'Europe has fallen' into Cuban regime's trap Guillermo Farinas
11:30 PM 21 May 2013
DPA/Miami
Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas said in Miami that migration reforms
that have allowed several high-profile dissidents off the communist
island in recent weeks is a "trap" into which Europe has fallen.
Farinas said Cuban leaders "are trying to clean up their international
image, including with left-wingers, who think that Cuba has a
reactionary image, and they are cosmetically trying to change that. They
are only looking for financing from the European Union and North America."
Farinas is the latest member of the Cuban dissident movement to leave
the island since rules allowing citizens to travel outside the country
were loosened in January.
The reforms scrapped the need for exit permits, which Cuban authorities
had for decades systematically denied to dissidents.
Cuban President Raul Castro's government is only seeking "financing and
investment" from Havana's foreign critics, Farinas said in a joint event
with the dissident Cuban group Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White) in Miami.
"They are negotiating to do away with the common position (of EU members
on Cuba). The Europeans fell into the trap of letting us leave. It is
the way that economic blocks can grant (Cuba) loans and investment,"
Farinas said.
Farinas, who is well known for his hunger strikes and other forms of
peaceful protests and was awarded the 2010 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of
Thought by the European Parliament, said he was "a little bit surprised"
that such change in Cuba has happened before "the natural death of Fidel
Castro."
"The fact that they have had to do it before that is because the
economic, social and political situation is very bad for them. It is not
out of goodness, because the Cuban government is cruel and inhumane," he
said. "It has been achieved because there is an internal opposition that
has earned it an exile community that has not given up and an
international community that has demanded it."
Farinas said he had felt welcomed by exiles in Miami even though he
feared criticism from its most militant members because his protests
were peaceful.
"We realise that the government has bombarded our minds saying that you
are different, that Miami is different from Cuba, and now one realises
that it is not," he said.
http://www.gulf-times.com/us-latin%20america/182/details/353484/%e2%80%98europe-has-fallen%e2%80%99-into-cuban-regime%e2%80%99s-trap
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
"Catch and Release" El Sexto (Danilo Maldonado) Arrested on Saturday, Released on Sunday, His Work Confiscated
"Catch and Release": El Sexto (Danilo Maldonado) Arrested on Saturday,
Released on Sunday, His Work Confiscated / Lia Villares, Danilo Maldonado
Posted on May 20, 2013
El Sexto is raided at his home this afternoon at 1:15 pm, according to
Alexandra his wife and owner of the apartment, who learned of it through
an email from her dad who lives downstairs and saw men and women in
uniform and in plainclothes, accompanied by 2 neighbors from the CDR
[Committee for the Defense of the Revolution], and a major from MININT
[Ministry of the Interior], in all about 5 people, they showed him a
search warrent and confiscated his laptop, spray paints and all the
works they found and took him away in a patrol car. As of now with
destination unknown.
Translator's note: This post and the following ones (now with earlier
time stamps) together form a report on El Sexto's ("the Sixth" — Danilo
Maldonado) arrest, the search of his home and the confiscation of his
belongings.
18 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/catch-and-release-el-sexto-danilo-maldonado-arrested-on-saturday-released-on-sunday-his-work-confiscated-lia-villares-danilo-maldonado/
Released on Sunday, His Work Confiscated / Lia Villares, Danilo Maldonado
Posted on May 20, 2013
El Sexto is raided at his home this afternoon at 1:15 pm, according to
Alexandra his wife and owner of the apartment, who learned of it through
an email from her dad who lives downstairs and saw men and women in
uniform and in plainclothes, accompanied by 2 neighbors from the CDR
[Committee for the Defense of the Revolution], and a major from MININT
[Ministry of the Interior], in all about 5 people, they showed him a
search warrent and confiscated his laptop, spray paints and all the
works they found and took him away in a patrol car. As of now with
destination unknown.
Translator's note: This post and the following ones (now with earlier
time stamps) together form a report on El Sexto's ("the Sixth" — Danilo
Maldonado) arrest, the search of his home and the confiscation of his
belongings.
18 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/catch-and-release-el-sexto-danilo-maldonado-arrested-on-saturday-released-on-sunday-his-work-confiscated-lia-villares-danilo-maldonado/
Three Memories of Angel Santiesteban
Three Memories of Angel Santiesteban / Miguel Iturria Savon
Posted on May 20, 2013
On September 2, 2011 I published the "SOS for Angel Santiesteban" in
Cubanet, when despite his having been awarded multiple prizes by the
regime itself, the Cuban government's own political police were
harassing the writer. In late 2012 Angel was sentenced to five years
imprisonment after a show trial in which his ex-wife was used as a
spearhead against him. I will not refer to details of the case because
they are still circulating in various writings and in Santiesteban's
blog, but I will offer my personal impressions of this word artist.
Before personally coming to know the author of "Dreams of a Summer Day,"
"The Children Nobody Wanted," "Blessed are Those Who Mourn," and "South:
Latitude 13," I read his books and listened to several anecdotes that
reflected his temperament and satirizes the political situation in Cuba.
It's hard to forget some of the characters of his stories about prison
and Cuba's intervention in the wars of Africa. Perhaps the masterful
design of these alienated beings who gallop through the pages of his
works are the real cause of humiliating trial that attempted to annul
his rebellion and the voice of this audacious man without masks.
As my son was Angel Santiesteban's lawyer, I had the privilege of
welcoming him to my home in Havana and chatting with him over a glass of
water — Angel does not drink rum or coffee. We talked about literature
and his family experience. Only once, when asked by one of his
characters, did he reveal the traumatic imprint of his brief stay in
prison before the age of 20, after being arrested on the northern coast
while saying goodbye to a relative who tried to leave the island on a raft.
I met Santiesteban several times at the house of the blogger Yoani
Sánchez and at cultural gatherings organized at the residence of the
physicist Antonio Rodiles, leader of the Estado de Sats program. I
remember that Angel barely took part in those debates and almost always
sat at the end of the hall, far from poses and prominence poses but
friendly with anyone who approached him. In the end he left in his car
with 4 or 5 people whom he drove to, or closer to, their homes.
The last time we met was in front of the police station at Infanta and
Manglar, next to the "Fame and Applause" building, where fifty opponents
demanded the release of Antonio Rodiles, arrested after the funeral of
Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, who died in suspicious accident. We chatted there
while Wilfredo Vallin and Reinaldo Escobar tried to negotiate with the
Head of the Station, also surrounded by a gang of criminals who awaited
orders from State Security officials to kick and drag opponents.
The judicial farce against Ángel Santiesteban reminds me of the famous
narrator Reinaldo Arenas and the poets Heberto Padilla — imprisoned in
1971 — and Raul Rivero, sentenced in 2003, victims of a dictatorship
that punishes free expression and promotes quietism and the complicit
silence of the intellectuals.
19 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/three-memories-of-angel-santiesteban-miguel-iturria-savon/
Posted on May 20, 2013
On September 2, 2011 I published the "SOS for Angel Santiesteban" in
Cubanet, when despite his having been awarded multiple prizes by the
regime itself, the Cuban government's own political police were
harassing the writer. In late 2012 Angel was sentenced to five years
imprisonment after a show trial in which his ex-wife was used as a
spearhead against him. I will not refer to details of the case because
they are still circulating in various writings and in Santiesteban's
blog, but I will offer my personal impressions of this word artist.
Before personally coming to know the author of "Dreams of a Summer Day,"
"The Children Nobody Wanted," "Blessed are Those Who Mourn," and "South:
Latitude 13," I read his books and listened to several anecdotes that
reflected his temperament and satirizes the political situation in Cuba.
It's hard to forget some of the characters of his stories about prison
and Cuba's intervention in the wars of Africa. Perhaps the masterful
design of these alienated beings who gallop through the pages of his
works are the real cause of humiliating trial that attempted to annul
his rebellion and the voice of this audacious man without masks.
As my son was Angel Santiesteban's lawyer, I had the privilege of
welcoming him to my home in Havana and chatting with him over a glass of
water — Angel does not drink rum or coffee. We talked about literature
and his family experience. Only once, when asked by one of his
characters, did he reveal the traumatic imprint of his brief stay in
prison before the age of 20, after being arrested on the northern coast
while saying goodbye to a relative who tried to leave the island on a raft.
I met Santiesteban several times at the house of the blogger Yoani
Sánchez and at cultural gatherings organized at the residence of the
physicist Antonio Rodiles, leader of the Estado de Sats program. I
remember that Angel barely took part in those debates and almost always
sat at the end of the hall, far from poses and prominence poses but
friendly with anyone who approached him. In the end he left in his car
with 4 or 5 people whom he drove to, or closer to, their homes.
The last time we met was in front of the police station at Infanta and
Manglar, next to the "Fame and Applause" building, where fifty opponents
demanded the release of Antonio Rodiles, arrested after the funeral of
Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, who died in suspicious accident. We chatted there
while Wilfredo Vallin and Reinaldo Escobar tried to negotiate with the
Head of the Station, also surrounded by a gang of criminals who awaited
orders from State Security officials to kick and drag opponents.
The judicial farce against Ángel Santiesteban reminds me of the famous
narrator Reinaldo Arenas and the poets Heberto Padilla — imprisoned in
1971 — and Raul Rivero, sentenced in 2003, victims of a dictatorship
that punishes free expression and promotes quietism and the complicit
silence of the intellectuals.
19 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/three-memories-of-angel-santiesteban-miguel-iturria-savon/
Smuggling Satellite Dishes into Cuba
Smuggling Satellite Dishes into Cuba
May 20, 2013
Revisiting "Operation Surf"
Tracey Eaton (alongthemalecon.com)
HAVANA TIMES — An Internet freedom activist linked to the smuggling of
satellite dishes to Cuba said he wouldn't feel safe going back to the
island "until the situation changes there."
"The security threats are real," Robert Guerra said Thursday. "It's very
important for democracy groups and others that are doing work there to
be very aware of the very nuanced security threats and issues that are
there."
Guerra, the former director of the Internet Freedom Project at Freedom
House in Washington, D.C., declined to give details on the projects he
has carried out in Cuba.
"I wouldn't be in a position to talk about them right now," he said. "I
did some projects…I can say that I've been to the island, but I'm not
necessarily in a position to talk about it other than to say that Cuba's
a complex country in regards to digital activism."
Cuban authorities allege that Guerra took part in "Operation Surf,"
aimed at disguising satellite dishes as boogie boards and smuggling them
to Cuba.
Guerra said, "I can't comment other than saying that if you're familiar
with the technology, it's ridiculous. It's just that satellite dishes
don't look like surf boards. I won't comment any further on that."
So was Guerra saying that the operation didn't take place – that no one
smuggled the satellite dishes to Cuba, as Cuban officials claimed in
March 2011 video?
"I have not seen the video, so I cannot comment on that," replied
Guerra, a founding director of Privaterra, which assists
non-governmental organizations with matters of data privacy, information
security and human rights.
The Cuban government's version of events is that a California man named
Barry Fink smuggled satellite dishes to Cuba as part of a U.S.
government-financed operation in 2008.
The satellite dishes wound up in the hands of a Cuban electronics
technician named Dalexi González Madruga.
González went to Cuban authorities with what he knew and became an
informant, nicknamed Agent Rául.
González said when he met Fink in 2008, Fink introduced himself with the
code words: "How's the surf in the south of France?"
González answered with the correct password and they got on with
business. Cuba's state-run Granma newspaper reported:
They headed for a minibus parked a few meters away, and Barry gave him
four satellite dishes, camouflaged as surf boards…
Fink, a commercial video producer based in Marina Del Rey, Calif.,
declined to talk about the supposed operation.
"I'm just not in a position to discuss it," he said Thursday. "I can't."
Asked if he had signed a confidentiality agreement, Fink said no, but
preferred not to comment.
"I do not think it would be appropriate."
Guerra is an expert on Internet freedom and cybersecurity, according to
his LinkedIn profile. Cuban officials allege that he acted as González's
handler.
Asked if he worried he could be arrested in Cuba, Guerra said he "took a
lot of care" to be discreet while on the island.
"I was in Cuba for a long period of time," he said. "You just expose
yourself to problems."
The working environment is challenging, he said.
"It's no different than the Cold War with the Russians," he said. "If
you're experienced, you can deal with it. If you're naive, it can be
more of a problem."
What does Guerra think of the plight of Alan Gross, the American
development worker jailed in Cuba in December 2009 while carrying out a
U.S. government-financed democracy program?
"I'm familiar with that case and I think one has to be aware of that,"
he said.
Gross is in a difficult spot, Guerra said, because the U.S. government
doesn't have diplomatic relations with Cuba, making it more difficult
for American officials to negotiate for his release.
Cuban officials contend that the Internet freedom activists smuggled the
satellite dishes into Cuba as part of a plan to set up an illegal
communications network in Cuba. They hoped to set up a mobile Internet
connection free from socialist government control.
"The internet works VERY RAPIDLY!" a technician told his Cuban contact
while describing the equipment. " …You may use Skype, Yahoo video +
voice… Next week we will be talking FOR FREE!"
Guerra said he hasn't been involved in any Cuba projects "for the last
couple of years," but imagines that democracy activists have changed
their approach.
The Cuban government has loosened travel restrictions, making it easier
for such activists as Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez to travel to and from
the island.
"Yoani, who would have thought many years ago that she would be on a
world tour?" Guerra asked. "Others can travel, as well. That changes the
dynamic. There's a lot that is changing on the island."
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=93369
May 20, 2013
Revisiting "Operation Surf"
Tracey Eaton (alongthemalecon.com)
HAVANA TIMES — An Internet freedom activist linked to the smuggling of
satellite dishes to Cuba said he wouldn't feel safe going back to the
island "until the situation changes there."
"The security threats are real," Robert Guerra said Thursday. "It's very
important for democracy groups and others that are doing work there to
be very aware of the very nuanced security threats and issues that are
there."
Guerra, the former director of the Internet Freedom Project at Freedom
House in Washington, D.C., declined to give details on the projects he
has carried out in Cuba.
"I wouldn't be in a position to talk about them right now," he said. "I
did some projects…I can say that I've been to the island, but I'm not
necessarily in a position to talk about it other than to say that Cuba's
a complex country in regards to digital activism."
Cuban authorities allege that Guerra took part in "Operation Surf,"
aimed at disguising satellite dishes as boogie boards and smuggling them
to Cuba.
Guerra said, "I can't comment other than saying that if you're familiar
with the technology, it's ridiculous. It's just that satellite dishes
don't look like surf boards. I won't comment any further on that."
So was Guerra saying that the operation didn't take place – that no one
smuggled the satellite dishes to Cuba, as Cuban officials claimed in
March 2011 video?
"I have not seen the video, so I cannot comment on that," replied
Guerra, a founding director of Privaterra, which assists
non-governmental organizations with matters of data privacy, information
security and human rights.
The Cuban government's version of events is that a California man named
Barry Fink smuggled satellite dishes to Cuba as part of a U.S.
government-financed operation in 2008.
The satellite dishes wound up in the hands of a Cuban electronics
technician named Dalexi González Madruga.
González went to Cuban authorities with what he knew and became an
informant, nicknamed Agent Rául.
González said when he met Fink in 2008, Fink introduced himself with the
code words: "How's the surf in the south of France?"
González answered with the correct password and they got on with
business. Cuba's state-run Granma newspaper reported:
They headed for a minibus parked a few meters away, and Barry gave him
four satellite dishes, camouflaged as surf boards…
Fink, a commercial video producer based in Marina Del Rey, Calif.,
declined to talk about the supposed operation.
"I'm just not in a position to discuss it," he said Thursday. "I can't."
Asked if he had signed a confidentiality agreement, Fink said no, but
preferred not to comment.
"I do not think it would be appropriate."
Guerra is an expert on Internet freedom and cybersecurity, according to
his LinkedIn profile. Cuban officials allege that he acted as González's
handler.
Asked if he worried he could be arrested in Cuba, Guerra said he "took a
lot of care" to be discreet while on the island.
"I was in Cuba for a long period of time," he said. "You just expose
yourself to problems."
The working environment is challenging, he said.
"It's no different than the Cold War with the Russians," he said. "If
you're experienced, you can deal with it. If you're naive, it can be
more of a problem."
What does Guerra think of the plight of Alan Gross, the American
development worker jailed in Cuba in December 2009 while carrying out a
U.S. government-financed democracy program?
