Time Banking in the UK

Time Banking in the UK What is Time Banking? Time Banking is a way to give and receive support to build strong communities and networks to the public. One last time helps earns about one hour for the Bank (also called time credits, the balance of the benefit, or $ time). Time banking is based on the magic of â€Å"Pay It Forward, in return, is a good idea leading to another and another. Time banking is formed when individuals or organizations agree to earn and spend hours to meet friends, neighbours and the needs of the larger community. Time banks ranging from small 15-20 members and 2000 or greater; Time banks can get in touch with some also. Each time bank is a unique reflection of its members, who are, for the dreams they have for their community, and what they chose to make and receive       How to earn time credits by doing something for you; No matter what that something. In return you earn a time credit in Time bank community. For example, if someone is working for one hour in his garden is similar to one hour of babysitting is similar to one hour of dentistry is similar spending time at home repair is similar to an hour of teaching to play chess. The possibilities are countless for Time banking. (TimeBanks, 2015): http://timebanks.org/what-is-timebanking/ History of Time Banking The creation of Time Banking is back to the creation of hours TimeBank â„ ¢ in 1980, the idea came to Dr. Edgar S. Cahn; co-founder of the National Program of Legal Services, author of our brothers keeper, and founder of the school Antioch right, He suffered a massive heart attack at age of 46; He was in hospital and sickness feel useless, he think about Time Bank hours as a unique and ultimately new currency to problem solution of enormous cuts in government expenditures on social welfare. If he does not have enough money to repair the old problems of our country and our society, Edgar thinks, the new way of making money to pay people the work they have done for themselves and societies? A Time Bank hour is all about the value of contributions everyone on the equal basis. Edgar developed his academic definition of why money should work in another way. He returned to the US and started to put service credits (not yet called TimeBank hours) service. . In early years since the currency has come a bouncing ride. After the initial enthusiasm by foundations, funds for trade TimeBank time dried up mid-1990s in the era of problems to keep afloat follow. This clash turned out into a time to dig and determine what made the hours of TimeBank Time Banking and unique tools for social change. In 1997, a convention TimeBank hours helped new groups and survivors identify what works. TimeBank Hours have become the backbone of a cross age tutoring program peer success in Chicago, a Maine Time Banks Network, and an hour TimeBank Youth Court in Washington, DC Time Banks USA became the center a small exchange network of independent TimeBank across the country. The deep understanding that has evolved following years towards to unique ways of adopting and talks for hours about TimeBanking as a tool for social change. It is the most important change involved in development of theory of Co -Production described in the book of Edgar, No More Throw Away People. UK History The idea of time banking was developed at the London School of Economics; by Washington law professor Edgar Cahn in 1986, which describes the idea that working as blood bank or babysitting club help a neighbor and then when you need it a neighbor most likely another will help the system based on equality one hour of help means a dollar of time, if the task is groceries or make a statement the tax credits kept in individual accounts in a bank on a personal safety. Credits and debits are counted regularly. Some banks offer monthly balance statements recording the flow of strong relation with banks. Time credits are simply the recognition of the time and efforts put in place. They are not supposed to be reward enough, and experience in the US shows that most are never spent; but they seem to be the kind of recognition that prevents people volunteering much longer than in conventional voluntary schemes. This simplest idea uses a broker at the end of the phone, and allows people to get credit for each hour of time they help in their local community The result is a equal level economy, using time as a medium of exchange, to put those assets to work forgotten meet forgotten needs, and in so doing make connections between people and rebuild a sense of trust (New economics 2015) http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/entry/time-banks Current Situation in UK: Weather in London banking is developing briskly and would not be as successful as it is without the great relationship between time banks. London network meets on regular basis to boost the interest of brokers and others meets to share their experiences and to help each other. We all are very lucky that we would be able to do this; our charitable donors Bridge City is the one whom we have to thank for providing us the opportunities and resources to do so. (New Year Update from London article 2015): http://www.timebanking.org/tag/london-2/ Challenges in UK: Challenge met Time banking in Wales in Cardiff and they show their passion in working together. They have a yacht race around the world 72 feet; they rent it with the discrimination of elderly and young people from 12 to 25 years are rented to increase personal and social skills, such as teamwork, communication, respect for others, responsibility in a positive way can making environment. Up to 12 people can participate in this experience