Posted on Monday, 09.03.12
Leading Cuban dissident hospitalized
The Associated Press
HAVANA -- A leading Cuban dissident who was once a state-economist has
been hospitalized for 10 days with serious liver problems, but his wife
said Monday he was responding positively to treatment.
Oscar Espinosa Chepe has been on an intravenous drip at a Havana
hospital for more than a week and unable to even drink liquids until
Monday morning, his wife Miriam Leiva, herself a leading dissident, told
The Associated Press.
"I can't say he is out of danger or that he will recover, but his
symptoms are improving and things are a little bit better," Leiva said,
describing her husband's condition as "delicate."
Chepe, 71, has suffered from cirrhosis for more than a decade, a
condition that worsened when he was a political prisoner from 2003 to
2004, Leiva said. But she said his current illness appears to be a
separate liver ailment.
Chepe has frequently criticized free market economic changes undertaken
by President Raul Castro, which he says do not go far enough.
The island's small opposition community is already reeling from the
death of two leading voices in less than a year. Veteran dissident
Oswaldo Paya was killed in a car accident in July, and Ladies in White
founder Laura Pollan died of heart failure in October 2011.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/03/2982896/leading-cuban-dissident-hospitalized.html
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Travelers staggered by Cuba’s new customs taxes
Posted on Monday, 09.03.12
Travelers staggered by Cuba's new customs taxes
The Cuban government says increased customs duties are needed to impose
order at airports. Travelers said they were shocked at taxes of almost $600.
By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press
HAVANA -- A steep hike in customs duties took effect in Cuba on Monday,
catching many air travelers unaware and leaving some shocked at the new
fees.
Nelida Diaz, a Cuban-American who arrived with her husband for a visit
to the island where she was born, said she was astonished when officials
docked her $588 at customs.
"We come every year, and they had never charged us like that," Diaz said
outside the terminal at Havana's international airport, her blue,
shrink-wrapped bags piled on a luggage cart. "There is a lot of
irritation among the people."
Authorities have defended the measure as necessary to impose order in
airports, which at times can look more like cargo terminals with all the
baggage.
Experts say the measure targets so-called mules, who make frequent trips
back and forth to places like Ecuador, Panama and Miami, carrying huge
bags overstuffed with merchandise destined for resale or to supply the
island's growing ranks of private entrepreneurs.
But some fear it could also hurt Cuban families that rely on goods
imported five suitcases at a time, as well as the many islanders who are
able to visit relatives abroad by agreeing to bring back heavy loads for
others who pay the airfare.
Travelers are allowed to bring in 66 pounds (30 kilograms) of
miscellaneous goods without being charged. Everything after that gets
taxed at $4.55 a pound ($10 per kilogram).
Islanders get a once-a-year pass to pay excess baggage fees in the local
peso, worth 24 to the dollar, but starting with their second trip they
must pay the much higher dollar-based rates. Anyone who's not a
permanent resident pays the higher rate from the start.
"They charged me 102 Cuban pesos ($4.25) because I'm a Cuban and it's my
first time traveling to the U.S.," said Maria Roque, a resident of
Matanzas province who was returning to Cuba from a trip to visit her son.
But Roque said she was put on notice at customs: "The next time, I'll
have to pay in dollars."
While the new duty schedule was announced two months ago, many travelers
said Monday they were taken by surprise. The terminal appeared normal on
the outside, but passengers said operations seemed confused and sluggish
at customs.
"There's a lot of disgust in there," said Roberto Suarez another
Cuban-American, who reported paying double his usual customs fee. "There
are people who came with a little money set aside to help family, and
then they get hit with this."
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/03/2983514/travelers-staggered-by-cubas-new.html
Travelers staggered by Cuba's new customs taxes
The Cuban government says increased customs duties are needed to impose
order at airports. Travelers said they were shocked at taxes of almost $600.
By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press
HAVANA -- A steep hike in customs duties took effect in Cuba on Monday,
catching many air travelers unaware and leaving some shocked at the new
fees.
Nelida Diaz, a Cuban-American who arrived with her husband for a visit
to the island where she was born, said she was astonished when officials
docked her $588 at customs.
"We come every year, and they had never charged us like that," Diaz said
outside the terminal at Havana's international airport, her blue,
shrink-wrapped bags piled on a luggage cart. "There is a lot of
irritation among the people."
Authorities have defended the measure as necessary to impose order in
airports, which at times can look more like cargo terminals with all the
baggage.
Experts say the measure targets so-called mules, who make frequent trips
back and forth to places like Ecuador, Panama and Miami, carrying huge
bags overstuffed with merchandise destined for resale or to supply the
island's growing ranks of private entrepreneurs.
But some fear it could also hurt Cuban families that rely on goods
imported five suitcases at a time, as well as the many islanders who are
able to visit relatives abroad by agreeing to bring back heavy loads for
others who pay the airfare.
Travelers are allowed to bring in 66 pounds (30 kilograms) of
miscellaneous goods without being charged. Everything after that gets
taxed at $4.55 a pound ($10 per kilogram).
Islanders get a once-a-year pass to pay excess baggage fees in the local
peso, worth 24 to the dollar, but starting with their second trip they
must pay the much higher dollar-based rates. Anyone who's not a
permanent resident pays the higher rate from the start.
"They charged me 102 Cuban pesos ($4.25) because I'm a Cuban and it's my
first time traveling to the U.S.," said Maria Roque, a resident of
Matanzas province who was returning to Cuba from a trip to visit her son.
But Roque said she was put on notice at customs: "The next time, I'll
have to pay in dollars."
While the new duty schedule was announced two months ago, many travelers
said Monday they were taken by surprise. The terminal appeared normal on
the outside, but passengers said operations seemed confused and sluggish
at customs.
"There's a lot of disgust in there," said Roberto Suarez another
Cuban-American, who reported paying double his usual customs fee. "There
are people who came with a little money set aside to help family, and
then they get hit with this."
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/03/2983514/travelers-staggered-by-cubas-new.html
Monday, September 3, 2012
Executions in Alphabetical Order
Executions in Alphabetical Order / Dora Leonor Mesa
Dora Leonor Mesa, Translator: @hachhe
It does not matter if you are superstitious or not. In Cuba anything can
happen; even the most unimaginable of things.The three Parcas, the
Fates, are out on recess in Cuba.
Why deny that they are interested in the Spanish alphabet to cut the
threads of their canvases? What will be the next choice? Silliness??
P,Q,R,S…
The sudden death of the renown opponent leader in Cuba, Osvaldo Paya
Sardiñas is full of enigmas. Leaving all accusations and suspicions
aside, ten months before another Sakharov prize winner passed away:
Laura Pollan.
Pollan, Laura, with her first surname with P. Paya, another P. A mere
coincidence, if the also well-known mason opponent Gustavo Pardo weren't
finally obliged to go into exile after being pointed as a CIA agent in
the last rerun of the TV show "Razones de Cuba"(Cuba's Reasons). First
aired on monday march 22 of 2011.
Such accusation, for any Cuban, is a clear death sentence by shooting.
In the Greek mythology, the Parcas are three goddesses who determined
human life and destiny. Known in Latin as Parcaeand as Moiras in Greek,
the Parcasassigned a part of good and evilto each person at birth,
although by the own clumsiness the evil could be increased.
Melancholic maidens or severe elderly women,portrayed in art and poetry,
alwayswere represented as weavers.
Clotho, the Spinner, who spins the thread of life.
Lachesis, the distributor of fortunes, decides their duration and
assigns their destination to each person.
Atropos, the Inexorable, carries the feared scissors that cut the thread
of life at the right moment.
Did Lachesis intervene to save the life of the mason Gustavo Pardo?
Does the Inexorable Parca Atropos have a list of Cuban dissidents whose
surnames have the initial P?
Around 15:45 of 23 July 2012 a gray hearse brought the body of Oswaldo
Paya Sardiñas to the entrance of a church of Cerro, in Havana. The car
plate was HXX190 or HXX901 or HXX091? It's hard to remember in the
middle of the emotional hit and three hours waiting.
The Funeral was supposed to start at 8:00, then changed to 11:00. The
address of the church was another dilemma solved by SMS messages sent
between friends and acquaintances. It was recommended to forget the
doubts and wait in the park outside the church, next to the news
agencies cameras and the political police.
The hearse plate adds 1 and is an interesting number (9 + 1 = 10). The
plate of the crashed car in which Para Sardiñas and other 3 companions
were traveling (T 31402) also makes 1 according the numerologist
criterion, those who practice the divination through graphs and numbers.
More than 400 people attended the prayer for the dead, a brief Catholic
Mass in honor of the deceased. The applause of the attendees after the
immense courage and activism of Paya lasted about 10 uninterrupted
minutes. The priest's voice was barely able to control the cheers and
shouts of Freedom. Only when the troubled widow spoke, her voice turned
the pain and anger int a respectful silence.
The National Anthem or Bayamo Anthem sang by the attendees, seemed like
a scream more than a march. Paya died near Bayamo, at the east of the
island.
Thereport of the UN Committee against the Torture
(http://media.elnuevoherald.com/smedia/2012/06/01/11/28/ thvNr.So.84.doc
)states that Cuban civil society and its families are under risk
conditions. Therefore the international community must be on the alert.
Also Cubans, wherever they are.
It's time to protect the Cuban alphabet letters of the Opposition, among
them, to those more common or those they bother, as the S, the V, the F.
At anytime, the three spinners change the threads and letters. Their
last patch started from the end. The Parcas played with the hunger of Z
from Zapata. After the feared maidens they beat to death the S of Soto
Villar. Amid this net, without a doubt, are other cut threads.
Perhaps a rough day, the severe elderly women will jump to the beginning
of the alphabet to sweep away whatever they find. The decisions of the
Parcas can not be altered, even by the gods.
A, B, C,…F,G,..
The blind scissors are the worst part of the thread. It's never known
when and which thread will be cut.
- Cut again.
- No, it's fine.
- I wouldn't be so sure.
- These threads are strong
- Go on! Cut them all!
Translated by @Hachhe
August 7 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/executions-in-alphabetical-order-dora-leonor-mesa/
Dora Leonor Mesa, Translator: @hachhe
It does not matter if you are superstitious or not. In Cuba anything can
happen; even the most unimaginable of things.The three Parcas, the
Fates, are out on recess in Cuba.
Why deny that they are interested in the Spanish alphabet to cut the
threads of their canvases? What will be the next choice? Silliness??
P,Q,R,S…
The sudden death of the renown opponent leader in Cuba, Osvaldo Paya
Sardiñas is full of enigmas. Leaving all accusations and suspicions
aside, ten months before another Sakharov prize winner passed away:
Laura Pollan.
Pollan, Laura, with her first surname with P. Paya, another P. A mere
coincidence, if the also well-known mason opponent Gustavo Pardo weren't
finally obliged to go into exile after being pointed as a CIA agent in
the last rerun of the TV show "Razones de Cuba"(Cuba's Reasons). First
aired on monday march 22 of 2011.
Such accusation, for any Cuban, is a clear death sentence by shooting.
In the Greek mythology, the Parcas are three goddesses who determined
human life and destiny. Known in Latin as Parcaeand as Moiras in Greek,
the Parcasassigned a part of good and evilto each person at birth,
although by the own clumsiness the evil could be increased.
Melancholic maidens or severe elderly women,portrayed in art and poetry,
alwayswere represented as weavers.
Clotho, the Spinner, who spins the thread of life.
Lachesis, the distributor of fortunes, decides their duration and
assigns their destination to each person.
Atropos, the Inexorable, carries the feared scissors that cut the thread
of life at the right moment.
Did Lachesis intervene to save the life of the mason Gustavo Pardo?
Does the Inexorable Parca Atropos have a list of Cuban dissidents whose
surnames have the initial P?
Around 15:45 of 23 July 2012 a gray hearse brought the body of Oswaldo
Paya Sardiñas to the entrance of a church of Cerro, in Havana. The car
plate was HXX190 or HXX901 or HXX091? It's hard to remember in the
middle of the emotional hit and three hours waiting.
The Funeral was supposed to start at 8:00, then changed to 11:00. The
address of the church was another dilemma solved by SMS messages sent
between friends and acquaintances. It was recommended to forget the
doubts and wait in the park outside the church, next to the news
agencies cameras and the political police.
The hearse plate adds 1 and is an interesting number (9 + 1 = 10). The
plate of the crashed car in which Para Sardiñas and other 3 companions
were traveling (T 31402) also makes 1 according the numerologist
criterion, those who practice the divination through graphs and numbers.
More than 400 people attended the prayer for the dead, a brief Catholic
Mass in honor of the deceased. The applause of the attendees after the
immense courage and activism of Paya lasted about 10 uninterrupted
minutes. The priest's voice was barely able to control the cheers and
shouts of Freedom. Only when the troubled widow spoke, her voice turned
the pain and anger int a respectful silence.
The National Anthem or Bayamo Anthem sang by the attendees, seemed like
a scream more than a march. Paya died near Bayamo, at the east of the
island.
Thereport of the UN Committee against the Torture
(http://media.elnuevoherald.com/smedia/2012/06/01/11/28/ thvNr.So.84.doc
)states that Cuban civil society and its families are under risk
conditions. Therefore the international community must be on the alert.
Also Cubans, wherever they are.
It's time to protect the Cuban alphabet letters of the Opposition, among
them, to those more common or those they bother, as the S, the V, the F.
At anytime, the three spinners change the threads and letters. Their
last patch started from the end. The Parcas played with the hunger of Z
from Zapata. After the feared maidens they beat to death the S of Soto
Villar. Amid this net, without a doubt, are other cut threads.
Perhaps a rough day, the severe elderly women will jump to the beginning
of the alphabet to sweep away whatever they find. The decisions of the
Parcas can not be altered, even by the gods.
A, B, C,…F,G,..
The blind scissors are the worst part of the thread. It's never known
when and which thread will be cut.
- Cut again.
- No, it's fine.
- I wouldn't be so sure.
- These threads are strong
- Go on! Cut them all!
Translated by @Hachhe
August 7 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/executions-in-alphabetical-order-dora-leonor-mesa/
The Only Thing That Interests The Castros About Emigres Is Their Money
The Only Thing That Interests The Castros About Emigres Is Their Money /
Ivan Garcia
Ivan Garcia, Translator: Unstated
They have gone from being persecuted, insulted and accused of being
traitors during the first three decades after the Communist revolution
to becoming the main pipeline for the dollars that prop up the regime.
The story of the Cuban diaspora in the last 53 years is marked by verbal
lynchings, graffiti and artillery attacks of rocks or rotten eggs on the
houses of those who were leaving the country, years in jail for those
who tried to leave, and an irate Fidel Castro at a public trial calling
them "worms, low-lifes and scum."
Taking a plane to Florida or setting off on a rustic craft with a
sailor's compass meant unleashing Castro's implacable fury. During the
1960s would-be emigrés were made to work long hours doing agricultural
work before the government would issue them exit visas.
A letter received from or sent to a relative on the other side of the
pond would prompt an urgent meeting of the trade union or the party, and
the person would be accused of "ideological weakness." Underprivileged
blacks would be intimidated with tales of racism. If they abandoned the
fatherland, the Ku Klux Klan and its dogs, trained to eat Negroes, would
mercilessly tear them apart.
According to the Castro-controlled media, the first wave of emigrés were
bourgeoisie, businessmen, misfits or people who had earned their money
taking advantage of the poor. Later they were low-lifes,
good-for-nothings, convicts, prostitutes and faggots incapable of
becoming examples of the New Man in an "unparalleled society, the
threshold of heaven on earth."
After the fall of the Berlin Wall Cuban professionals and athletes
defected the first chance they got. The offensive language has now been
shelved, but acts of repudiation have been revived as a weapon against
dissidents.
Those who leave Cuba are still written off by the official media. There
are no reports or in-depth articles about achievements of Cubans
overseas.On the island there was no impact from the two home runs,from
both sides of the plate in the same inning, by Kendrys Morales. Of the
awards and prizes given to writers and poets in exile, not a word has
been published.
As Rubén Martínez Villena said, they are only useful once they are dead.
LikeCabrera Infante or Celia Cruz. The nation's press has not reported
on an article written by prominent academics at the University of
Florida, whose data and statistics provide evidence of the strength of
the Cuban exile community.
When leafing through Juventude Rebelde (Rebel Youth), nowhere will you
find any mention that in 2011 the country received more than two billion
dollars in remittances. Cuban Americans spent a similar amount during
vacation trips to Cuba and in endless purchases of consumer goods for
their impoverished relatives.
Radio Rebelde says nothing about a study by the Pew Hispanic Center
which reports that the median income for Cubans in the United States
over the age of sixteen is $26,478, greater than the estimated $21,488
for the rest of the Hispanic community.
It is undeniable that, thanks to the Refugee Adjustment Act*, members of
the Cuban diaspora enjoy privileges that other Latino immigrants do not.
But the gains they have achieved are undeniable. They are leaders of
important companies, are a force behind Miami's growth and vitality, and
constitute a handful of politicians with Cuban backgrounds. Eleven
delegates to the Florida legislature are Cuban.
The official press maintains a low and ambiguous profile with respect to
the exile community. Foolish rhetoric would have us believe that people
emigrate only to get a car and a well-furnished, air-conditioned
apartment. Yes, people leave in order to have decent salaries, satellite
antennae and unrestricted access to the internet.
But they also leave the country to be reborn as free men. Hold a
plebiscite among the more than two million exiles and, I am quite
certain,the results would confirm that a majority do not want to retain
the Castros in power.
