Thread: Speakers Wanted for pgDay Cuba

Contributors:

We are looking for one or more PostgreSQL contributors to travel to
Havana, Cuba, to present at the second pgDay Cuba.  In order to
encourage this young community, we will be funding[1] up to $3000 in
total travel funds for one or two speakers.

Information on the event is here:
http://www.postgresql.org/about/event/1813/

It will be from October 19 to 23 at the Universidad de las Cien-
cias Informáticas, La Habana, Cuba.

Proficiency in Spanish is desireable, but according to the conference
translators will be available for visiting international speakers.
Contributors wanting to take advantage of travel funding must first be
accepted by the conference, and then may apply for funding.

IMPORTANT: if you travel to Cuba on SPI funds, there will be significant
restrictions on your travel due to US regulations regarding Cuba.  These
apply even if you are not a US Citizen.

Contact cu@postgresql.org for more information about the conference and
to submit potential speaking topics.

Contact josh@postgresql.org for information about travel funding and
travel restrictions, or to request travel funds.

Deadline is September 3, but earlier is better.

(1: travel funds are donated community funds held at SPI, Inc.  Speakers
will be reimbursed after attending the conference by check or wire
transfer.)

--
Josh Berkus
PostgreSQL Experts Inc.
http://pgexperts.com

Hi Josh

> We are looking for one or more PostgreSQL contributors to travel to
> Havana, Cuba, to present at the second pgDay Cuba.  In order to
> encourage this young community, we will be funding[1] up to $3000 in
> total travel funds for one or two speakers.

Strictly speaking, I am not a contributor (yet). I already planned to be
in La Habana in October and fortunately the financial aspect is already
solved through a mix of company and private funds.

In any case I find the initiative great and hope it may help someone.

> IMPORTANT: if you travel to Cuba on SPI funds, there will be significant
> restrictions on your travel due to US regulations regarding Cuba.  These
> apply even if you are not a US Citizen.

This month on the 20th, Cuba and the US reinitiated diplomatic
relationships. Do the restrictions still apply? Or more in general what
restrictions are imposed on a scholar giving a lecture in Cuba?

I am asking out of curiosity, because the idea sounds quite bizarre in
my ears. I am aware that the economic embargo is still in place and I
heard about restrictions in commercial or security/military related
areas, but somehow I don't get the point how this is related to a
community developing an open source database.

Thank you and bye
Charles

On 07/25/2015 12:01 AM, Charles Clavadetscher wrote:
> Hi Josh
>
>> We are looking for one or more PostgreSQL contributors to travel to
>> Havana, Cuba, to present at the second pgDay Cuba.  In order to
>> encourage this young community, we will be funding[1] up to $3000 in
>> total travel funds for one or two speakers.
>
> Strictly speaking, I am not a contributor (yet). I already planned to be
> in La Habana in October and fortunately the financial aspect is already
> solved through a mix of company and private funds.

Good, because the US funds restictions are cumbersome.  Are you speaking?

>> IMPORTANT: if you travel to Cuba on SPI funds, there will be significant
>> restrictions on your travel due to US regulations regarding Cuba.  These
>> apply even if you are not a US Citizen.
>
> This month on the 20th, Cuba and the US reinitiated diplomatic
> relationships. Do the restrictions still apply? Or more in general what
> restrictions are imposed on a scholar giving a lecture in Cuba?

These are specific to the US.  Just because diplomatic relations are
resumed doesn't mean all restrictions are lifted.

> I am asking out of curiosity, because the idea sounds quite bizarre in
> my ears.

It's US international relations.  If you expect it to make sense, you'll
hurt your brain.

--
Josh Berkus
PostgreSQL Experts Inc.
http://pgexperts.com

On 07/25/2015 11:22 AM, Josh Berkus wrote:
> On 07/25/2015 12:01 AM, Charles Clavadetscher wrote:
>> Hi Josh
>>
>>> We are looking for one or more PostgreSQL contributors to travel to
>>> Havana, Cuba, to present at the second pgDay Cuba.  In order to
>>> encourage this young community, we will be funding[1] up to $3000 in
>>> total travel funds for one or two speakers.
>>
>> Strictly speaking, I am not a contributor (yet). I already planned to be
>> in La Habana in October and fortunately the financial aspect is already
>> solved through a mix of company and private funds.
>
> Good, because the US funds restictions are cumbersome.  Are you speaking?
>
>>> IMPORTANT: if you travel to Cuba on SPI funds, there will be significant
>>> restrictions on your travel due to US regulations regarding Cuba.  These
>>> apply even if you are not a US Citizen.
>>
>> This month on the 20th, Cuba and the US reinitiated diplomatic
>> relationships. Do the restrictions still apply? Or more in general what
>> restrictions are imposed on a scholar giving a lecture in Cuba?