together, which usually consists of 10 young people and two leaders of the group. Wales Challenge six crew on board will show you the ropes and give you the opportunity to sail the boat at all. (Time Banking UK Newsflashes April 2015): http://www.timebanking.org/category/tbuk-newsflashes/ How we implement Time banking In UK Timebanking UK will establish and appliance a source, free to use the platform to significantly reduce the barriers to entry for the creation, union or local TimeBanks management. Traditionally, the implementation of TimeBanking has been resource intensive, based on a time banking broker match supply and demand in community. UK Timebanking automates this process, reducing costs and barriers for organizations and individuals to establish and maintain a bank of time. Timebanking UK are built on proven open source software timebanking Weaver Community developed by TimeBanks US. This software will also open public; private along with community resources and make it easier to add projects timebanking scale. More importantly, promote the rapid scale by sharing time and skills; helping people to connect with one other to build sustainable communities. UK Timebanking is the national umbrella; TimeBanks linking and support across the UK, providing inspiration, guidance and practical help charity. It has more than 220 times from member banks and represents more than 20,000 timebankers throughout the UK, generating more than 1 million hours of support per year UK Timebanking would announce the following time banks that have been awarded by their Quality Mark in appreciation of best practice for: Implementation of operational use of our recommended safeguarding procedures Actively using all 3 models of timebanking Taking part in training and development activities for members and brokers Good governance practices Using coproduction for meaningfully involve members in running and development of time bank Having a long term sustainability plan Good monitoring and evaluation practices Having a comprehensive set of policies and procedures (Nesta.orh.uk 26MAY 2015, Time banking official website 26MAY 2015):  Nesta.orh.uk 26MAY 2015, Time banking official website 26MAY 2015:http://giving.nesta.org.uk/project/timebanking-uk/ http://www.timebanking.org/page/10/?sm-category#sthash.igcZgd18.dpuf How do we encourage participation? Two years ago Cheryl Hughes was a mother and housewife in Cardiff South Wales; She lacked confidence and was not sure I could achieve family life outside. She also wanted to buy goodies for your loved ones at times, but struggled financially. When he encountered Credits Timeplace time volunteering scheme, Hughes and his family were involved in the cleanup of the area and helped in community events in return for time credits that could be redeemed for holiday trips to the theater and other rewards. Hughess confidence grew and started his own local project, community mothers holding coffee mornings where people can take advantage of time to attend credits, access to a library of books and toys and more. Time credits eyes opened more than take care of my children, who of course I love to do, says Hughes. I never thought that will I be able to do anything for my dyslexia .To think this all started with garbage picking. From improving mental health to provide a door at work, now accepted wisdom that volunteering can bring many benefits to volunteers and people who are helping. But the rewarding volunteer with anything that has a tangible economic value is direct exchange has regular been controversial. Many people believe that volunteering should only be done altruistically without direct reward. Many were unhappy last year the time it was implied that volunteers receive a discount of municipal taxes. However, the rewards and exchanges are increasingly common and community groups and charities who run them feel they are useful, especially for those who are financially less well off. The currency system -Credits time taken by Cheryl Hughes is in charge of social spice company. The company has a network of local businesses and services involved in each area working in and try to unite communities through its system Time banking, the best known form for volunteers to gain something in return of their time, it has traditionally had a focus on sharing skills a person may be charged on credit obtained from an hour of volunteer work for an hour taught how to play guitar, for example. Weather banker Ian Toplis, Gloucester, said it would be unlikely to volunteer and non-profit and incentives. I really hate gardening and the main reason is that I can do something for someone and I have done my garden is a great incentive, says Toplis. I helped many of the elderly residents during digital conversion. I am out of the opinion that there are many people out there for example like me who have something to offer, but need an external drive and an extra incentive.Similar systems around the UK include your courage, Smartran Weather Miles rewards, and the Bank of attention. Community volunteer projects and have their way of either rewarding volunteers or exchange something with them. The draft community red brick building in Glastonbury all residents get cheap and event space desk but it offers their time to support local vulnerable people as part of the agreement. Voluntary schemes can see in action all over the world, too. Reward Volunteers 5.0 in the US and GEM project in South Africa both use mobile applications for volunteers to sign and hours of trade. In Japan, volunteers can deposit hours in order to cash in later life, when they could be less mobile and need help. A two-year evaluation