The regime knows this. It is aware of the danger that closer ties and a
loosening of emigration restrictions would pose. The exiles' economic
power and business know-how would put an end to the shoddy workmanship
and habitual idleness of Cuban factories. They would become a potential
threat to the status quo of the governing class, which now controls all
reserves of hard currency.
To the Castros the only thing about emigration that interests them is
the money. Exiles can come visit Cuba and spend a lot. Every time they
bring in more dollars. But they do not like them too much. There can be
no investments in strategic economic sectors. It's better to keep
burdening them with brutal tourism taxes and let them send packages to
the island. Castro has no desire to treat emigrés fairly.
They will never allow overseas Cubans to hold political office or vote
in elections. It is very difficult to change this mentality. These
autocrats have always viewed the diaspora as a time bomb, a bunch of
"worms," a legion of traitors.
When exiles learn how to use their economic power as a weapon, it will
force the government to change the outdated dialog and the anachronistic
laws. In the meantime, it needs them only to fill the collection box.
Photo: Taken from the Gold Alert website.
*Translator's note: A U.S. law, passed in 1966 with amendments added
later, that allows Cuban refugees to apply for permanent resident status
after living in the U.S. for one year.
September 1 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/the-only-thing-that-interests-the-castros-about-emigrs-is-their-money-ivan-garcia/
Ivan Garcia
Ivan Garcia, Translator: Unstated
They have gone from being persecuted, insulted and accused of being
traitors during the first three decades after the Communist revolution
to becoming the main pipeline for the dollars that prop up the regime.
The story of the Cuban diaspora in the last 53 years is marked by verbal
lynchings, graffiti and artillery attacks of rocks or rotten eggs on the
houses of those who were leaving the country, years in jail for those
who tried to leave, and an irate Fidel Castro at a public trial calling
them "worms, low-lifes and scum."
Taking a plane to Florida or setting off on a rustic craft with a
sailor's compass meant unleashing Castro's implacable fury. During the
1960s would-be emigrés were made to work long hours doing agricultural
work before the government would issue them exit visas.
A letter received from or sent to a relative on the other side of the
pond would prompt an urgent meeting of the trade union or the party, and
the person would be accused of "ideological weakness." Underprivileged
blacks would be intimidated with tales of racism. If they abandoned the
fatherland, the Ku Klux Klan and its dogs, trained to eat Negroes, would
mercilessly tear them apart.
According to the Castro-controlled media, the first wave of emigrés were
bourgeoisie, businessmen, misfits or people who had earned their money
taking advantage of the poor. Later they were low-lifes,
good-for-nothings, convicts, prostitutes and faggots incapable of
becoming examples of the New Man in an "unparalleled society, the
threshold of heaven on earth."
After the fall of the Berlin Wall Cuban professionals and athletes
defected the first chance they got. The offensive language has now been
shelved, but acts of repudiation have been revived as a weapon against
dissidents.
Those who leave Cuba are still written off by the official media. There
are no reports or in-depth articles about achievements of Cubans
overseas.On the island there was no impact from the two home runs,from
both sides of the plate in the same inning, by Kendrys Morales. Of the
awards and prizes given to writers and poets in exile, not a word has
been published.
As Rubén Martínez Villena said, they are only useful once they are dead.
LikeCabrera Infante or Celia Cruz. The nation's press has not reported
on an article written by prominent academics at the University of
Florida, whose data and statistics provide evidence of the strength of
the Cuban exile community.
When leafing through Juventude Rebelde (Rebel Youth), nowhere will you
find any mention that in 2011 the country received more than two billion
dollars in remittances. Cuban Americans spent a similar amount during
vacation trips to Cuba and in endless purchases of consumer goods for
their impoverished relatives.
Radio Rebelde says nothing about a study by the Pew Hispanic Center
which reports that the median income for Cubans in the United States
over the age of sixteen is $26,478, greater than the estimated $21,488
for the rest of the Hispanic community.
It is undeniable that, thanks to the Refugee Adjustment Act*, members of
the Cuban diaspora enjoy privileges that other Latino immigrants do not.
But the gains they have achieved are undeniable. They are leaders of
important companies, are a force behind Miami's growth and vitality, and
constitute a handful of politicians with Cuban backgrounds. Eleven
delegates to the Florida legislature are Cuban.
The official press maintains a low and ambiguous profile with respect to
the exile community. Foolish rhetoric would have us believe that people
emigrate only to get a car and a well-furnished, air-conditioned
apartment. Yes, people leave in order to have decent salaries, satellite
antennae and unrestricted access to the internet.
But they also leave the country to be reborn as free men. Hold a
plebiscite among the more than two million exiles and, I am quite
certain,the results would confirm that a majority do not want to retain
the Castros in power.
The regime knows this. It is aware of the danger that closer ties and a
loosening of emigration restrictions would pose. The exiles' economic
power and business know-how would put an end to the shoddy workmanship
and habitual idleness of Cuban factories. They would become a potential
threat to the status quo of the governing class, which now controls all
reserves of hard currency.
To the Castros the only thing about emigration that interests them is
the money. Exiles can come visit Cuba and spend a lot. Every time they
bring in more dollars. But they do not like them too much. There can be
no investments in strategic economic sectors. It's better to keep
burdening them with brutal tourism taxes and let them send packages to
the island. Castro has no desire to treat emigrés fairly.
They will never allow overseas Cubans to hold political office or vote
in elections. It is very difficult to change this mentality. These
autocrats have always viewed the diaspora as a time bomb, a bunch of
"worms," a legion of traitors.
When exiles learn how to use their economic power as a weapon, it will
force the government to change the outdated dialog and the anachronistic
laws. In the meantime, it needs them only to fill the collection box.
Photo: Taken from the Gold Alert website.
*Translator's note: A U.S. law, passed in 1966 with amendments added
later, that allows Cuban refugees to apply for permanent resident status
after living in the U.S. for one year.
September 1 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/the-only-thing-that-interests-the-castros-about-emigrs-is-their-money-ivan-garcia/
Two Letters: Two Positions
Two Letters: Two Positions / Fernando Dámaso
Fernando Damaso, Translator: @hachhe
Recently I read two letters that caught my attention. The first, written
by Rafael Hernández, a pro-government political scientist based in Cuba,
under the title "Letter to a young man who leaves," trying to undo this
massive trend, arguing the supposed benefits of the existing system in
the country, offering them as some splendid options faced with a cruel
world, ruthless and full of injustice, as is the capitalist. In aid of
this he waves (it couldn't be otherwise) the worn flags and slogans of a
failed experiment on the path to extinction, in which most Cubans no
longer believe,that left only ruins and misery and a divided nation,
physically (the older men here and the younger scattered all around the
world) and emotionally (with divided families by absurd hatreds).
The second one, written by the young Iván López Monreal, based in
Bulgaria, under the title "Letter from a young man who left,"
respectfully with solid arguments dismantles one by one the ones used by
the government official. Without unnecessary offenses,in a measured
tone, the young Cuban exposes his contradictory feelings before leaving,
and how leaving the country was a logical course given the impossibility
of realizing a healthy life project; the sorrow faced with the failure
of his parents who had believed and devoted their best efforts to the
experiment, and his actual situation: free and master of his fate.
It would be suitable that many citizens may have free access to those
two documents, in which two different visions: one static and stuck in
the past, and one in movement with his feet in the present, address in a
civilized manner, in a controversial dialog, rich in contributions that
show about the reasons of both sides.
After reading both letters, it appears as a logical conclusion that the
present socialism, still updated, has nothing more, neither material nor
spiritual, to offer to the Cuban people than repeating to the point of
boredom the rhetoric of the so-called glorious past, with conveniently
manipulated facts and figures in the name of a noisy patriotism, far
from the true patriotism based on the love and respect for the land
where one comes to life, and but for so many absurdities, where one
should spend it and also in the end have some rest.
Archive photo
Translated by @Hachhe
September 2 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/two-letters-two-positions-fernando-dmaso/
Fernando Damaso, Translator: @hachhe
Recently I read two letters that caught my attention. The first, written
by Rafael Hernández, a pro-government political scientist based in Cuba,
under the title "Letter to a young man who leaves," trying to undo this
massive trend, arguing the supposed benefits of the existing system in
the country, offering them as some splendid options faced with a cruel
world, ruthless and full of injustice, as is the capitalist. In aid of
this he waves (it couldn't be otherwise) the worn flags and slogans of a
failed experiment on the path to extinction, in which most Cubans no
longer believe,that left only ruins and misery and a divided nation,
physically (the older men here and the younger scattered all around the
world) and emotionally (with divided families by absurd hatreds).
The second one, written by the young Iván López Monreal, based in
Bulgaria, under the title "Letter from a young man who left,"
respectfully with solid arguments dismantles one by one the ones used by
the government official. Without unnecessary offenses,in a measured
tone, the young Cuban exposes his contradictory feelings before leaving,
and how leaving the country was a logical course given the impossibility
of realizing a healthy life project; the sorrow faced with the failure
of his parents who had believed and devoted their best efforts to the
experiment, and his actual situation: free and master of his fate.
It would be suitable that many citizens may have free access to those
two documents, in which two different visions: one static and stuck in
the past, and one in movement with his feet in the present, address in a
civilized manner, in a controversial dialog, rich in contributions that
show about the reasons of both sides.
After reading both letters, it appears as a logical conclusion that the
present socialism, still updated, has nothing more, neither material nor
spiritual, to offer to the Cuban people than repeating to the point of
boredom the rhetoric of the so-called glorious past, with conveniently
manipulated facts and figures in the name of a noisy patriotism, far
from the true patriotism based on the love and respect for the land
where one comes to life, and but for so many absurdities, where one
should spend it and also in the end have some rest.
Archive photo
Translated by @Hachhe
September 2 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/two-letters-two-positions-fernando-dmaso/
Playing with Funny Money
Playing with Funny Money / Rebeca Monzo
Rebeca Monzo, Translator: Unstated
The Society of Cuban Musical Artists (ACDAM) is failing to fulfill its
primary reason for being, which is to pay artists who belong to the
organization in a timely and appropriate manner.
Over the course of a year, as I have been told by one of those affected,
they have only been paid for the first trimester. Payment is made in the
so-called "national currency"—those pesos that make up salaries and
pensions and that cover only very few expenses. The other currency is
commonly known as the chavito or CUC (and formally, the Cuban
Convertible Peso). While both are national currencies, the latter is
more difficult to acquire and the only one that can be used to buy
essential goods in state-run hard currency stores— the only places to
find certain everyday consumer items, which are sold at highly inflated
prices.
As justification for this failure the ACDAM alleges that ARTEX (Artistic
and Literary Promotions Management) has not yet settled accounts with
them. In other words, the old "run-around." This money, however, has now
been in state coffers for a while and not in the pockets of the people
who are supposed to be paid for their work. A swift solution to this
problem is imperative since in many cases the payments are the only
means of support for these Cuban artists' families. It is not acceptable
to keep "playing with funny money." This situation, and others like it,
suggest the country is dealing with a serious lack of liquidity.
September 1 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/playing-with-funny-money-rebeca-monzo/
Rebeca Monzo, Translator: Unstated
The Society of Cuban Musical Artists (ACDAM) is failing to fulfill its
primary reason for being, which is to pay artists who belong to the
organization in a timely and appropriate manner.
Over the course of a year, as I have been told by one of those affected,
they have only been paid for the first trimester. Payment is made in the
so-called "national currency"—those pesos that make up salaries and
pensions and that cover only very few expenses. The other currency is
commonly known as the chavito or CUC (and formally, the Cuban
Convertible Peso). While both are national currencies, the latter is
more difficult to acquire and the only one that can be used to buy
essential goods in state-run hard currency stores— the only places to
find certain everyday consumer items, which are sold at highly inflated
prices.
As justification for this failure the ACDAM alleges that ARTEX (Artistic
and Literary Promotions Management) has not yet settled accounts with
them. In other words, the old "run-around." This money, however, has now
been in state coffers for a while and not in the pockets of the people
who are supposed to be paid for their work. A swift solution to this
problem is imperative since in many cases the payments are the only
means of support for these Cuban artists' families. It is not acceptable
to keep "playing with funny money." This situation, and others like it,
suggest the country is dealing with a serious lack of liquidity.
September 1 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/playing-with-funny-money-rebeca-monzo/
Two South African Visitors to Cuba
Two South African Visitors to Cuba
September 3, 2012
Tourist Tales from Cuba
Vincente Morin Aguado
HAVANA TIMES — Having found these two South Africans was true luck, one
of those unforgettable moments in life. This was during one of the worst
times to live in Havana – at least when it came to interacting with
tourists [tbe mid-1990's].
Ingha was a social worker and Guy a doctor. Both were white, according
to the traditional canons used for labeling people. Their souls, though,
ran the entire spectrum of possible tones of human beings.
Thinking back to my three semesters of university English and
demonstrating an infinite willingness to interact for them, we started
walking around Old Havana.
My head was something like the Morro lighthouse: revolving to each side,
first attending to their every question, slowly making abundant gestures
with precision; and then revolving to the opposite side, seeing the
newly deployed members of the specialized police force charged with
keeping tourists from naturally coming up to Cubans.
The contradiction is that Cubans were and continue to be of special
interest by visitors who come here from other countries.
For these South Africans the matter took on special meaning, since they
came from a country that had just gotten rid of apartheid and they
recognized something emblematic in Cuba, where efforts had long been
underway to eliminate all forms of discrimination between humans.
There question about the racial problem here was raised directly,
therefore becoming the first serious dilemma I had to confront: Is there
racism in Cuba? I answered yes…and no.
It doesn't exist if we approach it as a matter of law, constitutionally,
but it does exist when it comes to everyday life.
They then asked for a demonstration of this second part and, walking a
bit, we found some interesting examples.
I asked them to give me a second so that I could call my house. I was
going to the pay phone when there, against the wall, I found a poster
calling on young people to take classes in dance and classical ballet.
I noticed that among the requirements was the clear and specific
exclusion of people with dark skin. Guy eternalized this injustice with
a flash from his big "Canon Eos-300" camera.
Shortly after, when taking the usual route from Obisbo Street towards
the Plaza de Armas, at two blocks from our destination we came on the
second example: the inevitable police check.
A young police officer asked me for my ID while trying to ask Ingha how
our relationship had been established. Being a social worker, she knew
how to deal with the situation, also using the excuse of her lack of
Spanish. The uniformed female officer finally concluded that I wasn't a
"social threat" and allowed me to move on.
I took a deep breath, but after that I lived in a permanent state of
uncertainty, at least during the several days of intensive exchanges
with the South Africans.
We fixed dinner for them at the house of a relative of mine, a retired
soldier, had fought in Angola, in addition to having served in missions
in other African countries.
Along with his experiences on the so-called "Dark Continent," they had
brought a good stereo, furniture and other important items for attending
to visitors back in Cuba – things I'm missing in my home, since I
haven't traveled beyond Baracoa, in eastern Cuba.
It turned out to be quite a pleasant night. With Bob Marley thundering
from the four speakers and more and more of the neighbors gradually
showing up, it didn't matter to the visitors how many were participating
in the evening festivities, let alone the natural increase in diners and
rum drinkers.
Translators appeared who were better than me, which allowed us to
conclude a real debate, from which all of us came out culturally
enriched, in addition to well fed and a little tipsy.
At dawn they went back to the hotel by taxi after agreeing to meet with
me later that morning. They wanted to visit a place that's impossible to
forget when it comes to foreigners in Cuba: Revolution Square.
In an American car, we arrived at the Jose Marti monument, where Ingha
and Guy showed their genuine satisfaction. But the real challenge for
the car's driver was to avoid the police controls in place at that time
(that prohibition was eventually eliminated by the current government,
which now allows cars operated by licensed self-employed workers to
carry tourists as passengers).
After scanning across the Havana landscape from its highest point, the
tower on the square (whose base is shaped like a lone star, the symbol
of the unity and independence of our nation), we walked toward a line of
taxis with the aim of returning to the hotel. That would be the formal
farewell between us, though it was briefly interrupted by yet another
avatar.
This time it was a law enforcement officer in plain clothes, who showed
me his official ID after drawing it from the almost transparent pocket
of his white shirt. He asked me a few questions, the kind that can have
any answer because of their incongruity: "What are you doing? How did
you meet? Where do you work? Are you a professional tour guide?"
Fortunately I managed to promise to leave them at their hotel and to
conclude the tour that way, because otherwise it would have been be
extremely rude. Plus, my friends from South Africa stood firmly beside me.
This officer knew some English and understood the situation. He jotted
down my personal data in a little notebook, and gave me something that
was between a warning and a recommendation: "Please, involve yourself in
other activities. For attending to tourists, the state has a
professional staff whose specific responsibilities are seeing to them."
—–
Vincent Morin Aguado. August 2012. morfamily@correodecuba.cu
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=77728
September 3, 2012
Tourist Tales from Cuba
Vincente Morin Aguado
HAVANA TIMES — Having found these two South Africans was true luck, one
of those unforgettable moments in life. This was during one of the worst
times to live in Havana – at least when it came to interacting with
tourists [tbe mid-1990's].
Ingha was a social worker and Guy a doctor. Both were white, according
to the traditional canons used for labeling people. Their souls, though,
ran the entire spectrum of possible tones of human beings.
Thinking back to my three semesters of university English and
demonstrating an infinite willingness to interact for them, we started
walking around Old Havana.
