Annotated Source List

Smit, Laura. Personal interview. 31 Aug. 2015.

This was a productive and informative interview with Ms. Smit, the head of the
cultural and international programs at the Columbia Association. I learned about the
various programs that I could participate in during a potential internship, including
but not limited to sister city meetings, language cafe, cultural events and helping set
up the Spanish exchange. I learned that the CA currently has three sister city
programs(Spain, France, and Ghana) and is currently trying to develop a program
with a town in Hati.
Smit, Laura. Personal interview. 15 Sept. 2015.
This was also a highly informative interview with Ms. Smit but the session also raised
some serious concerns. I discovered some more details regarding the time
commitment involved in an internship at the Columbia Association; I would have to
come into the office at least once a week and might be excepted to put in a few more
hours than I had originally thought. I also learned that the opportunities, and perhaps
expectations, involved in the internship are in general higher than I had thought;
during the interview Ms. Smit continuously named various projects that I could and
apparently should get involved with. Overall I believe this interview has shown me
that the Columbia Association internship is too intense to balance with my bridgeway
internship.
Lorenzo, Edwin, and Yahaira Matias. Personal interview. 6 Sept. 2015.
The main purpose of this interview with the leaders of the Hispanic ministry at
Bridgeway was to find out about the various opportunities available at an internship
at the Church. I learned that I could help at a Monday Spanish class for intermediate
and beginner students and a sort of ESOL class. I also learned that Bridgeway
provides a simultaneous translation service for its 12:00 Sunday services; the leaders
of the ministry kindly informed me that I could occasionally be in charge of that
interpretation.
Lindaman, Dana, and Kyle Roy Ward. History Lessons: How Textbooks from around the
World Portray U.S. History. New York: New, 2004. Print.
This book describes how U.S. history is taught in foreign countries, specifically
through their textbooks. The book includes small excerpts from foreign textbooks
and offers a very brief commentary on the themes involved in the passages. There are
several excerpts from Cuban history textbooks discussing subjects from Columbus to
the Missile Crisis. The book also contains other countries perspectives on U.S.
Cuban history.

This book provides a very useful insight into Cuban society, government and
education. While I was in Cuba I tried very hard to get my hands on a Cuban history
textbook but was unfortunately unable to do so; this is the next best opportunity.
Obviously the Cuban perspective on most the U.S. historical issues had a certain slant,
but it is also interest to notice that many historical facts were actually portrayed
accurately.
Mirrof, Nick. "Havana's Hottest Spot Is a Crowded Ramp to WiFi Bliss." Washington Post.
The Washington Post, n.d. Print. 08 Oct. 2015.
This article discussed the recent phenomenon of increasing internet connectivity for
the Cuban people. The article focused on how the Cuban government has set up
public Wifi in prominent parts of Havana for public consumption and the various
affects of this. The author described how various semi-black market activities have
cropped up around the new business and how social activity is beginning to be
affected by the new trend.
The article was rather useful but I wish the article had described the associated cost of
Wifi. The catch with many aspects of life in Cuba is that to get decent services one
needs either connections, cash or both. The article seemed to portray that the wifi
was public and therefore free, but everything that I heard about in Cuba seemed to
point that all wifi was very expensive. Perhaps the information in the article
represents a major departure from former policy but regardless this discrepancy
should be clarified.
"Poll: Majority of Cubans Welcome Warmer Relations with the U.S." Washington Post. The
Washington Post, n.d. Print. 08 Oct. 2015.
This was a independent poll of Cuban citizens living in Cuba regarding a multitude of
political, social and economic issues. The numbers of the poll seem to indicate that a
large number of Cubans still want to leave the island, that they are dissatisfied with
the current economic situation but more divided about the political situation. The poll
numbers also indicate that a majority of Cuban are interested in beginning a business.
I think the numbers and data from the poll are very interesting and somewhat support
my conclusions from my trip there. However I would be interested in getting more
information regarding the sample size of the data, what regions of the country the
data came from and how the data was collected. Cuba is a notoriously hard country
for international organizations to get access to, so I am curious as to the
circumstances of how this poll came to be.
Tiffany, Tonya, and Augustn. Personal interview. 4 Sept. 2015.
The purpose of this interview was to discuss Cuban-American relations and to assure
Ms. Tiffany, the leader of the Howard County Republicans club, of the validity of my
arguments and presentation about the Cuban embargo. Augustn, a Cuban-American
who fled from Cuba during the revolution, generaly disagreed with my views and