by Spice launched last December found out that 45% of volunteers using time credits had never offered before. It does attract new volunteers and we need massive volunteer if we are to create local services, says Becky Booth, chief executive of social enterprise. The impact of spending is fantastic, he adds. For example, when we hear from people like the man who won credit for a rugby match and for the very first time in a very long time, stood up, shaved and left his shelter homeless during the day, is very encouraging. These they are the kind of results we are seeking. Time Banking UK chief executive Sarah Bird believes that such systems are the future of communities and looked at favorably by the commissioners. Were getting a lot of interest from local authorities they are interested to talk on time banks. Some have even become centers of volunteer time banking; we have a strong feelings that this is an excellent way to co-produce community services for the future she says. (The Guardian 26MAY 2015):http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/community-action-blog/2015/mar/30/time-banking-encouraging-new-volunteers How do we evaluate effectiveness? Time banking UK to explain how they work: Participants deposit of his time on the bench giving practical help and supports each other and are able to withdraw their time when they need something done by themselves as banks and Time. The value of all the different types of assistance and skills people can offer each other on a bench in time, every individual becomes at same time giver and a receiver time everyone is valued equally. An hour = 1 time credit. Evaluation of time banks has discovered they offer a number of benefits. The time bank assessment based on green Rushey GP surgery found that seemed to have benefits for the physical and psychological health of participants, although they were aware that it was difficult to link the banks participation time directly to their benefits. Time banks look like to be more impressive than the traditional routes of volunteering in attracting socially excluded sectors of population and work well as an instrument for social inclusion. An evaluation of a number of banks Seyfang time (2003) concluded, By promoting mutual volunteer build trust; social capital, reciprocity and community self-help among people who normally would be passive recipients of external assistance (2003, p 0.703) The latest research into the economic benefits of time banksdemonstrates that â€Å"Time banks, they use hours of time instead of pounds as a community currency, cost  £450 for each member every year, it can provide savings of more than  £1300 per member in the same period. Participants add their own skills, practical help or their personal assets in return for services provided by fellow time bank members.† Governance international 27 May 2015:http://www.govint.org/our-services/engagement/co-production-tree/timebanking-co-production-tree/

What Has Science Done For Your Life Lately?

Plenty. If you think science doesn't matter much to you, think again. Science affects us all, every day of the year, from the moment we wake up, all day long, and through the night. Your digital alarm clock, the weather report, the asphalt you drive on, the bus you ride in, your decision to eat a baked potato instead of fries, your cell phone, the antibiotics that treat your sore throat, the clean water that comes from your faucet, and the light that you turn off at the end of the day have all been brought to you courtesy of science. The modern world would not be modern at all without the understandings and technology enabled by science. To make it clear how deeply science is interwoven with our lives, just try imagining a day without scientific progress. Just for starters, without modern science, there would be:Ð ¢o way to use electricity. From Ben Franklin's studies of static and lightning in the 1700s, to Alessandro Volta's first battery, to the key discovery of the relationship between electricity and magnetism, science has steadily built up our understanding of electricity, which today carries our voices over telephone lines, brings entertainment to our televisions, and keeps the lights on.No plastic. The first completely synthetic plastic was made by a chemist in the early 1900s, and since then, chemistry has developed a wide variety of plastics suited for all sorts of jobs, from blocking bullets to making slicker dental floss.No modern agriculture. Science has transformed the way we eat today. In the 1940s, biologists began developing high-yield varieties of corn, wheat, and rice, which, when paired with new fertilizers and pesticides developed by chemists, dramatically increased the amount of food that could be harvested from a single field, ushering in the Green Revolution. These science-based technologies triggered striking changes in agriculture, massively increasing the amount of food available to feed the world and simultaneously transforming the economic structure of agricultural practices.No modern medicine. In the late 1700s, Edward Jenner first convincingly showed that vaccination worked. In the 1800s, scientists and doctors established the theory that many diseases are caused by germs. And in the 1920s, a biologist discovered the first antibiotic. From the eradication of smallpox, to the prevention of nutritional deficiencies, to successful treatments for once deadly infections, the impact of modern medicine on global health has been powerful. In fact, without science, many people alive today would have instead died of diseases that are now easily treated.Scientific knowledge can improve the quality of life at many different levels — from the routine workings of our everyday lives to global issues. Science informs public policy and personal decisions on energy, conservation, agriculture, health, transportation, communication, defense, economics, leisure, and exploration. It's almost impossible to overstate how ma ny aspects of modern life are impacted by scientific knowledge. Here we'll discuss just a few of these examples. You can investigate:Fueling technologyMaking strides in medicineGetting personalShaping society

