights Council” The HRC’s press release states that: Cuba had withstood many tests, and continued to uphold the principles of objectivity, impartiality and independence in pursuance of the realisation of human rights. Cuba was and remained a good example of the respect for human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights. The Universal Periodic Review of Cuba clearly reflected the progress made by Cuba and the Cuban people in the protection and promotion of human rights, and showed the constructive and responsive answer of Cuba to the situation of human rights. Cuba was the victim of an unjust embargo, but despite this obstacle, it was very active in the field of human rights. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2473205 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:32:32 +0100 2473205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2347794&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEKRMjs4G5FQ%2F Tax Day: The Nightmare from Which There’s No Waking Up Cato scholars were busy exposing the burden of the American tax system on Wednesday, the deadline to file 2008 tax returns. At CNSNews.com, tax analyst Chris Edwards argued that policymakers should give Americans the simple and low-rate tax code they deserve: The outlook for American taxpayers is pretty grim. The federal tax code is getting more complex, the president is proposing tax hikes on high-earners, businesses, and energy consumers; and huge deficits may create pressure for further increases down the road… The solution to all these problems is to rip out the income tax and replace it with a low-rate flat tax, as two dozen other nations have done. At Townhall, Dan Mitchell excoriated the complexity of the current tax... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2347794 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:49:19 +0100 2347794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1770477&cid=t_99745_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D4379 The catch? It’s in Cuba and you have to learn Spanish. More in The Star What we want in the Latin American School of Medicine is that the students ? become impregnated with the same doctrine in which our doctors are educated, with that total devotion to their noble future profession, for the doctor is like a shepherd, a priest, a missionary, a crusader of the people’s health and physical and mental well-being.– Fidel Castro Wow. Become a “Revolutionary doctor?” Anyway the Avatar you see in this post was indeed that of a doctor who became a “Revolutionary”, and as you can see, who also obviously inspired one Dobber But seriously, although this is a genuine offer from Cuba, one has to understand it’s going to be a serious challenge to take up a forei... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1770477 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1770477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1728306&cid=t_99745_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2008%2F08%2F03%2Fi-am-cuba%2F (1964, remastered 2007) I just watched the restored edition of the 1964 film I Am Cuba. Sure, it’s propaganda, but a poet co-wrote the script, and the cinematography alone qualifies the film as a masterpiece. One Amazon critic called the film ”a fever dream, a plunging rollercoaster ride, a cinematographer’s hallucination, a love song to the power of cinema.” It’s all that and more. A.V. Club site with May 1, 2008 review by Scott Tobias and clips from the film. When Mikhail Kalatozov’s I Am Cuba — a long-lost, phantasmagoric Cuban-Soviet propaganda film from 1964-was rediscovered and reissued in late 1995 by Milestone (with the prominent support of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola), critic Terrence Rafferty wrote the following in his New ... Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1728306 Sun, 03 Aug 2008 07:14:39 +0100 1728306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1469575&cid=t_99745_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D7056 Michael Ramirez on Fidel Castro Former Cuban President Dictator Fidel Castro has criticized Senator and presumptive Democrat Presidential nominee Barack Obama’s Cuba policy. Note, Castro is 81 years old and has not been seen publicly since July 2006 because of illness. In a column published Monday by government-run newspapers, Castro said Obama was “the most-advanced candidate in the presidential race,” but noted that he has not dared to call for altering U.S. policy toward Cuba. “Obama’s speech can be translated as a formula for hunger for the country,” Castro wrote, referring to Obama’s remarks last week to the influential Cuban American National Foundation in Miami. Obama said he would maintain the nearly fifty-year-old trade sanctions against C... FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1469575 Mon, 26 May 2008 20:24:21 +0100 1469575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1241844&cid=t_99745_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D6460 Cuba’s President Fidel Castro is seen sitting in Havana October 28, 2006. Castro chose to avoid a colostomy and opted for riskier intestinal surgery that led to serious complications, the Spanish newspaper El Pais said in its Wednesday edition. Castro today resigned his Cuban Presidency dictatorship and has retired. An ailing Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba’s president Tuesday after nearly a half-century in power, saying he was retiring and will not accept a new term when the new parliament meets Sunday. “I will not aspire to nor accept - I repeat, I will not aspire to nor accept - the post of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief,” read a letter signed by Castro published early Tuesday in the online edition of the Communist Party daily Granma. The anno... FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1241844 Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:13:25 +0100 1241844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=750325&cid=t_99745_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F136449067%2F To enlighten investors, the US Securities and Exchange Commission last month released a list of companies doing business with nations designated as a ‘State Sponsor of Terrorism’ by the US State Department. Who’s on the list? Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria and Sudan. Who showed up? AstraZeneca deals with Cuba; Calpyte Biomedical is about to sell into Iran; Canada’s Biotech Holdings cozies up to North Korea; and Cellegy Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Reddys Labs and Immtech Pharmaceuticals are in Sudan. But if you spent a few minutes, you would have found the list was misleading, at best. For instance, Calpyte is actually awaiting US government clearance to sell an HIV test in Iran and Immtech is conducting a Phase III trial of a drug for African sleeping sickness in Sudan. Rep. ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=750325 Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:47:12 +0100 750325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=739255&cid=t_99745_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F134560604%2F Okay, it’s really not Borat and Igor Poluyan isn’t from Kazakhstan. But Igor does have an impressive title that suggests he, too, could be in movies - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to the Republic of Cuba. And Igor believes cooperation between their pharma industries to be promising. They can create joint production facilities, for instance, and make White House staffers nervous. “Cuba’s achievements in biotechnologies are quite significant and can be of major interest to Belarus,” the diplomat tells the Belarusian Telegraph Agency. He stressed that trade and economic relations between Belarus and Cuba have real prospects. The diplomat named the growth of direct trade ties as the first steps aimed at building up bilateral cooperation. “In prev... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=739255 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:27:37 +0100 739255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=674488&cid=t_99745_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D5125 Filmmaker Michael Moore marches with nurses from the California Nurses Association (CNA) to a special screening of his new documentary ‘SiCKO’ at the State Capitol in Sacramento June 12, 2007. Cuba’s Communist government joined the debate surrounding Moore’s documentary on Friday, saying the film will allow the world to get a glimpse of the humaneness [...] (Source: FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog) FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=674488 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 09:23:40 +0100 674488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=462713&cid=t_99745_113_f&fid=34636&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rodspace.co.uk%2Fblog%2F2007%2F02%2Fcuba-congress-bill-hersh-presentation.html It is Friday already, the final day of the VI International Congress on Health Informatics. The day's opening keynote presentation came from Bill Hersh, from Oregon Health Sciences University, and titled 'Training the health and biomedical informatics workforce: competencies and approaches'.Bill began by quoting Nelson Mandela – 'education is the most powerful weapon [that] you can use to change the world'He said that many of the issues in developing professional practice in health informatics are common to all countries. He sees the future as being bright for information technology in healthcare, as there is increasing recognition of the value of EHR (although he acknowledges that USA is by no means a world leader in the area), and of need for patient information to be available to all ... Informaticopia blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=462713 Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 462713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=462712&cid=t_99745_113_f&fid=34636&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rodspace.co.uk%2Fblog%2F2007%2F02%2Fcuba-health-informatics-reflections.html Sitting here in the Hotel Nacional, watching the north wind whip the sea up and waiting for it to stop raining, is a useful pause point for a few reflections on the past few days. The conference has been well-organised and interesting; out hosts have done a great deal of work to proviede translation facilities for us lazy English who don't know any Spanish. We have had an interesting range of presentations, about developments in Cuba and other parts of the world; similar issues are being addressed in many countries, but, of course, local solutions differ with local circumstances. Cuba is an interesting place to visit; we hope many colleagues will join us here for future health informatics events. The Cubans are great hosts and love having people from other countries visit them, to discuss ... Informaticopia blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=462712 Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 462712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=462715&cid=t_99745_113_f&fid=34636&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rodspace.co.uk%2Fblog%2F2007%2F02%2Fcuba-congress-imia-blogs-et-al.html We start today (Thursday) with reports from yesterday, as I was too tired last night after a full day to try and post anything. Yesterday did not start over-well - we arrived early to hear Richard Stallman (as did many other people), only to find that her had been moved to an afternoon slot, ie the same time I was speaking. However, I hope one of our colleagues will provide a report.My first presentation of the day was about IMIA, its Working Groups and Nursing Special Interest Group, and its Strategic Plan. I included materials and comments sent by Nancy Lorenzi, IMIA President, which were well-received and appreciated. The session was focused on how Cubans in particular, and people in any other country, can become more involved in IMIA's WG/SIG and wide range of other activities. Some in... Informaticopia blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=462715 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 462715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=462714&cid=t_99745_113_f&fid=34636&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rodspace.co.uk%2Fblog%2F2007%2F02%2Fcuba-congress-ohsu-and-education.html The main afternoon session on Thursday was a round table lead by Dr William Hersh, from the Dept. of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU – www.ohsu.edu/dmice), USA, with several of his colleagues addressing issues