Friday, July 31, 2026

BAP and UNAC – Cuba under siege + news

Some upcoming events are posted at:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/06/some-astronomical-and-other-events.html , durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/04/update-for-week-16-of-2026-palestinian.html , and durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/04/update-for-week-15-of-2026-anti-war.html ; some anniversaries are posted at:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2024/08/summer-came-in-with-buzz-and-whirr-goes.html , durhamspark.blogspot.com/2024/04/some-additional-events-and.html , etc.



See also:  


durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/07/return-to-venezuela-what-belongs-to.html


durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/07/chicago-alba-solidarity-about.html


durhamspark.blogspot.com/2026/07/adc-sues-dhs-secretary-mullin-over.html 


www.kenklippenstein.com/p/after-political-terrorism-event-us


caitlinjohnst.one/p/theyre-launching-a-new-cointelpro 


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/13/caitlin-johnstone-porque-aun-tengo-esperanza/


thefloutist.substack.com/p/further-into-lawlessness


thebaffler.com/salvos/the-invention-of-antifa-fadiman


On TAL in mid-July.


www.commondreams.org/news/stephen-miller-nspm-7


www.efrat.blog/p/the-digital-cage-2026-is-the-year


steelcutter.substack.com/p/call-them-opcs-not-flock-cameras


thecause.substack.com/p/the-police-state-has-always-been


zanzibar.substack.com/p/le-manuel-de-mussolini-dans-une-salle


chrishedges.substack.com/p/requiem-for-america-on-the-fourth


julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/stolen-elections


thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2026/07/07/250-years-the-united-states-from-independence-to-empire-part-three/


www.rt.com/news/642507-america-turns-250-russias-role/


www.rt.com/news/643395-trump-far-left-terrorism/


fair.org/slider/prairieland-was-a-test-and-corporate-media-failed/


fair.org/home/dorothee-benz-on-prairieland-protest-case/


ahmadibsais.substack.com/p/the-prairieland-sentencing-and-unequal


liberationnews.org/psl-statement-baseless-indictment-of-raul-castro-a-pretext-for-another-war/


socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2026/06/a-few-thoughts-on-prarieland-sentences.html


socraticgadfly.substack.com/p/quick-thoughts-on-the-prairieland


zeteo.com/p/prairieland-sentences-anti-ice-protests-free-speech-trump


portside.org/2026-06-25/injustice-how-leftist-zines-were-used-sentence-anti-ice-protesters-decades-prison


theworker.news/2026/07/09/manifestantes-anti-ice-de-prairieland-reciben-largas-condenas-de-prision


redphoenix.news/2026/04/the-prairieland-trial-bourgeois-justice-brands-working-class-solidarity-as-terrorism/


theworker.news/2026/07/23/interview-with-supporter-of-the-prairieland-anti-ice-political-prisoners-what-comes-next-and-how-you-can-help/


theworker.news/2026/07/23/legislative-architect-of-us-war-machine-lindsay-graham-dies/


theworker.news/2026/07/27/muere-lindsey-graham-arquitecto-legislativo-de-la-maquinaria-de-guerra-de-ee-uu/


www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/07/marco-rubios-revamped-version-of-operation-condor-could-be-even-worse-than-the-original.html


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/23/a-farsa-continua-washington-non-libera-o-seu-cativo-porque-ten-a-forza-non-a-razon/


mpr21.info/las-consecuencias-de-la-extradicion-a-estados-unidos-de-alex-saab/


On President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Floresdiario-octubre.com/2026/07/25/el-circo-de-manhattan-cuando-el-imperio-disfraza-el-secuestro-de-justicia/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/21/venezuela-la-admision-de-la-cia-de-que-no-hubo-fraude-electoral-llega-muy-tarde/


theworker.news/2026/07/26/farcical-trial-for-nicolas-maduro-set-for-2027-as-rodriguez-government-deepens-capitulation-to-us-imperialism/


theworker.news/2026/07/27/juicio-farsesco-contra-nicolas-maduro-previsto-para-2027-mientras-el-gobierno-de-rodriguez-profundiza-la-capitulacion-al-imperialismo-estadounidense/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/04/los-expertos-de-la-onu-entrenados-por-el-imperialismo-y-encargados-de-justificar-la-agresion-contra-venezuela/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/08/la-organizacion-de-la-caza-de-los-seres-humanos-empieza-por-los-de-abajo/


geopolitiq.substack.com/p/venezuela-who-are-the-colectivos


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/04/estados-unidos-y-la-carrona-mediatica-se-ceban-en-venezuela/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/13/venezuela-recibe-nuevo-envio-de-ayuda-humanitaria-desde-turkiye-luego-de-los-terremotos/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/14/trump-y-el-imperio-de-la-extorsion/


observatoriocrisis.com/2026/07/16/marco-rubio-el-virrey-de-venezuela/


the307.substack.com/p/venezuela-how-the-us-turned-one-of


"Organizers chose July 24 to coincide with two anniversaries: one month since the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that have reportedly killed more than 5,500 people, and the 243rd anniversary of the birth of national liberation hero Simón Bolívar, who led independence struggles across much of Latin America against Spanish colonialism." – theworker.news/2026/07/29/venezuelan-masses-rebel-against-us-imperialist-and-zionist-intervention-following-earthquake/