The End of the Road

â€Å"Hell, And How I Got Here† by Brenda Medina and â€Å"Puzzle Pieces† by Barbara Parsons Lane are two short stories from the book Couldn’t Keep It To Myself by Wally Lamb. Medina and Lane are two women who are serving time in a maximum security prison. Brenda Lane is serving time for homicide and Barbara Parsons Lane is serving time for manslaughter. Brenda was involved in a gang-related killing while Barbara was convicted of killing her abusive husband. Each of these women lived their lives being subjected to abuse, yet each woman portrayed themselves differently.Brenda was determined to gain power and not feel like an outsider in her own life. She was determined to take control and she was longer going to be the â€Å"odd girl out† (148). Barbara was living life as a victim and saw only one way to end the abuse. She was victimized in a way that made her feel as if she had no way of escaping her nightmare. Brenda found ways to empower herself in order to find a place in the world as Barbara was belittled to the point where she felt she was too weak to be able to walk away . In â€Å"Hell, And How I Got Here,† Brenda went through life finding ways to gain power.Brenda felt like an outsider for much of her childhood. She spent many unhappy years at a private school, feeling that she didn’t belong. It was not until her high school years, that she finally felt liberated. It was at this time of her life when Brenda started trying to find ways to empower herself and gain the status she was dreaming of. During high school, Brenda started dating Manny, a member of a local gang, The Unidad. Brenda recalled that from the age of fourteen until she went to prison at the age of seventeen, â€Å"Manny ran through my veins† (152).Even though her mother disapproved of Manny, Brenda dated Manny, the boy with the â€Å"outlaw aura. † Going against her mother’s wishes made Brenda feel powerful. She was going to r un her own life from now on. As a child, Barbara was a lost little girl, just like Brenda. Her life was full of disappointments. At the age of four, Barbara was molested by a man she trusted, her grandfather. Looking for support and comfort, Barbara was finally able to find the strength to confide in her mother about what her grandfather had done to her.Instead of comfort, Barbara was told by her mother to never mention the molestation to anyone. â€Å"Don’t you ever say a word† (218). So she didn’t. Barbara became a quiet but a very angry little girl. Barbara’s mother was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and later hospitalized. Barbara was left to tend to the house she still shared with her alcoholic father and her two siblings. She had no one to go to and no one to talk to. Barbara resented her mother’s illness. She said the â€Å"illness had freed her brother and sister and made me a slave† (220).Barbara was the one left after her brother and sister moved out. Many years later, Barbara’s mother committed suicide. While dealing with her mother’s death, Barbara confided in her Aunt Ruth about her grandfather molesting her at a young age. Aunt Ruth told Barbara was molested by the same man, her father. Barbara did not understand why her mother just stood and watched while Barbara walked away, hand in hand, with the man she knew all too well. Two years before her mother took her own life, Barbara got married for the second time. She married a younger man named Mark.The disease she resented earlier in life was about to resurface and, once again, make her feel trapped. During their relationship, Manny grew to become controlling and abusive towards Brenda. He began to dictate the people she was allowed to see and what she could wear. Screaming at her after he ripped the skirt off of her, Manny yelled, â€Å"No girl of mine’s gonna strut herself like a little slut! † (161) Manny also b ecame physically and started cheating on Brenda as well. Anytime Brenda threatened to break up with Manny, he begged and cried for her to stay.Brenda always stayed and she always forgave him. She loved to hear Manny tell her how much her loved and that he only wanted him for herself. Brenda loved the feeling she had by hearing Manny beg for to stay. She felt powerful. Feeling anything but powerful, Barbara was beginning to live a life of being controlled by an abusive husband. Mark became abusive emotionally and physically towards Barbara. The things he said to her were intended to make her feel insignificant and make her feel that she had no choice but to stay. â€Å"Some days he drinks from noon until late at night.If I challenge him or question him, I’m told I’m an ‘inconvenience’—his code for: watch out† (225). Being told she was an inconvenience by her husband happened on a regular basis. Mark was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, j ust like her mother. He drank alcohol in order to medicate himself and began having an affair with a fifteen year old girl. Mark openly talked about it to Barbara, adding to her feelings of inadequacy. She ended up having to quit her job because of the abuse and the unpredictability of her home life.Barbara was once again feeling imprisoned, just