My head was something like the Morro lighthouse: revolving to each side,
first attending to their every question, slowly making abundant gestures
with precision; and then revolving to the opposite side, seeing the
newly deployed members of the specialized police force charged with
keeping tourists from naturally coming up to Cubans.
The contradiction is that Cubans were and continue to be of special
interest by visitors who come here from other countries.
For these South Africans the matter took on special meaning, since they
came from a country that had just gotten rid of apartheid and they
recognized something emblematic in Cuba, where efforts had long been
underway to eliminate all forms of discrimination between humans.
There question about the racial problem here was raised directly,
therefore becoming the first serious dilemma I had to confront: Is there
racism in Cuba? I answered yes…and no.
It doesn't exist if we approach it as a matter of law, constitutionally,
but it does exist when it comes to everyday life.
They then asked for a demonstration of this second part and, walking a
bit, we found some interesting examples.
I asked them to give me a second so that I could call my house. I was
going to the pay phone when there, against the wall, I found a poster
calling on young people to take classes in dance and classical ballet.
I noticed that among the requirements was the clear and specific
exclusion of people with dark skin. Guy eternalized this injustice with
a flash from his big "Canon Eos-300" camera.
Shortly after, when taking the usual route from Obisbo Street towards
the Plaza de Armas, at two blocks from our destination we came on the
second example: the inevitable police check.
A young police officer asked me for my ID while trying to ask Ingha how
our relationship had been established. Being a social worker, she knew
how to deal with the situation, also using the excuse of her lack of
Spanish. The uniformed female officer finally concluded that I wasn't a
"social threat" and allowed me to move on.
I took a deep breath, but after that I lived in a permanent state of
uncertainty, at least during the several days of intensive exchanges
with the South Africans.
We fixed dinner for them at the house of a relative of mine, a retired
soldier, had fought in Angola, in addition to having served in missions
in other African countries.
Along with his experiences on the so-called "Dark Continent," they had
brought a good stereo, furniture and other important items for attending
to visitors back in Cuba – things I'm missing in my home, since I
haven't traveled beyond Baracoa, in eastern Cuba.
It turned out to be quite a pleasant night. With Bob Marley thundering
from the four speakers and more and more of the neighbors gradually
showing up, it didn't matter to the visitors how many were participating
in the evening festivities, let alone the natural increase in diners and
rum drinkers.
Translators appeared who were better than me, which allowed us to
conclude a real debate, from which all of us came out culturally
enriched, in addition to well fed and a little tipsy.
At dawn they went back to the hotel by taxi after agreeing to meet with
me later that morning. They wanted to visit a place that's impossible to
forget when it comes to foreigners in Cuba: Revolution Square.
In an American car, we arrived at the Jose Marti monument, where Ingha
and Guy showed their genuine satisfaction. But the real challenge for
the car's driver was to avoid the police controls in place at that time
(that prohibition was eventually eliminated by the current government,
which now allows cars operated by licensed self-employed workers to
carry tourists as passengers).
After scanning across the Havana landscape from its highest point, the
tower on the square (whose base is shaped like a lone star, the symbol
of the unity and independence of our nation), we walked toward a line of
taxis with the aim of returning to the hotel. That would be the formal
farewell between us, though it was briefly interrupted by yet another
avatar.
This time it was a law enforcement officer in plain clothes, who showed
me his official ID after drawing it from the almost transparent pocket
of his white shirt. He asked me a few questions, the kind that can have
any answer because of their incongruity: "What are you doing? How did
you meet? Where do you work? Are you a professional tour guide?"
Fortunately I managed to promise to leave them at their hotel and to
conclude the tour that way, because otherwise it would have been be
extremely rude. Plus, my friends from South Africa stood firmly beside me.
This officer knew some English and understood the situation. He jotted
down my personal data in a little notebook, and gave me something that
was between a warning and a recommendation: "Please, involve yourself in
other activities. For attending to tourists, the state has a
professional staff whose specific responsibilities are seeing to them."
—–
Vincent Morin Aguado. August 2012. morfamily@correodecuba.cu
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=77728
Call to Count Gays in Cuba Census
Call to Count Gays in Cuba Census
September 2, 2012
Por Isaac Risco
HAVANA TIMES (dpa) — How many homosexuals are there in Cuba? How many
same-sex couples are living together? How many transsexuals does the
island have? And how many bisexual and lesbian households exist in Cuba?
Answers to these kinds of questions are being sought by Cuban journalist
and blogger Francisco Rodriguez*, a well-known government sympathizer
and gay activist on the island. He believes that an ideal opportunity
for collecting this information will be offered during the upcoming
population and housing census that will be conducted on the island from
September 15 to 24.
However the authorities have no intention of collecting data on the
Cuban gay community, as was requested earlier by Rodriguez, who is the
head of Information for the weekly Trabajadores newspaper.
Known colloquially as "Paquito el de Cuba," Rodriguez has spent years
advocating gay rights on the island and has launched an initiative to
protest what he sees as "homophobic research."
"An opportunity was missed for giving everyone a sign concerning the
progress that has been made in Cuba around the issue of sexual
diversity," Rodriguez told dpa.
In recent years the Cuban government has emphasized the fight against
homophobia, following the persecution of homosexuals that marked the
early years of the revolution led by Fidel Castro.
This past November, Rodriguez noticed that the census forms to be
collected were not asking for information about the gay community, so he
requested the inclusion of that option. His effort proved to be in vain.
In response, he received a refusal along with technical justifications
that the activist considers "unacceptable," according to what he has
written in his blog.
Image from the blog paquitoeldecuba.wordpress.com
For the census, it isn't relevant that gay marriage isn't legal in Cuba
or that same-sex unions can't fall under the category of "marital
status," believes Rodriguez. Although they don't live together, he
himself has had another man as his partners for years.
"The census shows the reality of the nation," he explained. "It's even
one of those materials upon which legislation is later passed. You have
to describe reality like it is, and this was a good opportunity to
produce concrete information about real life."
His proposal asked for support from entities that include the National
Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), headed by Mariela Castro, the
daughter of President Raul Castro and who is the best known gay rights
activist on the island.
The authorities, said Rodriguez, proposed doing specific research into
the issue at a later time; but, while welcoming the announcement,
"Paquito" is still not satisfied.
The 41-year activist launched an initiative this week against what he
considers "discrimination by omission." In a blog post about which he
has received several emails and calls of support, Rodriguez is calling
on homosexuals to declare themselves couples or as being "attached"
instead of "single," even though the data will not be reflected in the
final statistics.
He is also calling on the gay community to welcome the census takers by
"dressing up their homes" with the rainbow flag or other symbols of gay
rights.
"Since they won't count our households at least they'll see them," said
the pro-government activist, who prefers to speak of this as an
"educational activity" rather than a protest.
In recent years Cuba has shifted its official line to be against
homophobia, with even Fidel Castro himself, after retiring from office
in 2006, expressing his "mea culpa" in 2010 for the public persecution
of homosexuals in the early years after the triumph of the 1959 revolution.
During that period many homosexuals were sent to work camps accused of
being "counterrevolutionaries," as the Cuban government traditionally
refers to its political opponents. "If someone is responsible, it's me,"
Castro said in a 2010 interview concerning the "injustices" that
occurred under his leadership.
Mariela Castro is especially known for her liberal positions on sexual
matters. As Fidel Castro's niece, she hopes that her father's government
will approve a change in the Family Code to legalize homosexual
marriage, which is being advocated by her organization, CENESEX.
Although the Communist Party gave positive signals at its first national
conference in January, the bill has still not moved forward. It is
estimated that there remains strong resistance to such a change on the
island, especially among influential members of the revolution's
"historic generation."
—–
(*) Rodriguez's blog, "Paquito el de Cuba" is located (in Spanish) at:
http://paquitoeldecuba.wordpress.com/
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=77708
September 2, 2012
Por Isaac Risco
HAVANA TIMES (dpa) — How many homosexuals are there in Cuba? How many
same-sex couples are living together? How many transsexuals does the
island have? And how many bisexual and lesbian households exist in Cuba?
Answers to these kinds of questions are being sought by Cuban journalist
and blogger Francisco Rodriguez*, a well-known government sympathizer
and gay activist on the island. He believes that an ideal opportunity
for collecting this information will be offered during the upcoming
population and housing census that will be conducted on the island from
September 15 to 24.
However the authorities have no intention of collecting data on the
Cuban gay community, as was requested earlier by Rodriguez, who is the
head of Information for the weekly Trabajadores newspaper.
Known colloquially as "Paquito el de Cuba," Rodriguez has spent years
advocating gay rights on the island and has launched an initiative to
protest what he sees as "homophobic research."
"An opportunity was missed for giving everyone a sign concerning the
progress that has been made in Cuba around the issue of sexual
diversity," Rodriguez told dpa.
In recent years the Cuban government has emphasized the fight against
homophobia, following the persecution of homosexuals that marked the
early years of the revolution led by Fidel Castro.
This past November, Rodriguez noticed that the census forms to be
collected were not asking for information about the gay community, so he
requested the inclusion of that option. His effort proved to be in vain.
In response, he received a refusal along with technical justifications
that the activist considers "unacceptable," according to what he has
written in his blog.
Image from the blog paquitoeldecuba.wordpress.com
For the census, it isn't relevant that gay marriage isn't legal in Cuba
or that same-sex unions can't fall under the category of "marital
status," believes Rodriguez. Although they don't live together, he
himself has had another man as his partners for years.
"The census shows the reality of the nation," he explained. "It's even
one of those materials upon which legislation is later passed. You have
to describe reality like it is, and this was a good opportunity to
produce concrete information about real life."
His proposal asked for support from entities that include the National
Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), headed by Mariela Castro, the
daughter of President Raul Castro and who is the best known gay rights
activist on the island.
The authorities, said Rodriguez, proposed doing specific research into
the issue at a later time; but, while welcoming the announcement,
"Paquito" is still not satisfied.
The 41-year activist launched an initiative this week against what he
considers "discrimination by omission." In a blog post about which he
has received several emails and calls of support, Rodriguez is calling
on homosexuals to declare themselves couples or as being "attached"
instead of "single," even though the data will not be reflected in the
final statistics.
He is also calling on the gay community to welcome the census takers by
"dressing up their homes" with the rainbow flag or other symbols of gay
rights.
"Since they won't count our households at least they'll see them," said
the pro-government activist, who prefers to speak of this as an
"educational activity" rather than a protest.
In recent years Cuba has shifted its official line to be against
homophobia, with even Fidel Castro himself, after retiring from office
in 2006, expressing his "mea culpa" in 2010 for the public persecution
of homosexuals in the early years after the triumph of the 1959 revolution.
During that period many homosexuals were sent to work camps accused of
being "counterrevolutionaries," as the Cuban government traditionally
refers to its political opponents. "If someone is responsible, it's me,"
Castro said in a 2010 interview concerning the "injustices" that
occurred under his leadership.
Mariela Castro is especially known for her liberal positions on sexual
matters. As Fidel Castro's niece, she hopes that her father's government
will approve a change in the Family Code to legalize homosexual
marriage, which is being advocated by her organization, CENESEX.
Although the Communist Party gave positive signals at its first national
conference in January, the bill has still not moved forward. It is
estimated that there remains strong resistance to such a change on the
island, especially among influential members of the revolution's
"historic generation."
—–
(*) Rodriguez's blog, "Paquito el de Cuba" is located (in Spanish) at:
http://paquitoeldecuba.wordpress.com/
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=77708
Cuba slaps its own business partner
Posted on Monday, 09.03.12
OIL DRILLING
Cuba slaps its own business partner
BY JOSE AZEL
jazel@miami.edu
Repsol, one of the largest oil exploration firms in the world, agreed in
2000 to invest millions of dollars to financially and technically
underwrite Cuba's search for oil and gas. Repsol invested heavily to
avoid U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba by leasing an Italian deep-water
drilling rig built in China and Singapore with less than 10 percent of
U.S. components that flies the Bahamian flag. It is estimated that
Repsol has since spent $150 million in its Cuba operation.
Four years later, in 2004, when its first well came up dry, Repsol did
not abandon its efforts and continued drilling for 8 more years at an
estimated cost of $150,000 per day. These are the operational and
business risks inherent in oil exploration.
Cuba, with Hugo Chávez fighting terminal cancer and facing a contested
election in October, desperately needs to find alternatives to the
subsidized oil it currently receives from Venezuela. Recently, however,
Cuba illogically acted to increase Repsol's political risk.
In April, Argentina's President Cristina Fernández dramatically
announced that the country was expropriating 51 percent of the interest
in Yacimientos Petrolificos Fiscales (YPF) held by Repsol. Repsol,
headquartered in Spain, was YPF's parent company. No compensation has
been announced for the expropriated assets.
In language reminiscent of the statist policies popular in the last
century, the nationalization rhetoric spoke of recovering control of
Argentina's national patrimony. "Efficiency and the motherland are not
incompatible," noted President Fernández.
Cuba, in ideological solidarity with the expropriation, applauded the
Argentinian decision and accused Repsol of having purchased its
controlling interest in YPF for less than its "fair" value. The paradox
is that Repsol was then a key Cuban partner in offshore oil exploration.
Cuba's joy at the misfortune of its business partner losing its
Argentinian investment must have made Repsol executives cringe with the
thought of "with a business partner like Cuba who needs enemies."
In the calculus of current and prospective investors in partnership with
Cuba's government, what may once have been considered acceptable
business operational risks must now be recalculated to include
prohibitive host-country political risks.
Host-country risk refers to the risk of investing in a country where new
adverse economic policies may be instituted such as expropriation of
assets, nationalization of private companies, currency controls,
inability to expatriate profits, higher taxes or tariffs, and more.
Host-country risk requires a risk premium that must be added to the
normal commercial risks.
For a commercial enterprise, country risk increases the cost of doing
business and consequently requires a much higher return on investment to
compensate for the additional risk. Cuba, with a commercial environment
dominated by bureaucrats with little sympathy for private enterprise,
ranks as one of the countries in the world with the worst investment
climate and the highest level of country risk.
Given Cuba's dire need for foreign investment capital, and the necessity
to compete for such capital with other countries, what were these guys
thinking in publicly praising the Argentinian expropriation? Cuba's
government officials did not have to comment publicly on the
nationalization announcement. They could have simply kept their feelings
private as a modicum of respect for Repsol's partnership with Cuba.
In rushing to side with Argentina's expropriation of Repsol's assets,
Cuba signaled to its business partners and to the world that, for Cuba,
ideology trumps over economic rationality or business agreements, and
that the Cuban government remains committed to the Marxist principle of
eradication of all private property.
This does not bode well for the ability of Castro's Cuba to attract
international business partners, or in particular for its offshore oil
exploration projects. But it is not so much a case of dry wells as it is
a case of having an avowed ideological enemy as a business partner. Who
needs that? Repsol decided to invest in less risky waters.
José Azel is a senior scholar at the Institute for Cuban and
Cuban-American Studies, University of Miami and the author of the book,
Mañana in Cuba.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/03/2979111/cuba-slaps-its-own-business-partner.html
OIL DRILLING
Cuba slaps its own business partner
BY JOSE AZEL
jazel@miami.edu
Repsol, one of the largest oil exploration firms in the world, agreed in
2000 to invest millions of dollars to financially and technically
underwrite Cuba's search for oil and gas. Repsol invested heavily to
avoid U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba by leasing an Italian deep-water
drilling rig built in China and Singapore with less than 10 percent of
U.S. components that flies the Bahamian flag. It is estimated that
Repsol has since spent $150 million in its Cuba operation.
Four years later, in 2004, when its first well came up dry, Repsol did
not abandon its efforts and continued drilling for 8 more years at an
estimated cost of $150,000 per day. These are the operational and
business risks inherent in oil exploration.
Cuba, with Hugo Chávez fighting terminal cancer and facing a contested
election in October, desperately needs to find alternatives to the
subsidized oil it currently receives from Venezuela. Recently, however,
Cuba illogically acted to increase Repsol's political risk.
In April, Argentina's President Cristina Fernández dramatically
announced that the country was expropriating 51 percent of the interest
in Yacimientos Petrolificos Fiscales (YPF) held by Repsol. Repsol,
headquartered in Spain, was YPF's parent company. No compensation has
been announced for the expropriated assets.
In language reminiscent of the statist policies popular in the last
century, the nationalization rhetoric spoke of recovering control of
Argentina's national patrimony. "Efficiency and the motherland are not
incompatible," noted President Fernández.
Cuba, in ideological solidarity with the expropriation, applauded the
Argentinian decision and accused Repsol of having purchased its
controlling interest in YPF for less than its "fair" value. The paradox
is that Repsol was then a key Cuban partner in offshore oil exploration.
Cuba's joy at the misfortune of its business partner losing its
Argentinian investment must have made Repsol executives cringe with the
thought of "with a business partner like Cuba who needs enemies."
In the calculus of current and prospective investors in partnership with
Cuba's government, what may once have been considered acceptable
business operational risks must now be recalculated to include
prohibitive host-country political risks.
Host-country risk refers to the risk of investing in a country where new
adverse economic policies may be instituted such as expropriation of
assets, nationalization of private companies, currency controls,
inability to expatriate profits, higher taxes or tariffs, and more.
Host-country risk requires a risk premium that must be added to the
normal commercial risks.
For a commercial enterprise, country risk increases the cost of doing
business and consequently requires a much higher return on investment to
compensate for the additional risk. Cuba, with a commercial environment
dominated by bureaucrats with little sympathy for private enterprise,
ranks as one of the countries in the world with the worst investment
climate and the highest level of country risk.
