CUBA: Author/Expert Ann Louis Bardach On The Castro Brothers.

FOREIGN POLICY/    An interview with journalist Ann Louise Bardach. She describes current Cuban life under Raúl, Fidel's continuing power and the island's dependence on Venezuela and Chavez. Excerpts: "Raúl sort of delights in having almost a charisma deficit." On changes: "A lot of people don't realize that there's been a purge of the government about every 10 years since the revolution." On Ramiro Valdes: "I've been in rooms in Cuba where you say the name "Ramiro Valdés" and it will literally clear the room. It's a name to be feared." On Venezuela: "Raúl [recently sent Valdés] to Hugo Chávez to serve as Chávez's Cuban baby sitter and make sure he doesn't lose control in Caracas. Because if Chávez does lose control, then Cuba is toast."

VENEZUELA: Powerful Cuban Minister Hired To Manage Energy Crisis.

CNN/   Ramiro Valdes, a 77-year-old Cuban minister and one of the few original rebels still alive, has agreed to consult with Venezuela about its severe energy crisis. Author Ann Louise Bardach say Valdes was a "ruthless" minister of interior and is probably the No. 3 man in Cuba. Lately, Valdes has been in charge of the Internet and, Bardach says, "he's the one who makes sure most Cubans don't have access to the Internet."

CUBA: Expert Praises Fake Fidel Castro Autobiography.

SFCHRONICLE/ Book Review/
Cuba expert Ann Louise Bardach praises Norberto Fuentes' fake "The Autobiography of Fidel Castro" (W. W. Norton) as "a masterful act of ventriloquism, offering a Castro who is prideful, intuitively Machiavellian and relentlessly cynical."