Diaries Archives - Page 255 of 648

Cuba in the Days of Pre-Cooked Rice and Okra

I won’t be writing about a food recipe, no. Not long ago, talking with some friends about the days of our childhood and youth, I told them that, if I were to build a monument to any one thing, it would probably be to corn flour.

A Telescope and My First Time in Cuba

Though the things Cubans most crave have varied in dependence of the priorities and fads of the time and individual aspirations, a house and a car have been the top two since I have use of reason. In my case, it’s also been a telescope. (6 photos)

On Fumigation and Garbage in Havana

We have to acknowledge the efforts the State is making with its fumigation and public health campaigns. These huge sums of money, however, will continue to be flushed down the toilet until garbage collection units begin to do their job. (27 photos)

With the Oil Bust, Venezuela Sells its Life

In the midst of the crisis, the government is announcing it will begin extracting coal, gold, diamonds and coltan in Zulia and southern Venezuela, because oil prices are very low and because we’ve already used up the country’s reserves.(26 photos)

Black on the Outside, White on the Inside

“The situation is black,” an elderly woman says to another while choosing tomatoes at a market stand, referring to how difficult things are and, as the context suggests, the high price of food products.

Obama Replies to Osmel’s Open Letter

Here is my version of how President Obama might respond to an open letter by Osmel Ramirez published recently in Havana Times.

The Beginning of My New Year in Cuba

I was hoping something would change this year, but nothing has. Instead, as Julio Iglesias’ song goes, “life is still the same” and we continue to hear the same, boring rhetoric everywhere.

To Beg or Work with Love

I am convinced that mediocrity does not actually exist. That is to say, I do not believe mediocrity stems from something we lack. It is, at most, a choice. We all have a unique gift, which could be as simple as having a pleasant personality, the ability to give others hope.

Cuba: Flies, Flies and More Flies

On the dirty doorjamb of a tenement building in Havana, right across from a produce and meat market, after the rain stops, two flies – Trash and Spit – have a chat. A heat wave rises from the asphalt.

Medicine Shortage in Venezuela

The situation of healthcare in Venezuela has worsened considerably over these past months. Social networks have become the best means of finding medications. But, most of the time, these searches are fruitless.