Given Cuba's dire need for foreign investment capital, and the necessity
to compete for such capital with other countries, what were these guys
thinking in publicly praising the Argentinian expropriation? Cuba's
government officials did not have to comment publicly on the
nationalization announcement. They could have simply kept their feelings
private as a modicum of respect for Repsol's partnership with Cuba.
In rushing to side with Argentina's expropriation of Repsol's assets,
Cuba signaled to its business partners and to the world that, for Cuba,
ideology trumps over economic rationality or business agreements, and
that the Cuban government remains committed to the Marxist principle of
eradication of all private property.
This does not bode well for the ability of Castro's Cuba to attract
international business partners, or in particular for its offshore oil
exploration projects. But it is not so much a case of dry wells as it is
a case of having an avowed ideological enemy as a business partner. Who
needs that? Repsol decided to invest in less risky waters.
José Azel is a senior scholar at the Institute for Cuban and
Cuban-American Studies, University of Miami and the author of the book,
Mañana in Cuba.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/03/2979111/cuba-slaps-its-own-business-partner.html
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Blogger, Therefore I Am
Blogger, Therefore I Am / Dora Leonor Mesa
Translator: @hachhe
The execution of the sentence of case 174 from 2010 remains without
solution and the procedures to get back my house's backyard are still
under a sabotage
On Wednesday August 22 I went for the umpteenth time to the Diez de
Octubre Court. I was lucky. At least I talked to the President of the
Civil Chamber. I asked her why she didn't take all the incomplete work
from the GECAL Director to the prosecutor's office as she herself
included in the act. She went mad!
- Your function is to resolve it! No?
One of those present began to laugh. She said something funny?
Suddenly the president of the Court arrived. I talked with him a few
minutes. All I get was that he would give me an answer from his
interview with the Chief of the Chief of GECAL in early September. I
asked him for a copy of his formalities in writing. The laughter continued.
It occurred to me to ask if I could submit an appeal for the space the
company GECAL wants to take from us, a name changed while still
belonging to the Government of the province of Havana.
The magistrate recommended going to the Court of Cerro. With the
changes, this is where the appeal on the grounds of unconstitutionality
and other civil proceedings under the Diez de Octubre municipality are
handled.
I went immediately to the Court of Cerro. They informed me that I have
to do all the processing through a lawyer, even if all the documentation
of the file is in the Court of Diez de Octubre (¿?).
I asked God for strength and managed to get myself to the center of town
to talk to my lawyer. I asked if he would continue representing me. In
sum, with prayers and inquiries, the general tour lasted three hours. A
package adorned with the dismal urban transport. Walking is health.
Concluding that the blows of life give strength,I take every trip to
learn some laws:Property damage, an appeal,writ of protection of
fundamental rights. Not bad for an ordinary citizen.
I got home and found the pots empty. The refrigerator desolate. Non gratus!
I'm starting to believe that in Cuba it's more fun to try to enforce the
law than to cook.
I lost my interest in good cooking!
Also I have to write for the blog. At least Plapliplo is a break.
I hesitate for an instant.
-Family, wait a little bit.
Yes I'm a blogger: I post therefore I am
Translated by @hachhe
August 28 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/blogger-therefore-i-am-dora-leonor-mesa/
Translator: @hachhe
The execution of the sentence of case 174 from 2010 remains without
solution and the procedures to get back my house's backyard are still
under a sabotage
On Wednesday August 22 I went for the umpteenth time to the Diez de
Octubre Court. I was lucky. At least I talked to the President of the
Civil Chamber. I asked her why she didn't take all the incomplete work
from the GECAL Director to the prosecutor's office as she herself
included in the act. She went mad!
- Your function is to resolve it! No?
One of those present began to laugh. She said something funny?
Suddenly the president of the Court arrived. I talked with him a few
minutes. All I get was that he would give me an answer from his
interview with the Chief of the Chief of GECAL in early September. I
asked him for a copy of his formalities in writing. The laughter continued.
It occurred to me to ask if I could submit an appeal for the space the
company GECAL wants to take from us, a name changed while still
belonging to the Government of the province of Havana.
The magistrate recommended going to the Court of Cerro. With the
changes, this is where the appeal on the grounds of unconstitutionality
and other civil proceedings under the Diez de Octubre municipality are
handled.
I went immediately to the Court of Cerro. They informed me that I have
to do all the processing through a lawyer, even if all the documentation
of the file is in the Court of Diez de Octubre (¿?).
I asked God for strength and managed to get myself to the center of town
to talk to my lawyer. I asked if he would continue representing me. In
sum, with prayers and inquiries, the general tour lasted three hours. A
package adorned with the dismal urban transport. Walking is health.
Concluding that the blows of life give strength,I take every trip to
learn some laws:Property damage, an appeal,writ of protection of
fundamental rights. Not bad for an ordinary citizen.
I got home and found the pots empty. The refrigerator desolate. Non gratus!
I'm starting to believe that in Cuba it's more fun to try to enforce the
law than to cook.
I lost my interest in good cooking!
Also I have to write for the blog. At least Plapliplo is a break.
I hesitate for an instant.
-Family, wait a little bit.
Yes I'm a blogger: I post therefore I am
Translated by @hachhe
August 28 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/blogger-therefore-i-am-dora-leonor-mesa/
Cuban Agriculture Sector Shows Little Improvement
Cuban Agriculture Sector Shows Little Improvement
Sep 01, 2012 05:28 PM EDT | By Sharon Robinsond.
Despite the efforts of the government to help farmers increase farm
output, the country is producing less than what it did in 2007, reports
Reuters.
The country is becoming increasingly reliant on food imports. Over 70
percent of its food is imported, reports Reuters. Raul Castro, who
became the President after his brother Fidel Castro stepped down, has
been trying to improve the farm sector of Cuba. He has introduced
several policies in the hopes of decreasing imports of food.
The agriculture sector in Cuba employs around a fifth of the Cuban
population, but its inefficiency has led to the increased imports.
According to Reuters, Castro has reduced the influence of state
bureaucracy on farms, poured millions of dollars in increasing
production of major food crops and has allowed farmers to deal directly
with the consumers.
As a result, some agricultural produce have shown increase in
production. Rice production stands at 566,400 tonnes and beans at
133,000, Reuters adds.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Isaac has prompted the harvesting of rice and
coffee in several regions of Cuba. According to Cuba News, Isaac
prompted the quick ripening of coffee berries, forcing coffee growers to
pick them and store them safely, away from the rain. A Cuba Headlines
report added that though the torrential rains fastened the process of
maturation of the coffee berries, the coffee plantations have otherwise
been left unharmed.
Separately, Cuba and Brazil have signed an agreement, which will see
Brazil crediting $200 million to the country for its food programs,
reports Global Times. The agreement is aimed at improving trade ties
between the two countries, the report adds.
Thanks to this agreement, Cuba will be seeing better farming machinery
from Brazil, the report says.
http://www.foodworldnews.com/articles/2070/20120901/cuban-agriculture-sector-improvement-brazil-castro-isaac.htm
Sep 01, 2012 05:28 PM EDT | By Sharon Robinsond.
Despite the efforts of the government to help farmers increase farm
output, the country is producing less than what it did in 2007, reports
Reuters.
The country is becoming increasingly reliant on food imports. Over 70
percent of its food is imported, reports Reuters. Raul Castro, who
became the President after his brother Fidel Castro stepped down, has
been trying to improve the farm sector of Cuba. He has introduced
several policies in the hopes of decreasing imports of food.
The agriculture sector in Cuba employs around a fifth of the Cuban
population, but its inefficiency has led to the increased imports.
According to Reuters, Castro has reduced the influence of state
bureaucracy on farms, poured millions of dollars in increasing
production of major food crops and has allowed farmers to deal directly
with the consumers.
As a result, some agricultural produce have shown increase in
production. Rice production stands at 566,400 tonnes and beans at
133,000, Reuters adds.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Isaac has prompted the harvesting of rice and
coffee in several regions of Cuba. According to Cuba News, Isaac
prompted the quick ripening of coffee berries, forcing coffee growers to
pick them and store them safely, away from the rain. A Cuba Headlines
report added that though the torrential rains fastened the process of
maturation of the coffee berries, the coffee plantations have otherwise
been left unharmed.
Separately, Cuba and Brazil have signed an agreement, which will see
Brazil crediting $200 million to the country for its food programs,
reports Global Times. The agreement is aimed at improving trade ties
between the two countries, the report adds.
Thanks to this agreement, Cuba will be seeing better farming machinery
from Brazil, the report says.
http://www.foodworldnews.com/articles/2070/20120901/cuban-agriculture-sector-improvement-brazil-castro-isaac.htm
Cuban Entrepreneurs Wary of New Import Tax
Cuban Entrepreneurs Wary of New Import Tax
Published September 01, 2012
Fox News Latino
HAVANA – Just as life seemed to be getting a little easier and some
restrictions on business were lifted in Cuba, a sudden jump in import
taxes on Monday threatens to make life tougher for some of the country's
new entrepreneurs and will mean higher prices for many of their
customers by raising the cost of goods ranging from jungle-print blouses
to jewelry.
The new measures steeply hike duties on cargo shipments, as well as on
many bulk goods brought in by airline passengers, a crucial supply line
for many of the small businesses the government has been trying to
encourage as it cuts a bloated workforce in the socialist economy.
Officials insist the taxes are similar to those in other countries, but
many small-business owners view the change as an ominous sign.
While the published official description seems aimed at items such as
clothing, soap, food and other personal-use goods, it is so complex it
leaves importers of other products unsure if they will be affected, now
or in the future.
Some of the entrepreneurs, such as Javier Ernesto Matos, say they have
prepared for the blow by stocking up on parts before the tax takes effect.
He also has prepared for a worst-case scenario if supply dries up
entirely: "It's pretty shocking, but the strategy we have in mind is to
consolidate in a single shop and leave prices the same to recoup what we
can from our investment," said Matos, who together with two business
partners operates three mobile phone repair shops called the Cellphone
Clinic.
This idea of raising taxes is crazy. ... I don't know where this
decision came from, because it hurts everyone.
- Rafael, a 50-something who imports clothes to Havana
Others say they'll have no choice but to raise prices. That, along with
the higher taxes on goods brought in by friends, has worried consumers
in a country where the average monthly wage is about $20.
"For our family these are important items, from a little soap to a
backpack for school," a woman identified as Loraine wrote on the
state-run Cubadebate website. "We all make sacrifices to help them.
Nothing falls from the sky. Why are they turning their backs on reality?
Knowing how many shortages there are in the country, why be so strict?"
While President Raúl Castro has tried to expand the private sector, the
government has done little to provide wholesale outlets where businesses
can buy parts and materials for the goods they sell, so many supplies
are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive due to high government
retail markups.
Arturo López-Levy, a Cuban-born economist at the University of Denver,
said it's not unusual for countries to levy high customs duties, but
Cuba has exceptional circumstances that make it inadvisable right now.
"The right timing was to create the wholesale market first and then try
to crack down on this type of activity," Lopez-Levy said. "If you don't
have a wholesale market, then you are implementing the measures without
the proper sequence, especially if you really want to promote the small-
and medium-size nonstate sector."
"In the long term, this resolution was necessary," he said. "Right now,
it's a mistake."
The new duties seem primarily targeted at so-called "mules," who make
frequent shopping trips to places such as Ecuador, Panama and Miami and
bring back duffel bags bulging with food, underwear, shoes and electronics.
Starting Monday, Cubans who travel abroad more than once a year not only
will pay higher tariffs, they'll pay in hard currency rather than the
more-easily obtainable national peso, which trades at 24 to the U.S.
dollar and is used for most salaries.
Cubans will also begin paying dollar-based sums of $4.55 a pound ($10
per kilogram) above a certain weight to receive packages shipped by air
and sea. That rate doubles if they bring in large shipments.
The impact is already being felt by people like Rafael, a 50-something
who imports clothes to Havana. Before, he paid the equivalent of $65 in
the local currency to import 550 pounds (120 kilograms) of clothing.
Under the new, progressive duty schedule, that would apparently cost
between $1,300 and $1,800.
"This idea of raising taxes is crazy. ... I don't know where this
decision came from, because it hurts everyone," Rafael said. "But it
hurts the people the most, because we have to raise our prices."
Already costly for Cubans — a pair of jeans costs an average month's
wage — Rafael's prices stand to rise an initial $2-3 per garment and
could go up even more, he said.
He declined to be identified by his full name because his business
license only authorizes him to make clothing, but he essentially resells
imported garments.
The new rules will mostly affect clothing stands and boutiques, but
could also hurt the supply of things such as artificial nails to beauty
salons, or fabric, buttons and zippers to dressmakers.
It could also make it harder for some Cubans to visit family abroad.
Trips are often funded by agreeing to bring back large bags on behalf of
someone who pays the airfare.
The Cellphone Clinic's Matos said he began doubling his normal purchases
this summer and has stockpiled enough parts like fragile electronic
ribbons to stay in business for two more years, no matter what.
"If buying pieces becomes more expensive, if people are bringing in
less, you have to reevaluate and prices will have to rise," he said.
"It's a bad thing, because if you raise the price not everyone will come
like before. It's not worth it, you know?"
It's not clear that any state-run operation would offer some of the
Clinic's services, such as unblocking an iPhone 4.
Separate tax rates cover food and electronics, including 400 pesos (or
$17) for a Cuban to import a 32-inch or larger flat-screen TV on a first
trip, and $400 on subsequent travels.
Authorities insist they're just trying to improve service at Cuban
airports, where excess baggage clogs conveyor belts in passenger
terminals. In mid-August, state-run website Cubadebate published Customs
officials' explanation of the tariffs along with several examples.
But it did little to ease concerns, judging by the dozens of exasperated
reader complaints posted in the comments section.
"Why should a Cuban citizen have to pay the taxes in a currency in which
they themselves are not paid?" said a poster identified as Roberto
Suárez. "That's not fair. I don't travel, but I don't see the logic in
that."
Some said the regulations could force entrepreneurs to turn to
black-market goods pilfered from state-run concerns.
Others, however, predicted that Cubans, famous for their knack for
finding a make-do solution to any problem, will figure a way to sidestep
the duties.
"Something will be found to get around this," said Maria, another
clothing vendor who also would not give her last name because her
business activities exceed the scope of her license. "It always happens
in this country. It's like they say: 'He who creates the law, also
creates the cheat.'"
Based on reporting by the Associated Press.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/09/01/cuban-entrepreneurs-wary-new-import-tax/
Published September 01, 2012
Fox News Latino
HAVANA – Just as life seemed to be getting a little easier and some
restrictions on business were lifted in Cuba, a sudden jump in import
taxes on Monday threatens to make life tougher for some of the country's
new entrepreneurs and will mean higher prices for many of their
customers by raising the cost of goods ranging from jungle-print blouses
to jewelry.
The new measures steeply hike duties on cargo shipments, as well as on
many bulk goods brought in by airline passengers, a crucial supply line
for many of the small businesses the government has been trying to
encourage as it cuts a bloated workforce in the socialist economy.
Officials insist the taxes are similar to those in other countries, but
many small-business owners view the change as an ominous sign.
While the published official description seems aimed at items such as
clothing, soap, food and other personal-use goods, it is so complex it
leaves importers of other products unsure if they will be affected, now
or in the future.
Some of the entrepreneurs, such as Javier Ernesto Matos, say they have
prepared for the blow by stocking up on parts before the tax takes effect.
He also has prepared for a worst-case scenario if supply dries up
entirely: "It's pretty shocking, but the strategy we have in mind is to
consolidate in a single shop and leave prices the same to recoup what we
can from our investment," said Matos, who together with two business
partners operates three mobile phone repair shops called the Cellphone
Clinic.
This idea of raising taxes is crazy. ... I don't know where this
decision came from, because it hurts everyone.
- Rafael, a 50-something who imports clothes to Havana
Others say they'll have no choice but to raise prices. That, along with
the higher taxes on goods brought in by friends, has worried consumers
in a country where the average monthly wage is about $20.
"For our family these are important items, from a little soap to a
backpack for school," a woman identified as Loraine wrote on the
state-run Cubadebate website. "We all make sacrifices to help them.
Nothing falls from the sky. Why are they turning their backs on reality?
Knowing how many shortages there are in the country, why be so strict?"
While President Raúl Castro has tried to expand the private sector, the
government has done little to provide wholesale outlets where businesses
can buy parts and materials for the goods they sell, so many supplies
are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive due to high government
retail markups.
Arturo López-Levy, a Cuban-born economist at the University of Denver,
said it's not unusual for countries to levy high customs duties, but
Cuba has exceptional circumstances that make it inadvisable right now.
"The right timing was to create the wholesale market first and then try
to crack down on this type of activity," Lopez-Levy said. "If you don't
have a wholesale market, then you are implementing the measures without
the proper sequence, especially if you really want to promote the small-
and medium-size nonstate sector."
"In the long term, this resolution was necessary," he said. "Right now,
it's a mistake."
The new duties seem primarily targeted at so-called "mules," who make
frequent shopping trips to places such as Ecuador, Panama and Miami and
bring back duffel bags bulging with food, underwear, shoes and electronics.
Starting Monday, Cubans who travel abroad more than once a year not only
will pay higher tariffs, they'll pay in hard currency rather than the
more-easily obtainable national peso, which trades at 24 to the U.S.
dollar and is used for most salaries.
Cubans will also begin paying dollar-based sums of $4.55 a pound ($10
per kilogram) above a certain weight to receive packages shipped by air
and sea. That rate doubles if they bring in large shipments.
