Russia’s ties with Cuba

by Brenda Yun on

Russia’s President, Dmitry Medvedev, completed a four-nation tour of Latin America late last week with a final stop in Cuba. The relations between the two countries appear to be strained and, at present, intense; however, Russia, like China, has an interest in drilling for oil off Cuba’s shores and is seeking further military cooperation from the advantageously positioned Castro-ruled nation.

Medvedev’s visit comes just over two weeks after Russia and Cuba signed important trade and economic agreements that signaled a strengthening of ties between the two nations. Russia was also the first nation to send aid for Cuba’s hurricane relief efforts.I find the recent talks between Venezuela, China, and Russia somewhat — if not outright — suspicious, and wouldn’t be surprised if the three socialist nations expressed a serious interest in bringing Cuba into the mix. Ever since Fidel Castro’s brother, Raúl, officially took the reigns in February, and Hurricanes Gustav and Paloma hit Cuba’s shores in August and November, the spotlight has slowly settled upon this world-famous cigar country. Cuba’s precarious relations with the United States and its recent strengthening of ties with China, Venezuela, and Russia signal a real and tenable threat to its democratic neighbors. Despite this, Raúl Castro remarked in an interview with actor/interviewer Sean Penn this fall that he would be open to reconsidering his nation’s relationship with the U.S. with President-elect Barack Obama come the new Year. What this means for American-Cuban relations following Obama’s inauguration is speculative at best.

To be certain, all eyes are on Cuba — yet most uncertain is what Cuba will do and how it will handle the outpouring of interest, diplomatic or otherwise, that it has received these recent months.

Mumbai terror attacks: The aftermath and travel information

by Abha Malpani on


It’s always been hard for anything to get in the way of the normal functioning of Mumbai. But the recent terror attacks paralyzed South Mumbai for about 3 days, and left the rest of the city home bound, shocked, and glued to news channels.

I was there when the attacks happened, but luckily not in South Mumbai. As schools, colleges, and many companies remained closed, the city was relatively quiet. The mess was over Saturday morning (29th November), after which everything has been back to normal. Trains, buses and taxis are back to their usual frequency, offices have opened, the airport is functioning as usual but with tightened security.

Some of the hotels are back to normal as well, others are not taking new guests until things are clearer. Many of the South Mumbai hotels are not allowing people to enter the restaurants and cafes unless they are staying at the respective hotel.

Especially since tourists were the target in Mumbai, most countries have issued travel warnings and even bans for people to fly to India. Post attacks, a British report has named India one of the top 20 most dangerous places to visit. There are currently many rumors floating around that the next attacks are being planned along India’s west coast, specifically Goa and Cochin. All of India’s big cities are on high alert.
But really, who knows? There were no concrete official terror warnings or alerts with regards to Mumbai before the attacks happened. Sometimes, as stupid as this may sound, when places are officially on “red alert”, I think they are probably the safest places to visit. Terrorists know that those places have heightened security, so attacks are difficult.

So what should you do to assure your safety as much as possible when you are in a foreign city?

Here are my thoughts:
1) Awareness and vigilance: Be aware of the socio-political situation, and have background on previous dangerous occurrences in the place you are going to. Keep track of local news and what’s generally happening by looking through the local newspapers everyday.
2) Register yourself at your Embassy: If you are going to be somewhere for at least 4-5 days, it’s worth the effort to take a trip to the local embassy of your country and inform them of your travel plans in the country. Should something drastic happen, finding you may be less difficult.
3) Stay away from large crowds during religious festivals: The pretext of much terror is religion, especially in India. Although it may be a great cultural experience to attend these festivals, when in doubt of safety, avoid being at the prominent spots.
4) Change your routine: If you are a foreigner in India, staying at the same place for more than a few days, it might be safer to vary your route when you go about daily activities (groceries, walk, etc).
5) Talk to locals: When in doubt about going somewhere in the city, talk to locals you can trust, for example your hotel/hostel staff and friends, they should be able to give you a reasonable idea of the situation and will help you make further travel decisions.
6) Take a taxi/rent a car: If the city you have been in has recently suffered attacks, it might be better to take a taxi or rent a car rather than take pubic transport in and out of the city.

If you choose to travel to Mumbai any time soon, you will feel the tremendous anger of the locals, and a general air of sadness and anguish. It seems that there will be a large demonstration tomorrow at the Gateway of India in Mumbai, where people will gather to express how let down they are and demand action.

FYI: The only place in India under consistent and official travel warning is Jammu and Kashmir.

China successfully flies into airplane manufacturing

by Meg Massie on

China’s very first fully homegrown aircraft has hit the skies at last, bringing China’s aviation industry another step closer to competition in the global market. The ARJ-21, a regional aircraft built at the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Factory, flew its maiden flight last Friday, after delays from suppliers held up the jet for about eight months.

