Tuesday, February 11, 2014

How Many People Really Have Bought Insurance in the Exchange?

Bob Laszewski: My informal survey can’t be too precise, but I can say with pretty good confidence that based upon the drop-outs so far, about 20% of the 3.1 million people the administration has said have enrolled through January are not going to stick. That means the real number is closer to about 2.5 million. […]



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Brazil is a TRUE DEMOCRACY!





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Dental Clinics in Mexico in High Demand from US Patients - Virtual-Strategy Magazine (press release)









Dental Clinics in Mexico in High Demand from US Patients

Virtual-Strategy Magazine (press release)

Tolga Umar, CEO of VisitandCare.com, announced today that the company has seen a dramatic 62 percent increase in patients traveling to Mexico over the last 3 years. While the medical tourism company connects patients worldwide to specialists of ...









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¿Es Cierto Que los Inmigrantes Están Destinados a Darle la Espalda al Partido Republicano?

El último pronóstico catastrófico sobre la política inmigratoria viene de la mano de un informe publicado por el grupo conservador Eagle Forum. En el mismo, los autores advierten a los sectores conservadores sobre el terrible impacto que la llegada de nuevos inmigrantes tendrá en el futuro electoral del Partido Republicano. Aunque esta idea no es [...]



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Majority of Americans Favor Ties With Cuba, Poll Finds





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New Nicaragua constitution is law

Changes to Nicaragua's constitution come into effect, paving the way for its leader, Daniel Ortega, to run for a third consecutive term in 2016.



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Puerto Rico's debt cut to junk

Fitch Ratings joins Standard and Poor's and Moody's in cutting Puerto Rico's debt to junk status, as the island's debt problems worsen.



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Quote of the Day

Every Republican health-care reform plan in history has served the same purpose: to enable Republican politicians to say that they do indeed have a health-care reform plan, in order to block Democrats from enacting a health-care reform plan. - Jonathan Chait



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Mayoría de los estadounidenses apoya la normalización de las relaciones con Cuba

La mayoría de los estadounidenses está a favor de cambiar la política de Washington hacia Cuba tras más de medio siglo de bloqueo hacia la isla, según una encuesta publicada hoy. De acuerdo con el sondeo, elaborado por el centro de pensamiento bipartidista Atlantic Council, el 56 por ciento de los estadounidenses favorece un "cambio" en la política hacia la isla.



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Convocan a segunda vuelta electoral en el Salvador

El Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) convocó hoy formalmente a los salvadoreños a participar en la segunda vuelta electoral, a realizarse el 9 de marzo. El presidente del TSE, Eugenio Chicas, en cadena de radio y televisión, anunció que, de cara a esa fecha, el Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN) y la Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (Arena) vuelven a la contienda.



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Rusia condena ampliación de sanciones contra Irán

La ampliación de las sanciones contra Irán no tiene ninguna legitimidad y deteriora la solución del problema nuclear, dijo sobre las nuevas medidas represivas de EE.UU. el vicecanciller ruso Serguéi Riabkov. "Las sanciones de EE.UU. no tienen y no pueden tener ninguna base legítima. Estas sanciones contradicen el desarrollo normal de las relaciones internacionales, y en esta situación obstaculizan el progreso de las negociaciones", subrayó el vicecanciller, agregando que Rusia condena este tipo de medidas.



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Door open for Air NZ to fly to Latin America - New Zealand Herald









Door open for Air NZ to fly to Latin America

New Zealand Herald

Air New Zealand's proposed alliance with Singapore Airlines - a deal that could be done by the end of the year - could be extended to Latin America, providing feed for a potential new route which would otherwise not be viable. "Air NZ has been eager ...









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Mapping Conflicts Between Indigenous Peoples and Corporations in Latin ... - Global Voices Online









Mapping Conflicts Between Indigenous Peoples and Corporations in Latin ...

Global Voices Online

This map aims to collect cases of conflict that arise due to the presence of transnational corporations -mainly those with headquarters in Spain- in the territories of indigenous peoples in Latin America. In Otramérica [es], Diego Jiménez from Codpi adds:.









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New ethical Latin America travel company continues to grow - Travel Daily News International








Travel Daily News International



New ethical Latin America travel company continues to grow

Travel Daily News International

Ethical travel company Sumak Sustainable Travel adds eight new Latin America destinations in its second year of operation. Patagonia, Ecuador, the Colombian Sierra Nevada and Chicamocha Canyon, the Galapagos Islands, Peru, Costa Rica & Uruguay.









