Opinion Archives - Page 444 of 483

Leaders Scare Me

How does the metamorphosis of a leader into a dictator occur? Is there a way of diagnosing a potential dictator? Not all leaders become dictators, but most dictators (if not all of them) have been leaders.

My Noble Havana

Passing in front of the Saratoga Hotel in Old Havana, I saw a photo that caught my attention. It wasn’t that the teenager in the photograph was so attractive, instead I was drawn in by the slogan at the top of the picture: “Noble Havana.”

Self-Employed Worker in Cuba (Part III)

I went to find Pepe after not having seen him for three months. In April he was able to start up his business selling fast food in the street from a shopping cart.

Does Cuba Need Soldiers or Conscious Citizens?

The dictionary informs me that someone who is unconditional is an “absolute follower,” someone capable of complying with orders without questioning their practical effectiveness or their moral validity.

Cuba’s Prisoners & Voluntary Banishment?

Unquestionably, those who refused to be expatriated are of a special mold that not all of us share, but the greatness of those who remained does not in the least diminish those who emigrated.

An Ingenious Lie

Today has been a strange one. So much so that I’ve ended up thinking that the line between telling the truth and lying is as blurry as mythomaniacs believe. After all is said and done, if you pay attention to those self-help manuals, in which everything depends only on oneself, then why do we complain so much if the world is in our own hands?

An Article, My Colleague and Wrongdoing

A few weeks ago I read an article published in Spanish only on several Cuban websites that referred to Havana Times. At first I felt compelled to write something in response, but in the end I thought it wouldn’t be worth the trouble.

Chavez Explains Health Status from Cuba

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spoke to his nation Thursday from Havana about his health situation after having a cancerous tumor removed in two operations. See the HT translation!

USA-Cuba: Money and Politics

The annual struggle for the $20 million has been unleashed once again in the United States. The funds allocated by Washington to finance Cuban dissidents are again being fought over, with this year’s confrontation portending to be more virulent than on other occasions.

Death by Silencing, Cuban Style

No one really believes a person can disappear with the snap of a finger or through some illusion by David Copperfield. Yet everybody hopes that with the next snap, the missing person will reappear, even if wearing different clothes and in another place on the stage.