The impact is already being felt by people like Rafael, a 50-something
who imports clothes to Havana. Before, he paid the equivalent of $65 in
the local currency to import 550 pounds (120 kilograms) of clothing.
Under the new, progressive duty schedule, that would apparently cost
between $1,300 and $1,800.
"This idea of raising taxes is crazy. ... I don't know where this
decision came from, because it hurts everyone," Rafael said. "But it
hurts the people the most, because we have to raise our prices."
Already costly for Cubans — a pair of jeans costs an average month's
wage — Rafael's prices stand to rise an initial $2-3 per garment and
could go up even more, he said.
He declined to be identified by his full name because his business
license only authorizes him to make clothing, but he essentially resells
imported garments.
The new rules will mostly affect clothing stands and boutiques, but
could also hurt the supply of things such as artificial nails to beauty
salons, or fabric, buttons and zippers to dressmakers.
It could also make it harder for some Cubans to visit family abroad.
Trips are often funded by agreeing to bring back large bags on behalf of
someone who pays the airfare.
The Cellphone Clinic's Matos said he began doubling his normal purchases
this summer and has stockpiled enough parts like fragile electronic
ribbons to stay in business for two more years, no matter what.
"If buying pieces becomes more expensive, if people are bringing in
less, you have to reevaluate and prices will have to rise," he said.
"It's a bad thing, because if you raise the price not everyone will come
like before. It's not worth it, you know?"
It's not clear that any state-run operation would offer some of the
Clinic's services, such as unblocking an iPhone 4.
Separate tax rates cover food and electronics, including 400 pesos (or
$17) for a Cuban to import a 32-inch or larger flat-screen TV on a first
trip, and $400 on subsequent travels.
Authorities insist they're just trying to improve service at Cuban
airports, where excess baggage clogs conveyor belts in passenger
terminals. In mid-August, state-run website Cubadebate published Customs
officials' explanation of the tariffs along with several examples.
But it did little to ease concerns, judging by the dozens of exasperated
reader complaints posted in the comments section.
"Why should a Cuban citizen have to pay the taxes in a currency in which
they themselves are not paid?" said a poster identified as Roberto
Suárez. "That's not fair. I don't travel, but I don't see the logic in
that."
Some said the regulations could force entrepreneurs to turn to
black-market goods pilfered from state-run concerns.
Others, however, predicted that Cubans, famous for their knack for
finding a make-do solution to any problem, will figure a way to sidestep
the duties.
"Something will be found to get around this," said Maria, another
clothing vendor who also would not give her last name because her
business activities exceed the scope of her license. "It always happens
in this country. It's like they say: 'He who creates the law, also
creates the cheat.'"
Based on reporting by the Associated Press.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/09/01/cuban-entrepreneurs-wary-new-import-tax/
Import tax deadline has Cuba entrepreneurs on edge
Posted on Saturday, 09.01.12
Import tax deadline has Cuba entrepreneurs on edge
By PETER ORSI
Associated Press
HAVANA -- A sudden jump in import taxes on Monday threatens to make life
tougher for some of Cuba's new entrepreneurs and will mean higher prices
for many of their customers by raising the cost of goods ranging from
jungle-print blouses to jewelry.
The new measures steeply hike duties on cargo shipments, as well as on
many bulk goods brought in by airline passengers, a crucial supply line
for many of the small businesses the government has been trying to
encourage as it cuts a bloated workforce in the socialist economy.
Officials insist the taxes are similar to those in other countries, but
many small-business owners view the change as an ominous sign.
While the published official description seems aimed at items such as
clothing, soap, food and other personal-use goods, it is so complex it
leaves importers of other products unsure if they will be affected, now
or in the future.
Some of the entrepreneurs, such as Javier Ernesto Matos, say they have
prepared for the blow by stocking up on parts before the tax takes effect.
He also has prepared for a worst-case scenario if supply dries up
entirely: "It's pretty shocking, but the strategy we have in mind is to
consolidate in a single shop and leave prices the same to recoup what we
can from our investment," said Matos, who together with two business
partners operates three mobile phone repair shops called the Cellphone
Clinic.
Others say they'll have no choice but to raise prices. That, along with
the higher taxes on goods brought in by friends, has worried consumers
in a country where the average monthly wage is about $20.
"For our family these are important items, from a little soap to a
backpack for school," a woman identified as Loraine wrote on the
state-run Cubadebate website. "We all make sacrifices to help them.
Nothing falls from the sky. Why are they turning their backs on reality?
Knowing how many shortages there are in the country, why be so strict?"
While President Raul Castro has tried to expand the private sector, the
government has done little to provide wholesale outlets where businesses
can buy parts and materials for the goods they sell, so many supplies
are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive due to high government
retail markups.
Arturo Lopez-Levy, a Cuban-born economist at the University of Denver,
said it's not unusual for countries to levy high customs duties, but
Cuba has exceptional circumstances that make it inadvisable right now.
"The right timing was to create the wholesale market first and then try
to crack down on this type of activity," Lopez-Levy said. "If you don't
have a wholesale market, then you are implementing the measures without
the proper sequence, especially if you really want to promote the small-
and medium-size nonstate sector."
"In the long term, this resolution was necessary," he said. "Right now,
it's a mistake."
The new duties seem primarily targeted at so-called "mules," who make
frequent shopping trips to places such as Ecuador, Panama and Miami and
bring back duffel bags bulging with food, underwear, shoes and electronics.
Starting Monday, Cubans who travel abroad more than once a year not only
will pay higher tariffs, they'll pay in hard currency rather than the
more-easily obtainable national peso, which trades at 24 to the U.S.
dollar and is used for most salaries.
Cubans will also begin paying dollar-based sums of $4.55 a pound ($10
per kilogram) above a certain weight to receive packages shipped by air
and sea. That rate doubles if they bring in large shipments.
The impact is already being felt by people like Rafael, a 50-something
who imports clothes to Havana. Before, he paid the equivalent of $65 in
the local currency to import 550 pounds (120 kilograms) of clothing.
Under the new, progressive duty schedule, that would apparently cost
between $1,300 and $1,800.
"This idea of raising taxes is crazy. ... I don't know where this
decision came from, because it hurts everyone," Rafael said. "But it
hurts the people the most, because we have to raise our prices."
Already costly for Cubans - a pair of jeans costs an average month's
wage - Rafael's prices stand to rise an initial $2-3 per garment and
could go up even more, he said.
He declined to be identified by his full name because his business
license only authorizes him to make clothing, but he essentially resells
imported garments.
The new rules will mostly affect clothing stands and boutiques, but
could also hurt the supply of things such as artificial nails to beauty
salons, or fabric, buttons and zippers to dressmakers.
It could also make it harder for some Cubans to visit family abroad.
Trips are often funded by agreeing to bring back large bags on behalf of
someone who pays the airfare.
The Cellphone Clinic's Matos said he began doubling his normal purchases
this summer and has stockpiled enough parts like fragile electronic
ribbons to stay in business for two more years, no matter what.
"If buying pieces becomes more expensive, if people are bringing in
less, you have to reevaluate and prices will have to rise," he said.
"It's a bad thing, because if you raise the price not everyone will come
like before. It's not worth it, you know?"
It's not clear that any state-run operation would offer some of the
Clinic's services, such as unblocking an iPhone 4.
Separate tax rates cover food and electronics, including 400 pesos (or
$17) for a Cuban to import a 32-inch or larger flat-screen TV on a first
trip, and $400 on subsequent travels.
Authorities insist they're just trying to improve service at Cuban
airports, where excess baggage clogs conveyor belts in passenger
terminals. In mid-August, state-run website Cubadebate published Customs
officials' explanation of the tariffs along with several examples.
But it did little to ease concerns, judging by the dozens of exasperated
reader complaints posted in the comments section.
"Why should a Cuban citizen have to pay the taxes in a currency in which
they themselves are not paid?" said a poster identified as Roberto
Suarez. "That's not fair. I don't travel, but I don't see the logic in
that."
Some said the regulations could force entrepreneurs to turn to
black-market goods pilfered from state-run concerns.
Others, however, predicted that Cubans, famous for their knack for
finding a make-do solution to any problem, will figure a way to sidestep
the duties.
"Something will be found to get around this," said Maria, another
clothing vendor who also would not give her last name because her
business activities exceed the scope of her license. "It always happens
in this country. It's like they say: 'He who creates the law, also
creates the cheat.'"
---
Associated Press writer Anne-Marie Garcia in Havana contributed to this
report.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/01/v-fullstory/2979960/import-tax-deadline-has-cuba-entrepreneurs.html
Import tax deadline has Cuba entrepreneurs on edge
By PETER ORSI
Associated Press
HAVANA -- A sudden jump in import taxes on Monday threatens to make life
tougher for some of Cuba's new entrepreneurs and will mean higher prices
for many of their customers by raising the cost of goods ranging from
jungle-print blouses to jewelry.
The new measures steeply hike duties on cargo shipments, as well as on
many bulk goods brought in by airline passengers, a crucial supply line
for many of the small businesses the government has been trying to
encourage as it cuts a bloated workforce in the socialist economy.
Officials insist the taxes are similar to those in other countries, but
many small-business owners view the change as an ominous sign.
While the published official description seems aimed at items such as
clothing, soap, food and other personal-use goods, it is so complex it
leaves importers of other products unsure if they will be affected, now
or in the future.
Some of the entrepreneurs, such as Javier Ernesto Matos, say they have
prepared for the blow by stocking up on parts before the tax takes effect.
He also has prepared for a worst-case scenario if supply dries up
entirely: "It's pretty shocking, but the strategy we have in mind is to
consolidate in a single shop and leave prices the same to recoup what we
can from our investment," said Matos, who together with two business
partners operates three mobile phone repair shops called the Cellphone
Clinic.
Others say they'll have no choice but to raise prices. That, along with
the higher taxes on goods brought in by friends, has worried consumers
in a country where the average monthly wage is about $20.
"For our family these are important items, from a little soap to a
backpack for school," a woman identified as Loraine wrote on the
state-run Cubadebate website. "We all make sacrifices to help them.
Nothing falls from the sky. Why are they turning their backs on reality?
Knowing how many shortages there are in the country, why be so strict?"
While President Raul Castro has tried to expand the private sector, the
government has done little to provide wholesale outlets where businesses
can buy parts and materials for the goods they sell, so many supplies
are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive due to high government
retail markups.
Arturo Lopez-Levy, a Cuban-born economist at the University of Denver,
said it's not unusual for countries to levy high customs duties, but
Cuba has exceptional circumstances that make it inadvisable right now.
"The right timing was to create the wholesale market first and then try
to crack down on this type of activity," Lopez-Levy said. "If you don't
have a wholesale market, then you are implementing the measures without
the proper sequence, especially if you really want to promote the small-
and medium-size nonstate sector."
"In the long term, this resolution was necessary," he said. "Right now,
it's a mistake."
The new duties seem primarily targeted at so-called "mules," who make
frequent shopping trips to places such as Ecuador, Panama and Miami and
bring back duffel bags bulging with food, underwear, shoes and electronics.
Starting Monday, Cubans who travel abroad more than once a year not only
will pay higher tariffs, they'll pay in hard currency rather than the
more-easily obtainable national peso, which trades at 24 to the U.S.
dollar and is used for most salaries.
Cubans will also begin paying dollar-based sums of $4.55 a pound ($10
per kilogram) above a certain weight to receive packages shipped by air
and sea. That rate doubles if they bring in large shipments.
The impact is already being felt by people like Rafael, a 50-something
who imports clothes to Havana. Before, he paid the equivalent of $65 in
the local currency to import 550 pounds (120 kilograms) of clothing.
Under the new, progressive duty schedule, that would apparently cost
between $1,300 and $1,800.
"This idea of raising taxes is crazy. ... I don't know where this
decision came from, because it hurts everyone," Rafael said. "But it
hurts the people the most, because we have to raise our prices."
Already costly for Cubans - a pair of jeans costs an average month's
wage - Rafael's prices stand to rise an initial $2-3 per garment and
could go up even more, he said.
He declined to be identified by his full name because his business
license only authorizes him to make clothing, but he essentially resells
imported garments.
The new rules will mostly affect clothing stands and boutiques, but
could also hurt the supply of things such as artificial nails to beauty
salons, or fabric, buttons and zippers to dressmakers.
It could also make it harder for some Cubans to visit family abroad.
Trips are often funded by agreeing to bring back large bags on behalf of
someone who pays the airfare.
The Cellphone Clinic's Matos said he began doubling his normal purchases
this summer and has stockpiled enough parts like fragile electronic
ribbons to stay in business for two more years, no matter what.
"If buying pieces becomes more expensive, if people are bringing in
less, you have to reevaluate and prices will have to rise," he said.
"It's a bad thing, because if you raise the price not everyone will come
like before. It's not worth it, you know?"
It's not clear that any state-run operation would offer some of the
Clinic's services, such as unblocking an iPhone 4.
Separate tax rates cover food and electronics, including 400 pesos (or
$17) for a Cuban to import a 32-inch or larger flat-screen TV on a first
trip, and $400 on subsequent travels.
Authorities insist they're just trying to improve service at Cuban
airports, where excess baggage clogs conveyor belts in passenger
terminals. In mid-August, state-run website Cubadebate published Customs
officials' explanation of the tariffs along with several examples.
But it did little to ease concerns, judging by the dozens of exasperated
reader complaints posted in the comments section.
"Why should a Cuban citizen have to pay the taxes in a currency in which
they themselves are not paid?" said a poster identified as Roberto
Suarez. "That's not fair. I don't travel, but I don't see the logic in
that."
Some said the regulations could force entrepreneurs to turn to
black-market goods pilfered from state-run concerns.
Others, however, predicted that Cubans, famous for their knack for
finding a make-do solution to any problem, will figure a way to sidestep
the duties.
"Something will be found to get around this," said Maria, another
clothing vendor who also would not give her last name because her
business activities exceed the scope of her license. "It always happens
in this country. It's like they say: 'He who creates the law, also
creates the cheat.'"
---
Associated Press writer Anne-Marie Garcia in Havana contributed to this
report.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/01/v-fullstory/2979960/import-tax-deadline-has-cuba-entrepreneurs.html
Long Live the Points!
Long Live the Points!
September 1, 2012
Daisy Valera
HAVANA TIMES — Yesterday I was almost happy, although it may seem that
pleasing me isn't something so easy. The titles of my posts are usually
more like: "My job is going to kill me" or "My pay isn't enough."
I confess that I've given up. I've stopped looking for the cat with the
fifth paw. Writing a happy post is too hard!
If you try to not seem so tiresome and you omit (only for a few minutes)
those gratuities of (which can be read as "free") Cuban health care and
education as reasons for happiness, then what's left for us?
I have no desire to look like I'm exaggerating or saying nothing at all.
I'd rather talk about how I experienced a miracle yesterday.
The Cuban peso and the Cuban convertible peso (CUC) simply disappeared.
I said goodbye to that horrifying issue of dual currency. For a few
hours I didn't have to think about money. I focused on "points" –
specifically, on 23 points.
All the workers from my job piled onto a bus and got off at Tarará, a
small seafront community on the eastside of Havana.
We stopped right in front of a store with an impromptu pink paint job
(evidently the pink paint was given to the store because the government
imported too much) there was a sign that read: "Tienda de estímulo de
presencia Tarará" (Tarara Inducement Store).
Such a name for a place, which might have seemed enigmatic to others,
didn't take us by surprise; we're used to this kind of union/government
gibberish.
The translation into a more colloquial language would read "a store with
some clothes, shoes and toiletries."
We were going there as a work incentive, with each of us assigned points
to allow us to make purchases of items that were almost impossible to
acquire through our wages.
This is, of course, in the interest of our company as well though. In
order to work, and work well (meaning to be efficient and productive),
we need to buy clothes for the job – right?
Crowded around there under the sun, restless and worried — but happy —
we all formed a line at the door where we stood for what seemed several
hours.
Once inside the store, we rushed around (we had only 15 minutes) trying
on clothes in the corners, due to the lack of dressing rooms, making
calculations, calculations, calculations… though we were more than happy.
However my 23 points reminded me that my salary isn't nearly enough to
get by, which made me bitter.
I finally decided to get two blouses (9.15 and 8.50 points respectively)
and with the remaining points I got a couple bras (2.60 pts.), a bottle
of shampoo (1.85), two bars of soap (0.90) and four razors (0.60 pts.).
A pair of shoes alone would have cost me more than 25 points, and most
of the fragrances would have gone for over 10 each – nevertheless I
ended my buying satisfied and content.
The reason for my joy was simple: I bought products that could otherwise
only be purchased in stores where they accept CUCs. Plus, doing the
math, I added up the following:
The blouses would have cost 15.50 CUCs and 11.95 CUCs, the bras would
have been at least 4, the shampoo was 1.95, each bar of soap was 0.55,
and each of the four razors would have put me back 0.45 CUC.
If I had purchased all this at the established price, it would have come
to approximately 36.30 CUCs, somewhere around $40 USD.
But since my monthly salary is only 335 pesos (13 CUC, or about $14.50
USD), these purchases would have taken nearly three months of work for
them alone.
I was so ecstatic that I almost started jumping up and down screaming
"Long live the points! Long live the points!
What if my salary was in points? What if stores sold in points?
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=77659
September 1, 2012
Daisy Valera
HAVANA TIMES — Yesterday I was almost happy, although it may seem that
pleasing me isn't something so easy. The titles of my posts are usually
more like: "My job is going to kill me" or "My pay isn't enough."
