Don’t forget or underestimate the little guys….

In trying to think stay politically correct and sensitive on this 11^th of September, 2006, I have decided to avoid (for the most part) the topic on the minds of many today. Instead, I will focus on a place that has captivated me for many years and which I hope to visit sometime in the next year, assuming I can afford it and the situation between Cuba and the US does not deteriorate any further. The pressure I feel is to visit before Fidel Castro dies or is killed to see Cuba in as “authentic” a state as is possible. Before McDonald's and other corporate goons are able to move in I want to go and see Cuba for myself. I am tired of the biased news we get in the US on the situation and the Cuban immigrant community especially in Miami greatly influences US foreign policy towards Cuba much like the Jewish lobby does towards the Mid-East.

In striving to be a beacon for news and information that you might not get from the usual sources you rely upon I want to share about an important event taking place this week in Cuba which you may not have heard about. The Fourteenth Non-Aligned Movement Summit is taking place in Havana this week. The summit brings together 116 countries from around the world including 53 from Africa, 38 from Asia, 24 from Latin America and 1 from Europe plus representatives from other countries that are not yet members of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM). Some of what is being discussed in Cuba has ties to what we will be discussing at the World Social Forum when I go to Nairobi in late January. The “little people” as many seem to view the world poor mainly living in underdeveloped countries have a very big stake to play in how our world is run and their voices should not be forgotten.

Visit the Non-Aligned Movement site or read related articles at Prensa Latina which is a Latin American information agency based in Cuba. I find that this site has some good alternative news to that which you find at other sources and like Aljazeera.net provides "another side to the story” which is a good thing to have. I will write more later on Cuba as I have come across many other interesting articles that I wish to share.