Just having a look around the ol' World Wide Web and found some notable news that I am sure hasn't been given too much coverage on CNN. At least, I haven't seen anything about it on the CBC.

We've been hearing all about W.'s swift and effective response to Hurricane Ike in the Lonestar state. Whether this is a response to lessons learned after Katrina, or because it's an election year, or, perhaps, because it's his hometown, is up for debate. However, I am pretty sure that when he stated "there will be a better tomorrow," he wasn't talking to the people of Cuba.

Within a span of two weeks Cuba was hit by both Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Combined they did more damage than any other natural disaster faced by the island in history. $5 billion dollars damage: 63,249 homes completely destroyed, with another 150,000 severely damaged; Crops destroyed, including 340,000 hectares of sugar cane (half the annual crop); not to even mention essential services such as electricity.

Interestingly, a $5 million donation from the U.S. to help hurricane victims was refused on account the Cuban government would not accept relief while still under the 1963 trade embargo. I get it, but I bet Marcos 'the rural farmer' could give a shit about a 49 year old revolution when he's just lost his entire yield to flooding.