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simón_Bolívar


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delcy_Rodríguez


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Chávez


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolás_Maduro


theworker.news/2026/07/25/peru-peoples-movement-mpp-statement-on-venezuela-yankees-go-home/


www.kitklarenberg.com/p/the-white-helmets-invade-venezuela


fair.org/home/neo-colonial-coverage-of-venezuela-earthquakes-adds-insult-to-injury/


theworker.news/2026/07/19/over-100-people-deported-by-ice-missing-feared-killed-in-venezuela-earthquakes-us-maintains-stranglehold-over-venezuelan-wealth-during-disaster/


zanzibar.substack.com/p/seisme-devastateur-au-venezuela-washington


"July 26, 1953 – 73rd Anniversary of Assault on Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Barracks"   – cpcml.ca/TML2026/T56047.HTM


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/26th_of_July_Movement


On Cuban Army General Raúl Castrocpcml.ca/TML2026/T56040.HTM#1


diario-octubre.com/2026/05/23/organizaciones-espanolas-rechazan-calumnia-de-ee-uu-contra-el-lider-cubano-raul-castro/


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raúl_Castro


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/21/diaz-canel-ee-uu-recurre-a-la-mentira-para-generar-pretextos-sobre-los-cuales-sostener-sus-agresiones-contra-cuba/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/21/los-derechos-humanos-el-canto-de-sirena-para-esclavizar-a-la-humanidad/


diario-octubre.com/2023/02/22/envejecer-con-mas-salud-es-posible-y-cuba-hace-para-ello/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/04/diaz-canel-lo-que-le-estan-haciendo-a-cuba-se-lo-pueden-hacer-a-cualquier-pais-del-mundo/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/14/brasil-envia-a-cuba-48-toneladas-de-leche-en-polvo/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/21/estados-unidos-ya-no-es-un-paraiso-para-los-emigrantes-cubanos/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/21/denuncian-torturas-nueve-de-cada-diez-presos-del-mayor-centro-de-deportacion-de-estados-unidos/


theworker.news/2026/07/27/contratista-de-ice-dispara-a-activista-que-protestaba-por-brote-de-tuberculosis-en-centro-de-detencion-de-ice-en-colorado/


In Nicaragua – diario-octubre.com/2026/07/19/la-insurreccion-pelicula-sobre-la-revolucion-sandinista-en-su-47-aniversario/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/21/daniel-ortega-jamas-volveran-los-partidos-impuestos-por-ee-uu/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/19/miles-toman-las-calles-de-san-juan-en-marcha-por-independencia-de-puerto-rico/


derebeldearevolucionario.wordpress.com/2026/07/18/comunistas-por-la-independencia-de-puerto-rico-2/


www.un-diplomatic.com/p/what-is-sovereignty-to-an-imperialist


historic.ly/did-israel-interfere-in-colombias-elections/


www.rt.com/news/641451-israeli-firm-nyc-scotland-election-meddling/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/23/taty-almeida-una-vida-de-lucha-memoria-y-compromiso/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/16/no-basta-con-gritar-las-malvinas-son-argentinas-si-se-renuncia-a-defender-la-argentina/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/14/claman-por-la-libertad-de-milagro-sala-presa-en-argentina-desde-2016/


portside.org/2026-07-16/tall-ships-bring-warning-american-democracy


newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/bolivian-uprising


went2thebridge.substack.com/p/irans-message-to-western-leftists


www.rt.com/news/643486-iran-accuses-us-attacking-rescue-boats/


www.rt.com/news/643477-ukraine-attacks-iranian-vessel/


www.rt.com/russia/643465-ukraines-strikes-russia-wildberries/


www.moonofalabama.org/2026/07/hypocrites-u-s-central-command-attacks-commercial-shipping.html


www.rt.com/russia/643482-russia-hits-drone-industry-kiev/


theworker.news/2026/07/30/yemeni-resistance-shuts-red-sea-choke-point-to-saudi-oil-strikes-saudi-aggressors/


geopolitiq.substack.com/p/yemen-ksa-war-gets-hotter-while-iran


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/04/ocupense-de-sus-propias-tasas-de-desnutricion-iran-responde-fuerte-a-ee-uu/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/19/teheran-se-dirige-con-un-mensaje-al-gran-satan-de-ee-uu/