tried to present many of his own opposing viewpoints. I believe some of his
arguments certainly have some validity, and I plan on following up on many of the
statements and arguments that he posited during the conversation. However I do
believe that overall Augustins personal experience, and the fact that he has not been
back to Cuba since the 1960s, might have blinded him a little bit to the complexity
and multi-faceted nature of U.S. Cuban relations today.
Miroff, Nick. "Is Cuba on the Verge of Major Political Reform?" Washington Post. The
Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2015. Print. 20 Sept. 2015.
This article provided a nuanced and in-depth analysis of the current political situation
in Cuba. It discussed the recent online forum conversation that the Cuban
government actually sponsored as a sort of Question and Answer session about the
course of the Cuban Government. The article also made the important distinction
between the Cuban government beginning to accept criticism, which was the most
surprising element of the online forum, and then actually responding to that criticism.
The article also provided a good summary of the general state of politics in Cuba,
specifically the impending resignation of Raul Castro.
I believe that this article is highly relevant and important to my studies on Cuba. It
provides a very solid foundation on reviewing and summarizing the current political
climate of Cuba. It was sufficiently nuanced and provided a variety of perspectives,
both arguing how change could or could not occur within a few years. It also brought
some relevant perspectives and primary sources from current Cuban websites, which
could provide background for further investigation.

1. Ana Quintana, Political Analyst at Heritage Foundation

2. Castro's Marielitos For Medicaid Investors Buisness Daily
3. Cuba in the Cross-Hairs: A Near Half-Century of Terror, Noam Chomsky
4. Cuba Kids To March in Elian's Honor, Associated Press
5. Cuba Program, Columbia University
6. Cuba: Tenfold Increase in Religious Freedom Violations in 2015, Capitol Hill Cubans
7. Cuba, World Food Programme
8. Cuban Troops in Syria?, Cuba Transition Project
9. Cuba's Widespread Piracy Culture, NPR
10. Exiled Cubans Living in Spain See Benefits Dry Up, New York Times
11. Frank Calzon, Head of a Center for a Free Cuba
12. Health tourism boom in Cuba, BBC News
13. Hopes for Democracy Wont Stay Buried in Cuba, Frank Calzon.
14. How Warming U.S.- Cuban relations Could Spell Trouble for Puerto Rican Muni
Bonds, Forbes.
15. Inside Marco Rubios CubaThe Way He Sees It, FoxNews
16. Iran, Cuba and now North Korea? Obama signals he is ready to talk with Kim Jongun, Foxnews

17. Luis Rumbaut, Cuban American Alliance

18. National poll of Cubans, March 17-25, 2015, Washington Post
19. New Import Rules for Cuba Represent Historic Change, Miami Herald
20. Obama's Celebrity Circus Goes to Havana, Provides Castro Cover, Capitol Hill
Cubans
21. Obama: No Clemency for Violent Criminals in Iran Swap, But Yes for Cuba
22. OEC-Cuba(CUB) Exports- atlas.media.mit.edu
23. Optimism and Anger Follow Obamas Cuba Announcement, Polly Mosendz
24. Peace Corps in Cuba? You Heard It Here First, Huffington Post
25. People and Power- Cuba: The Times are Changing, Al Jazera
26. Russian Ambassador Thanks Cuba For Supporting its Actions in Syria, Capitol Hill
Cubans
27. Senator Menendez on Cuba Sanctions, Center for a Free Cuba.
28. Since Obama Deal, Number of Self-Employed Licensees in Cuba Drops, Capitol Hill
Cubans.
29. Statement on Latest Round of Obama's Cuba Regulatory Changes
30. The Latest on Travel To Cuba, Victoriat Burret, New York Times
31. The Pope's Visit Will Stretch Cuba's Overworked Hotels And Eateries, NPR
32. The truths and tales of Cuban healthcare, Aljzeera
33. The unlikely chance of a serious human rights debate in Cuba, Louise Tillotson, Cuba
researcher at Amnesty International
34. Tricky Negotiations in the Wake of the Cuban Thaw, Washington post
35. U.S. Trade Embargo on Cuba just Hit 55 years, Merill Fabry.
36. Urgent: Cuban Dissidents Protest Chief Prosecutor's Office, Castro Launches
Manhunt, Capitol Hill Cubans
37. Very patient investors hope to get paid on Cuban debt, Michelle Caruso-Cabera,
CNBC
38. What Happens the Day After Pope Francis Leaves Cuba?, The Atlantic
39. Within the Past Year: Assad, Putin and Castro Ties ,Capitol Hill Cubans
40. WSJ: Cubas Democrats Need U.S. Support, Capitol Hill Cubans.