from their experiences in health informatics education. He pointed out that there is a major interest in OHSU on global health research and education. Steven Bedrick, PhD student at OHSU spoke about their educational programmes. Steven began with an introduction to Portland, pointing out that three major things it is known for are music, free software and craft brewing. The OHSU informatics training programme began in 1992, and reflects many aspects of health informatics, with much use of distance education (relying on Blackb... Informaticopia blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=462714 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 462714 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=462717&cid=t_99745_113_f&fid=34636&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rodspace.co.uk%2Fblog%2F2007%2F02%2Fcuba-congress-and-imia-lac.html The Tuesday afternoon session began with a presentation by Dr Alvaro Margolis, from Uraguay, in his role as President of IMIA-LAC, the Latin-America and Caribbean region of IMIA (www.imia.org). IMIA-LAC was established in 1983, with representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba (the Cuban Society for Medical Informatics, founded in 1970) and Mexico. He outlined the strategic objectives of IMIA-LAC for 2006-09, which include strengthening the network of societies in the region, through both the national societies and through universities and other institutions. He talked of the need to try and encourage the development of health informatics societies in the various countries that do not have one. Other objectives include identifying specific areas (and related groups) where health informatic... Informaticopia blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=462717 Wed, 14 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 462717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=462716&cid=t_99745_113_f&fid=34636&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rodspace.co.uk%2Fblog%2F2007%2F02%2Fcuba-congress-education.html The second part of Tuesday afternoon was a round-table devoted to various aspects of health informatics and education. It began with a presentation by Graham Wright titled 'Exploring the knowledge base for health informatics: the Otley duckfest and beyond'. He briefly discussed the background to the project, from the original 'Education Steps' project at Otley in early 2005, including the origin of the research methods used and the rationale for using Bloom's taxonomy for focusing on the cognitive, rather than psychomotor, aspects of health informatics.He described the process of participants identifying the elements of health informatics and then grouping them, by use of post-it notes for smaller elements and tables for the larger themes, so that people could walk around and get a feel fo... Informaticopia blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=462716 Wed, 14 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 462716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=462718&cid=t_99745_113_f&fid=34636&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rodspace.co.uk%2Fblog%2F2007%2F02%2Fcuban-health-informatics-congress-opens.html The VI Congreso Internacional de Informatica en Salud (6th International Congress in Health Informatics) began at 10:00 this morning (Tuesday, 13 February) in the Palacio de Convenciones de La Habana, Cuba (Convention Palace, in Havana). The opening session is well-attended, with about 100 people, and while the opening presentations have been in Spanish, there is also simultaneous translation into English.The opening presentation, titled 'Informaticization en el Sistema Nacional de Salud de Cuba' (Informaticisation in the national health service in Cuba) was given on behalf of the Vice Minister for Public health, who is away in India. Are developing software systems for national health system. The presenter explained how in Cuba they are using free software for web services, eg the Infomed... Informaticopia blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=462718 Tue, 13 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 462718 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=462721&cid=t_99745_113_f&fid=34636&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rodspace.co.uk%2Fblog%2F2007%2F02%2Fnursing-informatics-in-cuba.html This morning, Graham and I presented at the 3rd National Exchange in Nursing Informatics (3er Intercambio Nacional Informatica en Enfermeria). It was held at the Giron University campus in Havana, and was attended by about 50 nurses, nurse informaticians, and others. I gave a version of tghe presentation I will be making later in the week, on IMIA (www.imia.org), its Working groups and the Nursing Special Interest Group, and the IMIA Strategic Plan. The focus of the talk was on how nurses and others in Cuba can be involved in IMIA activities.Graham spoke on clinical information systems in the UK, outlining some of the systems that have been used, some of the mistakes that have been made in the UK, and some of the issues around use, or non-use, of computer systems in health care in both pri... Informaticopia blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=462721 Mon, 12 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 462721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=462723&cid=t_99745_113_f&fid=34636&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rodspace.co.uk%2Fblog%2F2007%2F02%2Ffrom-our-men-in-havana.html Greetings from Havana, Cuba. Graham Wright and I are here to participate in the Sixth International Congress in Health Informatics (VI Congreso Internacional de Informática en Salud - http://www.informatica2007.sld.cu/), which takes place from 12-16 February. The event is part of the larger Informatica2007 Congress.We are staying at the Hotel Nacional de Cuba (http://www.hotelnacionaldecuba.com) where we have wireless Internet access. We will try to post more or less daily reports at the end of the day.Tomorrow (Monday) we have unscheduled presentations to make an additional nursing event that is being held locally.Peter MurrayTechnorati Tags: Cuba, health informatics, informatica en salud (Source: Informaticopia) Informaticopia blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=462723 Sun, 11 Feb 2007 05:00:00 +0100 462723