the307.substack.com/p/we-were-lied-to-about-iranian-public


theworker.news/2026/07/25/el-funeral-de-jamenei-reune-a-unos-43-millones-de-personas-el-mas-grande-de-la-historia/


theworker.news/2026/07/15/khameneis-funeral-draws-estimated-43-million-largest-in-history/


theworker.news/2024/04/21/israel-attacks-iran-with-drones-like-toys-that-our-children-play-with/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/04/revelan-complot-de-israel-para-asesinar-a-negociadores-iranies-durante-platicas-con-ee-uu/


www.resumenlatinoamericano.org/2026/04/03/pensamiento-critico-el-iran-revolucionario-y-la-izquierda-reaccionaria/


observatoriocrisis.com/2026/07/18/el-ejemplo-de-iran-eje-de-la-resistencia-y-liberacion/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/17/el-pce-condena-la-nueva-agresion-contra-el-dirigente-palestino-marwan-barghouti-en-una-prision-israeli/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/16/terrorismo-sionista-netanyahu-construira-otros-34-asentamientos-ilegales-en-cisjordania-reocupada/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/23/los-lazos-entre-estados-unidos-e-israel-obstaculizan-un-acuerdo-sobre-tierras-raras-en-malasia/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/06/el-caballo-de-troya-de-israel-en-la-union-europea-grecia/


portside.org/2026-07-05/holocaust-and-genocide-scholars-are-navigating-minefield


portside.org/2026-07-17/american-suez


consortiumnews.com/2026/07/15/jonathan-cook-two-state-solution-was-always-a-sham/


theworker.news/2026/07/27/peasants-annihilate-israeli-troops-in-the-west-bank/


the307.substack.com/p/israel-is-torturing-a-prominent-palestinian


palestinewillbefree.substack.com/p/hamada-al-banna-gaza-flour-search-captivity-solitary-confinement


palestinewillbefree.substack.com/p/milk-shortages-threaten-childrens-lives-amid-israeli-siege-of-gaza


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/21/hamas-confirma-eleccion-de-khalil-al-hayya-como-jefe-de-su-buro-politico/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/23/tucker-carlson-el-mossad-suministro-desinformacion-a-washington-durante-decadas/


thegrayzone.com/2026/05/07/opcw-confirms-buried-evidence/


www.kitklarenberg.com/p/british-intels-covert-war-on-hezbollah


www.councilestatemedia.uk/p/keir-starmer-the-pm-who-hated-/


newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/tweedledee


www.moonofalabama.org/2026/07/economist-lets-start-a-war-to-get-people-used-to-it.html


In The Economistdiario-octubre.com/2026/07/23/desencadenar-guerras-para-que-los-europeos-se-acostumbren-a-ellas/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/04/la-otan-y-la-union-europea-desempenan-funciones-complementarias


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/06/la-represion-politica-no-conoce-limites-en-los-paises-occidentales


the307.substack.com/p/eu-makes-it-illegal-to-repost-clips


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/16/acusaciones-contra-activista-rusa-en-paris-criminalizan-la-accion-solidaria-hacia-el-donbas-dice-experta/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/13/que-es-la-rusofobia/


www.rt.com/news/641341-poland-ukraine-upa-dispute/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/06/lider-opositor-polaco-no-habra-una-ucrania-con-culto-a-bandera-dentro-de-la-union-europea/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/13/no-fue-un-asesino-en-masa-de-judios-embajador-de-ucrania-ante-la-onu-intenta-justificar-los-crimines-de-bandera/


Japan and the Ukraine War – diario-octubre.com/2026/07/08/japon-enviara-por-primera-vez-oficiales-a-ucrania-al-mando-de-la-otan/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/13/el-gobierno-ucraniano-esparce-su-estilo-mafioso-de-funcionamiento-por-los-paises-europeos/


www.rt.com/russia/642287-ukrainian-strike-russian-monument-injured/


www.rt.com/russia/642237-ukraine-regiment-torture-deaths/


www.rt.com/news/642626-nord-stream-germany-suspect/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/21/rusia-intencion-de-alemania-de-acceder-a-armamento-nuclear-inquieta-a-europa/


www.rt.com/news/643480-germans-dont-believe-army-protect/


www.rt.com/news/643402-germany-gas-russian-imports/


www.rt.com/news/643483-germany-bleeding-jobs-report/


On Daniela Klatte (Klette?) of the German RAFdiario-octubre.com/2026/07/04/militante-de-la-raf-condenada-en-alemania/


diario-octubre.com/2026/05/29/ya-se-conoce-la-sentencia-contra-la-presa-politica-comunista-alemana-daniela-klatte/


geopolitiq.substack.com/p/the-democratic-blacklisters


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/19/del-paraiso-financiero-al-paraiso-de-la-guerra-el-caso-de-luxemburgo/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/23/la-ultraderechizacion-de-europa/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/06/la-pobreza-no-es-un-fracaso-individual-es-un-fracaso-del-sistema/


