Cuba: Censorship on Government Websites
July 13, 2013
Isbel Díaz Torres
HAVANA TIMES — Strategies used to censor information at official Cuban
government web-sites are not only varied, they are also employed at the
complete discretion of their webmasters. In this post, I will focus on
how user comments are censored on these webpages.
The website for Granma, the official newspaper of the Cuban Communist
Party (PCC), represents one of the extremes of this phenomenon, offering
absolutely no space where Internet navigators can leave their comments.
Apparently the PCC has absolute confidence in its ideas and needs no
feedback.
Other government sites, however, have gradually opened themselves up to
public opinion and have afforded users varying degrees of freedom of
expression.
The site for Cuba's Juventud Rebelde newspaper, for instance, is one
page that offers a fairly broad space for comments by readers, who can
express opinions that are diametrically opposed to those presented by
the author of a given article.
The norms published by the site are: 1) All comments must be made on the
basis of respect towards the opinions of others. 2) No offensive, vulgar
or obscene remarks will be tolerated.
The webpage of Trabajadores, the official newspaper of the Cuban
Workers' Federation, limits comments to those who access the site via
the Cuban domestic Intranet, and an unrestricted area for those who do
so through the Internet. Do they think there are more workers with
Internet connections that Intranet access in Cuba?
I recently discovered that the government's webpage Cubadebate censors
some commentators that participate in discussion at its discretion. The
interesting thing here is not that certain opinions expressed in
commentaries are eliminated because of their critical nature, but that
the site directly targets and excludes certain individuals.
I can attest to this because I have tried to post comments at the site
on several occasions, adhering to the norms of the page, only to
discover my texts aren't published, even when my opinions coincide with
those of other commentators who did manage to have their remarks posted.
Cubadebate's norms are: All comments that are off-topic or use vulgar,
violent or racist language, or are offensive or contrary to the Law in
any way, will be eliminated.
I am unsure as to how a comment could be "contrary to the Law". If I
wrote I am against the Cuban Adjustment Act, would I be censored as
well? What if I said I was against the Cuban State's Budget Law?
In addition, Cubadebate also enables and disables an article's comments
window at its discretion. I imagine there are certain authors who hold
the absolute truth and cannot be contested in their views in any way.
In short, I don't see how the technical and financial limitations
alluded to by Cuban authorities in connection with the full use of
Internet's potential could have anything to do with this restriction in
the use of available technological resources.
In my view, it is a question of censorship, plain and simple. If it
isn't, I'd be more than happy to have someone explain to me what it is.
Source: "How censorship is practiced on Cuban government websites." -
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=96386
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Prison Diary XXXV The Silence of the Lambs
Prison Diary XXXV: The Silence of the Lambs / Angel Santiesteban
Posted on July 13, 2013
It's been over a month since Sunday, May 26, when Cuba was named — in
the 38th Congress of the International Federation of Human Rights in
Istanbul, Turkey — as the country in Latin America that commits
violations against each and every one of the civil and political rights.
What should be a national holiday, can't be celebrated because it's like
the story of the first centuries of the colonizers, having to wait for
the boat, powered by the wind and the will of God, sailing the Atlantic.
The silence about the violations is another violation that adds to the
Calvary that we Cubans suffer. To this chain of silences is added that
of the journalists with access to the Internet who remain silent until
their bosses dictate the news and the style in which it must be
presented; while their conscience slept, making this humiliation of
their profession an everyday event.
In September the Cuban functionaries will return to Geneva, and, once
more, try to cover their misdeeds, displaying their cunning and deceit,
underestimating the intelligence of others.
For now Cuba, as for over half a century, is served by the voice of the
people. The news passes from one to another, crossing the city and the
whole island, with the echo of those who listen to Radio Martí and those
who can read it on the Internet.
Really, we are close to the reality of Cuban changing, we just have to
push the wall, making the ultimate effort to produce the social change
we need.
Ángel Santiesteban-Prats, Prison 1580, July 2013
12 July 2013
Source: "Prison Diary XXXV: The Silence of the Lambs / Angel
Santiesteban | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/prison-diary-xxxv-the-silence-of-the-lambs-angel-santiesteban/
Posted on July 13, 2013
It's been over a month since Sunday, May 26, when Cuba was named — in
the 38th Congress of the International Federation of Human Rights in
Istanbul, Turkey — as the country in Latin America that commits
violations against each and every one of the civil and political rights.
What should be a national holiday, can't be celebrated because it's like
the story of the first centuries of the colonizers, having to wait for
the boat, powered by the wind and the will of God, sailing the Atlantic.
The silence about the violations is another violation that adds to the
Calvary that we Cubans suffer. To this chain of silences is added that
of the journalists with access to the Internet who remain silent until
their bosses dictate the news and the style in which it must be
presented; while their conscience slept, making this humiliation of
their profession an everyday event.
In September the Cuban functionaries will return to Geneva, and, once
more, try to cover their misdeeds, displaying their cunning and deceit,
underestimating the intelligence of others.
For now Cuba, as for over half a century, is served by the voice of the
people. The news passes from one to another, crossing the city and the
whole island, with the echo of those who listen to Radio Martí and those
who can read it on the Internet.
Really, we are close to the reality of Cuban changing, we just have to
push the wall, making the ultimate effort to produce the social change
we need.
