Yoani Sánchez, the millionaire / Rags and riches on Cuba money trail

Yoani Sánchez, the millionaire

Mimi Whitefield and Andres Viglucci of the Miami Herald wrote an excellent, well-sourced, in-depth article explaining how Yoani Sánchez has financed for her globe-trotting journey. Excerpts are below:

...How has this woman with limited Internet access at home in Havana, few high-powered connections, no organization and limited financial resources pulled off a grueling, attention-grabbing itinerary across three continents that would challenge even the most savvy road warrior?

As it turns out, the same way she has managed to make a living in Havana and cultivate hundreds of thousands of Internet and Twitter followers around the globe: by plugging into an extensive, informal network of dedicated supporters...

Continue reading:

http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/2013/04/yoani-sanchez-millionaire.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlongTheMalecn+%28Along+the+Malec%C3%B3n%29

Rags and riches on Cuba money trail

USAID headquarters at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.

Since 2009, USAID and State Department funds for democracy programs in Cuba have ranged from $15 million to $20 million per year. In October 2010, I asked USAID:

How much of the money from, say, $15 million reaches the hands of dissidents, pro-democracy activists and other aid targets in Cuba? USAID replied:

The vast majority of this money is intended for individuals on the ground in Cuba. Our objective is to maximize the amount of support that benefits Cubans on the island.

Continue reading:

http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/2013/04/rags-and-riches-on-cuba-money-trail.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlongTheMalecn+%28Along+the+Malec%C3%B3n%29

Yoani Sanchez in the USA / Y.S. en EE.UU.

http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/2013/03/yoani-sanchez-in-usa.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlongTheMalecn+%28Along+the+Malec%C3%B3n%29

 

Cuban blogger and democracy activist Yoani Sanchez enters the lecture hall Thursday night at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
La bloguera cubana y activista por la democracia Yoani Sánchez entra a la sala de conferencias de la Escuela de Peridismo de los Graduados en la Universidad de Columbia, en la noche del jueves

The crowd was enthusiastic and applauded Sanchez during her appearance.

El público estaba entusiasta y aplaudiendo la comparecencia de Sánchez.

Several people showed up and spoke out against Sanchez. The blogger called it democracy in action.

Mucha gente apareció y habló en contra de Sánchez. La bloguera lo llamó democracia en acción.

(En el cartel: TÚ NO ERES PRENSA LIBRE, SOLAMENTE BARATA!!)

Cuba, GAO, USAID and Democracy Programs

From the web page: http://www.gao.gov/about/index.html

“The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars.”

The great blog, Along the Malecón, post the recent GAO report, entitled, "CUBA DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE USAID’s Program Is Improved, but State Could Better Monitor Its Implementing Partners."

To know more about this report please visit the three post from Along the Malecón:

http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/2013/02/exile-politics-gao-and-usaid.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlongTheMalecn+%28Along+the+Malec%C3%B3n%29

http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/2013/02/gao-report-on-cuba-released.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlongTheMalecn+%28Along+the+Malec%C3%B3n%29

http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/2013/02/no-godiva-chocolates-sweet-news-for.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlongTheMalecn+%28Along+the+Malec%C3%B3n%29

Photo: http://www.thenewnewinternet.com/2011/06/22/gao-us-cyber-command-must-clarify-roles-responsibility-of-cyber-personnel/

The [redacted] USAID shell game

A U.S. government force with a reputation for speed and daring plans to spend as much as $2.5 billion over the next eight years to try to bring peace and democracy to trouble spots and flash points around the world.
The Office of Transition Initiatives, or OTI, has a long list of potential targets, including Cuba.
OTI, which is part of the Agency for International Development, or USAID, operates some programs openly, but disguises others so the American government role is not readily apparent.
During a meeting with contractors in June 2012, Stephen Lennon, chief of OTI’s Field Program Division, highlighted the group’s ability to cloak its activities while in Colombia from 2007 to 2011. 

OTI was asked to go in and we did. And we didn’t go in as the U.S. government. In Colombia, nothing was branded. Nothing was branded USAID. It was all - that’s right, soccer balls from the Colombian government, Acción Social (a Colombian government agency). We had a couple of different brands.

What we did was create entities that looked, smelled, acted like they were the Colombian government and we worked very very closely with the Colombian government and the Colombian military to project their presence. (See 78-page transcript of the meeting).

Perceptions matter, Lennon told the group.

For example, OTI might support an activity with the local government to repair a school. OTI would measure its success based on how that activity improved attitudes and perception toward the government in that community rather than how the refurbished school impacts educational outcomes.

Continue reading:

http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-redacted-usaid-shell-game.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlongTheMalecn+%28Along+the+Malec%C3%B3n%29