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/04/suicidio-a-epidemia-que-ninguen-quere-mirar/


theworker.news/2026/07/29/cyclospora-cases-are-rising-food-monopolies-and-the-government-are-to-blame/


Fighting "gerontocracy," noCapital – in NYRB , www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n13/david-runciman/the-cult-of-longevity , etc.


diario-octubre.com/2019/09/18/rbc-todas-las-obras-de-stalin/


mltheory.wordpress.com/2026/04/29/soviet-yugoslav-split-ep-3-the-titoist-economy/


mltheory.wordpress.com/2026/06/30/soviet-yugoslav-split-ep-4-titos-plan-to-conquer-neighbouring-countries/


In China – diario-octubre.com/2026/07/17/el-espiritu-youyu/


woodsmokeblog.wordpress.com/2026/04/23/readings-on-welib-north-korea/


newleftreview.org/issues/i68/articles/georg-lukacs-lukacs-on-his-life-and-work


Martyrs’ Memorial Week – July 28th-August 3rd – theworker.news/2026/07/28/honor-and-glory-to-the-martyrs-of-indias-new-democratic-revolution/


mltheory.wordpress.com/2026/04/21/finnish-progressive-art-database/


bitacoramarxistaleninista.blogspot.com and... ?


sergioro07.blogspot.com/


prensa-latina.cu


telesurtv.net


insurgente.org


observatoriocrisis.com/


throwoutyourbooks.wordpress.com/2026/06/27/tokyo-high-court-orders-compensation-over-death-of-left-wing-activist-hoshino-fumiaki-in-prison/


space4peace.blogspot.com


space4peace.org/


arnaudbertrand.substack.com/p/musk-built-a-monopoly-on-space-can


www.moonofalabama.org/2026/07/spacex-stock-price-has-not-yet-reached-its-bottom.html


diario-octubre.com/2026/07/19/rusia-y-china-crean-la-organizacion-mundial-de-cooperacion-en-inteligencia-artificial/


portside.org/2026-06-27/cloud-platforms-and-search-engines-are-public-interest-institutions


ohiobarbarian.substack.com/p/reflections-from-the-heart-of-the-45d


ohiobarbarian.substack.com/p/reflections-from-the-heart-of-the-3b3


ohiobarbarian.substack.com/p/reflections-from-the-heart-of-the-59a


julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/apocalypse-yesterday-c59


daniellarison.substack.com/p/stay-out-of-mali


www.rt.com/africa/639115-mali-terrorist-attack-western-involvement/


diario-octubre.com/2026/06/27/lumumba-sigue-en-pie/


thefloutist.substack.com/p/graham-platner-and-the-machines-of


theworker.news/2026/07/24/social-chauvinist-graham-platner-drops-out-of-senate-race/


theworker.news/2026/07/27/el-social-chovinista-graham-platner-se-retira-de-la-carrera-al-senado/


On John Stockwell – fair.org/home/john-stockwell-cia-dissident-who-helped-inspire-fair/


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_Tyler


monikawiesak.substack.com/p/from-jfk-to-the-national-defense


In Sri Lanka – indi.ca/storks-and-baby-lizards/


The US National Cherry Blossom Festival's Christmas in July Sale ends today.


newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/from-the-ashes


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatuey


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Noche_Triste


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Otumba


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atahualpa


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%BApac_Amaru


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayri_T%C3%BApacc


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%BApac_Amaru_II


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Corn_Rebellion





All week:  bit.ly/iran150 (from WWPUNAC, etc.




Stop U.S./Israeli War on Iran – Defend Iran’s Sovereignty

Emergency response!

Stop All U.S. / Israeli Attacks!

Defend Iran’s Sovereignty!

RESIST Endless War on Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Venezuela & Cuba!

CALL TO ACTION! 


There will be an anti-war protest in Lubec, Maine August 1st at 1:30pm:  went2thebridge.substack.com/p/monthly-coalition-protest-meets-dem 






From BAJ:


BAJ Thu 3pm at CH Library... the last BAJ program?

                   3 pm Thursday July 30
         at the Chapel Hill Public Library
  100 Library Drive, off Estes drive near Franklin St.
          Balance and Accuracy in Journalism
                          Presents
                       Henry Johnston 
                                     on 
   Oligarchs, Theirs (Russia’s) and Ours

Our program is in room A at the Chapel Hill Public Library. 
The library has an earlier closing time than we usually have
so this Thursday’s BAJ program offering a Russia/US 
economic discussion starts at 3pm and ends at 4:45.  

