Diaries

Alexis Has a Problem

Alexis, my friend for much more than a decade, is 36 and has always lived with his grandmother in her house. But his grandmother has a son (not Alexis’ father), who in turn has a wife and two children; in addition, his grandmother has a husband, Arcadio.

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Cuba and the Immigration Market

After nearly two years in Cuba I’ve met a few people, mostly university educated, who have left to work outside the country or have short term plans to do so. This is the exact opposite of my decision to come here and sometimes make me feel as if I missed a very important memo.

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A Peanut Vender Story

Teresita sells peanuts at the bus stop. She and her only grandson depend on her earnings to survive. She’s formally retired but her Social Security check amounts to nothing.

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Who Ate the Cuba-Venezuela Cable?

For days, and though the Cuban government has not commented on the matter, word on the street has it that the fiber optic cable linking the towns of La Guaira (Venezuela) and Siboney (Cuba) doesn’t exist.

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A CDR Whitewash

The CDR is the largest mass organization of its kind in the country, though it suffers from a chronic lack of a reason for being.

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Cuba in the Baseball World Cup

Given the way baseball is now played in the World Cup, our country’s National Baseball Commission seriously trained a team for the first time in a long time. This has raised hopes among our people, who remain dependent on that “circus” to maintain their illusions.

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TropiCola with the Cola of Coca-Cola

At least we had a carbonated soda produced in the country. We might end up with capitalism, but it would be “sovereign” capitalism: with cola produced in Cuba, with sugars and flavors arising from origins of independence and anti-imperialism.

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Pablo Milanes: Not Winning for Losing

Still being passed from PC to PC is a file that’s being called “The Compendium of Information on the visit of Pablo Milanes to the United States.” Right now Pablo doesn’t seem to be pleasing either side.

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