Opinion

The Aphrodysiacal Turns of Cuban Leaders

I have a question for you Fidelistas, followers of Raul Castro, cardboard revolutionaries, fragile de-evolutionists, communists of the Cuban-Soviet type (never true communists) and opportunists who espouse the ideology that allows you to sit in the throne of power without doing any actual work.

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What Russia’s Model Could Do for Cuba

A wave of pro-Russian culture seems to be bathing Cuba’s current official discourse. Journalists and ideologues from our main newspaper, Granma, write words of praise for the Euro-Asian giant, while politicians work to tighten relations with the country. Photo: TASS

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Cubannes, Narcissism and Petulance

I am convinced that the one redeeming virtue of Cubans is our excellent sense of humor. Without it, we would quite frankly be unbearable, for our other face, our dark side, is marked by boundless narcissism.

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Cuba’s Black Hole of Public Opinion

We really don’t know here what interests our people, at least not with any certainty. Our Cuban “public agenda”, as the sociologists call it, is secret, confidential, and obscure. Who today would dare to assert what the majority opinion is, for example, on the progressive rapprochement between Cuba and USA?

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Fidel Castro and the Right to Be a Marxist-Leninist

Almost every time President Raul Castro travels abroad, his older brother, Fidel, comes out of hiding to let us know we haven’t been left home alone. On Saturday, Fidel expressed his “profound admiration towards the heroic people of the Soviet Union, who rendered a colossal service for humanity.”

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Anti-Castroism or Anti-Castroisms?

Alejandro Armengol: “We must put an end to the extremism that still prevails on the island and among the Cuban émigré community, where the line dividing Castroism and anti-Castroism is either missing or very faint.”

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Living in Filth

It seems Havana’s garbage collection services have abandoned the tenants of multi-family apartment buildings in the neighborhood of Aldabo, Boyeros, to their own resources. Practically no garbage was collected in April and none has been picked up this month of May.

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Cuban Civil Society and Debate (Part III)

Some friends are of the opinion I should put an end to the debate about the behavior of Cuban civil society at the Summit of the Americas held in Panama, but, as I see it, I have no right to finalize an exchange of opinions that was begun by several people and which others have joined along the way.

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Looking to May Day in “Socialist” Cuba

Cuba will soon be celebrating yet another May Day (or International Workers’ Day), 54 years after declaring the “socialist” nature of the revolution. Numerous delegations from labor movements in other countries will be on hand. So what does it all mean?

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May Day in Cuba and an Offended Journalist

One day, I was in a certain office and a journalist from a fairly important official press publication entered the room. She came in without any formalities and greeted the people there who knew her. Everyone was extremely cordial to her at that moment, but then the unexpected happened.

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