Alex Cuba's twisty route to Vail Soul Music Festival

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Ricardo Baca. Denver Post Pop Music Critic.08/19/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT. Cuban-born singer-songwriter Alex Cuba has a catalog of music that skips from funk to soul, jazz to pop. "My songwriting is,most of the time, very spontaneous," he says. "I'll hear something and then I go with what I feel." (Provided by Vail Soul Music Festival). When the Vail Soul Music Festival takes over the posh alpine hamlet tonight and Saturday, fans will be treated to a modest selection of international talent that helps define what soul music is in 2011. Read More

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Tensions In China; Travel To Cuba Easier

<p style="text-align: justify;">By LARRY HABEGGER And ANDREW DAVIS Special to The Courant. August 21, 2011. WORLD TRAVEL WATCH is a weekly report designed to help you make informed judgments about travel. Conditions can change overnight, so always make your own inquiries before leaving home. In the U.S., contact the State Department at 888-407-4747, 317-472-2328 or 202-647-5225, or travel.state.gov; abroad, check in with the nearest American embassy or consulate. Read More

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Cuban Singer Omara Portuondo Launches her Latest Record in Havana

<p style="text-align: justify;">HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 18(acn) Cuban singer Omara Portuondo launched her latest record "Gracias", which received a Latin Grammy Award, in the Karl Marx Theatre, in Havana. The show, directed by maestro Santiago Alfonso, was an opportunity for the singer to perform for the Cuban people and to share anecdotes, memories, and songs with her audience. Read More

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Cuban Yipsy Moreno Wins at the Folksam Challenge in Sweden

<p style="text-align: justify;">2011.08.19 - 09:23:55 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu.HAVANA, CUBA.-&nbsp; With a 73.65 meter throw, Cuban hammer thrower Yipsy Moreno became a winner on Thursday at the Folksam Challenge competition in the Swedish city of Eskilstuna. The World and Olympic multi-medalist, now training to participate in the upcoming World Championship of Daegu, South Korea, won over her rivals in an indisputable way since her first attempt, with a 70.74 throw, the Prensa Latina news agency reported. Read More

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Trans wedding in Cuba highlights growing tolerance

<p style="text-align: justify;">August 18, 2011. In a development considered unthinkable just a few years ago, a transgender woman and a man identifying himself as gay were married in a public wedding in Havana on Aug. 13, with family members, friends and newly emerging gay activists attending the ceremony.“This is the first wedding between a transsexual woman and a gay man,” the 31-year-old groom, Ignacio Estrada, told the Associated Press. “We celebrate it at the top of our voices and affirm that this is a step forward for the gay community in Cuba,” the AP quoted Estrada as saying. Read More

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