Being Fidel and doing so now

We must assume the phrase “I am Fidel” in practice, as the best tribute to the person who showed us that the only option we should never contemplate is surrender

Miguel Cruz

Granma | August 12, 2021

Photo: Granma Archives

Interrupting the solemnity of the moment, like a wave gaining strength, the clamor rose and little by little the Plaza de la Revolución became a single voice chanting: I am Fidel. It was Tuesday, November 29, 2016 and the people of Havana, representing all of Cuba, had gathered there to pay tribute to our undefeated Comandante who had departed to immortality.

As we joined the collective affirmation, one after another, the emotion grew, expressing our urgent need to make clear that the man, who so many times had raised his voice in this same spot, would never leave us. His legacy would endure forever. It was only right and opportune to make the statement there, and repeat from one end of the island to the other, that we would be like him, that we would stand in his place. But have we fully understood what this means?

The power of Fidel’s counter-offensive

The name shouted August 5, 27 years ago on the corner of Prado and Malecón emerged anew last July 11, with the same power, when I saw a group, that had just failed in its attempt to take the Capitol, back away when confronted with the image of the Comandante

Iroel Sánchez

Granma | August 12, 2021

When the Comandante en Jefe arrived at the site of the disturbance, August 5, 1994, the rocks immediately disappeared, as if by magic. Photo: Granma Archives

In Cuba in the summer of 1994, Cuba’s economic panorama was dire, following the disappearance of trade with the Soviet Union, which eliminated the source of more than 70% of the country’s foreign currency income: power outages lasted more than 12 hours, a dwindling food supply turned a phrase from a popular soap opera, “Hey girl, say hello to your boyfriend,” into a synonym for rice and beans, the most frequently available dish, along with other Creole inventions such as soy meat and goose paste, while access to the few cafes that sold hamburgers was organized by neighborhood Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, with priority given pregnant women and the elderly. Public transportation practically disappeared, to be replaced by the massive use of bicycles, despite caloric intake that was decreasing day by day. Solitary cans of clams in shop windows were the last evidence of a state market in Cuban pesos, which had once satisfactorily complemented food made available to all via the basic supply booklet.

A one minute speech of Fidel Castro

Book on Fidel Castro Analyzes Construction of Socialism in Cuba

teleSUR | August 12, 2021

Presentation of the book “Pensamiento estratégico de Fidel Castro Ruz: valor y vigencia” (Fidel Castro Ruz’s strategic thinking: value and validity), at Casa de ALBA Cultural. From a collective of authors. Tribute to the Commander on the 95th anniversary of his birth. | Photo: Twitter @RadioCOCOnline

The volume, dedicated to Commander Manuel Piñeiro Losada and José M. Miyar Barruecos (Chomy), addresses, among other topics, international economic relations, socialism as a condition for development, the struggle for democracy, and the historical roots of a culture of solidarity.

The book “The Strategic Thought of Fidel Castro Ruz: Value and Effectiveness” is today a tribute to the historical leader of the Revolution from the specialized analysis of his experience in the construction of socialism in Cuba.

Cuba Has Administered Over 11 Million Doses of Its Vaccines

teleSUR | August 12, 2021

Three out of five Cuban vaccine candidates meet the 50 percent efficacy requirement of the World Health Organization (WHO). | Photo: Twitter/ @BrunoRguezP

According to the Ministry 4, 705,414 people have received the first dose of the vaccines, which accounts for 42 percent of the population. Also, 25.9 percent have received the second dose. 

Cuba’s Ministry of Health reported on Thursday that over 11 million doses have been administered in the country as its COVID-19 vaccination campaign advances.

Climate change: the fault of humanity?

Michael Roberts blog | August 12, 2021

The sixth report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) runs to nearly 4,000 pages.  The IPCC has tried to summarise its report as the ‘final opportunity’ to avoid climate catastrophe.  Its conclusions are not much changed since the previous publication in 2013, only more decisive this time.  The evidence is clear: we know the cause of global warming (mankind); we know how far the planet has warmed (~1C so far), we know how atmospheric CO2 concentrations have changed since pre-industrial times (+30%) and we know that warming that has shown up so far has been generated by historical pollution.  You have to go back several million years to even replicate what we have today.  During the Pilocene era (5.3-2.6 million years ago) the world had CO2 levels of 360-420ppm (vs. 415ppm now). 

In its summary for Policy makers, the IPCC states clearly that climate change and global warming is “unequivocally caused by human activities.” But can climate change be laid at the door of the whole of humanity or instead on that part of humanity that owns, controls and decides what happens to our future?  Sure, any society without the scientific knowledge would have exploited fossil fuels in order to generate energy for production, warmth and transport.  But would any society have gone on expanding fossil fuel exploration and production without controls to protect the environment and failed to look for alternative sources of energy that did not damage the planet, once it became clear that carbon emissions were doing just that? 

Summary of the Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC’s “Climate Change 2021”

Dr Gideon Polya 

Countercurrents | August 12, 2021

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a very large, detailed and important document “Climate Change 2021. The physical science  basis” that is prefaced by a detailed Summary for Policymakers (SPM) . Set out below for the benefit of busy readers is a summary and critique of this summary. In short, the SPM superbly sets out the science of the shocking and worsening climate crisis but significantly fails when it comes to setting out urgently required policy prescriptions

“Climate Change 2021. The physical science  basis. Summary for Policymakers” by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [1]  is the summary of the Working Group 1 contribution  to the Sixth Assessment report of the IPCC (AR6).