Dariela Aquique’s Diary

The Pablo Milanes Concert

The concert had not enjoyed much publicity, at least not as much as other performers are usually given, or when the shows are conceived as part of the celebration of a public holiday or other official functions. But Pablo Milanes needs no such strategies. Singing to the public is good enough reason for him, and this is what he proved again.

Cuba’s Colorful Classifieds

With the new laws that were recently passed in Cuba, and now that the sale and purchase of certain types of property, such as vehicles and houses, has been legalized, a classifieds page is – understandably – a popular place indeed.

Cuba Holds Yet Another May Day Parade

After the triumph of the revolution in 1959, May Day immediately went from being a commemoration of those who perished in Chicago, to the completely pro-establishment mass function it has been to this day. This year Cuban workers will march across Cuba under the slogan of “For a more prosperous and sustainable form of socialism!”

Restrictions Aren’t Worth Much

Every day, demands become louder from Cuban students for less restrictions on the Internet. This will be one of the points raised at the next congress of the Federation of University Students (FEU). Cuban young people are demanding the right to good and broad connections to the net.

Like Crossing Niagara Falls on a Bicycle

The new laws recently passed in Cuba met with considerable enthusiasm. Article 81 of the Housing Law affords individuals the right to transfer ownership of their properties to blood relatives who may be separated from them by up to four degrees, regardless of whether these individuals have left the country legally or not.

Experiencing an Election Campaign

Thursday was the end of the campaign for the Venezuelan presidential elections set for Sunday, April 14. The campaign should have been called a brawl, because the verbal sparring between the candidates on both the right and left was really raw.

I Want to Be Like Einstein

Reason rests on the appreciation and discernment of facts. Everything finally reaches a category of relativity. That’s why I try not to be sectarian or biased. I always make my own opinions, which are committed only to sincerity – first with myself, then with others.

Amid the smoke

So those who still believe in or need a Pope, the lay sisters and ordained nuns who clamor for the approval of a female priesthood, or simply the media and other curious people who waited between the black smoke and the white outside of the Vatican now have their Holy Father.

Children of Argentina

People don’t always speak very well of Argentineans. They’re labeled smug for feeling like they’re Europeans. Even the Mexican poet Octavio Paz once said “Argentines are Italians who speak Spanish and feel themselves Frenchmen.”

The Model is Changing A Little

Cuba’s current president has referred more than once to the country’s interest in talks with the US government (clarifying that this must be on the basis of absolute respect for self-determination – which I agree with, by the way).