"I'm familiar with that case and I think one has to be aware of that,"
he said.
Gross is in a difficult spot, Guerra said, because the U.S. government
doesn't have diplomatic relations with Cuba, making it more difficult
for American officials to negotiate for his release.
Cuban officials contend that the Internet freedom activists smuggled the
satellite dishes into Cuba as part of a plan to set up an illegal
communications network in Cuba. They hoped to set up a mobile Internet
connection free from socialist government control.
"The internet works VERY RAPIDLY!" a technician told his Cuban contact
while describing the equipment. " …You may use Skype, Yahoo video +
voice… Next week we will be talking FOR FREE!"
Guerra said he hasn't been involved in any Cuba projects "for the last
couple of years," but imagines that democracy activists have changed
their approach.
The Cuban government has loosened travel restrictions, making it easier
for such activists as Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez to travel to and from
the island.
"Yoani, who would have thought many years ago that she would be on a
world tour?" Guerra asked. "Others can travel, as well. That changes the
dynamic. There's a lot that is changing on the island."
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=93369
Small and Large Steps towards Equality for Gays in Cuba
Small and Large Steps towards Equality for Gays in Cuba
By Ivet González
CIEGO DE ÁVILA, Cuba , May 20 2013 (IPS) - The lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender community in Cuba has won advances on issues like the
change of name of pre-operative transgender persons, while they continue
to fight for the right to same-sex civil unions.
For the first time since 1997, a transsexual woman who had not undergone
sex-change surgery was issued a photo ID card this year reflecting her
chosen name and gender identity, Manuel Vázquez, a lawyer with the
National Centre for Sex Education (CENESEX), a government-funded body,
told IPS.
"We will continue supporting efforts to attain name changes in other
cases, and we hope it will become the norm," said Vázquez, who is head
of the legal services unit in CENESEX, which reports that the family and
the workplace are the spheres where the rights of LGBT persons are
violated the most.
Up to now, the photo on the national ID card of trans women and men has
had to reflect their biological sex.
In 1997, CENESEX managed to reach agreements with the ministries of the
interior and justice to change the names and photos on the ID cards of
13 transgender people who had not undergone sex-reassignment surgery,
although other civil registry documents, such as their birth
certificates, were not modified. But that had not happened again until now.
Transgender people who have undergone sex-change surgery, which is
provided free of charge in Cuba since 2008, are allowed to modify their
ID cards. In Cuba, 19 people – two of them female-to-male transgender
persons – have had sex-reassignment surgery so far, according to CENESEX.
"Now a trans person who has not had surgery is free to seek and win a
name change, thanks to this precedent," Vázquez said.
Speaking to IPS during the month-long events surrounding the
International Day Against Homophobia, celebrated May 17, Adela
Hernández, the only transgender member of a municipal assembly in Cuba,
said she had started the process of applying for a name change on her ID
card.
Hernández, a nurse and now a municipal assembly member in the city of
Caibarién in the central province of Villa Clara, had to register as a
candidate in the October-November 2012 municipal elections under the
name José Agustín Hernández and with a photo that looks very different
from the woman who won a majority of votes in her district.
Hernández is one of the special guests on this year's agenda of
educational, cultural and – for the first time – sports activities
organised by CENESEX, which has led a month of anti-homophobia events
every year since 2008.
On this occasion, the central activities took place May 14-17 in the
city of Ciego de Ávila, 434 km east of Havana, ending with a festive
march down the central avenue Libertad, with the demonstrators waving
rainbow and Cuban flags and dancing in a conga line.
Mariela *, a 36-year-old mother, came to watch the conga line with her
nine-year-old baby. "I haven't taken part (in the activities), but I'm
not against it," she told IPS. "These events help families learn about
sexual diversity and to respect it more, and help children and young
people grow up better."
But other people are still opposed to the campaign for respect for free
sexual orientation and gender identity, which CENESEX carries out all
year long, culminating in the May schedule of events, dedicated this
year to families.
CENESEX director Mariela Castro said "the hardest thing is to change
people's mentalities," in a country that is still heavily machista and
homophobic. In fact, until the 1990s, "ostentatious public displays of
homosexuality" were illegal.
Since 2012, the LGBT community and CENESEX have stepped up their
activism demanding recognition of sexual rights as human rights in this
country, which has no specific law against discrimination on the grounds
of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Cuban parliament has not yet debated the bill for a new "family
code", sponsored in 2008 by the non-governmental Federation of Cuban
Women and other institutions. Among other things, the bill, aimed at
updating the family code in effect since 1975, would recognise same-sex
civil unions.
In Latin America, same-sex marriage is legal only in Argentina and
Uruguay, as well as Mexico City and three states in Mexico. In Brazil,
meanwhile, civil unions that confer nearly the same rights as marriage
are legal, and on May 14, the National Council of Justice ordered civil
registries to allow same-sex couples who apply for a marriage license to
marry.
Vázquez called for a law on civil unions in Cuba, and said he supported
the creation of a law on gender identity, as advocated by legal experts
and activists.
But until such legislation is approved, the 26-year-old lawyer's
strategy is to train attorneys and judges on how to take advantage of
existing laws in cases of violations of LGBT rights
"People also have to be brave, and report these crimes," he said.
He mentioned the first workshop on the question of LGBT rights for
lawyers and judges, held in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba.
CENESEX also plans to expand its legal services to other parts of the
country.
"There is no law on the rights of homosexuals. There is only very vague
language about it," said Raquel Fernández of the Red de Lesbianas
Atenea, a network of lesbians based in Ciego de Ávila. Domestic violence
and limited access to housing or jobs due to homophobia are among the
limitations that lesbians suffer the most, she told IPS.
*The source asked that her last name not be used.
http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/small-and-large-steps-towards-equality-for-gays-in-cuba/
By Ivet González
CIEGO DE ÁVILA, Cuba , May 20 2013 (IPS) - The lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender community in Cuba has won advances on issues like the
change of name of pre-operative transgender persons, while they continue
to fight for the right to same-sex civil unions.
For the first time since 1997, a transsexual woman who had not undergone
sex-change surgery was issued a photo ID card this year reflecting her
chosen name and gender identity, Manuel Vázquez, a lawyer with the
National Centre for Sex Education (CENESEX), a government-funded body,
told IPS.
"We will continue supporting efforts to attain name changes in other
cases, and we hope it will become the norm," said Vázquez, who is head
of the legal services unit in CENESEX, which reports that the family and
the workplace are the spheres where the rights of LGBT persons are
violated the most.
Up to now, the photo on the national ID card of trans women and men has
had to reflect their biological sex.
In 1997, CENESEX managed to reach agreements with the ministries of the
interior and justice to change the names and photos on the ID cards of
13 transgender people who had not undergone sex-reassignment surgery,
although other civil registry documents, such as their birth
certificates, were not modified. But that had not happened again until now.
Transgender people who have undergone sex-change surgery, which is
provided free of charge in Cuba since 2008, are allowed to modify their
ID cards. In Cuba, 19 people – two of them female-to-male transgender
persons – have had sex-reassignment surgery so far, according to CENESEX.
"Now a trans person who has not had surgery is free to seek and win a
name change, thanks to this precedent," Vázquez said.
Speaking to IPS during the month-long events surrounding the
International Day Against Homophobia, celebrated May 17, Adela
Hernández, the only transgender member of a municipal assembly in Cuba,
said she had started the process of applying for a name change on her ID
card.
Hernández, a nurse and now a municipal assembly member in the city of
Caibarién in the central province of Villa Clara, had to register as a
candidate in the October-November 2012 municipal elections under the
name José Agustín Hernández and with a photo that looks very different
from the woman who won a majority of votes in her district.
Hernández is one of the special guests on this year's agenda of
educational, cultural and – for the first time – sports activities
organised by CENESEX, which has led a month of anti-homophobia events
every year since 2008.
On this occasion, the central activities took place May 14-17 in the
city of Ciego de Ávila, 434 km east of Havana, ending with a festive
march down the central avenue Libertad, with the demonstrators waving
rainbow and Cuban flags and dancing in a conga line.
Mariela *, a 36-year-old mother, came to watch the conga line with her
nine-year-old baby. "I haven't taken part (in the activities), but I'm
not against it," she told IPS. "These events help families learn about
sexual diversity and to respect it more, and help children and young
people grow up better."
But other people are still opposed to the campaign for respect for free
sexual orientation and gender identity, which CENESEX carries out all
year long, culminating in the May schedule of events, dedicated this
year to families.
CENESEX director Mariela Castro said "the hardest thing is to change
people's mentalities," in a country that is still heavily machista and
homophobic. In fact, until the 1990s, "ostentatious public displays of
homosexuality" were illegal.
Since 2012, the LGBT community and CENESEX have stepped up their
activism demanding recognition of sexual rights as human rights in this
country, which has no specific law against discrimination on the grounds
of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Cuban parliament has not yet debated the bill for a new "family
code", sponsored in 2008 by the non-governmental Federation of Cuban
Women and other institutions. Among other things, the bill, aimed at
updating the family code in effect since 1975, would recognise same-sex
civil unions.
In Latin America, same-sex marriage is legal only in Argentina and
Uruguay, as well as Mexico City and three states in Mexico. In Brazil,
meanwhile, civil unions that confer nearly the same rights as marriage
are legal, and on May 14, the National Council of Justice ordered civil
registries to allow same-sex couples who apply for a marriage license to
marry.
Vázquez called for a law on civil unions in Cuba, and said he supported
the creation of a law on gender identity, as advocated by legal experts
and activists.
But until such legislation is approved, the 26-year-old lawyer's
strategy is to train attorneys and judges on how to take advantage of
existing laws in cases of violations of LGBT rights
"People also have to be brave, and report these crimes," he said.
He mentioned the first workshop on the question of LGBT rights for
lawyers and judges, held in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba.
CENESEX also plans to expand its legal services to other parts of the
country.
"There is no law on the rights of homosexuals. There is only very vague
language about it," said Raquel Fernández of the Red de Lesbianas
Atenea, a network of lesbians based in Ciego de Ávila. Domestic violence
and limited access to housing or jobs due to homophobia are among the
limitations that lesbians suffer the most, she told IPS.
*The source asked that her last name not be used.
http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/small-and-large-steps-towards-equality-for-gays-in-cuba/
Blogging a Revolution from Cuba
Blogging a Revolution from Cuba
Logan Payne | May 21, 2013
Imagine a world where you couldn't get on the Internet, where you
couldn't access Facebook from your iPhone. Tweets, what are that? A
Google search? A Yelp review?
Fiction writer, photographer, journalist and revolutionary Cuban
blogger, Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, also known simply as OLPL, visited UC
Irvine for a Thursday event hosted by the Literary Journalism Program,
the School of Humanities and the Latin American Studies Program as an
installment of the Conversations on Writing and Public Life Series.
Born in communist Cuba and educated as a biochemist at The University of
Havana, where he was employed as a molecular biologist, Lazo began to
pursue writing and photography and, most famously, blogging under the
gaze of the hyper-restrictive Cuban regime.
In a country where Internet access is restricted to everyone but
students, universities and state workers, ordinary citizens like Lazo
are unable to obtain Internet access, even if they are able and willing
to pay for the service.
The Cuban digital revolution began around 2007, when independent,
alternative bloggers began creating sites and publishing material about
the lives of ordinary Cuban citizens, giving international readers a
window through which they could observe this secretive state. Over 1,000
blogs have been created within the past six years, giving international
readers a wide array of voices, images and firsthand accounts of life in
Cuba.
Now a New York City resident, Lazo blogged from Havana hotel rooms where
Internet access was available to guests for $10-12 an hour or from
international embassies that provided free Internet access to Cubans. In
order to obtain Internet access from Sweden, the Netherlands, the Czech
Republic and the United States, Cuban citizens must put their name on a
list and wait around two weeks before they are called and granted access
to the embassy.
Equipped with his laptop inside various Havana hotels and embassies, and
the occasional post published by a friend with regular Internet access,
Lazo writes freely under his own name.
"I live with the impression that I will not be here the next day, I am
hiding nothing," he reflected.
Lazo's most well-noted blogs include "Boring Home Utopics," his
photoblog and "Lunes de Post-Revolución." Readers of "Boring Home
Utopics" are often exiled Cubans who send photo requests to the blogger,
asking him to photograph the people and places they left behind. From
photos of Regla, a town where a man grew up but left behind, to photos
of a brother-in-law in Cuba that they wanted to share with their
two-year-old daughter who would never be able to meet him in person,
"Boring Home Utopics" offers a connection to a lost world.
With just two percent of the Cuban population equipped with regular
Internet access, inhabitants of Cuba have no access to news from outlets
other than the official Cuban press, which the government manages and
maintains.
The Cuban clone of Wikipedia, hosted at Ecured.cu, doesn't allow edits
to be made, so information that is posted on a profile is limited and
regulated by the Cuban government. RedSocial, the Cuban equivalent of
Facebook, recently launched to much international criticism since the
site only allows Cubans to connect with other Cubans, rather than the
entire international social media community.
While 80 percent of the United States population is equipped with
Internet access, according to the 2010 United States Census, Cubans
remain shut off from the rest of the world and what little Internet they
have, censorship is rampant.
Prior to Pope Benedict XVI's arrival in March of 2012, Lazo was
imprisoned with no explanation as to why or how long he would be there.
His mother thought he was dead. Four days later, after the pope had come
and gone, the blogger was released with no documents that proved his
imprisonment.
Although most of his blogs are in Spanish, Lazo shared "Translating
Cuba," a website that asks users to translate popular Cuban blogs to
English, further expanding the spread of these revolutionary voices.
With an impassioned and, at times, defeated voice, Lazo spoke of the
love he had for his country, and the frustration that came along with
living in such a restricted state.
"The Internet is a revolutionary tool, a tool to defend what has already
been established," Lazo said.
Whether or not Cuba, North Korea or China will one day have free and
unrestricted Internet access remains to be seen, but for now, the voices
coming from Cuba give readers a glimpse into the vibrant but secluded
Communist country that sits less than a hundred miles from the United
States, where the world is accessible from one's keyboard.
http://www.newuniversity.org/2013/05/features/blogging-a-revolution-from-cuba/
Logan Payne | May 21, 2013
Imagine a world where you couldn't get on the Internet, where you
couldn't access Facebook from your iPhone. Tweets, what are that? A
Google search? A Yelp review?
Fiction writer, photographer, journalist and revolutionary Cuban
blogger, Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, also known simply as OLPL, visited UC
Irvine for a Thursday event hosted by the Literary Journalism Program,
the School of Humanities and the Latin American Studies Program as an
installment of the Conversations on Writing and Public Life Series.
Born in communist Cuba and educated as a biochemist at The University of
Havana, where he was employed as a molecular biologist, Lazo began to
pursue writing and photography and, most famously, blogging under the
gaze of the hyper-restrictive Cuban regime.
In a country where Internet access is restricted to everyone but
students, universities and state workers, ordinary citizens like Lazo
are unable to obtain Internet access, even if they are able and willing
to pay for the service.
The Cuban digital revolution began around 2007, when independent,
alternative bloggers began creating sites and publishing material about
the lives of ordinary Cuban citizens, giving international readers a
window through which they could observe this secretive state. Over 1,000
blogs have been created within the past six years, giving international
readers a wide array of voices, images and firsthand accounts of life in
Cuba.
Now a New York City resident, Lazo blogged from Havana hotel rooms where
Internet access was available to guests for $10-12 an hour or from
international embassies that provided free Internet access to Cubans. In
order to obtain Internet access from Sweden, the Netherlands, the Czech
Republic and the United States, Cuban citizens must put their name on a
list and wait around two weeks before they are called and granted access
to the embassy.
Equipped with his laptop inside various Havana hotels and embassies, and
the occasional post published by a friend with regular Internet access,
Lazo writes freely under his own name.
"I live with the impression that I will not be here the next day, I am
hiding nothing," he reflected.
Lazo's most well-noted blogs include "Boring Home Utopics," his
photoblog and "Lunes de Post-Revolución." Readers of "Boring Home
Utopics" are often exiled Cubans who send photo requests to the blogger,
asking him to photograph the people and places they left behind. From
photos of Regla, a town where a man grew up but left behind, to photos
of a brother-in-law in Cuba that they wanted to share with their
two-year-old daughter who would never be able to meet him in person,
"Boring Home Utopics" offers a connection to a lost world.
