Cubans

Mike Clary's "Finding Art in the Despair of Cuban Refugees" (Dec. 30) showed that in 1994 anything, even jerry-built rafts, could be "art." Clary, however, lets his Cold War rhetoric cloud the article, e.g., ". . . under a communist regime that prohibits 'ordinary citizens' from leaving the island for any reason, fleeing the island by boat has been an option of last resort that thousands have chosen." In truth, "ordinary" Cubans, albeit only one family member at a time, are allowed to visit their relatives in the United States.

WASHINGTON - Almost 30 years ago, two young women allegedly obtained fake passports in Europe for a clandestine trip to Cuba. Today, one is in prison serving a 25-year sentence for espionage; the other has taken shelter in Sweden. On Thursday, the U.S. government stepped up its efforts to get that second woman, Marta Rita Velazquez, from Sweden to an American courtroom. Velazquez, 55, a U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico, was charged in 2004 with conspiracy to commit espionage for her role in recruiting Ana Belen Montes to give American secrets to Cuba, according to a previously sealed indictment that the Justice Department released Thursday.

We learn that modern, inexpensive medical care is available in Cuba to foreigners with hard currency (Nov. 29), and that Almeijeira Hospital in Havana has two remodeled floors for foreigners--but what about the Cubans on the remaining 22 floors? One Havana resident with whom I have contact says that her cataract surgery at Almeijeira was repeatedly postponed for two years due to contaminated operating rooms and medication shortages. Those who are admitted to hospitals bring their own bed linens and food rations.

Regarding Birmingham, Ala. ["Moving Ever Forward," by Alice Short, April 14]: How can she not include Dreamland, a legendary Alabama barbecue? Chris Erskine would have mentioned this pork palace in his opening paragraph! Otherwise, a very fine article on this historic city. David Grimes Pasadena Cuba's reality? Regarding "Cuba Covertly? Weigh the Risks," by Catharine Hamm [On the Spot, March 31]: Cuba is not a "fabulous destination. " I don't understand this thinking.

MEXICO CITY -- Cubans now for the first time have the right to travel off the island without a special exit permit, the latest in reforms that the communist government is slowly enacting in hopes of reinvigorating its troubled economy. The new and much-anticipated regulation went into effect Monday. Eager to take advantage, Cubans lined up from early hours and all day long outside travel agencies and the state offices that issue passports. Remarkably, it appeared that several longtime Cuban dissidents who have been repeatedly denied permission to travel will also be allowed to leave from and, importantly, return to Cuba.

HAVANA — Olga Lidia Garcia sat back and surveyed the length of her empire: a storefront with seven busy manicurists, scrubbing, clipping, buffing, gluing and polishing to the bounce of salsa. The shop, decked out in oversize Oriental fans and racks stocked with a Day-Glo rainbow of nail polishes, shares the street-level space with a tiny photo studio. Garcia, wearing a tumble of frizzy hair, electric-blue dress and dangling golden hoop earrings, is manicurist-in-chief. This is a good day. "Look at this," Garcia said, a note of wonder in her voice.

Cuban detainees holding three hostages in a jail uprising in St. Martinville, La., released 26 fellow prisoners to police, officials said. As many as nine detainees armed with homemade knives were in control of the second floor of the three-story St. Martin Parish jail after overcoming a warden and two jail guards Monday. The Cubans, thought to be immigrants who had committed crimes in the United States, threatened to kill the hostages if their demands for safe passage out of the U.S.

A federal judge Tuesday threw out an indictment accusing a Cuban militant of lying to immigration authorities, saying the government manipulated Luis Posada Carriles' statement to investigators. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone said the interpretation of the April 2006 interview "is so inaccurate as to render it unreliable as evidence of defendant's actual statement." Authorities said he confessed to sneaking across the Mexican border into Texas.

Cuban activist Oswaldo Paya, who spent decades speaking out against the communist government of Fidel and Raul Castro and became one of the most powerful voices of dissent against their half-century rule, died Sunday in a car crash in Cuba. He was 60. Paya and a Cuban man described by media as a fellow activist, Harold Cepero Escalante, died in an accident in La Gavina, just outside the eastern city of Bayamo, Cuban authorities said. A Spaniard and a Swede also riding in the car were injured.

The Bolivian government announced plans to deport a prominent Cuban dissident who publicly criticized President Evo Morales' close ties to Havana. Dr. Amauris Samartino, a Cuban who holds permanent residence status in Bolivia, will be expelled under a law forbidding immigrants to intervene in the country's politics, a government statement said. Samartino was arrested in the eastern city of Santa Cruz and will be flown to Cuba once his case has been processed.