as she did as a hild. Brenda’s relationship with Manny was everything she was looking for. She had found her place in the world. However, Brenda was still feeling left out when it came to Manny, the gang, and their secrets. Brenda had never thought about joining a gang until she talked a â€Å"sister† of the gang. Erika persuaded Brenda to join because of the feeling of â€Å"family† the Unidad gave Erika. Brenda liked the idea and also knew she would no longer feel like an outsider. Brenda longed for the feeling of belonging and knew that her being a member of the gang would bring her and Manny closer.There would no lo nger be secrets between them. Barbara was living the life in which she was subjected to verbal and physical abuse from her husband. She had to listen to him talk about the affair he was having, being completely humiliated by it. Barbara even contemplated suicide at one point. Barbara lived her life feeling as if there was no way out. Mark’s belittling words were etched in her mind. Those words had the power of making Barbara believe she was destined to stay. If she chose to leave, he would kill her. Barbara felt as if she did not have any options at all.She felt completely powerless. Brenda was feeling anything but powerless. Manny, being a member of a gang, had power. Brenda felt that by being his girlfriend gave her power. Despite the fact that Manny was abusive, Brenda felt empowered knowing that she had found her place in this world with Manny. She believed that without her boyfriend, she would not have a place. The one thing Brenda always wanted was to belong. She longer felt like an outsider when she was with Manny. At the beginning of their relationship, Manny told her â€Å"I’m safe with you.And you are safe here† (156). That was precisely what Brenda was looking for. She was no longer the â€Å"odd girl out† (148). She was Manny’s girl. She was a member of the Unidad. She had power. What Brenda decided to do with the power she had obtained with the joining gang would be a life changing decision. The only way Barbara had the power to remove herself from the abuse was to file for divorce. Taking the step to file was a huge and terrifying decision for Barbara to make. It was so worrisome in fact that she tried to stop the process.After Mark was served the papers, he took Barbara to a secluded cabin in the woods, making sure she was fully aware that he had brought guns along on the trip. The trip that Mark planned had one purpose: he wanted to remind Barbara that her only option was to remain a devoted wife. If she tried leaving him, he would â€Å"terminate† her. Mark made it clear many times how easy it would be for him to do. During the trip to the cabin, after Barbara asked him if he went to cabin just to target shoot, Mark replied with, â€Å"No, I came all this way to show you how easy it would be to make you disappear† (230).Barbara knew divorce was out of the question. He would kill her before he granted her one. Although the trip put a divorce out of the question, it made Barbara realize there was only one option left. In order for her to free herself and to escape the trap of an abusive marriage, she would have to kill Mark before he killed her. Brenda and Barbara were both victims of abuse. That is where the similarities end. All Brenda wanted was to become someone other than the â€Å"outsider. † She was abused by her gang member boyfriend. She used that to threaten her boyfriend of leaving him.Brenda felt powerful when would hear Manny beg for her to stay. She fina lly felt like she was somebody. She was no longer an outsider of the â€Å"odd girl out† (148). Barbara was abused and belittled to the point where it made her think of herself as a weakling. She felt it was impossible to free herself from her nightmare. Brenda tried to escape but she always backed down because of how her husband made her think she was weak. Feeling empowered and feeling victimized are at the opposite end of the spectrum, yet they sometimes end up meeting at the end of the same road.

Relationship between Cuba and the United States - 1430 Words

More than fifty years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Cuba is still a ruthless nation. Cuba has tried to become a peaceful nation. Cuba has resources that are very effective in the rise of a country. Countries like the United States don’t want to trade with Cuba after the conflict. However, this is just a hypothesis. Both countries have been at each other since Fidel Castro came into power in 1959. Castro began a revolution and overthrew Fulgencio Bastista, who was the president of Cuba at the time. Cuba became a Communist country under the rule of Castro. He started making deals with Russia, the mother country of Russia. Not only that, he started to increase taxes on American imports. The government made the decision to ban any form of export to Cuba. President John F. Kennedy made it into an embargo that made restrictions on traveling. The United States wanted to overthrow the government which angered Cuba. In response, they allowed the Soviet Union to build a missile base. The United States found out these plans and made a demand to destroy the base for good. This resulted in the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Crisis ended with an agreement. The agreement was that Cuba will destroy the base if the United States doesn’t invade their country. Cuba lost about 1.126 Trillion dollars all because of trade restrictions. This embargo has affected Cuba dramatically. Raul Castro, the brother of Fiedel Castro, wrote a speech in 1996. His speech included the economic was failing. TheShow MoreRelatedThe Relationship Between United