With just two percent of the Cuban population equipped with regular
Internet access, inhabitants of Cuba have no access to news from outlets
other than the official Cuban press, which the government manages and
maintains.
The Cuban clone of Wikipedia, hosted at Ecured.cu, doesn't allow edits
to be made, so information that is posted on a profile is limited and
regulated by the Cuban government. RedSocial, the Cuban equivalent of
Facebook, recently launched to much international criticism since the
site only allows Cubans to connect with other Cubans, rather than the
entire international social media community.
While 80 percent of the United States population is equipped with
Internet access, according to the 2010 United States Census, Cubans
remain shut off from the rest of the world and what little Internet they
have, censorship is rampant.
Prior to Pope Benedict XVI's arrival in March of 2012, Lazo was
imprisoned with no explanation as to why or how long he would be there.
His mother thought he was dead. Four days later, after the pope had come
and gone, the blogger was released with no documents that proved his
imprisonment.
Although most of his blogs are in Spanish, Lazo shared "Translating
Cuba," a website that asks users to translate popular Cuban blogs to
English, further expanding the spread of these revolutionary voices.
With an impassioned and, at times, defeated voice, Lazo spoke of the
love he had for his country, and the frustration that came along with
living in such a restricted state.
"The Internet is a revolutionary tool, a tool to defend what has already
been established," Lazo said.
Whether or not Cuba, North Korea or China will one day have free and
unrestricted Internet access remains to be seen, but for now, the voices
coming from Cuba give readers a glimpse into the vibrant but secluded
Communist country that sits less than a hundred miles from the United
States, where the world is accessible from one's keyboard.
http://www.newuniversity.org/2013/05/features/blogging-a-revolution-from-cuba/
Cuba seeking more construction projects in Angola
Cuba seeking more construction projects in Angola
Cuba is offering Angola design and management of larger infrastructure
projects, official news agency Angop reported.
Cuban workers, technicians and engineers are working on a road repair
program and reconstruction of highway bridges. Cuban brigades are
rehabilitating roads in Bengo and Kwanza Norte provinces and repairing
11 bridges in the South of the country; the road repair program is 47
percent complete, with total completion expected for the end of the
year, and 10 of the 11 bridges have been fixed, according to Pires.
During an eight-day visit to Luanda, Cuban Vice President Ricardo
Cabrisas, who is in charge of economic relations with Cuba's most
strategic partners, met with various cabinet ministers and President
Eduardo dos Santos. Among others, Cabrisas held talks with Construction
Minister Waldemar Pires Alexandre about new projects, including more
road repairs.
"Concerning the construction sector, Cuba is ready to continue to
participate with its human capital in the drafting and implementation of
large projects in the area," Cabrisas told reporters after meeting with
the construction minister, according to Angop.
Construction aside, Cuba has cooperated with Angola on oil. CubaPetróleo
is a junior partner of Argentina's PlusPetrol in drilling in the
southern part of Angola's Cabinda exclave. Angolan state company
Sonangol helped Cupet acquire a 5-percent stake in an onshore block in
2009; the Castanha-1 well there has been producing oil since 2010, and
Pluspetrol said last year the Cabinda South block had a "highly prolific
inventory of prospects that will be drilled." Sonangol also contracted
two offshore blocks in a joint venture with Cupet in Cuban waters of the
Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.cubastandard.com/2013/05/21/cuba-seeking-more-construction-projects-in-angola/
Cuba is offering Angola design and management of larger infrastructure
projects, official news agency Angop reported.
Cuban workers, technicians and engineers are working on a road repair
program and reconstruction of highway bridges. Cuban brigades are
rehabilitating roads in Bengo and Kwanza Norte provinces and repairing
11 bridges in the South of the country; the road repair program is 47
percent complete, with total completion expected for the end of the
year, and 10 of the 11 bridges have been fixed, according to Pires.
During an eight-day visit to Luanda, Cuban Vice President Ricardo
Cabrisas, who is in charge of economic relations with Cuba's most
strategic partners, met with various cabinet ministers and President
Eduardo dos Santos. Among others, Cabrisas held talks with Construction
Minister Waldemar Pires Alexandre about new projects, including more
road repairs.
"Concerning the construction sector, Cuba is ready to continue to
participate with its human capital in the drafting and implementation of
large projects in the area," Cabrisas told reporters after meeting with
the construction minister, according to Angop.
Construction aside, Cuba has cooperated with Angola on oil. CubaPetróleo
is a junior partner of Argentina's PlusPetrol in drilling in the
southern part of Angola's Cabinda exclave. Angolan state company
Sonangol helped Cupet acquire a 5-percent stake in an onshore block in
2009; the Castanha-1 well there has been producing oil since 2010, and
Pluspetrol said last year the Cabinda South block had a "highly prolific
inventory of prospects that will be drilled." Sonangol also contracted
two offshore blocks in a joint venture with Cupet in Cuban waters of the
Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.cubastandard.com/2013/05/21/cuba-seeking-more-construction-projects-in-angola/
Venezuela Opposition Audio Suggests Cuba Meddling
Venezuela Opposition: Audio Suggests Cuba Meddling
By KARL RITTER and FABIOLA SANCHEZ Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela May 20, 2013 (AP)
Venezuela's opposition has released an audio recording that it said
contains a prominent member of the ruling party discussing political
strategy with a Cuban intelligence officer.
Opposition lawmaker Ismael Garcia said Monday that the recording
captures a phone conversation between state TV personality Mario Silva,
a staunch government ally, and a Cuban identified as Lt. Col. Aramis
Palacios.
Venezuela's opposition has long accused Cuban leaders of wielding
influence behind the scenes in guiding government decisions. For its
part, the Venezuelan government accuses opposition leader Henrique
Capriles of being a puppet of the U.S.
At a news conference, Garcia didn't say when the conversation was
recorded or how he obtained it.
In it, a man identified as Silva is heard discussing a split in the
ruling socialist party between parliament leader Diosdado Cabello and
President Nicolas Maduro, the late President Hugo Chavez's successor.
Venezuela Politics.JPEG
The man says he worries that Cabello, a former army officer, is
conspiring against the president, who narrowly defeated Capriles in an
April 14 election that the opposition refuses to accept, claiming fraud.
For example, the voice says, Maduro's opponents in the party want to
remove Defense Minister Diego Molero.
"Why do they want to remove him, Palacios? To be able to take the armed
forces and put pressure on Maduro or to behave as they please or to pull
a coup d'etat," the man says.
Silva dismissed the recording on Twitter as a "montage" and suggested
U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies were behind it. In a statement
later Monday, he insisted that the recording was "absolutely false," and
pledged his support to both Maduro and Cabello.
Cabello also dismissed the recording, calling on the opposition to
present real evidence, "not a show."
Cuban authorities did not immediately respond to a request for reaction
or information about Palacios.
In a speech broadcast Monday on state TV, Maduro called for an end to
"intrigues" against his administration and the armed forces but didn't
specifically mention the recording.
During his 14-year reign, Chavez forged close ties with Cuba, where he
was treated for the cancer that killed him March 5. Venezuela has
shipped billions of dollars' worth of oil to Cuba on preferential terms.
Capriles had urged his supporters to pay attention to the news
conference in which the recording was released.
"Every corrupt and illegitimate government always implodes!" he tweeted
later Monday.
———
Associated Press writer Peter Orsi in Havana contributed to this report.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/venezuela-opposition-audio-suggest-cuban-meddling-19219169#.UZuVPso7vTo
By KARL RITTER and FABIOLA SANCHEZ Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela May 20, 2013 (AP)
Venezuela's opposition has released an audio recording that it said
contains a prominent member of the ruling party discussing political
strategy with a Cuban intelligence officer.
Opposition lawmaker Ismael Garcia said Monday that the recording
captures a phone conversation between state TV personality Mario Silva,
a staunch government ally, and a Cuban identified as Lt. Col. Aramis
Palacios.
Venezuela's opposition has long accused Cuban leaders of wielding
influence behind the scenes in guiding government decisions. For its
part, the Venezuelan government accuses opposition leader Henrique
Capriles of being a puppet of the U.S.
At a news conference, Garcia didn't say when the conversation was
recorded or how he obtained it.
In it, a man identified as Silva is heard discussing a split in the
ruling socialist party between parliament leader Diosdado Cabello and
President Nicolas Maduro, the late President Hugo Chavez's successor.
Venezuela Politics.JPEG
The man says he worries that Cabello, a former army officer, is
conspiring against the president, who narrowly defeated Capriles in an
April 14 election that the opposition refuses to accept, claiming fraud.
For example, the voice says, Maduro's opponents in the party want to
remove Defense Minister Diego Molero.
"Why do they want to remove him, Palacios? To be able to take the armed
forces and put pressure on Maduro or to behave as they please or to pull
a coup d'etat," the man says.
Silva dismissed the recording on Twitter as a "montage" and suggested
U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies were behind it. In a statement
later Monday, he insisted that the recording was "absolutely false," and
pledged his support to both Maduro and Cabello.
Cabello also dismissed the recording, calling on the opposition to
present real evidence, "not a show."
Cuban authorities did not immediately respond to a request for reaction
or information about Palacios.
In a speech broadcast Monday on state TV, Maduro called for an end to
"intrigues" against his administration and the armed forces but didn't
specifically mention the recording.
During his 14-year reign, Chavez forged close ties with Cuba, where he
was treated for the cancer that killed him March 5. Venezuela has
shipped billions of dollars' worth of oil to Cuba on preferential terms.
Capriles had urged his supporters to pay attention to the news
conference in which the recording was released.
"Every corrupt and illegitimate government always implodes!" he tweeted
later Monday.
———
Associated Press writer Peter Orsi in Havana contributed to this report.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/venezuela-opposition-audio-suggest-cuban-meddling-19219169#.UZuVPso7vTo
Internet cable from Cuba to Jamaica comes online
Posted on Tuesday, 05.21.13
Internet cable from Cuba to Jamaica comes online
The Associated Press
HAVANA -- A company that monitors global Internet traffic says another
branch of the Venezuela-to-Cuba undersea fiber-optic cable has come
online, connecting the island to nearby Jamaica.
Internet analysis firm Renesys says it detected the new traffic between
Cuban state telecom monopoly Etecsa and Cable & Wireless Jamaica
beginning May 13.
Renesys analyst Doug Madory announced the new connection in a post on
the company's blog Monday.
Read more here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/21/3408478/internet-cable-from-cuba-to-jamaica.html#storylink=cpy
Internet cable from Cuba to Jamaica comes online
The Associated Press
HAVANA -- A company that monitors global Internet traffic says another
branch of the Venezuela-to-Cuba undersea fiber-optic cable has come
online, connecting the island to nearby Jamaica.
Internet analysis firm Renesys says it detected the new traffic between
Cuban state telecom monopoly Etecsa and Cable & Wireless Jamaica
beginning May 13.
Renesys analyst Doug Madory announced the new connection in a post on
the company's blog Monday.
Read more here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/21/3408478/internet-cable-from-cuba-to-jamaica.html#storylink=cpy
Cuba lifts ban on energy-hogging appliances
Posted on Tuesday, 05.21.13
Cuba lifts ban on energy-hogging appliances
The Associated Press
HAVANA -- Cuba has authorized individual imports of appliances such as
air conditioners, refrigerators and microwave ovens, lifting a ban
imposed in 2005 amid a wave of energy shortages and blackouts.
Islanders can now bring up to two such appliances per person into the
country for noncommercial purposes, according to a law enacted with its
publication Monday in the Official Gazette.
The list of approved items includes air conditioners with a capacity of
less than 1 ton, ovens that consume less than 1,500 watts and microwaves
under 2,000 watts.
It also covers things including water heaters, toasters and irons.
Personal importation of energy-sucking appliances was restricted eight
years ago during an energy crisis that prompted then-President Fidel
Castro to launch the so-called Energy Revolution, seeking to lower
consumption.
Castro went on state TV to promote more efficient rice steamers and
pressure cookers, government workers fanned out across the island
replacing incandescent light bulbs in homes and the country's creaky
electrical grid also got an update.
Blackouts are much rarer today, thanks in part to a steady flow of oil
on preferential terms from close ally Venezuela.
In 2011, Cuba resumed local sales of domestic appliances in response to
demand and to support private small businesses launched under current
President Raul Castro's economic reforms.
Authorities have continued to stress the importance of conservation to
keep Cuba's power grid from being overtaxed.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/21/3408447/cuba-lifts-ban-on-energy-hogging.html
Cuba lifts ban on energy-hogging appliances
The Associated Press
HAVANA -- Cuba has authorized individual imports of appliances such as
air conditioners, refrigerators and microwave ovens, lifting a ban
imposed in 2005 amid a wave of energy shortages and blackouts.
Islanders can now bring up to two such appliances per person into the
country for noncommercial purposes, according to a law enacted with its
publication Monday in the Official Gazette.
The list of approved items includes air conditioners with a capacity of
less than 1 ton, ovens that consume less than 1,500 watts and microwaves
under 2,000 watts.
It also covers things including water heaters, toasters and irons.
Personal importation of energy-sucking appliances was restricted eight
years ago during an energy crisis that prompted then-President Fidel
Castro to launch the so-called Energy Revolution, seeking to lower
consumption.
Castro went on state TV to promote more efficient rice steamers and
pressure cookers, government workers fanned out across the island
replacing incandescent light bulbs in homes and the country's creaky
electrical grid also got an update.
Blackouts are much rarer today, thanks in part to a steady flow of oil
on preferential terms from close ally Venezuela.
In 2011, Cuba resumed local sales of domestic appliances in response to
demand and to support private small businesses launched under current
President Raul Castro's economic reforms.
Authorities have continued to stress the importance of conservation to
keep Cuba's power grid from being overtaxed.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/21/3408447/cuba-lifts-ban-on-energy-hogging.html
Ladies in White say they want both material and moral support
Posted on Monday, 05.20.13
Ladies in White say they want both material and moral support
By Juan Carlos Chavez and Juan O. Tamayo
jtamayo@ElNuevoHerald.com
Leaders of Cuba's dissident Ladies in White group rejected Havana's
claims they are mercenaries and said on Monday that there is nothing
wrong with receiving help from abroad because the Cuban government "is
trying to asphyxiate us."
Berta Soler and Belkis Cantillo also called for forgiveness of low-level
repressors in a post-Castro era but punishment for those "with blood on
their hands" during an appearance at the Freedom Tower, symbolic heart
of Miami's exile community, on Cuba's traditional Independence Day.
Soler, Cantillo and Laura Labrada got louder and longer applause than
even Miami's own Gloria Estefan, who wore a white dress and presented
the women with a large photo of the massive march she helped organize in
Miami in 2010 to support their group.
The audience of several hundred at the Freedom Tower broke repeatedly
into applause and shouts of "Viva Cuba" as the three women, also dressed
in white, laid out their thoughts on the communist-run island of 11
million people.
Cantillo said that as a Christian she could forgive the young State
Security agent who punched and shoved her to break up a protest last
month by several members of the Ladies in White in the eastern province
of Santiago de Cuba.
Soler said, however, that in a democratic Cuba "those with blood on
their hands must go on trial." She gave no details, but Cubans often
point to the boats that rammed and sank the tugboat "13 de Marzo" in
1994 to keep it from escaping the island. More than 30 people aboard the
tugboat drowned.
Soler and Labrada also repeated their pleas for material and moral
assistance for the Ladies in White and other dissidents, rejecting Cuban
government allegations that Washington finances their activities to
undermine the communist system.
"We are not paid. We are not mercenaries," said Labrada. "And we are
grateful for all of those who want to help us."
Soler added that the dissidents need "oxygen" because the Cuban
government "wants to asphyxiate us," often by denying jobs, educational
benefits and other government services to opposition activists and
relatives.
Journalist Maria Elvira Salazar, who moderated the presentation, noted
in a question that Havana received huge subsidies from the Soviet Union
and Venezuela and supported guerrillas in almost every Latin American
country during the 1960s and 70s.
The public presentation was hosted by the Foundation for Human rights in
Cuba and Miami Dade College to coincide with May 20, celebrated as
Cuba's Independence Day until Fidel Castro seized power. The government
now celebrates independence on Oct. 10, the start in 1868 of the revolt
against Spain.
"We never would have imagined being here to celebrate this day," said
Soler, one of the dozen dissidents allowed to travel abroad for the
first time in years after the government eased its travel restrictions
in January.