Our speaker on Thursday is Henry Johnston from Chapel Hill, a friend of BAJ participant 
and recent speaker Martin Love. Johnston has lived in Moscow with his young family 
for years. In a visit over coffee I heard him draw a parallel between Russian oligarchs 
and our home grown variety. His experience in banking and his articles for RT 
suggest we will have an informative program.  A critic sent me a link to 
a controversial piece for RT, and when I mentioned it to Henry he warned me 
he is not a progressive.  I expressed appreciation to the sender of the link 
since it may point to the phenomenon of suppressed racial guilt in the US.  
It echoed for me the grotesque spectacle of Germany and UK 
attacking people who oppose genocide.

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Is BAJ ended? Yes, no, maybe….depends how you engage the many struggles!

I won’t try and name all the inspiring individuals, local, national and international,
who have addressed our gatherings.  But It is likely the Fellowship Hall of the Community Church 
will be the site of a post-series gathering in September inviting participants in our programs,
both speakers and people who attend, to celebrate the series and especially to promote 
support for related projects, even to consider a fresh start among cooperating activists.
                                                - Jerry Markatos

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


          Saturday August 8 gathering celebrates 25 years of the 
                Triangle Free Press and local organizers

Solidarity Forum & Triangle Free Press 25th Anniversary 

We hope that you will join us on Saturday August 8th at 1:00pm 
at Durham People’s Solidarity Hub (across the street from the Durham Scrap Exchange)
for a Solidarity Forum as we mark 25 years of Triangle Free Press and to stand in solidarity 
with Palestine, Lebanon, and Cuba and in opposition against imperialism.




This note would be incomplete without mention of the site, nakedcapitalism.com
   a serious and sometimes humorous zone of informed skepticism.

    Comments on its Iran War coverage included this quote
      that would qualify for inclusion at TheOnion.com :

        “Two separate US leaks just confirmed the same thing:

     The Pentagon is letting Iranian missiles hit American bases on purpose
     because it has run out of interceptors to stop them.”



            For Balance and Accuracy in Journalism 
                                        [ ... ]"



Haw River Assembly notices to add.


International Owl Awareness Day is every August 4th?



From thecurrentga.org –


"Owl Prowlcelebrate International Owl Awareness Day with the Camden County Audubon Society at 8p.m. on Aug. 4 at Crooked River State Park, located at 6222 Charlie Smith Sr. Hwy, Saint Marys. Owl spotters will meet at the Nature Center and are encouraged to bring bug spray and comfortable shoes for walking."


"Marsh Protection Paddle: One Hundred Miles leads a group paddle to raise awareness around changes that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has proposed for private recreational docks. Meet at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, Turner Creek, Savannah. Learn more about the issue, what you can do to help, and enjoy the marshes. This is BYOB (bring your own boat) event. Every participant must have their own boat, life vest, and paddle.


📚Teacher Book Giveaway: Goodwill Southeast Georgia will host its 7th annual Teacher Book Giveaway from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at all participating Goodwill Southeast Georgia retail store locations (not including Bit of Blue, Goodwill Outlets, or The Vault boutiques). Local educators with a valid school or homeschool ID will have the opportunity to obtain 10 free books as well as 10% off purchases during the giveaway. Pre-register here.


🌿Let justice grow: Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL) invites Green Teams, faith leaders, and environmental activists to their Coastal Green Team Summit from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 15 at White Bluff Presbyterian Church, located at 10710 White Bluff Road, Savannah. This summit will explore climate solutions and community-supporting policies through workshops and will feature keynote speaker, Janisse Ray. General admission is $25; students, $10. Tickets will not be available at the door so be sure to pre-register. "


There will be an in-person booksale at the FODL's Books Among Friends (in the Shoppes of Hope Valley3825 South Roxboro Street, Durham, NC 27713) August 21st-22nd:  fodlnc.org/events/





And at the Chapel Hill Public Library August 21st-23rd:  friendschpl.org/big-book-sales/


library.unc.edu/news/davis-and-undergraduate-library-summer-closures/


From the HASTRO-L:  


Planetarium Babylonicum 2.0)1)? – www.academia.edu/community/activity/dv7NYr  


More on the ancient Maya mathematician-astronomer Sak Tahn Waax ("White-Chested Fox") in Xultun in Guatemala:  www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02170-8#ref-CR2www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00240-9www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01759-1 , www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_11621/?st=gallery , and doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02170-8


Astronomical events to add for July-August.