I confess that I've given up. I've stopped looking for the cat with the
fifth paw. Writing a happy post is too hard!
If you try to not seem so tiresome and you omit (only for a few minutes)
those gratuities of (which can be read as "free") Cuban health care and
education as reasons for happiness, then what's left for us?
I have no desire to look like I'm exaggerating or saying nothing at all.
I'd rather talk about how I experienced a miracle yesterday.
The Cuban peso and the Cuban convertible peso (CUC) simply disappeared.
I said goodbye to that horrifying issue of dual currency. For a few
hours I didn't have to think about money. I focused on "points" –
specifically, on 23 points.
All the workers from my job piled onto a bus and got off at Tarará, a
small seafront community on the eastside of Havana.
We stopped right in front of a store with an impromptu pink paint job
(evidently the pink paint was given to the store because the government
imported too much) there was a sign that read: "Tienda de estímulo de
presencia Tarará" (Tarara Inducement Store).
Such a name for a place, which might have seemed enigmatic to others,
didn't take us by surprise; we're used to this kind of union/government
gibberish.
The translation into a more colloquial language would read "a store with
some clothes, shoes and toiletries."
We were going there as a work incentive, with each of us assigned points
to allow us to make purchases of items that were almost impossible to
acquire through our wages.
This is, of course, in the interest of our company as well though. In
order to work, and work well (meaning to be efficient and productive),
we need to buy clothes for the job – right?
Crowded around there under the sun, restless and worried — but happy —
we all formed a line at the door where we stood for what seemed several
hours.
Once inside the store, we rushed around (we had only 15 minutes) trying
on clothes in the corners, due to the lack of dressing rooms, making
calculations, calculations, calculations… though we were more than happy.
However my 23 points reminded me that my salary isn't nearly enough to
get by, which made me bitter.
I finally decided to get two blouses (9.15 and 8.50 points respectively)
and with the remaining points I got a couple bras (2.60 pts.), a bottle
of shampoo (1.85), two bars of soap (0.90) and four razors (0.60 pts.).
A pair of shoes alone would have cost me more than 25 points, and most
of the fragrances would have gone for over 10 each – nevertheless I
ended my buying satisfied and content.
The reason for my joy was simple: I bought products that could otherwise
only be purchased in stores where they accept CUCs. Plus, doing the
math, I added up the following:
The blouses would have cost 15.50 CUCs and 11.95 CUCs, the bras would
have been at least 4, the shampoo was 1.95, each bar of soap was 0.55,
and each of the four razors would have put me back 0.45 CUC.
If I had purchased all this at the established price, it would have come
to approximately 36.30 CUCs, somewhere around $40 USD.
But since my monthly salary is only 335 pesos (13 CUC, or about $14.50
USD), these purchases would have taken nearly three months of work for
them alone.
I was so ecstatic that I almost started jumping up and down screaming
"Long live the points! Long live the points!
What if my salary was in points? What if stores sold in points?
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=77659
End Cuba’s Divorce of Politics & Science
End Cuba's Divorce of Politics & Science
September 1, 2012
Pedro Campos
HAVANA TIMES — The subject of this article is inspired by Esteban
Morales's piece, "The Challenge Posed by the Intelligentsia," which led
to some considerations that I wish to share with my readers.
Official television and press sources covered some of the discussions
between the delegates to the Sixth Congress of the Cuban Communist Party
(PCC), as well as recent meetings of the Central Committee, the councils
of State and Ministers, and the last session of the National Assembly –
gatherings in which the authorities have been defining and implementing
the policies of the "economic updating of the model."
What was clearly revealed in these was the "weakness of the relationship
between politics and science," as pointed out in the article by the
prestigious Cuban academic.
The problem is that the political authorities who are leading and making
decisions (done so in the name of the Party and the Cuban people) are
showing through their speeches their tremendous lack of thought and
scientific analysis concerning current general issues of politics and
economics.
Many of their decisions are adopted not scientifically but
pragmatically, and not according to the demands of the circumstances but
according to the wishes and interests of those who dominate in this area.
Here are some concrete examples:
1 – Most social scientific analysis — be it Marxist or non-Marxist,
Cuban or foreign — agrees that the economic model of socialism attempted
in the twentieth century (based on state ownership, wage labor and
centralization of all important decisions) does not work and that it
failed because it was unable to overcome certain contradictions.
Such incongruities existed between the producers and the means of
production, between production and consumption, between the general
interests of society and the particular ones of individuals, between
their economics and their politics, and between socialized production
and the concentration of control.
Nonetheless, despite the eloquent failure of the Cuban economy or the
warnings by many Cuban social scientists, regardless of the evidence
presented by the party's own press or the popular majority's
unwillingness to continue with the same economic model, and
notwithstanding even the very same criticisms leveled by the leadership
of the Cuban party-government (which at times has called the model into
question), they are not proposing to supplant this model but to "update"
and "rectify" it with a series of cosmetic and stylistic changes. At no
time have they focused on the system's hyper-centralized, monopolistic
and undemocratic essence.
2 – They might mention many of their decisions, but perhaps the
political decision most divorced from a scientific analysis, the most
obvious one, was the executive order and the discussions held at the
highest levels concerning the anti-constitutional "hiring of workers by
other self-employed workers." As has been repeatedly explained, this not
only violates the workers self-managerial spirit and essence of
self-employment, but through this they are also trying to cover up and
mask the development of private capitalism behind the cloak of
"self-employment."
The arguments put forward in approving this injustice lacked any
scientific validity and only demonstrate how correct Esteban Morales was
in his affirmation.
Not only have they shown that something is missing in their scientific
analysis, something that should have taken into account that decision's
possible impact on the immediate future of Cuba, but they have committed
the most flagrant violation of the law and the spirit of the present
constitution.
This can only be explained by the most basic lack of respect for
political science, contempt for the relationship between revolutionary
thought and practical action as they exercise the most vulgar forms of
pragmatism and display a total lack of consistency between means and ends.
The only person who dared to question what was being engendered at the
Sixth Party Congress was a worker, while the others who participated in
the discussion and supported the decision around wage-labor contracting
were bureaucrats dedicated to the party and to government work. Yet none
of those who participated, of those who are known publicly, are versed
in the social sciences. That worker, adopting a clear political and
scientific approach was crushed by the overwhelmingly bureaucratic majority.
Well before the holding of the Sixth Congress, some of us publicly and
privately proposed inviting to the congress (and to the subsequent
conference) certain scientific personalities and socio-political figures
who were not delegates but who could contribute in the analyzes. We know
only of one case of this occurring, where Mariela Castro provided input
on the issue around which she works. None of the known social scientists
who are critical of the statist system were invited.
You are absolutely correct Dr. Morales: There is a divorce between the
politics of the government-party and political science. He doesn't
phrase it like that, but this is what can be perceived. The politics of
revolutionaries is not the "art of the possible" (as Kissinger
pragmatically once said, and as is now repeated by the neophytes of that
philosophy); rather, we see practice as the criterion of truth – beyond
theory.
Today we see how the policies of the government-party are adopted with
their eyes closed to socio-political reality. They appear to be blind to
the widespread discontent generated by their many executive orders and
laws, whose outcomes are inconsistent.
This is due to a lack of coherence in their analysis and application; it
is due to their primary interest being the survival of the state and its
bureaucracy. The fact that what they are doing is at the expense of the
people and their needs doesn't seem to matter. But who are they
governing for?
That explains the new customs regulations, the continuation of absurd
and exploitative immigration regulations, the maintaining of a state
monopoly over the domestic market, everything that has been happening
with the Venezuelan cable and the Internet, as well as other
anti-popular, wasteful and counterproductive measures that are too
numerous to mention.
If politics is to be scientific, it must first be democratic; therefore
only the broadest participation of all stakeholders in discussions and
decisions can respond to scientific reality, which does no other than
correspond to the specific interests of the historical moment.
As Marti said:
"We do not want to deliver ourselves from one tyranny to enter into
another one. We do not want to leave one hypocrisy to run into another
one. We love freedom, because in it we see the truth. We will die for
true freedom, not for the freedom that serves as a pretext for allowing
some people to continuing enjoying in excess while others suffer
unnecessary pain. We will die for the Republic if necessary, as we would
die for independence first."
"At the root, [we must] seek to save Cuba from the dangers of personal
authority and disagreements that — due to a lack of popular involvement
and democratic habits in their organization — resulted in the first
American republics falling."
In these and many other cases, our national hero was very clear: The
essence of scientific politics is based on linking them to the concrete
democratic interests of the majority. When this is violated, there is a
divorce between politics and science, whose most elementary consequence
is failure.
Let's end the divorce between politics and science.
—–
To contact Pedro Campos, write: perucho1949@yahoo.es
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=77673
September 1, 2012
Pedro Campos
HAVANA TIMES — The subject of this article is inspired by Esteban
Morales's piece, "The Challenge Posed by the Intelligentsia," which led
to some considerations that I wish to share with my readers.
Official television and press sources covered some of the discussions
between the delegates to the Sixth Congress of the Cuban Communist Party
(PCC), as well as recent meetings of the Central Committee, the councils
of State and Ministers, and the last session of the National Assembly –
gatherings in which the authorities have been defining and implementing
the policies of the "economic updating of the model."
What was clearly revealed in these was the "weakness of the relationship
between politics and science," as pointed out in the article by the
prestigious Cuban academic.
The problem is that the political authorities who are leading and making
decisions (done so in the name of the Party and the Cuban people) are
showing through their speeches their tremendous lack of thought and
scientific analysis concerning current general issues of politics and
economics.
Many of their decisions are adopted not scientifically but
pragmatically, and not according to the demands of the circumstances but
according to the wishes and interests of those who dominate in this area.
Here are some concrete examples:
1 – Most social scientific analysis — be it Marxist or non-Marxist,
Cuban or foreign — agrees that the economic model of socialism attempted
in the twentieth century (based on state ownership, wage labor and
centralization of all important decisions) does not work and that it
failed because it was unable to overcome certain contradictions.
Such incongruities existed between the producers and the means of
production, between production and consumption, between the general
interests of society and the particular ones of individuals, between
their economics and their politics, and between socialized production
and the concentration of control.
Nonetheless, despite the eloquent failure of the Cuban economy or the
warnings by many Cuban social scientists, regardless of the evidence
presented by the party's own press or the popular majority's
unwillingness to continue with the same economic model, and
notwithstanding even the very same criticisms leveled by the leadership
of the Cuban party-government (which at times has called the model into
question), they are not proposing to supplant this model but to "update"
and "rectify" it with a series of cosmetic and stylistic changes. At no
time have they focused on the system's hyper-centralized, monopolistic
and undemocratic essence.
2 – They might mention many of their decisions, but perhaps the
political decision most divorced from a scientific analysis, the most
obvious one, was the executive order and the discussions held at the
highest levels concerning the anti-constitutional "hiring of workers by
other self-employed workers." As has been repeatedly explained, this not
only violates the workers self-managerial spirit and essence of
self-employment, but through this they are also trying to cover up and
mask the development of private capitalism behind the cloak of
"self-employment."
The arguments put forward in approving this injustice lacked any
scientific validity and only demonstrate how correct Esteban Morales was
in his affirmation.
Not only have they shown that something is missing in their scientific
analysis, something that should have taken into account that decision's
possible impact on the immediate future of Cuba, but they have committed
the most flagrant violation of the law and the spirit of the present
constitution.
This can only be explained by the most basic lack of respect for
political science, contempt for the relationship between revolutionary
thought and practical action as they exercise the most vulgar forms of
pragmatism and display a total lack of consistency between means and ends.
The only person who dared to question what was being engendered at the
Sixth Party Congress was a worker, while the others who participated in
the discussion and supported the decision around wage-labor contracting
were bureaucrats dedicated to the party and to government work. Yet none
of those who participated, of those who are known publicly, are versed
in the social sciences. That worker, adopting a clear political and
scientific approach was crushed by the overwhelmingly bureaucratic majority.
Well before the holding of the Sixth Congress, some of us publicly and
privately proposed inviting to the congress (and to the subsequent
conference) certain scientific personalities and socio-political figures
who were not delegates but who could contribute in the analyzes. We know
only of one case of this occurring, where Mariela Castro provided input
on the issue around which she works. None of the known social scientists
who are critical of the statist system were invited.
You are absolutely correct Dr. Morales: There is a divorce between the
politics of the government-party and political science. He doesn't
phrase it like that, but this is what can be perceived. The politics of
revolutionaries is not the "art of the possible" (as Kissinger
pragmatically once said, and as is now repeated by the neophytes of that
philosophy); rather, we see practice as the criterion of truth – beyond
theory.
Today we see how the policies of the government-party are adopted with
their eyes closed to socio-political reality. They appear to be blind to
the widespread discontent generated by their many executive orders and
laws, whose outcomes are inconsistent.
This is due to a lack of coherence in their analysis and application; it
is due to their primary interest being the survival of the state and its
bureaucracy. The fact that what they are doing is at the expense of the
people and their needs doesn't seem to matter. But who are they
governing for?
That explains the new customs regulations, the continuation of absurd
and exploitative immigration regulations, the maintaining of a state
monopoly over the domestic market, everything that has been happening
with the Venezuelan cable and the Internet, as well as other
anti-popular, wasteful and counterproductive measures that are too
numerous to mention.
If politics is to be scientific, it must first be democratic; therefore
only the broadest participation of all stakeholders in discussions and
decisions can respond to scientific reality, which does no other than
correspond to the specific interests of the historical moment.
As Marti said:
"We do not want to deliver ourselves from one tyranny to enter into
another one. We do not want to leave one hypocrisy to run into another
one. We love freedom, because in it we see the truth. We will die for
true freedom, not for the freedom that serves as a pretext for allowing
some people to continuing enjoying in excess while others suffer
unnecessary pain. We will die for the Republic if necessary, as we would
die for independence first."
"At the root, [we must] seek to save Cuba from the dangers of personal
authority and disagreements that — due to a lack of popular involvement
and democratic habits in their organization — resulted in the first
American republics falling."
In these and many other cases, our national hero was very clear: The
essence of scientific politics is based on linking them to the concrete
democratic interests of the majority. When this is violated, there is a
divorce between politics and science, whose most elementary consequence
is failure.
Let's end the divorce between politics and science.
—–
To contact Pedro Campos, write: perucho1949@yahoo.es
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=77673
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Secrecy Shrouds Upcoming Trial in the Case of Oswaldo Paya’s Death
Secrecy Shrouds Upcoming Trial in the Case of Oswaldo Paya's Death /
Yoani Sanchez
Translator: Unstated, Yoani Sanchez
The "100 y Aldabo" police station in Havana where Andres Carromero is
being held / ALEJANDRO ERNESTO (EFE)
We know that the trial of Angel Carromero — the Spaniard who was driving
the car in when Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero were killed — will be
held in Bayamo, 450 miles east of Havana. But we still don't know when
it will begin. Although Friday, August 31, was mentioned, the fact is
that there has been no official notification. Diplomatic sources expect
that the trial "will be held soon, but for now, there's no date."
The leader of the youth wing of the Spanish People's Party (PP) is
charged with reckless homicide and the prosecutor has asked for a prison
sentence of seven years. According the official Cuban media version,
Carromero was responsible for the accident that killed the two Cuban
dissidents on July 22. The island press release stressed that Carromero
was supposedly speeding on a road under repair and that this was the
principle cause of his losing control of the car and hitting a tree.
Thus, he will be judged based on Article 177 of the current Penal Code,
where it establishes that "the driver of a vehicle who, while breaking
the laws and regulations governing transportation causes the death of a
person, incurs the penalty of privation of liberty of from one to ten
years."
Nevertheless, the family of the leader of the Christian Liberation
Movement does not accept the official explanation of the facts and has
asked for an independent investigation.
Since the prosecution's sentencing request was announced a few weeks
ago, Carromero's case has entered a stage of maximum discretion on the
parts of both the Cubans and the Spanish, who have maintained silence
with regards to the press. Various diplomatic sources consulted
preferred to continue that reserve and remain "silent until the trial."
The Spanish government is hoping that once the trial is concluded,
Havana will expel the young politican or follow the treaty between the
two governments regarding the serving of sentences. In that case,
Carromero could serve his time in Spanish territory. However, we are far
from knowing the final outcome.
It is likely that the ruling will not be disseminated immediately after
the trial, but be delayed until after sentencing, which would mean
waiting several days before knowing the outcome. Already, he has been in
custody 40 days since the incident occurred.
Amid such secrecy, it is very difficult to confirm when the trial at the
Granma Provincial Court will begin. I traveled there this Thursday and
can confirm that, as August 31 dawned over Bayamo, the city appeared
quiet. The early hours of the day began, in the heat of August, with the
preparations for the start of the school year.
Numerous news agencies have traveled to Bayamo, intending to attend the
trial, but it's likely it will be held behind closed doors. Several
passersby interviewed were unaware the trial was going to be held at the
court there. However, they seemed to be aware of the events of July 22
which took the lives of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize winner,
Oswaldo Paya, and his colleague in the struggle Harold Cepero.
Given the political background of the Carromero case, there is a visible
anticipation in the international community and among island's dissident
activists as to what may happen in this case — quite complex and
surrounded by questions.
31 August 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/secrecy-shrouds-upcoming-trial-in-the-case-of-oswaldo-payas-death-yoani-sanchez/
Yoani Sanchez
Translator: Unstated, Yoani Sanchez
The "100 y Aldabo" police station in Havana where Andres Carromero is
being held / ALEJANDRO ERNESTO (EFE)
We know that the trial of Angel Carromero — the Spaniard who was driving
the car in when Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero were killed — will be
held in Bayamo, 450 miles east of Havana. But we still don't know when
it will begin. Although Friday, August 31, was mentioned, the fact is
that there has been no official notification. Diplomatic sources expect
that the trial "will be held soon, but for now, there's no date."