Dissident Guillermo Fariñas — who like the Ladies in White won the
European Parliament's Sakharov prize for Freedom of Conscience, his
coming in 2010, the women's in 2005 — took part in a news conference
with the women before the public presentation.
Fariñas acknowledged with a sheepish smile that when he arrived in Miami
he was a bit worried about his reception by some of the "more radical"
Miami Cubans, because of the Cuban government's 50 years of propaganda
against exiles.
But he said he received "a lot of affection" when he turned up over the
weekend at Cuba Nostalgia, the annual celebration of all things Cuba,
and when he stopped for a bite to eat at Versailles, the Calle Ocho
restaurant.
MDC President Eduardo J. Padron said the Ladies in White had shown "an
extraordinary valor" in their activism against the government and
presented the women with the college's Presidential Medal, engraved
"Guardians of Freedom."
Jorge Mas Santos, head of the Cuban American National Foundation, said
the dissidents live under terrible threats but "are the hope for a
country where human rights are respected and the dreams of a young Cuban
can be realized." The Ladies in White and Fariñas were scheduled to be
guests of honor Monday night at the Foundation's annual 20 de Mayo
Celebration Dinner at the JW Marriott Marquis in downtown Miami.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/20/3407345/ladies-in-white-say-they-want.html
Ladies in White say they want both material and moral support
By Juan Carlos Chavez and Juan O. Tamayo
jtamayo@ElNuevoHerald.com
Leaders of Cuba's dissident Ladies in White group rejected Havana's
claims they are mercenaries and said on Monday that there is nothing
wrong with receiving help from abroad because the Cuban government "is
trying to asphyxiate us."
Berta Soler and Belkis Cantillo also called for forgiveness of low-level
repressors in a post-Castro era but punishment for those "with blood on
their hands" during an appearance at the Freedom Tower, symbolic heart
of Miami's exile community, on Cuba's traditional Independence Day.
Soler, Cantillo and Laura Labrada got louder and longer applause than
even Miami's own Gloria Estefan, who wore a white dress and presented
the women with a large photo of the massive march she helped organize in
Miami in 2010 to support their group.
The audience of several hundred at the Freedom Tower broke repeatedly
into applause and shouts of "Viva Cuba" as the three women, also dressed
in white, laid out their thoughts on the communist-run island of 11
million people.
Cantillo said that as a Christian she could forgive the young State
Security agent who punched and shoved her to break up a protest last
month by several members of the Ladies in White in the eastern province
of Santiago de Cuba.
Soler said, however, that in a democratic Cuba "those with blood on
their hands must go on trial." She gave no details, but Cubans often
point to the boats that rammed and sank the tugboat "13 de Marzo" in
1994 to keep it from escaping the island. More than 30 people aboard the
tugboat drowned.
Soler and Labrada also repeated their pleas for material and moral
assistance for the Ladies in White and other dissidents, rejecting Cuban
government allegations that Washington finances their activities to
undermine the communist system.
"We are not paid. We are not mercenaries," said Labrada. "And we are
grateful for all of those who want to help us."
Soler added that the dissidents need "oxygen" because the Cuban
government "wants to asphyxiate us," often by denying jobs, educational
benefits and other government services to opposition activists and
relatives.
Journalist Maria Elvira Salazar, who moderated the presentation, noted
in a question that Havana received huge subsidies from the Soviet Union
and Venezuela and supported guerrillas in almost every Latin American
country during the 1960s and 70s.
The public presentation was hosted by the Foundation for Human rights in
Cuba and Miami Dade College to coincide with May 20, celebrated as
Cuba's Independence Day until Fidel Castro seized power. The government
now celebrates independence on Oct. 10, the start in 1868 of the revolt
against Spain.
"We never would have imagined being here to celebrate this day," said
Soler, one of the dozen dissidents allowed to travel abroad for the
first time in years after the government eased its travel restrictions
in January.
Dissident Guillermo Fariñas — who like the Ladies in White won the
European Parliament's Sakharov prize for Freedom of Conscience, his
coming in 2010, the women's in 2005 — took part in a news conference
with the women before the public presentation.
Fariñas acknowledged with a sheepish smile that when he arrived in Miami
he was a bit worried about his reception by some of the "more radical"
Miami Cubans, because of the Cuban government's 50 years of propaganda
against exiles.
But he said he received "a lot of affection" when he turned up over the
weekend at Cuba Nostalgia, the annual celebration of all things Cuba,
and when he stopped for a bite to eat at Versailles, the Calle Ocho
restaurant.
MDC President Eduardo J. Padron said the Ladies in White had shown "an
extraordinary valor" in their activism against the government and
presented the women with the college's Presidential Medal, engraved
"Guardians of Freedom."
Jorge Mas Santos, head of the Cuban American National Foundation, said
the dissidents live under terrible threats but "are the hope for a
country where human rights are respected and the dreams of a young Cuban
can be realized." The Ladies in White and Fariñas were scheduled to be
guests of honor Monday night at the Foundation's annual 20 de Mayo
Celebration Dinner at the JW Marriott Marquis in downtown Miami.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/20/3407345/ladies-in-white-say-they-want.html
Monday, May 20, 2013
Dualities
Dualities / Fernando Damaso
Posted on May 20, 2013
In the Republican Cuba each province had a governor and each
municipality a mayor, who governed, in the case of the province with a
Council of municipal mayors, and in the municipalities with a city
council with councilors. The municipality was the local society
organized politically to an extent determined by the necessary relations
of vicinity, on a basis of financial capacity to meet the expenses of
the government. It had autonomy, with powers to meet the peculiar
collective needs of local society. The province was composed of the
municipalities within its territory. So it was established in the
Constitution of 1940.
From the year 1959, instead of perfecting what already existed, these
structures were modified and, in the case of the municipality, which is
what interests me, the mayor was replaced by a triumvirate of three
commissioners, something also provided in the aforementioned
Constitution, but with the number of commissioners in correspondence
with the number of inhabitants in each municipality, rather than a fixed
number for all.
As the experiment failed, due to the multiplicity of leaders, it was
changed to just one, though with limited executive and financial power,
and with the measures to be applied having to be approved or ordered by
the central government.
In practice, the old town hall of municipal government became a mere
administration. Then they experimented with the same dismal results,
with the so-called JUCEI (Coordination, Operations and Inspection
Boards, which were the municipal and provincial governing bodies). With
the emergence of the People's Power they thought that the problem would
be resolved, looking to the experiences gained within the Republic and
later, but these lessons were discarded, maintaining the inefficiency,
now increased with the increase in bureaucracy.
The truly great problem is that, sitting on top of the existing bodies
of government, both national as well as provincial and municipal, is the
Party. It is no coincidence that every time there is a meeting of any of
them, either the National Assembly or the provincial or municipal ones,
the Party Plenary is held first and it establishes the scope and limits
of what will be discussed and approve by the assemblies.
In this scheme, in reality the Party has the power, and of course it the
Party that governs and the government (the People's Power), are simply
administrators. Herein lies its inability to solve problems, national as
well as provincial and municipal. It is a duality similar to the two
existing currencies where one, though it do not do so consciously,
conspires against each other, because they occupy and act in the same
small space.
In the capital this is the big problem, aggravated by the presence of
the central government and its agencies and institutions, who influence
and pressure the administration, which becomes an executor of the tasks
of others, leaving its own tasks uncompleted.
The result is on view for all: broken streets and sidewalks without
maintenance, abandoned landscaping, chaotic garbage collection,
terrible services of all kinds, buildings deteriorating and collapsing
daily, poor health and other evils that affect citizens.
As long as our provincial and municipal governments do not have real,
strong and resourceful leaders, who perform their duties as such, all
this will be insoluble.
18 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/dualities-fernando-damaso/
Posted on May 20, 2013
In the Republican Cuba each province had a governor and each
municipality a mayor, who governed, in the case of the province with a
Council of municipal mayors, and in the municipalities with a city
council with councilors. The municipality was the local society
organized politically to an extent determined by the necessary relations
of vicinity, on a basis of financial capacity to meet the expenses of
the government. It had autonomy, with powers to meet the peculiar
collective needs of local society. The province was composed of the
municipalities within its territory. So it was established in the
Constitution of 1940.
From the year 1959, instead of perfecting what already existed, these
structures were modified and, in the case of the municipality, which is
what interests me, the mayor was replaced by a triumvirate of three
commissioners, something also provided in the aforementioned
Constitution, but with the number of commissioners in correspondence
with the number of inhabitants in each municipality, rather than a fixed
number for all.
As the experiment failed, due to the multiplicity of leaders, it was
changed to just one, though with limited executive and financial power,
and with the measures to be applied having to be approved or ordered by
the central government.
In practice, the old town hall of municipal government became a mere
administration. Then they experimented with the same dismal results,
with the so-called JUCEI (Coordination, Operations and Inspection
Boards, which were the municipal and provincial governing bodies). With
the emergence of the People's Power they thought that the problem would
be resolved, looking to the experiences gained within the Republic and
later, but these lessons were discarded, maintaining the inefficiency,
now increased with the increase in bureaucracy.
The truly great problem is that, sitting on top of the existing bodies
of government, both national as well as provincial and municipal, is the
Party. It is no coincidence that every time there is a meeting of any of
them, either the National Assembly or the provincial or municipal ones,
the Party Plenary is held first and it establishes the scope and limits
of what will be discussed and approve by the assemblies.
In this scheme, in reality the Party has the power, and of course it the
Party that governs and the government (the People's Power), are simply
administrators. Herein lies its inability to solve problems, national as
well as provincial and municipal. It is a duality similar to the two
existing currencies where one, though it do not do so consciously,
conspires against each other, because they occupy and act in the same
small space.
In the capital this is the big problem, aggravated by the presence of
the central government and its agencies and institutions, who influence
and pressure the administration, which becomes an executor of the tasks
of others, leaving its own tasks uncompleted.
The result is on view for all: broken streets and sidewalks without
maintenance, abandoned landscaping, chaotic garbage collection,
terrible services of all kinds, buildings deteriorating and collapsing
daily, poor health and other evils that affect citizens.
As long as our provincial and municipal governments do not have real,
strong and resourceful leaders, who perform their duties as such, all
this will be insoluble.
18 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/dualities-fernando-damaso/
And Telesur Says So
And Telesur Says So / Miriam Celaya
Posted on May 20, 2013
To my readers: As has become customary, our desdecuba.com has been
hacked again for several days, therefore, I have not been able to update
the blog. To my surprise, today I found out it could be accessed, but
since I did not have a post ready to be uploaded, I will duplicate an
article I wrote, published May 7 by Diario de Cuba. Hugs to all, Eva-Miriam
And Telesur Says So
At first glance, it would seem that the Telesur TV channel — now live in
Cuba — is the same as any other news program on national television. On
Telesur, as in the regular channels in Cuba, the U.S. government is the
great villain, enemy of peace and prosperity of the people, and equally
villain are its allies, the government of Israel and the ever-evil
"western powers."
On Telesur, broadcast reports also indicate that the good-natured and
just FARC vigilantes have the government of Juan Manuel Santos up
against the ropes. He has been forced to sit at the negotiating table,
while Bashar Al Assad is the paradigm of kindness for the Syrian people
and the hope of Arab countries against Western domination.
Telesur shows how the hairy ear of the interventionist US imperialism
hides behind all the conflicts of the world, with provocations against
North Korea –- which for that reason has been forced to use the threat
of nuclear war — or with its peculiar way of recruiting mercenaries to
overthrow democratically elected governments around the world, mainly in
Latin America.
Thus, for example, it could almost be said that there is no opposition
in Venezuela, though in the recent elections it won almost half the
electorate votes, but a fascist clique spurred from Washington, some of
them Venezuelan congressional representatives, who had the audacity to
"incite violence" when they were deprived of their right to speak and
protest against it, the result of which was a brawl in which — curiously
— those same "traitors" were the ones seriously injured by the violence
of the ruling bloc.
All very simple, as in the old Western B-movies, the world is divided
into good-just-because and bad-to-the-end.
This last weekend Telesur broadcast a report from China, where its
correspondent in that country presented as a true gender advance that
now Chinese women with larger incomes can have two children instead of
the only child that the strict birth control stipulates. That is,
couples with lower incomes than that officially established will not
benefit from this change. Without a doubt, establishing social
differences according to income is something that has become common in
systems called "socialist."
But Telesur is not exactly like Cuban TV, as some claim, because since,
at the end of the day, it is a channel that broadcasts to the entire
region, where the press is not the exclusive monopoly of governments, it
is required to transmit images and events that occur daily in the world,
and we know that images speak louder than words.
It doesn't matter if figures and information are manipulated, the fact
is that, for the first time, Cubans have seen and heard Barack Obama's
complete swearing-in speech of the oath of office, and we have also
taken part onscreen in free and direct elections held legitimately in
"sister countries," such as Ecuador, Paraguay and even in Venezuela
itself, complete with electoral campaigns, opposition, international
observers, returns, complaints and all the ingredients of a democratic
recipe that we have been denied for generations in our country.
In some twisted way, Telesur is a small chink in the boarded window of
Castro's totalitarianism. When there are contrasts, some light is cast.
That is why so many Cubans watch some Telesur areas incredulous and in
awe, such as a show called "Atomun" which, by detailing the latest
technological advances that occur in the world, has the rare virtue of
placing the natives of this island face to face with our enormous lack
of computer technology and our appalling isolation compared to other XXI
century societies which, paradoxically, have not had the advantages of
half a century of "revolution."
Whether they like it or not, Telesur reports to us from disinformation.
And it appears that no one can say they are trying to deceive us. Their
intentions to confuse are openly declared, even from their own
presentation slogan: "Telesur, our North is the South." And I say let
whoever wants to be confused be confused.
Translated by Norma Whiting
10 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/and-telesur-says-so-miriam-celaya/
Posted on May 20, 2013
To my readers: As has become customary, our desdecuba.com has been
hacked again for several days, therefore, I have not been able to update
the blog. To my surprise, today I found out it could be accessed, but
since I did not have a post ready to be uploaded, I will duplicate an
article I wrote, published May 7 by Diario de Cuba. Hugs to all, Eva-Miriam
And Telesur Says So
At first glance, it would seem that the Telesur TV channel — now live in
Cuba — is the same as any other news program on national television. On
Telesur, as in the regular channels in Cuba, the U.S. government is the
great villain, enemy of peace and prosperity of the people, and equally
villain are its allies, the government of Israel and the ever-evil
"western powers."
On Telesur, broadcast reports also indicate that the good-natured and
just FARC vigilantes have the government of Juan Manuel Santos up
against the ropes. He has been forced to sit at the negotiating table,
while Bashar Al Assad is the paradigm of kindness for the Syrian people
and the hope of Arab countries against Western domination.
Telesur shows how the hairy ear of the interventionist US imperialism
hides behind all the conflicts of the world, with provocations against
North Korea –- which for that reason has been forced to use the threat
of nuclear war — or with its peculiar way of recruiting mercenaries to
overthrow democratically elected governments around the world, mainly in
Latin America.
Thus, for example, it could almost be said that there is no opposition
in Venezuela, though in the recent elections it won almost half the
electorate votes, but a fascist clique spurred from Washington, some of
them Venezuelan congressional representatives, who had the audacity to
"incite violence" when they were deprived of their right to speak and
protest against it, the result of which was a brawl in which — curiously
— those same "traitors" were the ones seriously injured by the violence
of the ruling bloc.
All very simple, as in the old Western B-movies, the world is divided
into good-just-because and bad-to-the-end.
This last weekend Telesur broadcast a report from China, where its
correspondent in that country presented as a true gender advance that
now Chinese women with larger incomes can have two children instead of
the only child that the strict birth control stipulates. That is,
couples with lower incomes than that officially established will not
benefit from this change. Without a doubt, establishing social
differences according to income is something that has become common in
systems called "socialist."
But Telesur is not exactly like Cuban TV, as some claim, because since,
at the end of the day, it is a channel that broadcasts to the entire
region, where the press is not the exclusive monopoly of governments, it
is required to transmit images and events that occur daily in the world,
and we know that images speak louder than words.
It doesn't matter if figures and information are manipulated, the fact
is that, for the first time, Cubans have seen and heard Barack Obama's
complete swearing-in speech of the oath of office, and we have also
taken part onscreen in free and direct elections held legitimately in
"sister countries," such as Ecuador, Paraguay and even in Venezuela
itself, complete with electoral campaigns, opposition, international
observers, returns, complaints and all the ingredients of a democratic
recipe that we have been denied for generations in our country.
