Cuban minister's U.S. visit to highlight organic crops cooperation

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Xinhua

Cuban minister's U.S. visit to highlight organic crops cooperation
Source: Xinhua | 2016-06-01 05:22:00 | Editor: huaxia

HAVANA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Cuban Minister of Agriculture will lead a delegation to the U.S. to enhance cooperation between the two countries, a foreign ministry statement said on Tuesday.

According to a press release by the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Gustavo Rodriguez will visit Washington from June 1-3 and will hold meetings with his U.S. counterpart Thomas Vilsack, and other officials from the departments of agriculture and commerce, as well as organizations that support Havana's demand for a complete lifting of the U.S. economic embargo.

The Cuban delegation will also visit the state of Iowa to tour agricultural research centers and farms, accompanied by Vilsack and other senior U.S. officials.

"The visit will enhance cooperation in areas expanding from organic food production to scientific exchanges as the two countries have agreed last March," said the press release.

Read more: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-06/01/c_135402882.htm

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Cuban Minister of Agriculture, Gustavo Rodríguez Rollero, received his U.S. counterpart in Havana. Photo: Jorge Luis González

Gustavo Rodríguez, right, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, left.



Vilsack, on the right, Gustavo Rodríguez, left. [/center]

[MADem]

1. Well, this is nice. Does Vilsack speak Spanish or is that guy dead center the translator?

I can't help but notice that he (the middle guy) and Rodríguez have on the Exact Same Shirt. I wonder if that's a farmer-ish thing down there?

[Judi Lynn]

2. The article with the photo doesn't explain who the guy is:

http://impactolatino.com/cuba-u-s-studying-closer-agricultural-cooperation/

As for the guayaberas they're wearing, they are Cuba's nationally popular shirt, commonly worn forever.

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1895 Guayabera!



1956 Guayabera!







Pinera, Chile's former President, speaking to President Obama, wearing his Cuban guayabera.
Behind Pres. Obama, to his left, Ricardo Martinelli, now in legal trouble with corruption, hiding
in Miami, also wearing a guayabera. There's a short sleeved guayabera in there, a blue one, etc.



Lula da Silva, guayabera.

It's a democratic shirt, worn by ordinary, good people.

Nothing wrong with farmers, or farmerish people.[/center]

[MADem]

3. I know guayaberas, they have them in PR and Mexico (elsewhere) too--but those things are

not the formal shirt that goes anywhere, is cool, often decorated, and has a wide price range (from the basic everyday to the suitable-for-a-white-tie-dinner), those things are work-clothes-like and were made in the EXACT same place--look at the color (or lack thereof), the thickness of the fabric, the tailoring and the buttons. Same/same/same.

It's like they both went to Shirt Factory Number 2!

I wasn't putting down farmers or farmer-ish people, so no need to go 'defensive'--I just thought it was weird that two people would wear the EXACT same shirt.

Even in Cuba.

[Judi Lynn]

4. The very thought is horrifying.

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[MADem]

5. You're proving my point, here--those overalls are NOT THE SAME.

Yes, they all have bibs and are made of denim, but the color, cut, design, tailoring, buttons/hardware are NOT the same. It's obvious that they are of differing manufacture.

Those two shirts look like they were bought off the same rack!