"Meteor Alert -- Three Showers at Once" – "The intersection will produce a peak in activity on July 30-31 highlighted by the Alpha Capricornid fireballs"  spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=30&month=07&year=2026


Asteroid Apophis will be arrive Friday (?), April 13, 2029:  www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=22&month=07&year=2026


www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=26&month=07&year=2026


August events in East Asia to add


From Chicago ALBA Solidarity:  chicagoalbasolidarity.org/2026/07/15/venezuela-alba-news-7-15-2026-the-crime-of-us-sanctions-on-cuba-and-venezuela-cuba-venezuela-webinars/ – 


Write to President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Floresunjustly held captive in Brooklyn, New York




From Chicago ALBA Solidarity ( chicagoalbasolidarity.org/2026/07/28/venezuela-alba-news-7-28-2026-fake-news-about-nicaraguas-elections-new-us-government-anti-cuba-mccarthyite-witchhunt/ ) 




From Chicago ALBA Solidaritysent out in the morning on July 19th chicagoalbasolidarity.org/2026/06/18/venezuela-alba-news-6-17-2026-venezuelas-revolution-today-cuba-stands-strong-evo-on-bolivia/ ) 






Sent out July 3rd; originally posted at:  unac.notowar.net/cuba-is-not-a-failed-state-it-is-a-besieged-state/  ; any typos edited. –



Cuba Is Not a Failed State – It Is a Besieged State

We Need to Build a Unified Resistance to Sanctions and War


The statement below is a response to the ongoing blockade against Cuba and the propaganda derived from it.   We hope you will endorse this statement, but we also hope you will commit to emergency actions if the Trump Administration follows through with their threats to invade Cuba.

  • Sign On to  “Cuba is Not a Failed State – It Is a Besieged State”
  • Register your Emergency Action

At this critical junction in world history when the Cuban Revolution is being threatened by US hegemon, it is essential to come to its defense. Cuba is the hope of humanity.

We defend Cuba by combating the intentionally negative stereotyping of a failed state. The problems Cuba faces under blockade conditions should not be portrayed in such alarmist ways that it reinforces Washington’s propaganda. We need to combat this defeatist approach.

Cuba is being sanctioned for the crime of being a good example

That Washington continues to intensify its six-decade campaign against the Cuban Revolution testifies to the island’s resilience and strength.

Washington’s regime-change campaign has taken a heavy toll. Responsible Statecraft describes US policy as “bent on breaking the island.” The Guardian reports “an epidemic of flies, rats, waste and foul odors.”

These accounts portray Cuban hardship but intentionally overlook Cuban social achievements. Even statements from Congressional leaders advocating for an end to the blockade by focusing on the crisis it has created, can feed into Washington’s self-serving narrative that Cuba is a “failed nation.”

When descriptions of the humanitarian crisis caused by the escalated blockade do not question the ideological assumption that accepts capitalism as the natural state of humanity, they can be used to depict socialism as an abortive failed experiment.

This is why solidarity activists must take special care to highlight the incredible achievements of Cuba, even under blockade conditions, all while waging an active campaign against the sanctions and gathering supplies to take to the island in solidarity.

Doing so much with so little

The Center for Economic and Policy Research documents a dramatic increase in infant mortality from 4.9, now rising to 9.9 per 1,000 live births, attributable to deteriorating living conditions caused by the US economic war.

Yet, even under this intentional strangulation, Cuba’s infant mortality rate remains among the lowest in the region. Cuba has free public, personalized healthcare for every Cuban from birth and throughout life.

Surrounding countries that are not facing any U.S. sanctions but are forced to survive under capitalist relations have consistently higher infant mortality rates. Panama (11), Dominican Republic (16), El Salvador (12), Honduras (15), Guatemala (20), Jamaica (12), Haiti (45-50).

Most stunning is that Cuba’s infant mortality figures under a ruthless blockade are still lower than for African Americans in the U.S. (10.9).

This reflects the demonstrated success of Cuba’s social medicine model, even under the most challenging of circumstances.

Using Cuba’s example of people-centered healthcare, Nicaragua dramatically reduced their infant mortality from 29 deaths per thousand in 2005 under a right-wing, pro U.S. government to 9 under the Sandinistas and with the assistance of Cuban doctors.

This is why the Trump administration is determined to block Cuban medical staff from providing medical care in the Caribbean. A dozen countries have acquiesced to demands from the U.S. to end medical agreements with Cuba.

  • Sign On to  “Cuba is Not a Failed State – It Is a Besieged State”
  • Register your Emergency Action

Cuba’s medical staff focuses heavily on underserved areas in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. They provide more doctors and medical staff than the World Health Organization and most western nations combined. The United States calls Cuba’s medical internationalism “human trafficking” – but it’s really an internationalist lifeline for the Global South.

Cuba is not alone, as it receives significant solidarity aid from allied states.  China, for example, is helping address Cuba’s fossil fuel dependency by supplying 49 solar farms (20% of all its energy needs) and fleets of electric buses, cars, and scooters. Our solidarity movement should highlight and encourage such international cooperation.

Among Cuba’s public health achievements are its international medical brigades, excellence in advanced research, response to the pandemic, service to underserved populations, south-south cooperation initiatives, and the world’s highest doctor-to-patient ratios.

The Cuban socialist model has also produced notable successes in sports and public education.

