Diaries Archives - Page 508 of 647

A Case of Failed State Intervention (2)

Despite all the efforts made by the government to come out on top, the aim of creating a monopoly over the Cuatro Caminos Market was impossible to materialize.

Selling a Kidney

Hearing all types of stories that have occurred around the world hasn’t immunized me from the surprise of things that happen here in Cuba due to material shortages.

Here in the town of Cojimar (a neighborhood located to the east of Havana Bay), for more than thirty years people have celebrated the annual Ernest Hemingway Needle Fishing Tournament as a deserved homage to the famous US writer who enjoyed his favorite type of fishing in this area of Cuba.

The Birthday Present

For a moment I was able to think with a clearer head, and I realized what a damned shame it was to have to pay $10 dollars so that a doll would cry a little.

Never Too Late If the Job’s Done Right

First it was a damp spot, later continuous dripping, and then a stream of rain water running down the kitchen wall. In a short time it had expanded to the front room and the balcony.

Reading Cuba’s New Reforms (II)

The document insists on preventing spontaneity and improvisation in investments. Since it seems that we’ve had enough of that, now it will be necessary to see if that inertia can be broken.

Ricky Ricardo: The Cuban Who Loved Lucy

Here’s what I learned last summer about Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (Ricky Ricardo from the U.S. TV series I Love Lucy).

Waxing Moon in Cuba

Why is it that the people of Cuba don’t generally fight for their rights? I’ve asked myself this question a million times and it looks like I’ll be asking it a million times more before anything changes.

The Cuban Gold Rush

“I’ll buy anything with gold in it.” It’s the cry of Cuba’s gold buyers, almost all of them young. They holler the same or very similarly, with an identical tone and intonation.

Spain’s M 15 Movement in the Streets

I promised this post to several friends who wanted me to speak about the Spanish demonstrations, now known as “Movimiento 15 M.”