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/07/244623.htm

Also
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/cuba.html

Click on Entry, Exit & Visa Requirements

General & Specific Licenses for Travel:

>
> These are specific to the US.  Just because diplomatic relations are
> resumed doesn't mean all restrictions are lifted.
>
>> I am asking out of curiosity, because the idea sounds quite bizarre in
>> my ears.
>
> It's US international relations.  If you expect it to make sense, you'll
> hurt your brain.
>

It is international relations in general.


--
Adrian Klaver
adrian.klaver@aklaver.com

Hi Josh

Thank you for your answer.

> > Strictly speaking, I am not a contributor (yet). I already planned to
> > be in La Habana in October and fortunately the financial aspect is
> > already solved through a mix of company and private funds.
>
> Good, because the US funds restictions are cumbersome.  Are you speaking?

Yes I am. I will give a workshop on authorization in PostgreSQL: https://postgresql.uci.cu/

> These are specific to the US.  Just because diplomatic relations are resumed
> doesn't mean all restrictions are lifted.
>
> > I am asking out of curiosity, because the idea sounds quite bizarre in
> > my ears.
>
> It's US international relations.  If you expect it to make sense, you'll hurt your
> brain.

As a matter of fact, according to what I saw on the links sent by Adrian and some additional documents that I found
followingthem, there has been an amendment on this regulation. I will send some more information on that in the
responseto Adrian, but to put is short, attending a conference falls into one of 12 categories for general authorized
travel,making life easier for participants. 

Bye
Charles

Hello Josh and Adrian

> http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/07/244623.htm
> http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/cuba.html

Thank you for the links. I read a little about that regulation. I found also a FAQ document to the last amendment of
theCuban Assets Control Regulation. 

http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_faqs_new.pdf

The amendment specifies 12 categories of generally authorized travel. According to the FAQ (link above) people
travellingto, from or within Cuba that fall into one of these categories don't need an explicit licence, as this was
thecase before the amendement. Now category 4 under §515.564 is, from the description, the one that participants to a
PgDaywould fall into. 

§ 515.560 Travel-related transactions to,
from, and within Cuba by persons subject
to U.S. jurisdiction.

(a) The travel-related transactions
listed in paragraph (c) of this section
may be authorized either by a general
license or on a case-by-case basis by a
specific license for travel related to the
following activities (see the referenced
sections for the applicable general and
specific licensing criteria):
[...]
 (4) Professional research and
professional meetings (see § 515.564);
[...]

And more in detail.

§ 515.564 Professional research and
professional meetings in Cuba.
(a) General license
(2) Professional meetings. The travel related
transactions set forth in
§ 515.560(c) and such additional
transactions as are directly incident to
travel to Cuba to attend professional
meetings or conferences in Cuba are
authorized, provided that:

(i) The purpose of the meeting or
conference is not the promotion of
tourism in Cuba;

(ii) The purpose of the meeting
directly relates to the traveler’s
profession, professional background, or
area of expertise, including area of
graduate-level full-time study;

(iii) The traveler does not engage in
recreational travel, tourist travel, or
travel in pursuit of a hobby; and

(iv) The traveler’s schedule of
activities does not include free time or
recreation in excess of that consistent
with a full-time schedule of attendance
at professional meetings or conferences.

What you can or can't do is described in the FAQ under Q25 and following (or § 515.560(c) in the CACR).

I am not proficient in legalese, but I got the impression that In general, the amendment simplifies travel enormously.
Aslong as participants do not engage in touristic activities beyond reasonable limits and don't buy too many cigars and
liqueurs,they act legally and don't need to go through the extenuating case-by-case licencing process. 

Enjoy the Sunday
Charles

On 07/26/2015 01:59 AM, Charles Clavadetscher wrote:
> I am not proficient in legalese, but I got the impression that In general, the amendment simplifies travel
enormously.As long as participants do not engage in touristic activities beyond reasonable limits and don't buy too
manycigars and liqueurs, they act legally and don't need to go through the extenuating case-by-case licencing process. 

It's a little stricter than that; no tourist activities *at all*, like
not even one afternoon sightseeing.

--
Josh Berkus
PostgreSQL Experts Inc.
http://pgexperts.com