Tuesday, December 23th, 2014

As Obama makes history over Cuba, will the Castros be the real winners?

After 50 years of fractious hostility, America has thrown a dramatic lifeline to the island’s bankrupt economy   To the astonishment of even the most seasoned and wired-in of Cuba hands, the half century-long cold (and hot) war between the US and Cuba is over. In what will rank alongside Nixon’s opening to China and Reagan’s embrace of Gorbachev, Obama… [Read Full Article]

Tuesday, December 16th, 2014

U.S. co-opted Cuba's hip-hop scene in failed attempt to spark unrest in communist nation

An Associated Press investigation revealed a secret operation to infiltrate Cuba’s underground hip-hop scene was ill-conceived and put innocent Cubans at risk. RAMON ESPINOSA/AP Cuban fans sing during a hip-hop concert in Havana on Nov. 30. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that a U.S. agency infiltrated Cuba's hip-hop scene and recruited unwitting rappers to spark a youth movement… [Read Full Article]

Monday, December 15th, 2014

NYT: Time for U.S. to engage with Cuba

Ernesto Londoño from the New York Times tells Amanpour why the newspaper thinks the U.S. should end its Cuba embargo   Click to view video.   [Read Full Article]

Friday, November 14th, 2014

President Obama fostering human rights and partnership with Myanmar

Obama meets Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi at home where she was kept under arrest.                 Image:  Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press   BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 15 hours ago President Barack Obama gave a blunt assessment Friday of the need for further reform in Myanmar's move toward democracy, weighing into sensitive controversies over… [Read Full Article]

Thursday, November 13th, 2014

Learning Through Travel

            Experiential Programs Go Deep Thursday, November 13, 2014 by TYLER HAYDEN There’s more to learning than the box of the classroom and the tedium of textbooks, and when students and teachers escape outside, horizons are inevitably broadened. While Santa Barbara schools have long scheduled field trips to Yosemite, Space Camp, and Washington, D.C. — tried-and-true excursions… [Read Full Article]