With its new jets, the Aviation Industry Corp of China, or AVIC, expects to compete with Canada’s Bombadier Inc and Embraer SA of Brazil. AVIC officials expect the ARJ-21 to be certified airworthy by early 2009, and the company will start delivering planes to customers by the second half of next year if all goes according to plan.

According to the Chinese government, airlines have ordered 206 of the jets so far, and demand is expected to increase. Experts estimate that China’s growing domestic airline industry will require about 900 new mid-sized regional jets over the next twenty years, and the ARJ-21 should control most of that market.

The jets are designed to carry 70-110 passengers and have a flight range of 3,680 kilometers, or 2,286 miles.

Big in Japan: The cutest pitcher you’ve ever seen!

by Matthew Firestone on

In a classic scene from the film A League of their Own, coach Jimmy Dugan (played by Tom Hanks) screams at his female players: ‘There’s no crying in baseball!’

Of course, while there may have been a Hollywood ending for Madonna and Geena Davis, there is still very much a prominent glass ceiling in real-life baseball.

However, there is a chance that the sport as we know it may one day change, especially following the recent draft pick of a female Japanese high school student by the minor league team Kobe 9 Cruise.

On that note, allow me to introduce you to the cutest pitcher you’ve ever seen, namely 16-year old Eri Yoshida (??????????). Weighing in at a mere 114 pounds, and standing just over give feet tall, Eri is now the first woman ever to play in Japan’s all-male professional baseball league.

How did she do it you ask? Simple.

Eri has mastered the knuckleball, an infamous baseball pitch characterized by its wild and unpredictable motion.

Keep reading as the story goes on..

A knuckleball is special type of baseball pitch that is thrown in such way as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. Through the miracles of physics, knucklers can change direction erratically, and even corkscrew in mid-flight, which is needless to say a ripe pain in the ass for unsuspecting batters.

In Major League Baseball (MLB), a few players over the decades have been able to master this phantom pitch, including Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield. Indeed, this BoSox legend served as the inspiration for a 16-year-old high school pupil from Yokohama to pitch her way through rows and rows of male batters.

According to Eri Yoshida: “I never dreamed of getting drafted. I have only just been picked by the team and haven’t achieved anything yet.”

She continues: “I’m really happy I stuck with baseball. I want to pitch against men, and eventually I want to play as a pro in a higher league.”

Although Japan is a baseball-obsessed nation, women have had a tough time getting on the diamond. While there was a professional baseball league for women in the 1950s, it folded after just two years.

In fact, the country’s professional baseball federation did not lift its ban on female players until 1991, and Little League teams only started accepting girls this millennium. Of course, the Kobe 9 Cruise aren’t exactly the New York Yankees – or the Tokyo Giants for that matter – and it’s going take a bit of time for young Yoshida-san to have her big shot at the pros.

In the meantime, the Japanese are celebrating a crack in the glass ceiling that looms over professional sports. The Asahi Shimbun, one of the country’s top papers, even ran a detailed analysis of her unique pitching style. However, Eri is trying to keep her grip a secret, so you’re going to have to catch a farm game over here in Kobe if you want to see this rising star in action!

(Special thanks to my Dad for uncovering this bit of J-news in the local Vegas paper!)

** Image of Eri Yoshida taken by the Associated Press (AP). All other images courtesy of the WikiCommons Media project **

Death, hunger strike, and execution reveal mounting tension between Taiwan and China

by Brenda Yun on

The father of a family friend of mine recently passed away in Taiwan. He was a well-respected Taiwanese dignitary, and mourning his death will continue until his burial next week. In the meantime, family members leave the front door of their home open and people stop by to express their condolences.

There’s a lot of crying going on in Taiwan these days. Former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian ended his two-week hunger strike that was an effort in protesting his recent arrest. He has been accused of bribing and money-laundering – the proof of which has been uncovered in three Swiss bank accounts. Despite this proof, he wrote a poem that was published in the Liberty Times on November 25th, saying he would die for Taiwan’s independence from China. He continues to accuse Taiwan’s current administration of pandering to its communist neighbor. To be certain, if Chen had been arrested in China he would be executed immediately (none of this hunger strike business!), as was the case of Wo Weihan, a biomedical researcher and businessman who was accused of spying for Taiwan. Wo was executed Friday, leaving no final words and saying no goodbyes. The E.U. and U.S. contend that Wo did not receive a fair trial.

Tension is mounting between these two Asian neighbors. Death, hunger strikes, and executions certainly cannot resolve the deeper issues that will surface in the months to come.