In some twisted way, Telesur is a small chink in the boarded window of
Castro's totalitarianism. When there are contrasts, some light is cast.
That is why so many Cubans watch some Telesur areas incredulous and in
awe, such as a show called "Atomun" which, by detailing the latest
technological advances that occur in the world, has the rare virtue of
placing the natives of this island face to face with our enormous lack
of computer technology and our appalling isolation compared to other XXI
century societies which, paradoxically, have not had the advantages of
half a century of "revolution."
Whether they like it or not, Telesur reports to us from disinformation.
And it appears that no one can say they are trying to deceive us. Their
intentions to confuse are openly declared, even from their own
presentation slogan: "Telesur, our North is the South." And I say let
whoever wants to be confused be confused.
Translated by Norma Whiting
10 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/and-telesur-says-so-miriam-celaya/
Another Blow to Self-Employment
Another Blow to Self-Employment / Orlando Freire Santana
Posted on May 20, 2013
From infolatam.com
For several days the inspectors of the Ministry of Labor and National
Tax Administration Office (ONAT) in the Havana municipality of Cerro
have been telling the self-employed workers who sell in the doorways of
their homes in the area that they must dismantle their shelves and
stands. The only way they can continue doing this work is if they move
it inside their homes. And this option is open only to a few, mainly the
owners of such dwellings. The rest, who have rented these doorway spaces
for their work, will have no option other than to turn in their licenses
as self-employed.
But those who can continue to offer their merchandise will not find
their future path free of obstacles either. According to what some of
these vendors of household items who work on Ayestaran Avenue in Cerro
said, the inspectors told them they could not sell foreign clothing nor
any article that had been acquired by the self-employed in the State
retail market. The only things they will be allowed to sell are items
the artisans have made themselves, as self-employed, such as tea towels,
tablecloths, handkerchiefs and the like.
That provision makes it clear that the reason for the raid was not only
about the public image; that is, to rid the streets and avenues of
people crowding around the small traders, a kind of informal economy
that proliferates in the cities of almost all of Latin America, and that
the Castro regime has tried so hard to avoid.
The other target of this attack — and for some the main one — has been
what the authorities classify as "resale." In other words, the fact that
these self-employed offered, at prices higher than the official ones,
the same articles that would sell in the State stores, and which in many
cases were in short supply in these establishments.
Of course, the higher prices were not due to the greed of the
self-employed, but rather because of their not having a wholesale market
where they can acquire their goods, so for them the retail price was
their costs, and then they had to add a margin for profit to come to
their selling price. Ah, but this was never understood by the hard-line
Castroites, who wrote many letters to the newspaper Granma asking that
these self-employed workers be done away with, calling them
"unscrupulous elements who exploit the working people."
And those who thought this action was confined to Cerro, learned of
their error this past Wednesday, May 15. That day, starting early in the
morning, a large group of inspectors, accompanied by a police brigade,
blocked the doorways on Carlos III Avenue, in the municipality of
Central Havana, where there was commercial activity.
A tour we made along that central avenue, in the section between Infanta
and Belascoain streets, allowed us to see the magnitude of the
repression: Empty stands, racks and shelves; doorways where yesterday
life hummed, today mired in the peace of the grave.
This blow against the self-employed operates like a domino effect, not
only because many sellers lose their licenses, but also because
homeowners lose the rent they charged for the doorways. Thus, a
significant group of people who had found a way to sustain themselves,
are very likely to become homeless. One lady, who had to close her
business, where her two sons sold things in a doorway on Ayestaran
Avenue, said, "It seems that the authorities want the young people to
have to steal to eat, and then they have a justification to put them in
prison."
And a friend, an economist by profession, who has been well aware of the
changes implemented by President Raul Castro, was adamant about the
indication of recurrence said, "With these people nothing is certain.
It's one step forward and two steps back."
Orlando Freire Santana, Havana
Orlando Freire Santana, the author, was born 1959 in Matanzas, Cuba; he
has a degree in economics, is an award-winning author of essays and
novels, and is an independent journalist reporting from Havana.
Translated from Diario de Cuba
17 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/another-blow-to-self-employment-orlando-freire-santana/
Posted on May 20, 2013
From infolatam.com
For several days the inspectors of the Ministry of Labor and National
Tax Administration Office (ONAT) in the Havana municipality of Cerro
have been telling the self-employed workers who sell in the doorways of
their homes in the area that they must dismantle their shelves and
stands. The only way they can continue doing this work is if they move
it inside their homes. And this option is open only to a few, mainly the
owners of such dwellings. The rest, who have rented these doorway spaces
for their work, will have no option other than to turn in their licenses
as self-employed.
But those who can continue to offer their merchandise will not find
their future path free of obstacles either. According to what some of
these vendors of household items who work on Ayestaran Avenue in Cerro
said, the inspectors told them they could not sell foreign clothing nor
any article that had been acquired by the self-employed in the State
retail market. The only things they will be allowed to sell are items
the artisans have made themselves, as self-employed, such as tea towels,
tablecloths, handkerchiefs and the like.
That provision makes it clear that the reason for the raid was not only
about the public image; that is, to rid the streets and avenues of
people crowding around the small traders, a kind of informal economy
that proliferates in the cities of almost all of Latin America, and that
the Castro regime has tried so hard to avoid.
The other target of this attack — and for some the main one — has been
what the authorities classify as "resale." In other words, the fact that
these self-employed offered, at prices higher than the official ones,
the same articles that would sell in the State stores, and which in many
cases were in short supply in these establishments.
Of course, the higher prices were not due to the greed of the
self-employed, but rather because of their not having a wholesale market
where they can acquire their goods, so for them the retail price was
their costs, and then they had to add a margin for profit to come to
their selling price. Ah, but this was never understood by the hard-line
Castroites, who wrote many letters to the newspaper Granma asking that
these self-employed workers be done away with, calling them
"unscrupulous elements who exploit the working people."
And those who thought this action was confined to Cerro, learned of
their error this past Wednesday, May 15. That day, starting early in the
morning, a large group of inspectors, accompanied by a police brigade,
blocked the doorways on Carlos III Avenue, in the municipality of
Central Havana, where there was commercial activity.
A tour we made along that central avenue, in the section between Infanta
and Belascoain streets, allowed us to see the magnitude of the
repression: Empty stands, racks and shelves; doorways where yesterday
life hummed, today mired in the peace of the grave.
This blow against the self-employed operates like a domino effect, not
only because many sellers lose their licenses, but also because
homeowners lose the rent they charged for the doorways. Thus, a
significant group of people who had found a way to sustain themselves,
are very likely to become homeless. One lady, who had to close her
business, where her two sons sold things in a doorway on Ayestaran
Avenue, said, "It seems that the authorities want the young people to
have to steal to eat, and then they have a justification to put them in
prison."
And a friend, an economist by profession, who has been well aware of the
changes implemented by President Raul Castro, was adamant about the
indication of recurrence said, "With these people nothing is certain.
It's one step forward and two steps back."
Orlando Freire Santana, Havana
Orlando Freire Santana, the author, was born 1959 in Matanzas, Cuba; he
has a degree in economics, is an award-winning author of essays and
novels, and is an independent journalist reporting from Havana.
Translated from Diario de Cuba
17 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/another-blow-to-self-employment-orlando-freire-santana/
Internet Access in Cuba
Internet Access in Cuba / Lia Villares
Posted on May 19, 2013
See a detail of Internet charges below.
[Note: The following is translated from the ETECSA (the Cuban telephone company) website. 1 CUC, with currency exchange costs, is less than $1 US. Monthly salaries in Cuba for the most part do not exceed $20/month and may be well below that.]
Who can apply for service to access the Internet?
Service to access the Internet is offered to legal persons and foreign natural persons with temporary or permanent residence in Cuba. For now, the service is not offered to Cuban natural persons or foreigners resident in the exeterior who come as tourists to the island (they should access it through the navigation rooms), nor to the Cuban residental sector.
Who can access the Internet in the navigation rooms?
Public Internet access is offered in our country to foreign natural persons (tourists or residents on the island) in the navigation rooms located in airports, hotels and tourist installations, as well as in the [Centers...] belonging to ETECAS's point of sale network. [A prepaid card is required.]
Who can access the Internet via WiFi?
WiFi Internet access is exclusively for foreign natural persons, residents or tourists…
What are the charges for Wifi in hotels with wireless coverage?
1 hour: 8.00 CUC [more than $8 US]
5 hours: 35.00 CUC
100 hours: 250.00 CUC
Rates for Commercial Clients (CUC)
The local urban distance refers to a local perimeter (up to 4km). If the distance to the International Center is farther than 4 km, corresponding sums are added to this rate corresponding to the distance of the interconnection, defined in the rates of the national link.
For example, a Point-to-Point international circuit of 2 Mbps for one year, between Cuba and Canada, would have a monthly rate of:
72,000.00 CUC + 27,000.00 CUC = 99,000.00 CUC
(Cuba stretch) (Canada stretch) (Total)"
http://translatingcuba.com/internet-access-in-cuba-lia-villares/
Posted on May 19, 2013
See a detail of Internet charges below.
[Note: The following is translated from the ETECSA (the Cuban telephone company) website. 1 CUC, with currency exchange costs, is less than $1 US. Monthly salaries in Cuba for the most part do not exceed $20/month and may be well below that.]
Who can apply for service to access the Internet?
Service to access the Internet is offered to legal persons and foreign natural persons with temporary or permanent residence in Cuba. For now, the service is not offered to Cuban natural persons or foreigners resident in the exeterior who come as tourists to the island (they should access it through the navigation rooms), nor to the Cuban residental sector.
Who can access the Internet in the navigation rooms?
Public Internet access is offered in our country to foreign natural persons (tourists or residents on the island) in the navigation rooms located in airports, hotels and tourist installations, as well as in the [Centers...] belonging to ETECAS's point of sale network. [A prepaid card is required.]
Who can access the Internet via WiFi?
WiFi Internet access is exclusively for foreign natural persons, residents or tourists…
What are the charges for Wifi in hotels with wireless coverage?
1 hour: 8.00 CUC [more than $8 US]
5 hours: 35.00 CUC
100 hours: 250.00 CUC
Monthly rates for commercial clients (CUC)
| PACKET-SWITCHED | integrated services through digital web | Through Analog-switched network | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rate | additional hour | rate | additional hour | |
| full internet navigation | ||||
| Máximo 10 horas | 20.00 | 5.00 | 15.00 | 5.00 |
| Máximo 30 hrs | 35.00 | 4.00 | 30.00 | 4.00 |
| Máximo 40 hrs | 40.00 | 3.00 | ||
| Máximo 60 hrs | 50.00 | 3.00 | ||
| Máximo 80 hrs | 70.00 | 2.00 | 60.00 | 2.00 |
| Only 8.00 p.m. to 7.00 a.m. (night plan) | 70.00 | 70.00 | ||
| International email and national navigation | ||||
| Máximo 15 hrs | 15.00 | 3.00 | 15.00 | 3.00 |
| Máximo 25 hrs | 20.00 | 2.00 | 20.00 | 2.00 |
| Máximo 60 hrs | 35.00 | 1.00 | 35.00 | 1.00 |
| National email and national navigation | ||||
| Máximo 20 hrs | 10.00 | 1.00 | 10.00 | 1.00 |
| Additional mailbox | 10.00 | 10.00 | ||
| International Corporate Email | ||||
| Máximo 20 hrs | 25.00 | 4.00 | 15.00 | 5.00 |
| Máximo 40 hrs | 30.00 | 3.00 | 25.00 | 4.00 |
| Máximo 100 hrs | 55.00 | 2.00 | 45.00 | 3.00 |
| National Corporate Email | ||||
| Máximo 20 hrs | 15.00 | 3.00 | 10.00 | 3.00 |
| Máximo 40 hrs | 20.00 | 2.00 | 20.00 | 2.00 |
| Máximo 100 hrs | 40.00 | 1.00 | 40.00 | 1.00 |
Rates for Commercial Clients (CUC)
[Translator's note: These rates only apply to distances of 4 km. See below for the "add-on" charges for service over longer distances.]
| SPEED (Kbps) | CONTRACT (IN YEARS) | Cost OF instalLaTiOn | MONTHLY COST |
|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 1 año | 1.500,00 | 9.000,00 |
| 3 años | 1.500,00 | 8.500,00 | |
| 5 años | 1.500,00 | 8.250,00 | |
| 10 años | 1.500,00 | 8.000,00 | |
| 128 | 1 año | 1.500,00 | 13.000,00 |
| 3 años | 1.500,00 | 12.500,00 | |
| 5 años | 1.500,00 | 12.250,00 | |
| 10 años | 1.500,00 | 12.000,00 | |
| 256 | 1 año | 1.500,00 | 22.500,00 |
| 3 años | 1.500,00 | 22.000,00 | |
| 5 años | 1.500,00 | 21.750,00 | |
| 10 años | 1.500,00 | 21.500,00 | |
| 512 | 1 año | 1.500,00 | 30.500,00 |
| 3 años | 1.500,00 | 30.000,00 | |
| 5 años | 1.500,00 | 29.750,00 | |
| 10 años | 1.500,00 | 29.500,00 | |
| 1024 | 1 año | 2.500,00 | 46.500,00 |
| 3 años | 2.500,00 | 46.000,00 | |
| 5 años | 2.500,00 | 45.750,00 | |
| 10 años | 2.500,00 | 45.500,00 | |
| 2048 | 1 año | 2.500,00 | 72.000,00 |
| 3 años | 2.500,00 | 71.500,00 | |
| 5 años | 2.500,00 | 71.250,00 | |
| 10 años | 2.500,00 | 71.000,00 |
The local urban distance refers to a local perimeter (up to 4km). If the distance to the International Center is farther than 4 km, corresponding sums are added to this rate corresponding to the distance of the interconnection, defined in the rates of the national link.
For example, a Point-to-Point international circuit of 2 Mbps for one year, between Cuba and Canada, would have a monthly rate of:
72,000.00 CUC + 27,000.00 CUC = 99,000.00 CUC
(Cuba stretch) (Canada stretch) (Total)"
http://translatingcuba.com/internet-access-in-cuba-lia-villares/
The Party Continues
The Party Continues
Written by Jerry Brewer
Regardless of how much the Castro brothers try to reinvent their
revolution, the old adage of a leopard cannot change its spots appears
to be the reality within their fantasy idealism. Raul Castro was
reappointed to a second five-year term as chief of state in February,
and thus he could serve until 2018. Meaning that the control of the
Castro legacy of iron-isted rule over the long suffering island nation
could continue at least until the younger Castro reaches the age of 86.
Yet a hunger that paints this seemingly perpetual regime with fresh hope
over a rusted out political vessel, is that challenges are growing as an
atrocious record on human rights in a one-party communist state limps on.
While Raul Castro and his brother Fidel continue to tout Cuba's progress
in subterfugal whispers, louder voices with much more reputation for
credibility are now drowning out the Castro rhetoric. Yoani Maria
Sanchez Cordero (known internationally as "Yoani Sanchez"), a Cuban
blogger and journalist, has achieved worldwide accolades and popularity
as she exposes many of the myths of pro-Castro supporters who claim the
communist island is a peoples' paradise. Yoani (37) has received
"multiple international awards for her critical portrayal of life in
Cuba under its current government." Time magazine named her one of the
world's 100 most influential people in 2008. Although she professes love
for her homeland, among her abundant criticisms she often uses a
metaphor, saying that Cubans get free education and health care, but
while caged birds get free water they are still caged.
The most discussed world critique, beyond the misery and decades of
economic failures of Castro rule and their professed world revolution,
is in the well documented record of human tragedy and the abysmal human
rights record. Since the early days of Fidel Castro's rule essential
freedoms of association, assembly, movement and expression have been
withheld from the people of Cuba, and many citizens who dared to take a
stand against the revolutionary oppression have been beaten, tortured,
imprisoned and/or killed. This record has been passed on in a sort of
diabolical rite of passage to Raul Castro, who has tiptoed in perceived
progress. Reportedly under his watch the Cuban government released "more
than 125 prisoners in 2010-2011," but since 2012 the number of political
prisoners has reportedly increased.
