On this, Tuesday, Aug. 10, episode of Sundial
Biden Administration On Cuba
It’s been nearly a month since historic protests broke out in Cuba and sparked a movement.
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Since then, the Biden administration announced new sanctions, politicians from Miami to Washington D.C. have called on the leadership to take down the communist state and, on Friday, the Cuban government announced that small and medium-sized businesses can begin to operate privately.
Former Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has been in conversation with the Biden administration, operating as an unofficial advisor on United States-Cuba policy.
“One of the most important things we must do in the United States [is] work on a multilateral basis, we can’t do this alone. You have countries like Spain, Canada and other countries that continue to do business with Cuba,” Mucarsel-Powell said.
She argued the U.S. must continue to target economic sanctions on members of the Cuban government. Furthermore, she supports the program of Cuban reunification to ensure Cubans living here can be reunited with their families.
Surfside Investigation
A new investigation from the Miami Herald explores the design flaws that may have contributed to the Surfside Champlain Tower South's collapse.
The building was constructed more than 40 years ago and, after reviewing the original designs with engineers, they found changes could have significantly reduced the amount of damage done.
“We don't have access to the site. Very few engineers do. But there's a lot that can be learned just from those blueprints,” said Sarah Blaskey, a data specialist on the Miami Herald's investigative team. “They should have known that these columns were overcrowded with rebar, that they should have been bigger in order to accommodate that reinforcement and they weren't. And so there are a lot of questions about how many people signed off on a design that ultimately, at the time, was inadequate.”
Find the full investigation here.
Save The Bay
Biscayne Bay is an essential resource for millions in South Florida, having a positive impact on the community ecologically, economically and socially.
But pollution and persistent algae bloom have the bay at risk. To raise awareness, Oolite Arts created the Save The Bay competition — where filmmakers were called to create a public service announcement video.
“We have our own carbon sink here in our backyard that is contributing to the mitigation of climate change and yet we’re not allowing it to thrive,” said Shireen Rahimi, who is one of the filmmakers participating in the competition. “If we can take care of this ecosystem, it will take care of us.”
Eight final videos are now in the running for the People’s Choice Award. You can watch the videos and vote for the winner here.
The last day to vote is Wednesday, Aug. 11.