The leader of the youth wing of the Spanish People's Party (PP) is
charged with reckless homicide and the prosecutor has asked for a prison
sentence of seven years. According the official Cuban media version,
Carromero was responsible for the accident that killed the two Cuban
dissidents on July 22. The island press release stressed that Carromero
was supposedly speeding on a road under repair and that this was the
principle cause of his losing control of the car and hitting a tree.
Thus, he will be judged based on Article 177 of the current Penal Code,
where it establishes that "the driver of a vehicle who, while breaking
the laws and regulations governing transportation causes the death of a
person, incurs the penalty of privation of liberty of from one to ten
years."
Nevertheless, the family of the leader of the Christian Liberation
Movement does not accept the official explanation of the facts and has
asked for an independent investigation.
Since the prosecution's sentencing request was announced a few weeks
ago, Carromero's case has entered a stage of maximum discretion on the
parts of both the Cubans and the Spanish, who have maintained silence
with regards to the press. Various diplomatic sources consulted
preferred to continue that reserve and remain "silent until the trial."
The Spanish government is hoping that once the trial is concluded,
Havana will expel the young politican or follow the treaty between the
two governments regarding the serving of sentences. In that case,
Carromero could serve his time in Spanish territory. However, we are far
from knowing the final outcome.
It is likely that the ruling will not be disseminated immediately after
the trial, but be delayed until after sentencing, which would mean
waiting several days before knowing the outcome. Already, he has been in
custody 40 days since the incident occurred.
Amid such secrecy, it is very difficult to confirm when the trial at the
Granma Provincial Court will begin. I traveled there this Thursday and
can confirm that, as August 31 dawned over Bayamo, the city appeared
quiet. The early hours of the day began, in the heat of August, with the
preparations for the start of the school year.
Numerous news agencies have traveled to Bayamo, intending to attend the
trial, but it's likely it will be held behind closed doors. Several
passersby interviewed were unaware the trial was going to be held at the
court there. However, they seemed to be aware of the events of July 22
which took the lives of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize winner,
Oswaldo Paya, and his colleague in the struggle Harold Cepero.
Given the political background of the Carromero case, there is a visible
anticipation in the international community and among island's dissident
activists as to what may happen in this case — quite complex and
surrounded by questions.
31 August 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/secrecy-shrouds-upcoming-trial-in-the-case-of-oswaldo-payas-death-yoani-sanchez/
Repeating Failure
Repeating Failure / Rosa Maria Rodriguez Torrado
Rosa Maria Rodriguez Torrado, Translator: Unstated
People tend to repeat actions and strategies that were successful, be
it as individuals or as groups. Even governments, such as Cuba's,
sometimes show little creativity and don't escape this facile practice
of repeating and "taking hold" of well-used — and sometimes abused —
tactics.
Thus, through the years, we have witnessed how from campaign to
campaign — one of the synonyms of this vocabulary is "mission," which
the Chavez government in Venezuela uses — they steal time and
resources from the country and the whole people. With their known
skills and control for "spreading rumors" in society, they made us,
and still make us, believe what is most convenient to their interests.
So, they divided families, and as if that rupture weren't sufficient,
they verbally abused and even humiliated those who wanted to leave
Cuba. I remember many of the promises we were made as children, of the
triumphalist utopias that never came true, of those "Three Kings" of
social justice who never arrived. They atrophied our ability the right
to oppose, to choose among several parties –or none — and they
blockaded freedoms.
The conceived of the "Havana cordon" as a coffee plantation lost by
whim and improvisation. They conceived the 10 Million Ton Sugar
Harvest to improve the financial situation in Cuba and turned the
entire nation to this effort. Then, more and more projects failed,
campaigns failed — like a strong election campaign, but with only one
candidate. From the perpetual deepening 53-year crisis —
euphemistically called "the Special Period" — they created the
"rectification of errors and negative tendencies" program to give hope
to people of good will.
As time went on the dictatorial government had their cadres and
society immersed in this new program. Then came the "perfection of
business," another gap of several years without questions because they
are working to improve everything; and the result is more of the same:
another period of mythological manipulation, propaganda and
super-politicization of 360 degrees, which led us nowhere. And what
happened to the Energy Revolution? Why is our electric service still
cut off?
The saddest thing is that all these deceptive tasks and plans that
they offer society have no deadlines. Unlike any serious proposal,
they do not set dates or stages to achieve certain project milestones.
And time passes and no one asks — much less publicly — about the
results of the program.
With time the rhythm of these crippled plans is lost; among the
corruption and inefficiency everything slows down and they come up
with a new plan to reestablish the initial enthusiasm, a process like
a video game, with bonds of permanence.
It seems there is no schedule or timer to the nonsense cooked up by
the Cuban historical leadership, despite their many failures and
setbacks. It seems that these repetitive manipulative schemes are
sociological probes that continue to drain their failures, the wheel
with which they draw water allowing them to stay afloat.
When his health stopped the "eternal guide" from continuing to lead
the country and he ceded the post to his brothers, rumors of Raul
reforms created expectations in society. But in the last two years the
hereditary president has only proposed the Guidelines of the Economic
and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution. He repeats the old
procedure of introducing the demagogic catheter to ensure his
continuity at the head of Cuba and welfare and positioning of his
family members.
In February Raul Castro will complete his first five official years of
leading the government and the national media has already announced
elections in October. Who will be elected? As dictatorships always
propose their continuation, before the event everyone is already sure
of the results: there won't be any surprises.
August 30 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/repeating-failure-rosa-maria-rodriguez-torrado/
Rosa Maria Rodriguez Torrado, Translator: Unstated
People tend to repeat actions and strategies that were successful, be
it as individuals or as groups. Even governments, such as Cuba's,
sometimes show little creativity and don't escape this facile practice
of repeating and "taking hold" of well-used — and sometimes abused —
tactics.
Thus, through the years, we have witnessed how from campaign to
campaign — one of the synonyms of this vocabulary is "mission," which
the Chavez government in Venezuela uses — they steal time and
resources from the country and the whole people. With their known
skills and control for "spreading rumors" in society, they made us,
and still make us, believe what is most convenient to their interests.
So, they divided families, and as if that rupture weren't sufficient,
they verbally abused and even humiliated those who wanted to leave
Cuba. I remember many of the promises we were made as children, of the
triumphalist utopias that never came true, of those "Three Kings" of
social justice who never arrived. They atrophied our ability the right
to oppose, to choose among several parties –or none — and they
blockaded freedoms.
The conceived of the "Havana cordon" as a coffee plantation lost by
whim and improvisation. They conceived the 10 Million Ton Sugar
Harvest to improve the financial situation in Cuba and turned the
entire nation to this effort. Then, more and more projects failed,
campaigns failed — like a strong election campaign, but with only one
candidate. From the perpetual deepening 53-year crisis —
euphemistically called "the Special Period" — they created the
"rectification of errors and negative tendencies" program to give hope
to people of good will.
As time went on the dictatorial government had their cadres and
society immersed in this new program. Then came the "perfection of
business," another gap of several years without questions because they
are working to improve everything; and the result is more of the same:
another period of mythological manipulation, propaganda and
super-politicization of 360 degrees, which led us nowhere. And what
happened to the Energy Revolution? Why is our electric service still
cut off?
The saddest thing is that all these deceptive tasks and plans that
they offer society have no deadlines. Unlike any serious proposal,
they do not set dates or stages to achieve certain project milestones.
And time passes and no one asks — much less publicly — about the
results of the program.
With time the rhythm of these crippled plans is lost; among the
corruption and inefficiency everything slows down and they come up
with a new plan to reestablish the initial enthusiasm, a process like
a video game, with bonds of permanence.
It seems there is no schedule or timer to the nonsense cooked up by
the Cuban historical leadership, despite their many failures and
setbacks. It seems that these repetitive manipulative schemes are
sociological probes that continue to drain their failures, the wheel
with which they draw water allowing them to stay afloat.
When his health stopped the "eternal guide" from continuing to lead
the country and he ceded the post to his brothers, rumors of Raul
reforms created expectations in society. But in the last two years the
hereditary president has only proposed the Guidelines of the Economic
and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution. He repeats the old
procedure of introducing the demagogic catheter to ensure his
continuity at the head of Cuba and welfare and positioning of his
family members.
In February Raul Castro will complete his first five official years of
leading the government and the national media has already announced
elections in October. Who will be elected? As dictatorships always
propose their continuation, before the event everyone is already sure
of the results: there won't be any surprises.
August 30 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/repeating-failure-rosa-maria-rodriguez-torrado/
Cuba growing less food than 5 ys ago despite agriculture reforms
Cuba growing less food than 5 ys ago despite agriculture reforms
Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:57pm EDT
* Most crops remain below 2007 levels
* Government says working to broaden reforms
By Marc Frank
HAVANA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Cuba is producing less food than it did five
years ago despite efforts to increase agriculture production, the
government reported on Friday.
Some export crops and farm output aimed at substituting food imports
registered minor gains, but overall output last year remained below 2007
levels, according to a report issued by the National Statistics Office ().
The government has also reported that food prices rose 20 percent in 2011.
Cuban President Raul Castro has made increasing food production a
priority since he took over as president from his ailing brother, Fidel,
in 2008.
The communist country imports up to 70 percent of its food and is
investing hundreds of millions of dollars to boost production of rice,
beans, coffee and milk and reduce imports.
Domestic production of two Cuban food staples has increased, the
government said. Rice production reached 566,400 tonnes compared with
439,600 tonnes in 2007, and farmers produced 133,000 tonnes of beans
with 97,200 tonnes in 2007.
To stimulate production, Castro has decentralized decision-making,
opened up more space for farmers to sell directly to consumers and
raised prices the state pays for produce. He has stopped short of
allowing market forces to take hold and drive production.
Marino Murillo, who is leading efforts to steer Cuba's state-dominated
economy in a more market-friendly direction, announced in July that a
government effort to reduce state bureaucracy in the agriculture sector
had recently been completed.
Speaking to the National Assembly, he outlined plans for separating
quasi-cooperatives from the state and allowing them to operate like
private cooperatives. These operations, formed by state-run companies in
the mid-1990s on 30 percent of Cuba's arable land, have performed poorly.
Murillo also said at that time that a land-lease program begun in 2008
involving some 170,000 farmers would be expanded to allow up to five
times more land per individual.
Private farmers produce the bulk of the food in Cuba on a fraction of
the land. This has led farmers and agricultural experts inside and
outside the country to call on the state to pull back further and let
market forces drive the sector.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/31/cuba-food-idUSL2E8JVAUU20120831
Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:57pm EDT
* Most crops remain below 2007 levels
* Government says working to broaden reforms
By Marc Frank
HAVANA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Cuba is producing less food than it did five
years ago despite efforts to increase agriculture production, the
government reported on Friday.
Some export crops and farm output aimed at substituting food imports
registered minor gains, but overall output last year remained below 2007
levels, according to a report issued by the National Statistics Office ().
The government has also reported that food prices rose 20 percent in 2011.
Cuban President Raul Castro has made increasing food production a
priority since he took over as president from his ailing brother, Fidel,
in 2008.
The communist country imports up to 70 percent of its food and is
investing hundreds of millions of dollars to boost production of rice,
beans, coffee and milk and reduce imports.
Domestic production of two Cuban food staples has increased, the
government said. Rice production reached 566,400 tonnes compared with
439,600 tonnes in 2007, and farmers produced 133,000 tonnes of beans
with 97,200 tonnes in 2007.
To stimulate production, Castro has decentralized decision-making,
opened up more space for farmers to sell directly to consumers and
raised prices the state pays for produce. He has stopped short of
allowing market forces to take hold and drive production.
Marino Murillo, who is leading efforts to steer Cuba's state-dominated
economy in a more market-friendly direction, announced in July that a
government effort to reduce state bureaucracy in the agriculture sector
had recently been completed.
Speaking to the National Assembly, he outlined plans for separating
quasi-cooperatives from the state and allowing them to operate like
private cooperatives. These operations, formed by state-run companies in
the mid-1990s on 30 percent of Cuba's arable land, have performed poorly.
Murillo also said at that time that a land-lease program begun in 2008
involving some 170,000 farmers would be expanded to allow up to five
times more land per individual.
Private farmers produce the bulk of the food in Cuba on a fraction of
the land. This has led farmers and agricultural experts inside and
outside the country to call on the state to pull back further and let
market forces drive the sector.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/31/cuba-food-idUSL2E8JVAUU20120831
The Policy
The Policy / Regina Coyula
Regina Coyula
For months retail stores have been short of two much-in-demand
items—powdered detergent and floor mats. A few days ago a friend was
waiting in line at theGalerías Paseo store to buy the elusivefloor mats.
As she approached the counter, she noticed a printed sign that read,
"SPECIAL OFFER —5 FLOOR CLOTHS PER PERSON FOR 80 CENTAVOS." Some of the
more naive people in line thought this meant that five floor clothes
cost 80 centavos. The price was the same as usual. The limit on the
number per customer was what was different. Nevertheless, a few
enterprising types got in line to buy in bulk.
This, so far, is the context. My friend, amused by the misleading sign,
got out her phone to take a picture. Suddenly, an employee approached
and tried to stop her. My friend apologized for the mistake and asked
the employee to show her where the notice was that indicated photos were
not allowed, because she had not seen it. The employee hesitated. There
was no sign, but it was "the policy."
My friend, who knows about such things through programs—those that are
broadcastwithout proper licensing byCuban television—replied that, if
photos were not allowed, there must be a sign that explicitly stated
this. The employee's response was that "the policy" came from the
manager's office. And what was she taking photos for anyway?
My friend's nephew, who was waiting in line with her and had not opened
his mouth, suddenly turned the employee's face white. "It's to send to
the Herald," he said. Everyone there understood this to be a reference
to none other than "the libelous mafia of ultra-rightists from Miami."
Taking advantage of the employee's desperation, my friend asked where
the manager's office was so that she could read "the policy." This is
how she found out that "the colonel" was the author of "the policy." My
friend was alleviating the boredom of everyone in line. "Please don't
tell me this is a military establishment!" she said.
"No, no, the manager is a civilian now!"
"Look, it's not my fault that nowadaysall the managers are from the
military," she said. "It would be better if they worried about theft and
embezzlement instead of a photo of a sign."
My friend made me promise I would not use her name. I could not convince
her under any circumstances to let me use the photo of the sign for this
post.
August 31 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/the-policy-regina-coyula/
Regina Coyula
For months retail stores have been short of two much-in-demand
items—powdered detergent and floor mats. A few days ago a friend was
waiting in line at theGalerías Paseo store to buy the elusivefloor mats.
As she approached the counter, she noticed a printed sign that read,
"SPECIAL OFFER —5 FLOOR CLOTHS PER PERSON FOR 80 CENTAVOS." Some of the
more naive people in line thought this meant that five floor clothes
cost 80 centavos. The price was the same as usual. The limit on the
number per customer was what was different. Nevertheless, a few
enterprising types got in line to buy in bulk.
This, so far, is the context. My friend, amused by the misleading sign,
got out her phone to take a picture. Suddenly, an employee approached
and tried to stop her. My friend apologized for the mistake and asked
the employee to show her where the notice was that indicated photos were
not allowed, because she had not seen it. The employee hesitated. There
was no sign, but it was "the policy."
My friend, who knows about such things through programs—those that are
broadcastwithout proper licensing byCuban television—replied that, if
photos were not allowed, there must be a sign that explicitly stated
this. The employee's response was that "the policy" came from the
manager's office. And what was she taking photos for anyway?
My friend's nephew, who was waiting in line with her and had not opened
his mouth, suddenly turned the employee's face white. "It's to send to
the Herald," he said. Everyone there understood this to be a reference
to none other than "the libelous mafia of ultra-rightists from Miami."
Taking advantage of the employee's desperation, my friend asked where
the manager's office was so that she could read "the policy." This is
how she found out that "the colonel" was the author of "the policy." My
friend was alleviating the boredom of everyone in line. "Please don't
tell me this is a military establishment!" she said.
"No, no, the manager is a civilian now!"
"Look, it's not my fault that nowadaysall the managers are from the
military," she said. "It would be better if they worried about theft and
embezzlement instead of a photo of a sign."
My friend made me promise I would not use her name. I could not convince
her under any circumstances to let me use the photo of the sign for this
post.
August 31 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/the-policy-regina-coyula/
Shortage of Bubbles
Shortage of Bubbles / Rosa Maria Rodriguez Torrado
Rosa Maria Rodriguez Torrado, Translator: Ada
Washing powder has been missing from Havana for days. First the cheaper,
less fragrant varieties bought by the average Cuban; then the more
expensive ones: all washing powders — foreign-made or domestic — seem to
have left on the evening train of inefficiency.
The self-employed people who sell goods in different places around the
capital city, however, have the same imported washing powder that they
usually sell in the state-owned foreign currency collection stores. Now
the elderly and the people of all ages who devote their time to selling
this product can be happy, since the strong demand for the cleaning
agent has brought them higher revenue.
But those of us who, as eager as treasure hunters,go every day from here
to there trying to buy groceries and cleaning productswonder about the
real reason why private individuals have an imported article and the
State doesn't. Could it be that, once again, they want to take advantage
of the oligopoly in order to sell their low-quality product? Or are they
planning to increase all prices?