States And Cuba1504 Words   |  7 Pagesecently the United States and Cuba have been making news due to a possible reconciling between the two nations. In 2016 President Obama visited the leader of Cuba, Raà ºl Castro. This was a big deal because he was the first president to visit the country since Calvin Coolidge. Raul Castro took over office following the death of Fidel Castro. Fidel was a strong supporter of the communist part y and many of his ideas regarding running Cuba were very radical and not supported by the United States. He wasRead MoreRelationship Between Cuba And The United States2075 Words   |  9 Pages Recently, the relationship between Cuba and the United States has been a leading story in the news. It has been reported that the U.S. government is heading towards normalization with the tiny island country. This is in contrast to the history of the two countries. Beginning directly after the communist revolution in Cuba, which began in the late 1950’s, the two countries halted all diplomatic relations. Additionally, the conditions in Cuba worsened, and the economy crashed. Since 1980, hundredsRead MoreRelationship Between United States And Cuba765 Words   |  4 Pages Trade Between U.S. and Cuba Zoe McDowell Randolph Community College Since 1961, the United States and Cuba have had no relations with one another, and have used Switzerland as a mediator for the two countries to communicate (Suddath, 2009). This is beginning to change; the U.S and Cuba did business and trade together long ago, but when the U.S. found that Cuba allowed the Soviet Union to build missile bases in Cuba, along with other things leading up to this down-fall,Read MoreUnited States and Cuba Foreign Policy891 Words   |  4 PagesUnited States and Cuba Foreign Policy Cuba and the United States of America have had an interesting relationship since before their independences. This relationship has struggled since before Fidel Castro came into power. Castro being as autocratic as he became, or less antagonistic to the US policies could have made the relationship less adversarial (Jentleson). The relationship between the two countries was not bad prior to the Spanish American War. The outcome of this period was U.S. defeatingRead MoreCuban-Russian Relations1710 Words   |  7 Pages With a relationship dating back to before Fidel Castro’s installment into power, Russia and Cuba have both played major roles in the development and regression of each other’s economies and societies. The first official diplomatic relationship between the Soviet Union and Cuba began developing during World War II, in 1943. With the establishment of the first Soviet embassy by Maxim Litvinov, stationed in Havana, Cuba; this was after Cuba gained its independence from the United States in 1902Read MoreBay of Pigs and Realism1563 Words   |  7 Pagesbeach in southern Cuba. Backed by former president Dwight Eisenhower, endorsed by current president John F. Kennedy, and masterminded by the Central Intelligence Agency, the plan to overthrow Fidel Castro, Prime Minister of Cuba, had been months in the making (Dunne 1). By the summer of 1959, as former Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista was overtaken by Castro, charges of communist takeover in Cuba were rampant in Washington, especially in Congress (Dunne 5). With the United States embroiled in the ColdRead MoreThe United States And Cuba Essay1008 Words   |  5 PagesThe United States and Cuba The United States is the leader of the free world. The United States exercises strength in this role through trade agreements and military strength. Because of this, the foreign policies the United States puts into place greatly affect the economies of other countries. This is especially true of Cuba. The island of Cuba is just over 100 miles south of the Florida border. The United States and Cuba have struggled to find common ground in regards to foreign policy overRead MoreEssay on Media Analysis of Coverage of One Event1230 Words   |  5 Pagesarticles written about Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco’s visit to Cuba, the emphases are placed on different points, as the event is described from various angles. The Cuban newspaper Granma goes into more depth about Blanco and her entourage’s activities during their visit to Cuba, as well as giving a more detailed background of pertinent information about United States-Cuba relations, in the context of the embargo. La Nueva Cuba approaches the event from a different angle by providing more specificsRead MoreThe United States1267 Words   |  6 Pagesannounced in September 2015 that the United States would loosen a variety of economic restrictions on Cuba. This announcement came in the wake of a â€Å"diplomatic thaw† beginning in December 2014 with the intention of normalizing p olitical, social, and economic relations between the two nations. While Cuba remains under restrictions imposed by the 1960 Cuban Embargo, the steps taken by the Obama administration represent a critical step forward in ensuring a stable Cuba. In the following paper I argue thatRead MoreCuba In Revolution By Antoni Kapcia Discusses Social Change1191 Words   |  5 PagesCuba in revolution by Antoni Kapcia discusses social change and how the world needs to think about Cuba separate from Europe. The book is a well written history that summarizes Cuba in the 1950’s as its own branch of socialism and not an extension of the Soviet Union. It also gave new insight to the ideas of Castro. The books downfall is that it was for the Castro regime, which alienated some readers from the main point of his argument. One of the book’s main arguments is that Cuba is not extent