In January 2013, the Havana-based Cuban Commission on Human Rights and
National Reconciliation (CCDHRN), estimated that Cuba "held at least 90
political prisoners, compared to an estimated 50 in April 2012, and more
than 200 estimated at the beginning of 2010." What vociferously trumpets
these charges and abuses is a report from March 2012 by Amnesty
International, maintaining that "the Cuban government wages a permanent
campaign of harassment and short-term detentions of political opponents
to stop them from demanding respect for civil and political rights." It
appears clear from these numbers and the record that the release of
political prisoners in 2011 has shown no changes in the Cuban regime's
human rights policy.
What is clear, pursuant to those voices that escape censorship by this
Communist-run island's secretive citadel of power, is a continuance of
constant surveillance, intimidation, harassment, and acts of repudiation
against citizens who dare to speak out and demand change. Insult was
added to injury in February of this year, as to the Cuban government's
subterfuge in pronouncing that all is well in the homeland.
US Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen reiterated the Castro's Cuba designation as
a state sponsor of terrorism - reaffirming the regime's long standing
threat to US national security interests. "I am relieved that the State
Department spokesman stated today that it is not true that Cuba is being
considered to be taken off the State Sponsor of Terrorism list. The
Castro brothers align themselves with the likes of Ahmadinejad of Iran,
al-Assad of Syria, Qaddafi of Libya before his death, along with
terrorist groups, such as the FARC and the ETA," said the Florida
Congresswoman.
Those remarks far exceed Castro sympathizers who claim that this is
simply "old cold war rhetoric." Documented threats of Cuban intelligence
plots against the US continue to emerge. For example, the "WASP network"
consisted of Cuban spies sent to the United States "to harm our
interests and kill American citizens," and the Cuban Five (WASP
associates) were convicted of trying to penetrate US military
installations. Furthermore, Cuban spy Ana Belen Montes provided highly
classified information to Cuba that was believed to have caused the
deaths of US servicemen and agents operating in Latin America.
Absent much needed change in Cuba, even the post-Castro tenure in 2018
has been programmed, with Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez (53) having
already been named as the most likely successor. In Cuba, the president
is elected by the National Assembly, and Diaz-Canel was just appointed
to the number two spot -- first vice-president of the Council of State.
Diaz-Canel has been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of
Cuba since 2003. His political views have been described as "hardline,"
and being of Marxist-Leninist persuasion. (5/19/13) (photo courtesy
iStockphoto.com/Ratstuben)
Note: This article was reprinted with permission of the author. It was
originally published at MexiData.info. Jerry Brewer is the Chief
Executive Officer of Criminal Justice International Associates, a global
threat mitigation firm headquartered in northern Virginia. His website
is located at www.cjiausa.org."
http://www.hondurasweekly.com/international/item/16796-cuba-the-party-continues
Written by Jerry Brewer
Regardless of how much the Castro brothers try to reinvent their
revolution, the old adage of a leopard cannot change its spots appears
to be the reality within their fantasy idealism. Raul Castro was
reappointed to a second five-year term as chief of state in February,
and thus he could serve until 2018. Meaning that the control of the
Castro legacy of iron-isted rule over the long suffering island nation
could continue at least until the younger Castro reaches the age of 86.
Yet a hunger that paints this seemingly perpetual regime with fresh hope
over a rusted out political vessel, is that challenges are growing as an
atrocious record on human rights in a one-party communist state limps on.
While Raul Castro and his brother Fidel continue to tout Cuba's progress
in subterfugal whispers, louder voices with much more reputation for
credibility are now drowning out the Castro rhetoric. Yoani Maria
Sanchez Cordero (known internationally as "Yoani Sanchez"), a Cuban
blogger and journalist, has achieved worldwide accolades and popularity
as she exposes many of the myths of pro-Castro supporters who claim the
communist island is a peoples' paradise. Yoani (37) has received
"multiple international awards for her critical portrayal of life in
Cuba under its current government." Time magazine named her one of the
world's 100 most influential people in 2008. Although she professes love
for her homeland, among her abundant criticisms she often uses a
metaphor, saying that Cubans get free education and health care, but
while caged birds get free water they are still caged.
The most discussed world critique, beyond the misery and decades of
economic failures of Castro rule and their professed world revolution,
is in the well documented record of human tragedy and the abysmal human
rights record. Since the early days of Fidel Castro's rule essential
freedoms of association, assembly, movement and expression have been
withheld from the people of Cuba, and many citizens who dared to take a
stand against the revolutionary oppression have been beaten, tortured,
imprisoned and/or killed. This record has been passed on in a sort of
diabolical rite of passage to Raul Castro, who has tiptoed in perceived
progress. Reportedly under his watch the Cuban government released "more
than 125 prisoners in 2010-2011," but since 2012 the number of political
prisoners has reportedly increased.
In January 2013, the Havana-based Cuban Commission on Human Rights and
National Reconciliation (CCDHRN), estimated that Cuba "held at least 90
political prisoners, compared to an estimated 50 in April 2012, and more
than 200 estimated at the beginning of 2010." What vociferously trumpets
these charges and abuses is a report from March 2012 by Amnesty
International, maintaining that "the Cuban government wages a permanent
campaign of harassment and short-term detentions of political opponents
to stop them from demanding respect for civil and political rights." It
appears clear from these numbers and the record that the release of
political prisoners in 2011 has shown no changes in the Cuban regime's
human rights policy.
What is clear, pursuant to those voices that escape censorship by this
Communist-run island's secretive citadel of power, is a continuance of
constant surveillance, intimidation, harassment, and acts of repudiation
against citizens who dare to speak out and demand change. Insult was
added to injury in February of this year, as to the Cuban government's
subterfuge in pronouncing that all is well in the homeland.
US Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen reiterated the Castro's Cuba designation as
a state sponsor of terrorism - reaffirming the regime's long standing
threat to US national security interests. "I am relieved that the State
Department spokesman stated today that it is not true that Cuba is being
considered to be taken off the State Sponsor of Terrorism list. The
Castro brothers align themselves with the likes of Ahmadinejad of Iran,
al-Assad of Syria, Qaddafi of Libya before his death, along with
terrorist groups, such as the FARC and the ETA," said the Florida
Congresswoman.
Those remarks far exceed Castro sympathizers who claim that this is
simply "old cold war rhetoric." Documented threats of Cuban intelligence
plots against the US continue to emerge. For example, the "WASP network"
consisted of Cuban spies sent to the United States "to harm our
interests and kill American citizens," and the Cuban Five (WASP
associates) were convicted of trying to penetrate US military
installations. Furthermore, Cuban spy Ana Belen Montes provided highly
classified information to Cuba that was believed to have caused the
deaths of US servicemen and agents operating in Latin America.
Absent much needed change in Cuba, even the post-Castro tenure in 2018
has been programmed, with Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez (53) having
already been named as the most likely successor. In Cuba, the president
is elected by the National Assembly, and Diaz-Canel was just appointed
to the number two spot -- first vice-president of the Council of State.
Diaz-Canel has been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of
Cuba since 2003. His political views have been described as "hardline,"
and being of Marxist-Leninist persuasion. (5/19/13) (photo courtesy
iStockphoto.com/Ratstuben)
Note: This article was reprinted with permission of the author. It was
originally published at MexiData.info. Jerry Brewer is the Chief
Executive Officer of Criminal Justice International Associates, a global
threat mitigation firm headquartered in northern Virginia. His website
is located at www.cjiausa.org."
http://www.hondurasweekly.com/international/item/16796-cuba-the-party-continues
Cuba Economy Struggles - and Cold War Legacy Fades
Cuba Economy Struggles - and Cold War Legacy Fades
5/19/13 8:26 PM
Cuba's President Raul Castro has made notable news by announcing on
February 24 that he will retire from that office in 2018. His older
brother Fidel stepped down from the same post in 2008, after turning
eighty-five years of age.
Reflecting the iron control the regime has exercised since
early 1959, the designated successor to President Castro was announced
simultaneously. Miguel Diaz-Miguel Bermudez, a protégé of Raul, is a
loyal functionary who has developed a reputation for bureaucratic
effectiveness through administering rural provinces. At the age of
fifty-two, he arguably represents a youthful wave in this quiet
geriatric pond. Given the extremely slow pace of change in Cuba, and the
remarkable half-century tenure of the Brothers Castro, this benchmark
event deserves some attention and reflection.
Last year marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban
Missile Crisis of October 1962, when the world stood at the edge of
general nuclear war. This was a singular event but also a punctuation
mark in a very long history of difficulties between Havana and Washington.
Raul Castro by all accounts lacks the popular appeal of his
older brother. Enemies join with admirers in agreeing that Fidel
possessed a unique leadership style before age and illness led him to
retire from the presidency. His singular charisma continues to
facilitate the regime's half-century in power.
After Havana was captured and despised dictator Fulgencio
Batista fled in early 1959, Raul Castro handled bloody mass executions
with efficient dispatch, and since has provided effective leadership of
the military and a pervasive domestic security apparatus.
Soon after taking power, the Castro brothers ended hopes
for representative democracy and nationalized major industries,
including U.S. corporate assets. Fidel Castro highlighted alliance with
the Soviet Union by joining Nikita Khrushchev in a remarkably raucous
1960 visit to the United Nations, in session in New York, punctuated by
the Soviet leader publicly pounding a shoe on a desk.
The Eisenhower administration began a clandestine effort to
overthrow the increasingly radical regime. The successor Kennedy
administration drastically escalated such efforts. The Cuban Missile
Crisis occurred in this context.
In recent years, the evolution of the Americas toward
democratic governments has been striking. As a result, Cuba is more
isolated than ever. Radical Venezuela provides important but limited aid.
When Fidel Castro stepped down, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice in a formal public statement endorsed the desirability
of 'peaceful, democratic change' in Cuba and also suggested that the
'international community' work with the people there. The Bush
administration had been pursuing a particularly restrictive hard line
toward that island nation.
Pres. Barack Obama early in his first term loosened
extremely tight restrictions on interchange with Cuba. Cuban-Americans
are now allowed to travel and send financial remittances to relatives
still living there.
The punitive Helms-Burton Act, passed during the Clinton
administration in an effort to court the fiercely anti-Castro Cuban
population of Florida, does not prohibit these exchanges.
Cuba today encourages trade and investment, along with
loosening travel restrictions. In this context, the American economy has
great advantages. As part of such efforts, we should work to expand
cultural and educational as well as personal family exchanges with the
island.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated comparable
programs with the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, to
great benefit. As Ike saw, the arts and science represent universal
languages. The wisest warriors appreciate peace
Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College in
Wisconsin and author of 'After the Cold War.' He can be reached at
acyr@carthage.edu.
http://shns.com/web/acyr/home/-/blogs/cuba-economy-struggles-and-cold-war-legacy-fades
5/19/13 8:26 PM
Cuba's President Raul Castro has made notable news by announcing on
February 24 that he will retire from that office in 2018. His older
brother Fidel stepped down from the same post in 2008, after turning
eighty-five years of age.
Reflecting the iron control the regime has exercised since
early 1959, the designated successor to President Castro was announced
simultaneously. Miguel Diaz-Miguel Bermudez, a protégé of Raul, is a
loyal functionary who has developed a reputation for bureaucratic
effectiveness through administering rural provinces. At the age of
fifty-two, he arguably represents a youthful wave in this quiet
geriatric pond. Given the extremely slow pace of change in Cuba, and the
remarkable half-century tenure of the Brothers Castro, this benchmark
event deserves some attention and reflection.
Last year marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban
Missile Crisis of October 1962, when the world stood at the edge of
general nuclear war. This was a singular event but also a punctuation
mark in a very long history of difficulties between Havana and Washington.
Raul Castro by all accounts lacks the popular appeal of his
older brother. Enemies join with admirers in agreeing that Fidel
possessed a unique leadership style before age and illness led him to
retire from the presidency. His singular charisma continues to
facilitate the regime's half-century in power.
After Havana was captured and despised dictator Fulgencio
Batista fled in early 1959, Raul Castro handled bloody mass executions
with efficient dispatch, and since has provided effective leadership of
the military and a pervasive domestic security apparatus.
Soon after taking power, the Castro brothers ended hopes
for representative democracy and nationalized major industries,
including U.S. corporate assets. Fidel Castro highlighted alliance with
the Soviet Union by joining Nikita Khrushchev in a remarkably raucous
1960 visit to the United Nations, in session in New York, punctuated by
the Soviet leader publicly pounding a shoe on a desk.
The Eisenhower administration began a clandestine effort to
overthrow the increasingly radical regime. The successor Kennedy
administration drastically escalated such efforts. The Cuban Missile
Crisis occurred in this context.
In recent years, the evolution of the Americas toward
democratic governments has been striking. As a result, Cuba is more
isolated than ever. Radical Venezuela provides important but limited aid.
When Fidel Castro stepped down, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice in a formal public statement endorsed the desirability
of 'peaceful, democratic change' in Cuba and also suggested that the
'international community' work with the people there. The Bush
administration had been pursuing a particularly restrictive hard line
toward that island nation.
Pres. Barack Obama early in his first term loosened
extremely tight restrictions on interchange with Cuba. Cuban-Americans
are now allowed to travel and send financial remittances to relatives
still living there.
The punitive Helms-Burton Act, passed during the Clinton
administration in an effort to court the fiercely anti-Castro Cuban
population of Florida, does not prohibit these exchanges.
Cuba today encourages trade and investment, along with
loosening travel restrictions. In this context, the American economy has
great advantages. As part of such efforts, we should work to expand
cultural and educational as well as personal family exchanges with the
island.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower initiated comparable
programs with the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, to
great benefit. As Ike saw, the arts and science represent universal
languages. The wisest warriors appreciate peace
Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College in
Wisconsin and author of 'After the Cold War.' He can be reached at
acyr@carthage.edu.
http://shns.com/web/acyr/home/-/blogs/cuba-economy-struggles-and-cold-war-legacy-fades
Eliminating All Forms of Discrimination and Restoring Freedoms
Cuba: Eliminating All Forms of Discrimination and Restoring Freedoms
May 20, 2013
Yusimí Rodriguez
HAVANA TIMES — Reading Granma's cultural pages recently, I came across
two things that would not have caught my attention had they been
published separately. Seeing them in the same news piece, however, made
me think my eyes were deceiving me: beneath a headline that read "Cuba
Holds Gala against Homophobia", the article featured a photo of Rene
Gonzalez, one of the Cuban Five, next to Mariela Castro.
I wasn't dreaming: before opening the gala, Cuba's National Center for
Sexual Education (CENESEX) and LGTB-HI movement had given the Cuban Five
a special token of acknowledgment, which Gonzalez accepted on his own
behalf and that of the remaining imprisoned members of the group.
I couldn't help asking myself what the fight against homophobia has to
do with the Cuban Five, as they are known around the world. The words
pronounced by Gonzalez on receiving the award appear to answer this
question: "We're involved in a struggle against attitudes that have made
many people suffer. The suffering over being deprived of our freedom
unites us. All forms of discrimination and of depriving people of their
freedom must be eliminated."
I had expected the gay rights movement and Center for Sexual Education
to offer this award to someone who had been sent to one of Cuba's
Military Units for Aid in Production (UMAP) in the 60s and had remained
in the country to tell their story, or someone who, homosexual or not,
had devoted outstanding efforts to the struggle against discrimination
based on sexual orientation.
I know I haven't the slightest right to question who the CENESEX and
Cuban LGTB-HI chose to acknowledge, for whatever reasons they deem
appropriate. What's more, I shouldn't be so surprised, not when slogans
such as "No to homophobia, yes to socialism" are being yelled out, even
though it was a socialist system which sent homosexuals to forced labor
camps and expelled them from workplaces and educational institutions.
Today, more than acknowledge and rectify past mistakes, our government
seeks to keep abreast of the times, to catch up to the 21st century. In
this century, it is considered politically incorrect to be a homophobe
or a racist.
In addition to this, in contrast to the times when it was thought that
being a homosexual was tantamount to being a counterrevolutionary (by
counterrevolutionary, I mean a person who did not support the
government), today our leaders have noticed that someone can be
homosexual, bisexual or transgender and revolutionary (that is, in favor
of the government, the Party and the continuation of Cuba's socialist
model) all at once.
A person who's homosexual, bisexual or transgender can also yell out
slogans such as "No to homophobia, yes to socialism."
That said, I cannot help but identify with the words spoken by Rene
Gonzalez; I want to believe that they are sincere. What I'm curious
about, though, is this: since when does he think it's necessary to fight
against these attitudes that have made so many people suffer, attitudes
which were part and parcel of our government's former policies?