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4 nations accounting for half of Latin America's economic output sign pact to ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune









4 nations accounting for half of Latin America's economic output sign pact to ...

Minneapolis Star Tribune

CARTAGENA, Colombia — The presidents of four nations collectively responsible for half of Latin America's economic output have signed an accord to eliminate tariffs on 92 percent of the products they trade. The presidents of Colombia, Chile, Mexico ...









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Is ObamaCare Unraveling?

Bob Laszewski: The administration really has three options: Full speed ahead––enforce all of the original rules. Just take the political heat believing you have crafted a system that will work. This is what they have been telling us for almost four years now! Do a comprehensive and rational fix that provides for a modified system […]



via John Goodman's Health Policy Blog http://ift.tt/Nz1Ia1

After trip to Cuba, Tester says it's time to close Guantanamo - The Missoulian









After trip to Cuba, Tester says it's time to close Guantanamo

The Missoulian

... weeks ago urged Congress to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. Five years ago, Obama signed an executive order to close Guantanamo, but Congress passed restrictions on transferring detainees, which stifled efforts to draw down the prison population.









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Poll: Most Americans Support Lifting Embargo Against Cuba - Newsmax.com









Poll: Most Americans Support Lifting Embargo Against Cuba

Newsmax.com

President Barack Obama said in November that it is time for the United States "to continue to update our policies" toward Cuba. Obama has lifted some restrictions on Cuban-Americans by allowing them to travel and send money to the country more easily.









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Time for a new policy on Cuba - MiamiHerald.com








The Moderate Voice



Time for a new policy on Cuba

MiamiHerald.com

President Obama has already relaxed some facets of our Cuba policy, lifting restrictions on Cuban-American travel and remittances, which have had positive effects. Anecdotally, U.S. remittances have been crucial in allowing Cuban entrepreneurs to take ...

Obama 'Deals Blow' to Dream of Latin American Integration (El Mundo, Colombia)









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Women ride to rescue Chile valley

Indigenous women ride to protect Patagonian valley



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Bell reduces roaming prices for customers travelling to Cuba - MobileSyrup.com








The Periscope Post



Bell reduces roaming prices for customers travelling to Cuba

MobileSyrup.com

Quick update for those heading to get away from the cold and heading off to Cuba. Thanks to “ongoing negotiations with international telecom suppliers,” Bell has dropped the price of its roaming rates for Cuba. Effective today, the “significant ...

Bell offers reduced mobile roaming costs for travel to Cuba

Bell reduces mobile roaming prices for Cuba









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EU to open trade talks with Cuba - EUobserver









EU to open trade talks with Cuba

EUobserver

BRUSSELS - EU foreign ministers on Monday (10 February) agreed to open talks on a trade and political relationship with Cuba, raising the prospect of a new era in relations between Brussels and Havana. The talks on a so-called "Bilateral Political ...









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Honduras suspends eight US consuls

Eight Honduran consuls working in the US are suspended pending an investigation into allegations they illegally issued identity papers.



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Managed Competition

For more than two decades folks who are right of center have been split over the issue of managed competition. Now the issue seems to be coming to the forefront again. Managed competition is the concept behind the ObamaCare exchanges, the RomneyCare exchange, the federal employee health benefits program, and the health systems of such […]



via John Goodman's Health Policy Blog http://ift.tt/1emPnuG

New Mexico Governor Uses Anti-Immigrant Driver’s License Proposal as Fundraising Tool

Joan Friedland is a senior advisor at the National Immigration Law Center. For the fifth time in four years, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is trying to get the legislature to repeal the 2003 law granting licenses to all eligible drivers, regardless of their immigration status. There’s no reasonable expectation that the bill she supports [...]



via Immigration Impact http://ift.tt/1emHVj8

Letter from Cuba: Che guayaba - The Guardian








The Guardian



Letter from Cuba: Che guayaba

The Guardian

I am woken at 4am by the clip-clopping of horses pulling carts of farm produce. As in most of Cuba, motorised transport is drastically limited. Here in Santa Clara, a university city of over 200,000, narrow horse-drawn wagons called carretóns are the ...









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Cuba found to be issuing doctored pictures of ailing former president Fidel ... - Daily Mail








Daily Mail



Cuba found to be issuing doctored pictures of ailing former president Fidel ...

Daily Mail

Cuba's attempt to hide retired leader Fidel Castro's ailing condition by doctoring a series of photos has been exposed. Seven images of the 87-year-old were handed out by the Cuban government were digitally altered to remove what appears to be a ...

AP eliminates from its archive Cuba handout photos of Fidel Castro that were ...









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Libertad de prensa en Libia: Seis periodistas secuestrados en 48 horas

Al menos seis periodistas de medios públicos libios han sido secuestrados en las últimas 48 horas en Trípoli, según varios testigos y medios nacionales. Según informó hoy la agencia oficial libia, WAL, cinco periodistas de la televisión estatal "Libya al Wataniya" fueron secuestrados el domingo por desconocidos. Yunes Ali Yunes, que también trabaja como redactor jefe de la revista "Trípoli", fue asaltado ayer por cinco personas que lo trasladaron a un lugar desconocido.



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Presentarán diverso programa cultural en feria habanera del libro

Un variado programa artístico-cultural, donde la música emerge como la principal protagonista, reserva la XXIII Feria Internacional del Libro Cuba 2014, del 13 de febrero al 9 de marzo con Ecuador como país invitado de honor. Justamente de esa nación suramericana provienen una buena parte de las ofertas musicales, teatrales, cinematográficas, plásticas y fotográficas que integran la agenda cultural de esta cita literaria, a la que se suman España, Japón, Colombia, Chile, México, Puerto Rico y Cuba.



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Continúa hoy la serie cubana de béisbol

Los equipos participantes en el campeonato cubano de béisbol reanudarán desde hoy las hostilidades con choques en cuatro parques del país. El monarca nacional Villa Clara recibirá en el Estadio Augusto César Sandino, de Santa Clara, al representativo de Pinar del Río, en la subserie más interesante de la semana. Para imprimir mayor atractivo al enfrentamiento, ambos elencos marchan abrazados en el segundo escaño de la tabla de posiciones con 33 ganados y 21 perdidos.



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En Cuba tenemos que combinar bien el realismo terco con la imaginación

Cuba vive una pugna cultural crucial entre el capitalismo y el socialismo. Hoy tenemos enfrente dos riesgos: a) que no triunfe el socialismo; b) que en algún momento se rompan los equilibrios que rigen esa pugna. Necesitamos ser capaces de elaborar una economía política al servicio del socialismo para la Cuba actual y la previsible, y un pensamiento social crítico y aportador, capaz de participar con eficacia en la decisiva batalla cultural que se está librando. El escritor y ensayista Fernando Martínez reflexiona en estas páginas sobre "Revolución, cultura y marxismo".



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Muere Shirley Temple a los 85 años

Fue la niña prodigio cinematográfica más popular del mundo durante los años treinta y cuarenta del pasado siglo. Shirley Temple se hizo famosa con sólo cuatro años gracias a sus condiciones para el cante, el baile y la interpretación. Se le concedió un Oscar especial por ser “la niña que más felicidad había proporcionado al mundo”.



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Sitios digitales realizan protestas en rechazo a espionaje masivo

Al menos cinco mil sitios digitales de Estados Unidos y de otros países protagonizan hoy una protesta global en Internet para rechazar las acciones de espionaje masivo desarrolladas por la controvertida Agencia de Seguridad Nacional (NSA) y sus aliados. La jornada, denominada The Day We Fight Back (El Día en que nos defendemos), es convocada por varias organizaciones defensoras de los derechos civiles y grupos informáticos como Mozilla y BoingBoing para demandar el fin de la vigilancia a las telecomunicaciones cibernéticas y telefónicas.



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A dar un gran empujón para una mejor calidad de la prensa, llama Díaz-Canel

Avanzar en las propuestas de los temas importantes considerados por el II Pleno de la Unión de Periodistas de Cuba (UPEC), identificar las señales de cambio ya dadas, y cuáles nos faltan como premisas para dar un gran empujón que redunde en una mejor calidad de nuestra prensa, fueron algunas de los preocupaciones expuestas por el primer vicepresidente de los Consejos de Estado y de Ministros y miembro del Buró Político del Partido, Miguel Díaz-Canel, en su noveno encuentro con la dirección de la UPEC.



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Sudafricanos conmemoran 24 aniversario de liberación de Mandela

El Gobierno de Sudáfrica conmemoró hoy el 24 aniversario de la liberación del expresidente Nelson Mandela de la cárcel de Victor Verster, en la sureña Ciudad del Cabo. Un comunicado de la Presidencia de la República recordó que el 2 de febrero de 1990 el entonces jefe de Estado Frederik Willem de Klerk anunció la liberación de Mandela y el levantamiento de la proscripción del ahora gubernamental Congreso Nacional Africano (CNA).



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Congreso español vota en secreto polémica ley del aborto

El Pleno del Congreso español vota este martes en secreto la proposición del opositor grupo socialista, que pide la retirada del anteproyecto presentado por el Gobierno del Partido Popular para la polémica reforma de la ley del aborto. Los socialistas pretenden así facilitar que los diputados del Partido Popular que se han manifestado disconformes con la reforma puedan expresarse "en libertad".



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Europe Looks to Strengthen Relations with Cuba - TIME








BBC News



Europe Looks to Strengthen Relations with Cuba

TIME

Diplomats stressed, however, that a number of issues, including human rights, would have to be addressed with President Raul Castro's government before full relations with the E.U. could be normalized. [Reuters]. 1 comments. Livefyre · Get Livefyre · FAQ.

The European Union Approved Agreement To Start Political Relations, Trade ...

Cuba gives cautious welcome to European Union offer of improved ties

EU to start talks with Cuba









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Headlines I Wish I Hadn’t Seen

More lawlessness: Mid-sized employers get another year’s delay. Double lawlessness: large employers don’t have to offer coverage to more than 70 percent of their workers next year. Gym memberships hit with ObamaCare tax. Did you know that Uncle Sam is spending millions of dollars encouraging people to eat more pizza?



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Majority of Americans believe in normalizing US-Cuba relations - NBCNews.com (blog)









Majority of Americans believe in normalizing US-Cuba relations

NBCNews.com (blog)

More than six-in-ten Americans and an even higher number of Latinos and Florida residents support allowing more American companies to do business in Cuba, lifting all travel and financial restrictions and removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors ...









via cuba - Google News http://ift.tt/1bRxk3b

Senators: Normalize relations with Cuba - The Hill (blog)









Senators: Normalize relations with Cuba

The Hill (blog)

Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday called on President Obama to end the trade embargo on Cuba. In an op-ed for the Miami Herald, Leahy and Flake point to surveys that indicate a majority of people in the United States ...









via Cuba Obama - Google News http://ift.tt/1fcxFea

Weird places to find golden arches

As McDonald's opens its first restaurant in Vietnam, take a look at some of the big breakthroughs the fast food chain has made in the past -- from its first outlet in the Soviet Union, through the Kosher Mac and MacMaharaja, to the branch at Guantanamo Bay.



via CNN.com - Latin America http://ift.tt/NuaXs2

For family of castaway: Wait nearly over

She talks to the pictures as if they could make her voice travel thousands of miles and reach her son's ears.



via CNN.com - Latin America http://ift.tt/1lZIN7q

No sign of $40 million in donations

A joint investigation by CNN, The Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting found no trace of the nearly $40 million in donated goods that a charity distributor said it sent to Guatemala in 2010.



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Dental Clinics in Mexico in High Demand from US Patients - PR Web (press release)








PR Web (press release)



Dental Clinics in Mexico in High Demand from US Patients

PR Web (press release)

Tolga Umar, CEO of VisitandCare.com, announced today that the company has seen a dramatic 62 percent increase in patients traveling to Mexico over the last 3 years. While the medical tourism company connects patients worldwide to specialists of ...









via tourism in mexico - Google News http://ift.tt/1bQT6nH

Daily Headlines: February 11, 2014





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VIDEO: EU agrees to open Cuba negotiations

The European Union agrees to launch negotiations with Cuba aimed at restoring full bilateral relations with the Communist-run island.



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Senators call on Obama to normalize US relations with Cuba - The Hill (blog)









Senators call on Obama to normalize US relations with Cuba

The Hill (blog)

In an op-ed for The Miami Herald, Leahy and Flake point to public opinion surveys that indicate a majority of people in the United States support a change in U.S. policy toward Cuba. “Americans want a change in our Cuba policy. The president should ...









via cuba - Google News http://ift.tt/1fcxFea

Crime rates rise on Venezuela's tourist island - Press TV








Press TV



Crime rates rise on Venezuela's tourist island

Press TV

The murders, which took place in a shopping centre when the tourists refused to hand over their belongings to the robbers, has created worry among the island's residents -- who rely on tourism for their livelihoods. Venezuela sees on average 70 murders ...









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Latin America dragged down by emerging markets sell off - bnn.ca









Latin America dragged down by emerging markets sell off

bnn.ca

But even with heightened concerns about the prospects of Latin American countries, the executive director of macro strategy at CIBC World Markets says talk of a crisis in the region is overblown. John Welch tells BNN the risk of contagion is small and ...









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VIDEO: Heavy security at Brazil protest

A heavy police presence has been in force for the latest protests in Rio de Janiero.



via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean http://ift.tt/1luafq1