If we've had to climb on strange artifacts in order to emigrate and
enjoy freedom outside of our homeland; if we've had to take part in
"acts of repudiation" to insult those who struggle to defend our rights;
if we've had to shower without soap and clean floors without floor
cloths during the Special Period; we can just as well blow bubbles with
our mouths, as long as we are able to produce saliva and whisper our fears.
At the end of the day, cleanliness in this model seems to be a mental
state, linked to politics since 1959. The rest doesn't matter.
Translated by: Ada
August 26 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/shortage-of-bubbles-rosa-maria-rodriguez-torrado/
Rosa Maria Rodriguez Torrado, Translator: Ada
Washing powder has been missing from Havana for days. First the cheaper,
less fragrant varieties bought by the average Cuban; then the more
expensive ones: all washing powders — foreign-made or domestic — seem to
have left on the evening train of inefficiency.
The self-employed people who sell goods in different places around the
capital city, however, have the same imported washing powder that they
usually sell in the state-owned foreign currency collection stores. Now
the elderly and the people of all ages who devote their time to selling
this product can be happy, since the strong demand for the cleaning
agent has brought them higher revenue.
But those of us who, as eager as treasure hunters,go every day from here
to there trying to buy groceries and cleaning productswonder about the
real reason why private individuals have an imported article and the
State doesn't. Could it be that, once again, they want to take advantage
of the oligopoly in order to sell their low-quality product? Or are they
planning to increase all prices?
If we've had to climb on strange artifacts in order to emigrate and
enjoy freedom outside of our homeland; if we've had to take part in
"acts of repudiation" to insult those who struggle to defend our rights;
if we've had to shower without soap and clean floors without floor
cloths during the Special Period; we can just as well blow bubbles with
our mouths, as long as we are able to produce saliva and whisper our fears.
At the end of the day, cleanliness in this model seems to be a mental
state, linked to politics since 1959. The rest doesn't matter.
Translated by: Ada
August 26 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/shortage-of-bubbles-rosa-maria-rodriguez-torrado/
Trial for the driver accused in Oswaldo Paya’s death may be next week
Posted on Saturday, 09.01.12
Trial for the driver accused in Oswaldo Paya's death may be next week
Supporters of dissident Oswaldo Paya insist in alleging the government
had a hand in the crash that claimed his life.
By Juan O. Tamayo
jtamayo@ElNuevoHerald.com
The trial of the Spanish politician charged with causing the death of
Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá in a car crash did not start Friday as
expected, while Payá supporters pushed their allegations that government
agents had a hand in the crash.
Two Spanish newspapers had reported that Angel Carromero's trial on
charges of vehicular homicide would start Friday in the eastern city of
Bayamo, closest to the scene of the July 22 crash in which Payá and
dissident Harold Cepero died.
But Cuban authorities made no announcement Friday, and Bayamo residents
said that although there were signs of preparations for an important
event at the auditorium of the city's Manuel Muñoz Cedeño Provincial Art
School, no trial had started.
Telephone company workers have been installing equipment in the
auditorium for a few days and neighbors say they believe the Carromero
trial could begin next week, said Bayamo dissident Yoandri Gutierrez.
The Spanish embassy in Havana said there was no official information at
all on the trial. Prosecutors have accused Carromero of causing the car
crash by speeding and will reportedly seek a seven year prison sentence.
Carromero, a Madrid official of New Generations, the youth wing of
Spain's ruling Popular Party, was driving the car. Next to him was Jens
Aaron Modig, president of the youth League of the Christian Democratic
Party of Sweden. They were not seriously injured and Modig was allowed
to return to Sweden.
Paya, who founded and led the opposition Christian Liberation Movement,
and Cepero a CLM member, were in the back seat, which bore the brunt of
the car's crash against a tree. They were not wearing seat belts,
according to the government version.
Payá's family and supporters have repeatedly alleged, however, that they
have information that Carromero and Modig complained to friends in
Europe after the crash that another vehicle rammed them and forced them
off the road.
A New Generations leader, Borja Alcedo, told a Spanish radio station
Friday that Carromero telephoned him immediately after the crash and
told him of an "accident" but the call dropped off. Alcedo provided no
further details.
A leading Paya supporter on Friday also expanded on the claims that
Carromero and Modig had informed friends in Europe they were being
harassed in Cuba, presumably by government security agents.
Regis Iglesias, the Christian Liberation Movement's representative in
Madrid, said that the day before the crash the two visitors reported
they had been "closely followed since their arrival in Cuba."
The day of the crash the Europeans also sent text messages to
unidentified friends from their cell phones reporting that another car
had rammed them and forced them off the road, Iglesias said in an
interview with the U.S. government's Radio/TV Marti in Miami.
He said he received that information from Cayetana Muriel Aguado, a
Spaniard who lives in Sweden and is close to the Christian Democratic
Party there. She was visiting Madrid at the time of the accident.
Modig has claimed that he was sleeping when the car crashed, and then
passed out. Carromero, in a Cuban government video of his testimony,
makes no mention of another car. Aguado has made no public statements.
Iglesias said Spanish and Swedish authorities appear to have agreed to
keep the text messages private in order to avoid clashing with the Cuban
government and helping Carromero to get out of prison as quickly as
possible.
Payá's family also has said that friends who went to the Bayamo hospital
the day of the crash heard a police investigator say that a Lada, a type
of car often used by state security agents, was very near Carromero's
rented Hyundai at the time of the crash.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/01/2979123/trial-for-the-driver-accused.html
Trial for the driver accused in Oswaldo Paya's death may be next week
Supporters of dissident Oswaldo Paya insist in alleging the government
had a hand in the crash that claimed his life.
By Juan O. Tamayo
jtamayo@ElNuevoHerald.com
The trial of the Spanish politician charged with causing the death of
Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá in a car crash did not start Friday as
expected, while Payá supporters pushed their allegations that government
agents had a hand in the crash.
Two Spanish newspapers had reported that Angel Carromero's trial on
charges of vehicular homicide would start Friday in the eastern city of
Bayamo, closest to the scene of the July 22 crash in which Payá and
dissident Harold Cepero died.
But Cuban authorities made no announcement Friday, and Bayamo residents
said that although there were signs of preparations for an important
event at the auditorium of the city's Manuel Muñoz Cedeño Provincial Art
School, no trial had started.
Telephone company workers have been installing equipment in the
auditorium for a few days and neighbors say they believe the Carromero
trial could begin next week, said Bayamo dissident Yoandri Gutierrez.
The Spanish embassy in Havana said there was no official information at
all on the trial. Prosecutors have accused Carromero of causing the car
crash by speeding and will reportedly seek a seven year prison sentence.
Carromero, a Madrid official of New Generations, the youth wing of
Spain's ruling Popular Party, was driving the car. Next to him was Jens
Aaron Modig, president of the youth League of the Christian Democratic
Party of Sweden. They were not seriously injured and Modig was allowed
to return to Sweden.
Paya, who founded and led the opposition Christian Liberation Movement,
and Cepero a CLM member, were in the back seat, which bore the brunt of
the car's crash against a tree. They were not wearing seat belts,
according to the government version.
Payá's family and supporters have repeatedly alleged, however, that they
have information that Carromero and Modig complained to friends in
Europe after the crash that another vehicle rammed them and forced them
off the road.
A New Generations leader, Borja Alcedo, told a Spanish radio station
Friday that Carromero telephoned him immediately after the crash and
told him of an "accident" but the call dropped off. Alcedo provided no
further details.
A leading Paya supporter on Friday also expanded on the claims that
Carromero and Modig had informed friends in Europe they were being
harassed in Cuba, presumably by government security agents.
Regis Iglesias, the Christian Liberation Movement's representative in
Madrid, said that the day before the crash the two visitors reported
they had been "closely followed since their arrival in Cuba."
The day of the crash the Europeans also sent text messages to
unidentified friends from their cell phones reporting that another car
had rammed them and forced them off the road, Iglesias said in an
interview with the U.S. government's Radio/TV Marti in Miami.
He said he received that information from Cayetana Muriel Aguado, a
Spaniard who lives in Sweden and is close to the Christian Democratic
Party there. She was visiting Madrid at the time of the accident.
Modig has claimed that he was sleeping when the car crashed, and then
passed out. Carromero, in a Cuban government video of his testimony,
makes no mention of another car. Aguado has made no public statements.
Iglesias said Spanish and Swedish authorities appear to have agreed to
keep the text messages private in order to avoid clashing with the Cuban
government and helping Carromero to get out of prison as quickly as
possible.
Payá's family also has said that friends who went to the Bayamo hospital
the day of the crash heard a police investigator say that a Lada, a type
of car often used by state security agents, was very near Carromero's
rented Hyundai at the time of the crash.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/01/2979123/trial-for-the-driver-accused.html
Friday, August 31, 2012
The Mediocre Cuban National Assembly
The Mediocre "Cuban National Assembly" / Angel Santiesteban
Angel Santiesteban, Translator: Unstated
It's sad to see the "deputies" applauding every stupidity that
originates in the puppet theater, and how many respectable, and some
admired figures — very few are left — are unaware that history will
remember them as accomplices to the Totalitarian Government.
Not to be forgotten is the consistent attitude maintained by the painter
Pedro Pablo Oliva, who was expelled because of his personal opinions
from the "Assembly," where the people had put him, where one is supposed
to repeat the institutional unlikely tongue twister they present as
"democratic socialism." In reprisal they seized and closed his Home
Workshop, a response of the dictatorship so that those
"parliamentarians" won't forget that here there is no democracy, only
absolute obedience to the whims of the Castro brothers.
The truth is that at the last meeting of the "delegated representatives
of the people", the artist Kcho, (or perhaps his intentions were to
venture into the humor and therefore I didn't understood what he said),
asked something stupid that I won't venture to repeat again, and until
that time he had been acceptable, because everyone's opinion has worth,
that is the teaching that they themselves have not learned.
The sad, dramatic, the unacceptable, is what the other "lawmakers" will
give a standing ovation to, rising to their feet, as a way of shouting
to the world "we are stupid and all of us are incapable of having
individual opinions," because you can't conceive that there are so many
cowards together, that no one has the courage to confront the slanders
they perpetrate there behind the backs and against the people,
forgetting that their names will be part of the disrepute and history
will not forgive them.
The meetings of the "National Assembly of Cuba", have become a place of
sleep and overall apathy. We can see this simply observing what happens
when the television cameras pan over those stale faces, struggling not
to make their lethargy obvious, faces awakened only by the applause of
some "parliamentary pilots" whose job is to warn them when they should
be clapping or raising their hands in the unanimous vote that so shames
us, and which is the living proof of the lack of individual thought in
those instances.
Apparently we will have to continue to live with such "councilors", only
Fidel, Raul Castro and God, know why and what they are there for, but
what most Cubans do know is that they are never going to benefit the
people they claim to represent.
August 30 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/the-mediocre-cuban-national-assembly-angel-santiesteban/
Angel Santiesteban, Translator: Unstated
It's sad to see the "deputies" applauding every stupidity that
originates in the puppet theater, and how many respectable, and some
admired figures — very few are left — are unaware that history will
remember them as accomplices to the Totalitarian Government.
Not to be forgotten is the consistent attitude maintained by the painter
Pedro Pablo Oliva, who was expelled because of his personal opinions
from the "Assembly," where the people had put him, where one is supposed
to repeat the institutional unlikely tongue twister they present as
"democratic socialism." In reprisal they seized and closed his Home
Workshop, a response of the dictatorship so that those
"parliamentarians" won't forget that here there is no democracy, only
absolute obedience to the whims of the Castro brothers.
The truth is that at the last meeting of the "delegated representatives
of the people", the artist Kcho, (or perhaps his intentions were to
venture into the humor and therefore I didn't understood what he said),
asked something stupid that I won't venture to repeat again, and until
that time he had been acceptable, because everyone's opinion has worth,
that is the teaching that they themselves have not learned.
The sad, dramatic, the unacceptable, is what the other "lawmakers" will
give a standing ovation to, rising to their feet, as a way of shouting
to the world "we are stupid and all of us are incapable of having
individual opinions," because you can't conceive that there are so many
cowards together, that no one has the courage to confront the slanders
they perpetrate there behind the backs and against the people,
forgetting that their names will be part of the disrepute and history
will not forgive them.
The meetings of the "National Assembly of Cuba", have become a place of
sleep and overall apathy. We can see this simply observing what happens
when the television cameras pan over those stale faces, struggling not
to make their lethargy obvious, faces awakened only by the applause of
some "parliamentary pilots" whose job is to warn them when they should
be clapping or raising their hands in the unanimous vote that so shames
us, and which is the living proof of the lack of individual thought in
those instances.
Apparently we will have to continue to live with such "councilors", only
Fidel, Raul Castro and God, know why and what they are there for, but
what most Cubans do know is that they are never going to benefit the
people they claim to represent.
August 30 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/the-mediocre-cuban-national-assembly-angel-santiesteban/
Complicated Pathways
Complicated Pathways / Fernando Damaso
Fernando Damaso
A citizen decides to solve the housing problem of his daughter and
grandchildren by deeding her the roof of his house so she can build on
top of it. He begins by submitting an application to the Ministry of
Housing, but they first require a report from the city architect and a
permit from Physical Planning. He has made attempts to do this, but he
has been waiting for the document from the architect for a month, and
more than six months for the one from Physical Planning. Thus far
nothing has happened.
In spite of having delivered the products they were contracted to
provide, the workers of an agricultural production cooperative do not
receive money owed to them since 2009 from a farm belonging to the same
cooperative. All their demands for payment are unsuccessful.
Another citizen, who was a victim of a flood caused by a storm in 1996,
is given a house in 2002. Ten years later, in spite of having completed
all the applications, he still has not been able to obtain title to his
property.
A third citizen goes to Immigration to submit an application They
require that she first present an original birth certificate. She can
only request one at a time from the Civil Registry Office, and must wait
fifteen days for delivery. When she goes back with the original
certificate, they tell her they do not accept copies.
These accounts are not fictional. They are actual cases selected at
random. The questions that arise are: Have they crippled the legal
application process for citizens, and why is obtaining a document so
burdensome? Where is the so-called rationalization of these services?
The governmental bureaucracy exists in all state agencies. They provide
fertile ground for it to take root and grow. This is not the case in
private, service-oriented businesses because, in a competitive world,
this would lead to bankruptcy. Instead, administrative staffs are small
and function efficiently. On the other hand, under socialism—with its
massive and inefficient administrations—this adverse phenomenon finds
its fullest expression. This is understandable. Since everything belongs
to the state, these are the"power centers" that give it a feeling of
importance. In spite of the laws, regulations, directives and
resolutions drafted by the nation's top leaders to combat it, the
bureaucracy continuesusing its weaponryto resist efforts to displace it.
What would become of it if this were to happen?
The only effective way to confront it is to reduce the number of
agencies from which it operates, simplifying the application process to
essentials and eliminating unnecessary paperwork. It is also vital to
abandon the obsolete and absurd politics of control, which in fact
control absolutely nothing and hinder everything. Until this happens,
the bureaucracy will continue demanding respect while citizens pay the
price in lost time and money, as well as in mistreatment and added
aggravation.
August 30 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/complicated-pathways-fernando-damaso/
Fernando Damaso
A citizen decides to solve the housing problem of his daughter and
grandchildren by deeding her the roof of his house so she can build on
top of it. He begins by submitting an application to the Ministry of
Housing, but they first require a report from the city architect and a
permit from Physical Planning. He has made attempts to do this, but he
has been waiting for the document from the architect for a month, and
more than six months for the one from Physical Planning. Thus far
nothing has happened.
In spite of having delivered the products they were contracted to
provide, the workers of an agricultural production cooperative do not
receive money owed to them since 2009 from a farm belonging to the same
cooperative. All their demands for payment are unsuccessful.
Another citizen, who was a victim of a flood caused by a storm in 1996,
is given a house in 2002. Ten years later, in spite of having completed
all the applications, he still has not been able to obtain title to his
property.
A third citizen goes to Immigration to submit an application They
require that she first present an original birth certificate. She can
only request one at a time from the Civil Registry Office, and must wait
fifteen days for delivery. When she goes back with the original
certificate, they tell her they do not accept copies.
These accounts are not fictional. They are actual cases selected at
random. The questions that arise are: Have they crippled the legal
application process for citizens, and why is obtaining a document so
burdensome? Where is the so-called rationalization of these services?
The governmental bureaucracy exists in all state agencies. They provide
fertile ground for it to take root and grow. This is not the case in
private, service-oriented businesses because, in a competitive world,
this would lead to bankruptcy. Instead, administrative staffs are small
and function efficiently. On the other hand, under socialism—with its
massive and inefficient administrations—this adverse phenomenon finds
its fullest expression. This is understandable. Since everything belongs
to the state, these are the"power centers" that give it a feeling of
importance. In spite of the laws, regulations, directives and
resolutions drafted by the nation's top leaders to combat it, the
bureaucracy continuesusing its weaponryto resist efforts to displace it.
What would become of it if this were to happen?
The only effective way to confront it is to reduce the number of
agencies from which it operates, simplifying the application process to
essentials and eliminating unnecessary paperwork. It is also vital to
abandon the obsolete and absurd politics of control, which in fact
control absolutely nothing and hinder everything. Until this happens,
the bureaucracy will continue demanding respect while citizens pay the
price in lost time and money, as well as in mistreatment and added
aggravation.
August 30 2012
http://translatingcuba.com/complicated-pathways-fernando-damaso/
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