I can agree with the idea that the suffering over being deprived of
one's freedom can unite human beings, even when the nature of the
freedom one is deprived of is different, provided we are able to walk in
someone else's shoes.
I've never been able to understand how a person who has suffered
discrimination for their sexual orientation can have racist views, or
how someone who's suffered racism directly could discriminate against a
fellow Cuban for having been born in a different region of the country.
I've even seen homosexuals discriminate against transgender persons.
Is it safe to assume that Rene Gonzalez feels that having been deprived
of his freedom somehow brings him closer to those who were deprived of
it in 2003, during Cuba's so-called Black Spring, to those who have
endured this because of their criticisms of the government?
I completely support the statement that we must eliminate all forms of
discrimination and of depriving people of their freedom.
My question is whether Rene Gonzalez is also thinking of freedom of the
press, expression and association when he speaks of restrictions that
must be eliminated, for, as they are referred to in our Constitution,
where they are recognized only within the framework of socialism, they
are not yet freedoms.
Those who disagree with the statement that these freedoms do not exist
in Cuba resort to the argument that they do not exist anywhere in the
world, or that their existence does not guarantee that a country is
democratic.
I can't say whether these freedoms are illusory the world over, for I
haven't traveled outside of Cuba. But, even if that's the case, I don't
believe that is a strong enough argument to make us resign ourselves to
living without such freedoms.
I concur with the idea that freedom of the press, expression and
association do not guarantee the existence of democracy, in and of
themselves. But I am convinced democracy cannot exist without them.
Is Rene Gonzalez willing to recognize that everyone, including those who
oppose the government and the system he defends, are entitled to these
freedoms?
There's a phrase I try never to forget: "I disapprove of what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
It is not a question of supporting the ideas expressed by Yoani Sanchez,
but of defending her right to express them and of ensuring the Cuban
people, the common Cuban, can be exposed to them directly.
It is not a question of affiliating oneself to the party Eliecer Avila
wants to found, but of defending his right, as a citizen who is
unsatisfied with the country's existing party structure (both official
and unrecognized), to create his own.
It is not a question of disagreeing with the Cuban government, but of
recognizing the right of people to do so. Today, though many important
things remain to be done, it is not so difficult to oppose
discrimination based on sexual orientation. But men and women need more
than sexual freedom in order to live happily.
I can only hope Rene Gonzalez will be able to act in accordance with his
words. It is a great challenge.
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=93350
May 20, 2013
Yusimí Rodriguez
HAVANA TIMES — Reading Granma's cultural pages recently, I came across
two things that would not have caught my attention had they been
published separately. Seeing them in the same news piece, however, made
me think my eyes were deceiving me: beneath a headline that read "Cuba
Holds Gala against Homophobia", the article featured a photo of Rene
Gonzalez, one of the Cuban Five, next to Mariela Castro.
I wasn't dreaming: before opening the gala, Cuba's National Center for
Sexual Education (CENESEX) and LGTB-HI movement had given the Cuban Five
a special token of acknowledgment, which Gonzalez accepted on his own
behalf and that of the remaining imprisoned members of the group.
I couldn't help asking myself what the fight against homophobia has to
do with the Cuban Five, as they are known around the world. The words
pronounced by Gonzalez on receiving the award appear to answer this
question: "We're involved in a struggle against attitudes that have made
many people suffer. The suffering over being deprived of our freedom
unites us. All forms of discrimination and of depriving people of their
freedom must be eliminated."
I had expected the gay rights movement and Center for Sexual Education
to offer this award to someone who had been sent to one of Cuba's
Military Units for Aid in Production (UMAP) in the 60s and had remained
in the country to tell their story, or someone who, homosexual or not,
had devoted outstanding efforts to the struggle against discrimination
based on sexual orientation.
I know I haven't the slightest right to question who the CENESEX and
Cuban LGTB-HI chose to acknowledge, for whatever reasons they deem
appropriate. What's more, I shouldn't be so surprised, not when slogans
such as "No to homophobia, yes to socialism" are being yelled out, even
though it was a socialist system which sent homosexuals to forced labor
camps and expelled them from workplaces and educational institutions.
Today, more than acknowledge and rectify past mistakes, our government
seeks to keep abreast of the times, to catch up to the 21st century. In
this century, it is considered politically incorrect to be a homophobe
or a racist.
In addition to this, in contrast to the times when it was thought that
being a homosexual was tantamount to being a counterrevolutionary (by
counterrevolutionary, I mean a person who did not support the
government), today our leaders have noticed that someone can be
homosexual, bisexual or transgender and revolutionary (that is, in favor
of the government, the Party and the continuation of Cuba's socialist
model) all at once.
A person who's homosexual, bisexual or transgender can also yell out
slogans such as "No to homophobia, yes to socialism."
That said, I cannot help but identify with the words spoken by Rene
Gonzalez; I want to believe that they are sincere. What I'm curious
about, though, is this: since when does he think it's necessary to fight
against these attitudes that have made so many people suffer, attitudes
which were part and parcel of our government's former policies?
I can agree with the idea that the suffering over being deprived of
one's freedom can unite human beings, even when the nature of the
freedom one is deprived of is different, provided we are able to walk in
someone else's shoes.
I've never been able to understand how a person who has suffered
discrimination for their sexual orientation can have racist views, or
how someone who's suffered racism directly could discriminate against a
fellow Cuban for having been born in a different region of the country.
I've even seen homosexuals discriminate against transgender persons.
Is it safe to assume that Rene Gonzalez feels that having been deprived
of his freedom somehow brings him closer to those who were deprived of
it in 2003, during Cuba's so-called Black Spring, to those who have
endured this because of their criticisms of the government?
I completely support the statement that we must eliminate all forms of
discrimination and of depriving people of their freedom.
My question is whether Rene Gonzalez is also thinking of freedom of the
press, expression and association when he speaks of restrictions that
must be eliminated, for, as they are referred to in our Constitution,
where they are recognized only within the framework of socialism, they
are not yet freedoms.
Those who disagree with the statement that these freedoms do not exist
in Cuba resort to the argument that they do not exist anywhere in the
world, or that their existence does not guarantee that a country is
democratic.
I can't say whether these freedoms are illusory the world over, for I
haven't traveled outside of Cuba. But, even if that's the case, I don't
believe that is a strong enough argument to make us resign ourselves to
living without such freedoms.
I concur with the idea that freedom of the press, expression and
association do not guarantee the existence of democracy, in and of
themselves. But I am convinced democracy cannot exist without them.
Is Rene Gonzalez willing to recognize that everyone, including those who
oppose the government and the system he defends, are entitled to these
freedoms?
There's a phrase I try never to forget: "I disapprove of what you say,
but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
It is not a question of supporting the ideas expressed by Yoani Sanchez,
but of defending her right to express them and of ensuring the Cuban
people, the common Cuban, can be exposed to them directly.
It is not a question of affiliating oneself to the party Eliecer Avila
wants to found, but of defending his right, as a citizen who is
unsatisfied with the country's existing party structure (both official
and unrecognized), to create his own.
It is not a question of disagreeing with the Cuban government, but of
recognizing the right of people to do so. Today, though many important
things remain to be done, it is not so difficult to oppose
discrimination based on sexual orientation. But men and women need more
than sexual freedom in order to live happily.
I can only hope Rene Gonzalez will be able to act in accordance with his
words. It is a great challenge.
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=93350
Ore. students granted trip to Cuba: 'To see a country that's lost in time'
Ore. students granted trip to Cuba: 'To see a country that's lost in time'
By Nicole Comstock, KVAL News Published: May 19, 2013 at 7:36 PM PDT
Last Updated: May 20, 2013 at 7:50 AM PDT
EUGENE, Ore. -- Three Oregon universities are sending 15 of their
students to study abroad in Cuba, a destination that few Americans get
the chance to visit.
Tawny Garcia is one of the 15 students who was been given permission
from the U.S. Government to visit the embargoed country.
"I'm half Cuban-American. My father was born in Cuba, Garcia told KVAL
News. "He came over with his mother when he was a child, so it would be
nice to see my roots."
Also on board for the unique experience are 14 other students from
Portland State, University of Oregon and Oregon State.
Jorge Michel is taking the trip as a part of a medical program.
"I've romanticized it, to be completely honest. I think it's going to be
awesome to go down there and just get to see a country that's lost in
time," said Michel.
Michel said that the group's exploration of Cuba will be documented in
individual presentations.
"My Youtube is gonna be on bolero music - which is old, Spanish guitar,"
Michel said. "You hear… 'it's a paradise! It's the most beautiful place
on earth!' … or you hear people complaining about how terrible it is,
how repressive."
http://www.kval.com/news/local/Ore-students-granted-trip-to-Cuba-To-see-a-country-thats-lost-in-time-208088241.html
By Nicole Comstock, KVAL News Published: May 19, 2013 at 7:36 PM PDT
Last Updated: May 20, 2013 at 7:50 AM PDT
EUGENE, Ore. -- Three Oregon universities are sending 15 of their
students to study abroad in Cuba, a destination that few Americans get
the chance to visit.
Tawny Garcia is one of the 15 students who was been given permission
from the U.S. Government to visit the embargoed country.
"I'm half Cuban-American. My father was born in Cuba, Garcia told KVAL
News. "He came over with his mother when he was a child, so it would be
nice to see my roots."
Also on board for the unique experience are 14 other students from
Portland State, University of Oregon and Oregon State.
Jorge Michel is taking the trip as a part of a medical program.
"I've romanticized it, to be completely honest. I think it's going to be
awesome to go down there and just get to see a country that's lost in
time," said Michel.
Michel said that the group's exploration of Cuba will be documented in
individual presentations.
"My Youtube is gonna be on bolero music - which is old, Spanish guitar,"
Michel said. "You hear… 'it's a paradise! It's the most beautiful place
on earth!' … or you hear people complaining about how terrible it is,
how repressive."
http://www.kval.com/news/local/Ore-students-granted-trip-to-Cuba-To-see-a-country-thats-lost-in-time-208088241.html
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Cuban Diary XIX: What the UN Rapporteur Should See
Cuban Diary XIX: What the UN Rapporteur Should See / Angel Santiesteban
Posted on May 19, 2013
If the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva saw through a crack the
horrors that occur in Cuban prisons, surely it would do two things:
1 – Expel Cuba from the United Nations.
2 – Knowing the alleged violations that are occurring in the prison of
Guantanamo Bay, according to accusations from the Castro government,
they could send the directors who lead the prisons in Cuba — true
concentration camps — to pass a course at Guantanamo, in order to
improve their behavior.
The dictatorship, always obsessed with attacking the United States,
transmits TV images denigrating what is allegedly happening in
Guantanamo Bay.
It's not my job to defend it or make value judgments about it, this is
the role of the American people; my obligation as a Cuban and
intellectual is to denounce the terrible tortures that take place in the
prison where I have been held and of which I am not a witness.
At present, in the cell, there is a young man with his mouth sewn shut
with wire. Today he passed through the prison before the frightened
looks from the other inmates.
There are daily fights between prisoners and between them and the
guards. I guess this is common in any prison in the world but I am not a
specialist to confirm that. But here, when the guards confront a
prisoner, the ratio is ten to one, along with their batons and pepper
sprays.
The food they serve is a tiny amount and badly prepared. It consists of
a few grams o rice, a boiled egg, and a colorless and odorless but
always disgusting soup.
The barracks are populated by prisoners who have completed their
sentences, and who, because of bureaucratic problems, remained locked up
without any consideration. The constant beatings and dungeons are
increasing their sentences along with the blackmail to not demand their
"rights."
Silence is the only ally of the Cuban prisoner; talking could lead to a
new condemnatory charge in the most arbitrary of decisions.
They wait and resign themselves. They have no alternatives.
That is the stark reality of the Cuban prisoner, who lives without
guarantees of his rights or the chance to make demands. Even without
reviewing the records of those processed in light of international
guarantees applied to the condemned, I can say without any fear of being
mistaken that if that were to happen half of the prison population would
be freed.
A court that has before it a young man without hope, who, unfortunately,
is a part of the children nobody wanted, who has left school and has no
place to be nor can he be offered a reliable life project that invites
him to get on track that isn't emigration, the place he can best be held
is in jail.
A great part of Cuban youth that has not found a way to go into exile is
in prison; and I say this with total confidence, they are following
there a criminal course for their future as thugs.
Hopefully the Rapporteur who is sent to Cuba will be able to meet with
the people who so greatly suffer the need for him.
Ángel Santiesteban-Prats
Prison 1580
May 2013
18 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/cuban-diary-xix-what-the-un-rapporteur-should-see-angel-santiesteban/
Posted on May 19, 2013
If the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva saw through a crack the
horrors that occur in Cuban prisons, surely it would do two things:
1 – Expel Cuba from the United Nations.
2 – Knowing the alleged violations that are occurring in the prison of
Guantanamo Bay, according to accusations from the Castro government,
they could send the directors who lead the prisons in Cuba — true
concentration camps — to pass a course at Guantanamo, in order to
improve their behavior.
The dictatorship, always obsessed with attacking the United States,
transmits TV images denigrating what is allegedly happening in
Guantanamo Bay.
It's not my job to defend it or make value judgments about it, this is
the role of the American people; my obligation as a Cuban and
intellectual is to denounce the terrible tortures that take place in the
prison where I have been held and of which I am not a witness.
At present, in the cell, there is a young man with his mouth sewn shut
with wire. Today he passed through the prison before the frightened
looks from the other inmates.
There are daily fights between prisoners and between them and the
guards. I guess this is common in any prison in the world but I am not a
specialist to confirm that. But here, when the guards confront a
prisoner, the ratio is ten to one, along with their batons and pepper
sprays.
The food they serve is a tiny amount and badly prepared. It consists of
a few grams o rice, a boiled egg, and a colorless and odorless but
always disgusting soup.
The barracks are populated by prisoners who have completed their
sentences, and who, because of bureaucratic problems, remained locked up
without any consideration. The constant beatings and dungeons are
increasing their sentences along with the blackmail to not demand their
"rights."
Silence is the only ally of the Cuban prisoner; talking could lead to a
new condemnatory charge in the most arbitrary of decisions.
They wait and resign themselves. They have no alternatives.
That is the stark reality of the Cuban prisoner, who lives without
guarantees of his rights or the chance to make demands. Even without
reviewing the records of those processed in light of international
guarantees applied to the condemned, I can say without any fear of being
mistaken that if that were to happen half of the prison population would
be freed.
A court that has before it a young man without hope, who, unfortunately,
is a part of the children nobody wanted, who has left school and has no
place to be nor can he be offered a reliable life project that invites
him to get on track that isn't emigration, the place he can best be held
is in jail.
A great part of Cuban youth that has not found a way to go into exile is
in prison; and I say this with total confidence, they are following
there a criminal course for their future as thugs.
Hopefully the Rapporteur who is sent to Cuba will be able to meet with
the people who so greatly suffer the need for him.
Ángel Santiesteban-Prats
Prison 1580
May 2013
18 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/cuban-diary-xix-what-the-un-rapporteur-should-see-angel-santiesteban/
Cuba: Sex, Taking All Comers
Cuba: Sex, Taking All Comers / Ivan Garcia
Posted on May 19, 2013
There is still the ration book. Potatoes are scarce, the price of fruit
is going through the roof, and drinking a natural orange juice is a
luxury. Sanitary pads are only distributed every two months — a package
of ten to menstruating women. And connecting to the Internet is still a
science fiction story for a large part of the population.
However, sex is liberated. A national sport. According to some, the
infidelity between couples is a gene human beings carry. If those verse
in it give a tour of Cuba, we can confirm their strange theories.
And they confirm that teenagers of 12 and 13 are "experts" in the field.
Unaware that Australian is a continent, or that Henry Lee was in
independence fighter in the American Revolution and not the creator of
Lee jeans. But when it comes to sex, they have countless stories to
tell. For many boys, their fathers teach them from the time they're
small, that the more women they have the more macho they are.
It's the ABCs of a Cuban father to his son; life is dick. Men don't cry.
And the boss of the house is the one with balls. If in the 19th and 20th
century fathers paid prostitutes to de-flower their sons, today it's not
necessary.
Most children are more up-to-date and more promiscuous than their
parents. Having a "honey" or a lover is synonymous with masculinity. An
athlete of sex. A son of a bitch of the street.
The more lovers, the more drinks friends pay for. In the bars they offer
"wise" council about how to get into an impossible female. For hours,
they tell sex anecdotes without ceasing to drink like Cossacks, beer and
cheap rum.
Sex in Cuba is messy, but it has its hierarchies. Not like the
neighborhood pimp that manages a five-star hotel. A capital that's a
general. A boring and monotonous deputy to parliament that's a mandarin.
The "honeys" of the superiors respect them. Secretly they look at their
breasts or butt, but desist from the rude compliment or indecent
proposal. A boss can fire you or make your life impossible if he finds
you prowling around his woman.
Meanwhile, the more stars on your epaulette or if your photo appears
among the members of the Central Committee, the more chances you have to
give major luxuries to your lovers. You can even choose: blondes
brunettes, mulatto or black. Or have a collection with one of each. As
all are stunning, with pride and discretion we see you on the weekend in
exclusive recreational villas for senior officers, or at parties their
wives don't attend.
Being the "honey" of a major character in Cuba, is synonymous with
social status. As if rocket-propelled, you climb the ladder at work. All
over Havana everyone is talking about the meteoric rise of a famous
television report, who is both beautiful and talented. According to the
rumors, the lucky guy who sleeps with her is the "boss of the bosses."
It's still remembered that in the 90s, when Carlos Aldana was the third
strong man on the island, in charge of the ideological sector of the
Communist Party, came to have three "darling" journalists, the three
well-known.
Even Fidel Castro, between sips of Jack's Daniel, liked to talk in
private about his sexual exploits, like the affair he had with the
German Marita Lorenz and she told about it in a book. In a
macho-Fidelista Revolution like the Cuban one, having amorous adventures
in bulk sets you apart from the pack. A rogue, a pimp. A hallmark of
virility that makes the difference.
In a note from Juan Juan Almeida published in Marti News, told about the
debauchery of Cuban officials in Angola. He gave a figure, taking from
the Ministry of the Armed Forces: 40% of the woman who were on the
mission in Angola were harassed or raped. That figure has never appeared
in the newspaper Granma. For me, Almeida Jr. is a highly credible
source. He lived among the creme de la creme of the Cuban hierarchy. His
father, a great person in the opinion of his relatives, took to his bed
every woman who stirred his pleasure.
And I pardon their children and wives. The great difference between
being the "honey" of a leader and dying of hunger, are luxuries and
comforts. The guy with few resources invites you to a movie and buys you
popcorn or peanuts. The "bigwig" puts a roof over your head. And if you
really satisfy him he buys you a car. And in addition, you climb the
ladder in your profession.
There are women who live off their lovers, like the pimps off their
prostitutes. And sometimes they have more than one "girlfriend," they
compete to see who gets more and remains preferred. Recently I heard an
argument between two hookers. One said to the other, "Yeah, I'm a
monster, I bought my boyfriend a motorcycle and three gold chains. The
others just give him shirts and sneakers."
You can live in tile house in Carraguao, or a residence in Miramar. But
if you were raised to it, you have to have a "honey." In a conversation
between "tough men," if you don't talk about the "girlfriends," "honeys"
or lovers you have, they might label you Catholic or retarded. A bore
who doesn't know how to use the penis God gave you. That is, taking care
not to mention or even look at the boss's lover.
Ivan Garcia
16 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/cuba-sex-taking-all-comers-ivan-garcia/
Posted on May 19, 2013
There is still the ration book. Potatoes are scarce, the price of fruit
is going through the roof, and drinking a natural orange juice is a
luxury. Sanitary pads are only distributed every two months — a package
of ten to menstruating women. And connecting to the Internet is still a
science fiction story for a large part of the population.
However, sex is liberated. A national sport. According to some, the
infidelity between couples is a gene human beings carry. If those verse
in it give a tour of Cuba, we can confirm their strange theories.
And they confirm that teenagers of 12 and 13 are "experts" in the field.
Unaware that Australian is a continent, or that Henry Lee was in
independence fighter in the American Revolution and not the creator of
Lee jeans. But when it comes to sex, they have countless stories to
tell. For many boys, their fathers teach them from the time they're
small, that the more women they have the more macho they are.
It's the ABCs of a Cuban father to his son; life is dick. Men don't cry.
And the boss of the house is the one with balls. If in the 19th and 20th
century fathers paid prostitutes to de-flower their sons, today it's not
necessary.
Most children are more up-to-date and more promiscuous than their
parents. Having a "honey" or a lover is synonymous with masculinity. An
athlete of sex. A son of a bitch of the street.
The more lovers, the more drinks friends pay for. In the bars they offer
"wise" council about how to get into an impossible female. For hours,
they tell sex anecdotes without ceasing to drink like Cossacks, beer and
cheap rum.
Sex in Cuba is messy, but it has its hierarchies. Not like the
neighborhood pimp that manages a five-star hotel. A capital that's a
general. A boring and monotonous deputy to parliament that's a mandarin.
The "honeys" of the superiors respect them. Secretly they look at their
breasts or butt, but desist from the rude compliment or indecent
proposal. A boss can fire you or make your life impossible if he finds
you prowling around his woman.
Meanwhile, the more stars on your epaulette or if your photo appears
among the members of the Central Committee, the more chances you have to
give major luxuries to your lovers. You can even choose: blondes
brunettes, mulatto or black. Or have a collection with one of each. As
all are stunning, with pride and discretion we see you on the weekend in
exclusive recreational villas for senior officers, or at parties their
wives don't attend.
Being the "honey" of a major character in Cuba, is synonymous with
social status. As if rocket-propelled, you climb the ladder at work. All
over Havana everyone is talking about the meteoric rise of a famous
television report, who is both beautiful and talented. According to the
rumors, the lucky guy who sleeps with her is the "boss of the bosses."
It's still remembered that in the 90s, when Carlos Aldana was the third
strong man on the island, in charge of the ideological sector of the
Communist Party, came to have three "darling" journalists, the three
well-known.
Even Fidel Castro, between sips of Jack's Daniel, liked to talk in
private about his sexual exploits, like the affair he had with the
German Marita Lorenz and she told about it in a book. In a
macho-Fidelista Revolution like the Cuban one, having amorous adventures
in bulk sets you apart from the pack. A rogue, a pimp. A hallmark of
virility that makes the difference.
In a note from Juan Juan Almeida published in Marti News, told about the
debauchery of Cuban officials in Angola. He gave a figure, taking from
the Ministry of the Armed Forces: 40% of the woman who were on the
mission in Angola were harassed or raped. That figure has never appeared
in the newspaper Granma. For me, Almeida Jr. is a highly credible
source. He lived among the creme de la creme of the Cuban hierarchy. His
father, a great person in the opinion of his relatives, took to his bed
every woman who stirred his pleasure.
And I pardon their children and wives. The great difference between
being the "honey" of a leader and dying of hunger, are luxuries and
comforts. The guy with few resources invites you to a movie and buys you
popcorn or peanuts. The "bigwig" puts a roof over your head. And if you
really satisfy him he buys you a car. And in addition, you climb the
ladder in your profession.
There are women who live off their lovers, like the pimps off their
prostitutes. And sometimes they have more than one "girlfriend," they
compete to see who gets more and remains preferred. Recently I heard an
argument between two hookers. One said to the other, "Yeah, I'm a
monster, I bought my boyfriend a motorcycle and three gold chains. The
others just give him shirts and sneakers."
You can live in tile house in Carraguao, or a residence in Miramar. But
if you were raised to it, you have to have a "honey." In a conversation
between "tough men," if you don't talk about the "girlfriends," "honeys"
or lovers you have, they might label you Catholic or retarded. A bore
who doesn't know how to use the penis God gave you. That is, taking care
not to mention or even look at the boss's lover.
Ivan Garcia
16 May 2013
http://translatingcuba.com/cuba-sex-taking-all-comers-ivan-garcia/
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Cuba's New Real Estate Market, Betting on the Future, Wary of the Past
Yoani Sanchez - Award-winning Cuban blogger
Cuba's New Real Estate Market, Betting on the Future, Wary of the Past
Posted: 05/18/2013 5:19 pm
Placing zeros to the right seems to be the preferred sport of those who
put a price on the homes they sell in Cuba today. A captive market at
the end of the day, the buyer could find a lot of surprises in the wide
range of classified ads. From owners who ask astronomical sums for their
houses, sums that have nothing to do with the reality of demand, to real
bargains that make you feel sorry for the naiveté of the negotiator.
Many are pressured to sell, some by those with the smarts to realize
that this is the time to buy a house on the Island. It is a bet on the
future, if it goes wrong they lose almost everything, but if it goes
well they position themselves -- in advance -- for tomorrow. The slow
hurry up and the fast run at the speed of light. These are times to make
haste, the end of an era could be close... say the smartest.
It's surprising to see, with barely any notion of real estate, how
Cubans launch themselves into the marketing of square meters. They talk
about their space, usually with an over abundance of adjectives that
make you laugh or scare you. So when you read "one bedroom apartment in
central Havana with mezzanine bedroom," you should understand "room in a
Central Havana apartment with wooden platform." If they talk about a
garden, it's best to imagine a bed with soil and plants at the entrance;
and even five-bedroom residences, after a visit, are reduced to two
bedrooms partitioned with cardboard. The same mistrust with which people
view the photos on the social networks where young people look for
partners, should be applied to housing ads here. However, you can also
find real pearls in the midst of the exaggeration.
Right now there are at least three parameters that determine the final
cost of a home: location, physical state of construction, and pedigree.
The neighborhood has a great influence on the final value of the
property. In Havana, the most prized areas are Vedado, Miramar, Central
Havana, Víbora and Cerro, for their central character. The least wanted
are Alamar, Reparto Eléctrico, San Miguel del Padrón and La Lisa. The
poor state of public transport significantly influences people's
preference for houses that are near major commercial centers with
abundant spaces for entertainment. If there is a farmers market in the
vicinity, the asking price goes up; if it is near the Malecon it also
goes up. People shy away from the periphery, although among the "new
rich," those who have accumulated a little more capital whether by legal
or illegal means, the trend of looking for homes in the outskirts has
begun. It is still too early, however, to speak about a trend to locate
in greener and less polluted areas. For now, the main premise can be
summarized as the more central the better.
The physical state is one of the other elements that defines what a home
will cost. If the ceiling is beam and slab, the numbers fall; meanwhile
constructions from the 1940s and '50s enjoy a very good reputation and
appeal. The lowest values are for the so-called "microbrigade works"
with their ugly concrete buildings and their little Eastern European
style apartments. If the roofing is light -- tiles, zinc, wood, ceiling
paper -- the seller will get less. The state of the bathroom and kitchen
are another point that directly influences the marketability of the
property. The quality of the floors, if the windows are barred and the
door is new -- of glass and metal -- these are points in its favor. If
there are no neighbors overhead, then the seller can rest easy. Also
very valuable are houses with two entrances, designed for a large family
seeking to split up and live independently. Everything counts, anything
goes.
So far it resembles a real estate market like any other anywhere in the
world. However, there is a situation that defines, in a very particular
way, the value of homes for sale. This is their pedigree. This refers to
whether the house has belonged to the family for forever, or if it was
confiscated in one of the waves of expropriations in Cuba. If the
previous owner left during the Rafter Crisis of 1994 and the State
handed the property over to someone new, the price is lower. The same
thing happens if it was taken during the Mariel Boatlift in 1980, a time
when property was awarded to others after the emigration of those who
had lived there up until that time. But where the prices hit rock bottom
is with those homes confiscated between 1959 and 1963, when great
numbers left for exile. Few want to take on the problem of acquiring a
site that later may go into litigation. Although there are some who are
taking advantage of this situation to buy real mansions in the most
central neighborhoods at bargain prices.
In order to check the location, the state of construction, as well as
the legal past of the house, potential buyers are aided by their own
experience, a good architect and even a lawyer to dig through the
details of the property. Each element adds or removes a cipher, one zero
or one hundred to the total price people are willing to pay. In a
captive market anything is possible; it's as if knowledge of real estate
has only been sleeping, lethargic, and now returns with amazing force.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yoani-sanchez/cubas-new-real-estate-mar_b_3299636.html
Cuba's New Real Estate Market, Betting on the Future, Wary of the Past
Posted: 05/18/2013 5:19 pm
Placing zeros to the right seems to be the preferred sport of those who
put a price on the homes they sell in Cuba today. A captive market at
the end of the day, the buyer could find a lot of surprises in the wide
range of classified ads. From owners who ask astronomical sums for their
houses, sums that have nothing to do with the reality of demand, to real
bargains that make you feel sorry for the naiveté of the negotiator.
Many are pressured to sell, some by those with the smarts to realize
that this is the time to buy a house on the Island. It is a bet on the
future, if it goes wrong they lose almost everything, but if it goes
well they position themselves -- in advance -- for tomorrow. The slow
hurry up and the fast run at the speed of light. These are times to make
haste, the end of an era could be close... say the smartest.
It's surprising to see, with barely any notion of real estate, how
Cubans launch themselves into the marketing of square meters. They talk
about their space, usually with an over abundance of adjectives that
make you laugh or scare you. So when you read "one bedroom apartment in
central Havana with mezzanine bedroom," you should understand "room in a
Central Havana apartment with wooden platform." If they talk about a
garden, it's best to imagine a bed with soil and plants at the entrance;
and even five-bedroom residences, after a visit, are reduced to two
bedrooms partitioned with cardboard. The same mistrust with which people
view the photos on the social networks where young people look for
partners, should be applied to housing ads here. However, you can also
find real pearls in the midst of the exaggeration.
Right now there are at least three parameters that determine the final
cost of a home: location, physical state of construction, and pedigree.
The neighborhood has a great influence on the final value of the
property. In Havana, the most prized areas are Vedado, Miramar, Central
Havana, Víbora and Cerro, for their central character. The least wanted
are Alamar, Reparto Eléctrico, San Miguel del Padrón and La Lisa. The
poor state of public transport significantly influences people's
preference for houses that are near major commercial centers with
abundant spaces for entertainment. If there is a farmers market in the
vicinity, the asking price goes up; if it is near the Malecon it also
goes up. People shy away from the periphery, although among the "new
rich," those who have accumulated a little more capital whether by legal
or illegal means, the trend of looking for homes in the outskirts has
begun. It is still too early, however, to speak about a trend to locate
in greener and less polluted areas. For now, the main premise can be
summarized as the more central the better.
The physical state is one of the other elements that defines what a home
will cost. If the ceiling is beam and slab, the numbers fall; meanwhile
constructions from the 1940s and '50s enjoy a very good reputation and
appeal. The lowest values are for the so-called "microbrigade works"
with their ugly concrete buildings and their little Eastern European
style apartments. If the roofing is light -- tiles, zinc, wood, ceiling
paper -- the seller will get less. The state of the bathroom and kitchen
are another point that directly influences the marketability of the
property. The quality of the floors, if the windows are barred and the
door is new -- of glass and metal -- these are points in its favor. If
there are no neighbors overhead, then the seller can rest easy. Also
very valuable are houses with two entrances, designed for a large family
seeking to split up and live independently. Everything counts, anything
goes.
So far it resembles a real estate market like any other anywhere in the
world. However, there is a situation that defines, in a very particular
way, the value of homes for sale. This is their pedigree. This refers to
whether the house has belonged to the family for forever, or if it was
confiscated in one of the waves of expropriations in Cuba. If the
previous owner left during the Rafter Crisis of 1994 and the State
handed the property over to someone new, the price is lower. The same
thing happens if it was taken during the Mariel Boatlift in 1980, a time
when property was awarded to others after the emigration of those who
had lived there up until that time. But where the prices hit rock bottom
is with those homes confiscated between 1959 and 1963, when great
numbers left for exile. Few want to take on the problem of acquiring a
site that later may go into litigation. Although there are some who are
taking advantage of this situation to buy real mansions in the most
central neighborhoods at bargain prices.
In order to check the location, the state of construction, as well as
the legal past of the house, potential buyers are aided by their own
experience, a good architect and even a lawyer to dig through the
details of the property. Each element adds or removes a cipher, one zero
or one hundred to the total price people are willing to pay. In a
captive market anything is possible; it's as if knowledge of real estate
has only been sleeping, lethargic, and now returns with amazing force.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yoani-sanchez/cubas-new-real-estate-mar_b_3299636.html
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