Writing from Cuba, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio defended the country’s accomplishments over the past decade despite the “intense economic war,” including:

  • sustaining the national electrical system while expanding renewable energy
  • strengthening telecommunications and expanding internet access
  • supporting vulnerable populations through food cultivation
  • improving water infrastructure in underserved communities
  • developing COVID vaccines and other medicines
  • expanding domestic industry including the assembly of electric vehicles

For a small, natural resource-poor island, Cuba has achieved so much with so little and under such extraordinarily adverse conditions. The nation asks only that the jackboot of imperialism be lifted so that it may truly flourish.

International people’s solidarity must not allow these incredible achievements to be overlooked as we advocate for relief from the cruel blockade. We should describe this crisis  the same way that the Cuban leadership describes it – acknowledging the harms of US imperialism, but always stressing the achievements of the Cuban revolution and the power of solidarity and cooperation.

¡Venceremos!

Leading Organizers from the Following Organizations support this Cuba statement and the Call to Action.  

United National Antiwar Coalition, Cuba Si NY/NJ, International US-Cuba Normalization Conference, Venezuela Solidarity Network, US Peace Council, Alliance for Global Justice, SanctionsKill! Campaign, Resist U.S. Led War Movement, Black Alliance for Peace, International League of Peoples Struggles, Americas Without Sanctions, Chicago ALBA Solidarity, Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition, Task Force on the Americas, International Action Center, Veterans For Peace, Code Pink NY, National Lawyers Guild, Anti War Action Network, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Bronx Antiwar, Compas de la Diaspora, Struggle for Socialism Party, Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle, Diaspora Pa’lante Collective, National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), Workers World Party

(This statement was initiated by the SanctionsKill Campaign.)

Add your support and help to circulate this statement.






Originally posted, May 5th, atblackallianceforpeace.com/bapstatements/cuba-imperial-warfare



For Peace in the Americas, We Must Defend Cuba Against U.S. Imperialist Warfare



The U.S. Presidential Executive Order, “Imposing Sanctions on Those Responsible for Repression in Cuba and for Threats to United States National Security and Foreign Policy,” signed on May 1, 2026, International Workers' Day, marks both an escalation of existing policy and a qualitative shift toward total economic warfare, deploying starvation as an instrument of statecraft. The timing of this escalation is not incidental. Issued amid renewed U.S. rhetoric around exerting control over Cuba, the EO signals an effort to consolidate that control in a moment of deepening crisis for U.S. imperialism. 


By broadening sanctions to target any entity or individual deemed a "material supporter" of the Cuban government, authorizing secondary sanctions against third-party financial institutions worldwide, reinforcing energy constraints on fuel procurement, and invoking dubious national security designations, the Order effectively criminalizes basic economic survival. These provisions extend U.S. economic warfare beyond its borders, coercing foreign banks, suppliers, and intermediaries to cut off even routine transactions with Cuba or risk punishment and exclusion from the dollar-dominated financial system. Weaponizing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) isolates Cuba from the global financial system entirely, collectively punishing not just the state but every Cuban citizen seeking medicine, food, or electricity. Beyond Cuba, from Haiti to Venezuela, from Nicaragua to Grenada, the U.S. utilizes political subversion, economic coercion, and military attack to enforce ‘full spectrum dominance’ in the Americas.


Cuba is under attack because its revolutionary project poses an existential threat to U.S. hegemony. For over sixty years, a small island under the most brutal economic embargo in modern history has built a society with universal healthcare, free education, and a life expectancy that rivals the Global North's, without submitting to IMF austerity, World Bank structural adjustment, or U.S. corporate domination. The Order’s provisions targeting "foreign actors" and "security concerns" function as transparent pretexts to intensify economic strangulation at a moment of vulnerability in Cuba as it recovers from pandemic-driven tourism collapse, tighten the noose on its hard-won energy independence, and preempt any deepening relationships with China, Russia, or Global South partners.


For BAP, this Executive Order must also be understood within the current geopolitical moment. It echoes and reinforces U.S. offensives against Venezuela, aiming to break the Bolivarian Revolution, and Iran, whose own targeting under maximalist pressure campaigns mirrors Cuba’s isolation. Furthermore, the Order weaponizes dollar dependence to coerce Caribbean states into continuing to abandon their historic solidarity with Cuba, punishing regional integration. In this context, the Executive Order is a unilateral bid to shatter the emerging call for a Zone of Peace in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is why ending unilateral coercive measures (i.e., imperialist sanctions), returning Guantanamo Bay to Cuba, and dismantling the U.S. Southern Command ‘Southcom’ infrastructures throughout Our Americas are fundamental requirements for peace in the region.


This escalation follows a campaign of narrative warfare of so-called “anti-Blackness in Cuba” aimed at isolating Cuba from African nations and from African/ Black people living within the U.S. The Cuban Revolution’s deepest gift is its unbroken refusal to bend. Cuba is a living demonstration that dignity, not profit, can organize a society. Those who claim the legacy of anti-imperialism cannot be silent. Now is the time to stand with the people of Cuba as fiercely as possible. The world must answer this Executive Order not with statements, but with organized resistance.




