Cultural Article 2

This article written by Jeffrey Goldberg is about the relevance of Cuba being on the U.S. terror list. The article talks about many countries and why or why not they are on this list and his opinion about those countries. He particularly focuses his opinion on Cuba, and why it should not be on the U.S. terror list.

“Cuba is reducing the size of its military, it has condemned al-Qaeda and it poses no national-security threat to the U.S. No serious intelligence analyst believes that Cuba is still funding or arming foreign insurgencies. But Cuba is on the list. So what, exactly, has it done to merit inclusion?”, says Goldberg. He argues that Cuba is not in the same class as Pakistan and Iran when it comes to being a threat to the United States. In addition, he says that Cuba is still on this list simply because they receive criticism for having conversations with leaders of other countries on this list. Finally, he criticizes the Obama administration for their flawed efforts in amending the list.

Goldberg is missing some key points in his opinions. Although Cuba may not be funding other enemies to the United States, this does not mean they do not support them. In addition, this also means that they are a threat to the U.S. With wars in the Middle East and a possible upcoming war with Iran, Cuba may decide to back either Pakistan or Iran. As long as Cuba keeps having these chats, we should assume that Cuba cannot be trusted. Furthermore, if one takes a look at what they are doing to their own people that alone is enough of an indicator.

La vida de Francisco

1. Durante mi vida, he hecho muchas cosas importantes. Por ejemplo, he viajado a la isla de Puerto Rico.

2. He jugado al golf cerca del mar ventoso.

3. He hablado con el gubernador de Ohio.

4. He trabajado para JCPenney y he estudiado en Washington State al mismo tiempo.

5. He visto el presidente de los Estados Unidos cuando estaba hablando.

6. He tenido fuerza cuando la vida de mi familia no estaba bien.

7. He tenido muchas cirugías para mi cadera.

8. He conocido a muchas personas serviciales durante mi vida.

9. He escribido muchas historias y he tomado muchos examenes en escuela.

10. He comido en un restaurante que sirve comida buena.

Cultural Article 1- Church Announces Date For Pope

It was recently announced that Pope Benedict XVI would be making a trip to Cuba in early March. In this trip, he is scheduled to visit the island for 48 hours. The itinerary includes the city of Santiago, the Virgin of Caridad del Cobre, and the capital city of Havana. While in Havana, the pope is scheduled to meet with Cardinal Jaime Ortega and other church leaders from Cuba. Later in the afternoon, the Holy Father is scheduled to meet with the president of Cuba, Raul Castro. Finally, the pope will have mass at Revolution Plaza, where hundreds of thousands are expected to attend.

            This trip that is expected to be taken by the Holy Father is considerably less than the visit taken by former Pope John Paul II.  This could be due to numerous reasons, but has caused some speculation. Church leaders have noticed Pope Benedict much weaker in recent months which could explain the shorter trip. Although, there are many other reasons that are being speculated.

            In my opinion, this papal visit will be a great thing for Cuba. Although the persecution of the Cuban citizens may not be put to an end by this trip, it will give the Cuban people hope that someday they will be free. In addition, Castro has agreed to release 2,900 political prisoners, and hopefully, this will last after the pope has left for the Vatican. All in all, with the whole world frowning upon dictatorships and denying citizens freedom, this may be the first step in firmly telling the Cuban government that their legislation and acts that follow are unacceptable.