We Want More Violence (Part I)

The more realistic and brutal the violence in a videogame, the more that videogame sells. Combats ceased to be based on respect, as the martial arts or codes of chivalry teach, many years ago. Battles ceased to be between “good and evil” long ago.

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Cuban State Security: No Change of Mentality

The lack of transparency of this military institution, the discretionary nature of its employment methods, the mystery that surrounds the budgets it handles and the prerogatives given to it by the Council of Ministers, totally contradict Raul Castro’s call to “change our mentality.”

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Browsing Through a Cuban Classifieds Page

I almost never browse through these kinds of pages, but, in view of the chaotic condition my ten-year-old computer is in at the moment, I decided to take a look to see how much money I would need to get my hands on a laptop in better shape.

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Gusano: A Cuban Documentary on Government Repression

I find it incredible that the Cuban documentary Gusano (“Scum”) already has over three hundred thousand views on YouTube. This, which is impressive in and of itself, is quite remarkable for a Cuban film, for, once on the Internet, it is deprived of its natural audience.

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House of Cards and Political Science in Cuba

A few weeks ago, I discovered – and literally devoured – the two seasons of the US TV series House of Cards, offered on Netflix. Anyone interested in political matters (and in the disciplines that tackle them) will find it impossible not to succumb to the charms of the series.

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Cuban Doctors Abroad: On Individual Responsibility

Having worked on a previous mission abroad (ideally in Venezuela) is one of the requirements that Cuban medical doctors in Brazil’s Mas Medicos (“More Doctors”) program must meet. As such, all Cuban doctors were perfectly aware of the “protective” restrictions that apply within such programs.

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The Gazes of Venezuelan Children

These photos are part of one of those projects I never seem to finish – not because I don’t want to, but because I always find a new gaze to capture and refuse to declare my work concluded. (21 photos)

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Survivors Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki

I recently had access to horrifying testimonies about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki offered by a group hibakushas (“survivors”). Though I had read dozens of articles and news pieces on these incidents, I had never come across such harrowing accounts.

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From Lima to Havana and Back: My Friend Becomes a Mule

“Out on the street with my kids, helpless, I started to yell outside the apartment Roberto and I had bought. The lady in the apartment took pity on us and offered me and the children a room to stay in while I looked for a place to settle,” my friend Lila tells me.

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