Double trouble Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert , tweeting about the State Farm commercial depicting Clippers star Chris Paul being separated at birth from his fictional twin brother, Cliff Paul: "Wouldn't Chris Paul's mom realize that 1 of her identical twins is missing? What r the chances his last name is Paul as well? #StateFarmprobs. " Relax, everybody New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony , on breathless media speculation about Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose's return from a knee injury: "I wish y'all would stop rushing Derrick back.

A lost cause? Embattled Cleveland Coach Byron Scott, a former Lakers All-Star, on the struggling Cavaliers' mentality: "If guys don't fear or hate losing as much as I do, we're going to keep going through what we're going through. You have to be to the point where you hate losing. In the '80s, we hated losing games. It was gut-wrenching. I don't know if we've gone through that. I have. I don't know if they have. " She got game Miami forward Shane Battier, on the prospects of someone such as Baylor's Brittney Griner playing in the NBA: "There's no doubt that in our lifetime, there will be a woman NBA player.

Leave it to TMZ to get former Lakers legend and the face of Dodgers ownership, Magic Johnson, and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on the record in support of gay athletes. In the wake of Johnson giving interviews in support of his gay son, Earvin Johnson III, the celebrity gossip website asked pointed questions of the basketball great. "If that ever happened, I would support them 150 percent," Johnson said when asked what he'd do if a player on the Dodgers announced that he was gay. "First of all, as an owner, you really have to support the person, you really do, and then help educate the public," Johnson added.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told reporters Tuesday night that he would consider drafting 6-foot-8 former Baylor women's basketball star Brittney Griner. Griner later tweeted: "I would hold my own! Lets do it. " Writers from around Tribune Co. discuss whether Griner should be given a chance to play for the Mavericks. Check back throughout the day for their opinions and feel free to join the conversation with a comment of your own. John Altavilla, Hartford Courant I am all for the idea of shameless, aimless promotion in professional sports.

Mark Cuban couldn't resist the urge to take aim with two of his favorite Lakers targets back at Staples Center on Tuesday. The Dallas Mavericks owner was complimentary of Shaquille O'Neal on the night the former Lakers center's jersey was retired, but he gleefully zinged former coach Phil Jackson. "I have great respect for Phil too, Jeanie's husband as he'll now be known," Cuban said, referencing Jeanie Buss, the Lakers' executive vice president and governor who votes on issues at owners' meetings.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was on hand Tuesday night for his team's visit to Staples Center to play the Lakers. After taking a moment to reminisce about Shaquille O'Neal, who will have his jersey retired by the Lakers at halftime, Cuban gave a jab to former Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "I have great respect for Phil, Jeanie's husband, as he'll be now be known," Cuban said.  "Someone's got to be the first housewife of the Lakers. " Jackson and Jeanie [Buss] became engaged to marry in January, although they've yet to officially tie the knot.

The Angels' never-ending pursuit of pitching has taken them to Costa Rica, where they are one of the leading contenders to sign Cuban right-hander Orlando Hernandez, the older brother of 1997 World Series Most Valuable Player Livan Hernandez. Bob Fontaine, Angel player personnel director, is in Costa Rica, and three other Angel scouts are scheduled to watch Hernandez pitch there this week.

A Cuban militant pleaded not guilty in El Paso to charges he lied to federal investigators in a bid to become a U.S. citizen. Luis Posada Carriles, 78, was indicted Jan. 11. Posada, a former CIA operative and U.S. Army soldier, is also accused by Cuba and Venezuela of masterminding the 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner that killed 73 people. Posada, a longtime opponent of Fidel Castro who trained for the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, is being held at a jail in New Mexico.

PHOENIX - Shortly after the Dodgers announced they had optioned Yasiel Puig to their double-A affiliate in Chattanooga, Tenn., Manager Don Mattingly was jokingly asked if he knew what ever happened to the high school basketball coach who cut Michael Jordan. "We're going to be Dean Smith, who enhanced his fundamentals," a smiling Mattingly said, referring to Jordan's coach at the University of North Carolina. Puig, 22, was the revelation of this camp, as he batted a Cactus League-leading .526 with three home runs, 11 runs batted in and four stolen bases.

SAN ANTONIO - The Mexican businessmen in Rolexes and Burberry ties meet on the north side of town, at Cielito Lindo Restaurant, or at new neighboring country clubs. Their wives frequent Neiman Marcus, Tiffany's and Brooks Brothers at the nearby mall. Their children park Porsches with Mexican license plates in the student lots at Reagan High School. They are part of a wave of legal Mexican immigrants who have been overlooked in the national debate over how to deal with their largely impoverished illegal compatriots.