Diaries

A Declaration of Principles (Once Again)

If someone wants to know my political position, I’m declaring it here once again, though I’ve written on this matter before. I am a staunch enemy of everything that impedes the freedom and spiritual development of human beings, and therefore I’m against any asymmetry in the access to power.

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Sorry, No Change!

A year since the elections, reality is something different. And in Cuba, other airs also blow. Unfortunately, the news that we Cubans have received about Obama is not encouraging. The Guantanamo naval base -with its torture center- still remains and another seven new US military bases installed in Colombia.

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Not Enough Light to See the Time

A few nights ago, with the capriciousness of dreams, I dreamt that everything was dark. In my dream I was in a park and couldn’t read even a line from the book that I was holding because the street lights never came on.

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Everything Seemed Premeditated

As I tried to get closer to the trova presentation, I heard a disturbance from what at first seemed to be a large conga line. But as I looked more closely, I could see that something unusual was taking place. A group of approximately of 60 middle-aged people had begun to encircle a group of three or four people, yelling “Get outta here, why don’t you get outta here” and “This street belongs to Fidel.”

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Havana’s Watching You

Havana’s urban landscape has been invaded by new residents: high-tech street surveillance cameras. These magic eyes are located on the four corners of key locations and intersections, at tunnel entrances and around bridges.

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Children Struggling for Pesos

I wrote the previous article (A Kids Passion) with the intention of telling a story about the same topic as this, but from a different angle. I have to admit that it was such a shame seeing the boy I described earlier dedicating so much anguish and adrenaline to entertainment that I felt bad about criticizing him.

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Between the Revolution & the Wall (Part 2)

Few copies of those books were ever printed, though I believe they should be in every university classroom and in each municipal library. Through their presentations, however, the “Revolution Beyond the Walls” meeting was an excellent opportunity to extend bridges between young Cubans and the imaginations of radical thinkers.

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The Other Pandemic (Part II)

During the most difficult times of the “Special Period” (the 1993-94 crisis in Cuba resulting from the collapse of the socialist camp), I estimate that more than 50 percent of the Cuban population tossed their dogs out into the street. These former pets contracted all types of illnesses, among them what is commonly called “mange,” which can also affect people.

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ELAM Med School 10 Years After

ELAM is a large school where students from many countries converge; therefore it’s a place where the various cultures of Latin America come into contact and begin to understand one another, an undoubtedly challenging situation.

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Healthy Amusement

My work is particularly interesting. I’m in charge of the strategic design, execution and review of literary promotion on the radio, as well as book presentations and gatherings, poetry readings, tributes to writers, competitions between radio listeners and other literary activities.

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