Diaries

Flying to a Dream Without Passports

To describe it as a dream would be to miss the point. Dreams always look at one’s own possibilities, though they’re over in a few hours. That moment was too alien, like a strange and confident animal that let’s you pet it and then runs away.

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Will Telesur Give Cubans the Whole Picture?

Telesur programming has resumed in Cuba, but now it’s live and direct, not like those pre-recorded edited broadcasts of the past, that brought us what the island’s authorities called “The best of Telesur.” I’m left wondering why the change?

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A Cuban washing machine mechanic

Mateo repairs old “Aurika” model Russian washing machines. Impelled by the need to better his economic situation, he has earned his living this way since he first arrived in Havana. At first he worked clandestinely, but when the new economic policies went into effect, he obtained his self-employment license.

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The Horoscope’s Predictions

“Hey, have you read the horoscope for 2013?” “No, what do things look like for this year?” “Wonderful, my friend. The predictions are excellent. They say that this is the year of travel.” This was the conversation I overheard between two women.

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Doing More in Cuba

“Hacer +” (Do +) has appeared of late as graffiti and seems to be aimed at encouraging locals to get moving. Sometimes it appears (other times it disappears) in Alamar, the Havana neighborhood where I live.

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How Cuba lets us use new technology in old ways

iPhones, Blackberrys, laptops and all kinds of “pads” are becoming more commonplace in Havana. This new generation of personal electronics are full of the latest apps, movies, TV shows, and news programs. This is happening with less than 5% of the population connected to the internet.

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From Cuba on Chavez’s Cancer

My father died in 2000. His cancer started in his colon, a situation that led to an operating room where the doctors removed the polyps that had invaded that part of his body. After surgery they said the operation had been a success.

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Are We Happy Here in Cuba?

Personally, I don’t know any Cuban, however poor they might be, who sees themselves as living in “misery,” although this means recognizing at least a minimal degree of misfortune. But I do believe that moral misery exists in Cuban poverty.

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Gas vs. Cholera in Havana

Finally, the authorities have publicly acknowledged that there’s cholera in Havana. Now, if we truly want to protect ourselves, we need gas to boil all the water we consume. It’s that simple.

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Remember Cuba’s ‘Volumen Uno’ Exhibit

On January 14, when marking the anniversary of the 1981 inauguration of the exhibit “Volumen Ono,” I tried to imagine what would be the best way to pay tribute to this ground breaking exhibition. It is one that serves as a milestone in the history of the visual arts in Cuba.

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