Opinion

Cuba’s Unprepared Teachers

My son is 12 and currently in junior high. I was a little worried when classes started, because I knew – talking with several friends who had already gone through this situation – that it is a difficult time for pre-teens. My friends had told me about the changes their kids had experienced.

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Making Cooperatives Work in Cuba

By the looks of it, the “cooperative fever” is gradually spreading, despite all of the hurdles Cuba’s bureaucracy places in its path. We must now create a “National Institute for the Development of Cooperatives” to promote the growth of cooperatives in Cuba and/or establish an NGO with the same aims.

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Forbidden Magazines for Cuba’s Higher-Ups

I was tasked with receiving and distributing the magazines and newspapers destined to high-ranking Party members, from Fidel Castro, through the Central Committee to all of the members of the Politburo. I was surprised at the number of sensationalist magazines I had to include in the packages sent to the highest officials.

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Cuba and the Perversion of Language

The campaign against dissidents, the peaceful opposition and civil society activists that the Cuban press has maintained for decades illustrates the ideological decadence of a dying regime. The means employed are not novel: insult, taunting and the spreading of lies…

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Cuba’s Phone Company: Who Are the Real Owners?

At the dawn of the industrial age, some workers destroyed machines in an attempt to halt the growing unemployment. They were moved by the hope that they could stop technological development and return to the past. I remembered this when I read a note from ETECSA, Cuba’s only telephone co.

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Cuba: Journalists vs Bloggers

A few days ago, I met with two renowned bloggers and the journalist of an official newspaper. Sparks flew during our conversation, even though these individuals are from the same generation and concurred on the changes that Cuban journalism requires today.

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Problems Facing Cuba’s Official Press

We hear many complaints to the effect that Cuba’s official press does not fulfill its informative duties. Sometimes, people blame the ineptitude of journalists, their lack of cunning or motivation to criticize bad practices and offer solutions to the problems that affect the population.

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