Para Alcanzar la Paz en las Américas, Defendamos a Cuba contra los Ataques Imperialistas de Estados Unidos



La Orden Ejecutiva Presidencial de EE. UU. titulada “Imposición de sanciones a los responsables de la represión en Cuba y de amenazas a la seguridad nacional y la política exterior de Estados Unidos,” firmada el 1 de mayo de 2026, Día Internacional de los Trabajadores, supone tanto una escalada de la política existente como un giro cualitativo hacia una guerra económica total, en la que se utiliza el hambre como instrumento de política estatal. El momento en que se produce esta escalada no es casual. Emitida en medio de una renovada retórica estadounidense en torno al ejercicio del control sobre Cuba, la Orden Ejecutiva señala un esfuerzo por consolidar ese control en un momento de crisis cada vez más profunda para el imperialismo estadounidense.


Al ampliar las sanciones para apuntar a cualquier entidad o individuo considerado un “colaborador material” del gobierno cubano, autorizar sanciones secundarias contra instituciones financieras de terceros en todo el mundo, reforzar las restricciones energéticas en la adquisición de combustible e invocar designaciones dudosas de seguridad nacional, la Orden criminaliza de manera efectiva la supervivencia económica básica. Estas disposiciones extienden la guerra económica de EE. UU. más allá de sus fronteras, coaccionando a bancos, proveedores e intermediarios extranjeros para que corten incluso las transacciones rutinarias con Cuba o se arriesguen a ser sancionados y excluidos del sistema financiero dominado por el dólar. El uso de la Ley de Poderes Económicos de Emergencia Internacional (IEEPA) como arma aísla a Cuba por completo del sistema financiero global, castigando colectivamente no sólo al Estado, sino a todos los ciudadanos cubanos que buscan medicamentos, alimentos o electricidad. Más allá de Cuba, desde Haití hasta Venezuela, desde Nicaragua hasta Granada, Estados Unidos utiliza la subversión política, la coacción económica y el ataque militar para imponer el “dominio en todo el espectro” en las Américas.


Cuba está bajo ataque porque su proyecto revolucionario representa una amenaza existencial para la hegemonía estadounidense. Durante más de sesenta años, una pequeña isla sometida al embargo económico más brutal de la historia moderna ha construido una sociedad con salud universal, educación gratuita y una esperanza de vida que rivaliza con la del Norte Global, sin someterse a la austeridad del FMI, al ajuste estructural del Banco Mundial ni al dominio corporativo de Estados Unidos. Las disposiciones de la Orden dirigidas a “actores extranjeros” y “preocupaciones de seguridad” funcionan como pretextos transparentes para intensificar el estrangulamiento económico en un momento de vulnerabilidad en Cuba, mientras se recupera del colapso del turismo provocado por la pandemia, para apretar el lazo sobre su independencia energética ganada con tanto esfuerzo y para impedir cualquier profundización de las relaciones con China, Rusia o socios del Sur Global.


Para el BAP, esta Orden Ejecutiva también debe entenderse en el contexto geopolítico actual. Se hace eco y refuerza las ofensivas de EE. UU. contra Venezuela, con el objetivo de quebrantar la Revolución Bolivariana, y contra Irán, cuya propia persecución mediante campañas de presión maximalistas refleja el aislamiento de Cuba. Además, la Orden utiliza la dependencia del dólar como arma para coaccionar a los Estados del Caribe a que sigan abandonando su histórica solidaridad con Cuba, castigando así la integración regional. En este contexto, la Orden Ejecutiva es un intento unilateral de hacer añicos el llamado emergente a una Zona de Paz en América Latina y el Caribe. Por eso, poner fin a las medidas coercitivas unilaterales (es decir, las sanciones imperialistas), devolver la Bahía de Guantánamo a Cuba y desmantelar las infraestructuras del Comando Sur de EE. UU. (Southcom) en toda Nuestra América son requisitos fundamentales para la paz en la región.


Esta escalada sigue a una campaña de guerra narrativa sobre el llamado “anti-negrismo en Cuba”, destinada a aislar a Cuba de las naciones africanas y de las personas africanas y negras que viven en los Estados Unidos. El regalo más profundo de la Revolución Cubana es su inquebrantable negativa a ceder. Cuba es una demostración viva de que la dignidad, y no el lucro, puede organizar una sociedad. Quienes reivindican el legado del antiimperialismo no pueden permanecer en silencio.


Ahora es el momento de apoyar al pueblo de Cuba con toda la firmeza posible. El mundo debe responder a esta Orden Ejecutiva no con declaraciones, sino con resistencia organizada.




This is the 997th post on DS.


No comments: