Diaries

The Earth Trembles in Cuba

At the close of the recent congress of the Cuban Workers Federation (CTC) president Raul Castro asked Cuban workers to “shake the earth” on this year’s International Workers Day with a giant parade. As requested by the boss, the streets of the island shook on Thursday.

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Cuba May 1st Workers Parade in Pictures

Cubans turned out in mass for the annual International Workers Day parade in Havana on Thursday. Organized by the Communist Party and the CTC, the only trade union allowed on the island, it emphasized labor’s blanket support for the government. (42 photos)

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Cuban Capitalism Already Has a (Human?) Face

Among the many believable characters in the recently released Cuban film Conducta – a film that has already begun to receive international recognition – we find one that is especially realistic. Ignacio likes to call things by their name and has a very clear idea of everyone’s private interests.

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The Reasons Behind the “Changes” in Cuba

The new Latin American Left claims to lay its bets on changes that involve a reduction of poverty and the gradual elimination of social inequality. There are even those who speak of a new, Christian socialism that respects democracy, can co-exist with the opposition and supports private enterprise.

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Beyond the Neighborhood

Society fits us with the chip of normality and the overwhelming fear of stepping over the line when we are very small.
Humanity comes together as a herd by casting out the black sheep. The latter react in different ways…

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My Third Visit to Ciego de Avila, Cuba

Cuba’s province of Ciego de Avila seemed different from what I remember from my first trip during this, my third time in the city. People didn’t seem as civil to me. State Cuban-peso establishments, though still cheap, had lost in quality.

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Cuba’s Outrageous Cell Phone Offers

The promotional message which ETECSA sent to mobile users recently illustrates why I don’t own a cell phone. The message read, verbatim: “If you add 20 CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos) of credit to your line from April 15 to 19, you will receive 40 CUC of credit.”

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When Words Fail Us

While reading the article “Love in Times of Indifference” posted by my friend and colleague Warhol P, I find myself talking to him in my head because we live at opposite extremes of the city and neither of us has a home phone or a cell phone, much less internet service.

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Farewell to the Cuban Winter Kitsch

It would seem that time of the year in which Cuba is chilled by cold fronts arriving from the north – the period we euphemistically refer to as “winter” here – has definitively ended. A couple of cold fronts gave us slightly cooler days last week and had no other significant effects on the country.

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