Ángel Santiesteban-Prats, Prison 1580, July 2013
12 July 2013
Source: "Prison Diary XXXV: The Silence of the Lambs / Angel
Santiesteban | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/prison-diary-xxxv-the-silence-of-the-lambs-angel-santiesteban/
Cuba libre - Entrepreneurs make most of new freedom
Cuba libre: Entrepreneurs make most of new freedom
Published: Friday, 12 Jul 2013 | 12:53 PM ET
By: Michelle Caruso-Cabrera | CNBC Chief International Correspondent
In just one block of Montes Street in Havana—among the dilapidated
sidewalks, cracked windows and rusting window bars—nearly a dozen
entrepreneurs are making a go at building their own small businesses.
Nancy Rodriquez and Llaumara Rey, both in their 40s, beamed in front of
their offerings—religious statues and amulets that they say are selling
like gangbusters. They didn't want to discuss their business's finances,
but when asked if they are making more money now than when they worked
for the state, they gave very certain, self-assured nods.
Next door, 55-year-old Maria Del Carmen is having a tougher go of it.
She just opened shop two months ago, selling plumbing pipes, but she's
already thinking of quitting. "It's much harder than I thought it was
going to be," she said.
Passers-by stopped constantly to inquire about prices for the small
pipes and elbows they so desperately need to fix up the millions of
run-down homes on the island. Some even bought from Del Carmen's
inventory, but apparently not enough of them. After she paid the monthly
tax to the state to have the shop, along with her social security taxes,
she said it isn't much better than her previous job in a state-run
restaurant.
That isn't stopping her neighbor, 26-year-old Luis Enrique, who was
setting up shop next door. He feverishly painted a new shop where he
plans to sell pizza. Enrique said he is certain he is going to make a
lot more money than working for the state, because he's seen his friends
do it. Right now, he makes $15 a month working in a state-run warehouse,
but he's seen his friends make double that. "I can't wait to open," he said.
To an American, the scene would probably look like a giant flea market,
but in Cuba, it's the seed of something perhaps much bigger: a society
less dependent on the state. The shops are the result of a new law
passed in Cuba just a few years ago allowing individuals to be
self-employed for the very first time. Until then, workers were
permitted to work only for the state, and all businesses were owned by
the government.
In 1959, Fidel Castro ran a successful guerrilla war that took over the
country. Originally he said he wasn't a communist, but Castro almost
immediately began seizing private business, nationalizing companies and
eventually putting every sphere of the economy under government control.
For roughly 50 years, every company sent all of its revenue to the
state, and nearly every worker made the same amount of money, regardless
of their job.
Now the economy is in shambles, the island a dilapidated backwater of
decaying buildings that are still standing only because their original
construction was of such high quality.
The Cuban government, now under the control of Fidel's brother, Raul,
appears to have finally cried uncle. Marino Murillo Jorge, the former
minister of the economy, told reporters this week that "Life has taught
us the state cannot occupy all the space in the economy."
Skeptics and critics, including dissidents living on the island, say the
economic changes are too small to be meaningful and have been carried
out for only one reason: for the socialist regime to remain in power.
Critics say the charges are more about letting air out of a growing
balloon of discontent.
Murillo himself told reporters this week that the biggest and most
important companies in the country would always be controlled by the
state. Rather than privatizing them, he said, "the government will
create the conditions in which those companies can be more efficient."
That means letting them keep up to 50 percent of their revenue, to be
used for higher salaries or reinvestment.
Murillo is almost dismissive of the small businesses, saying they will
play a small part in the future of the Cuban economy.
On Montes Street, toiling amid the smell of fresh paint, those small
entrepreneurs are clearly thinking much bigger.
—By CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera. Follow her on Twitter @MCaruso_Cabrera.
Source: "Cuba libre: Entrepreneurs make most of new freedom" -
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100882646
Published: Friday, 12 Jul 2013 | 12:53 PM ET
By: Michelle Caruso-Cabrera | CNBC Chief International Correspondent
In just one block of Montes Street in Havana—among the dilapidated
sidewalks, cracked windows and rusting window bars—nearly a dozen
entrepreneurs are making a go at building their own small businesses.
Nancy Rodriquez and Llaumara Rey, both in their 40s, beamed in front of
their offerings—religious statues and amulets that they say are selling
like gangbusters. They didn't want to discuss their business's finances,
but when asked if they are making more money now than when they worked
for the state, they gave very certain, self-assured nods.
Next door, 55-year-old Maria Del Carmen is having a tougher go of it.
She just opened shop two months ago, selling plumbing pipes, but she's
already thinking of quitting. "It's much harder than I thought it was
going to be," she said.
Passers-by stopped constantly to inquire about prices for the small
pipes and elbows they so desperately need to fix up the millions of
run-down homes on the island. Some even bought from Del Carmen's
inventory, but apparently not enough of them. After she paid the monthly
tax to the state to have the shop, along with her social security taxes,
she said it isn't much better than her previous job in a state-run
restaurant.
That isn't stopping her neighbor, 26-year-old Luis Enrique, who was
setting up shop next door. He feverishly painted a new shop where he
plans to sell pizza. Enrique said he is certain he is going to make a
lot more money than working for the state, because he's seen his friends
do it. Right now, he makes $15 a month working in a state-run warehouse,
but he's seen his friends make double that. "I can't wait to open," he said.
To an American, the scene would probably look like a giant flea market,
but in Cuba, it's the seed of something perhaps much bigger: a society
less dependent on the state. The shops are the result of a new law
passed in Cuba just a few years ago allowing individuals to be
self-employed for the very first time. Until then, workers were
permitted to work only for the state, and all businesses were owned by
the government.
In 1959, Fidel Castro ran a successful guerrilla war that took over the
country. Originally he said he wasn't a communist, but Castro almost
immediately began seizing private business, nationalizing companies and
eventually putting every sphere of the economy under government control.
For roughly 50 years, every company sent all of its revenue to the
state, and nearly every worker made the same amount of money, regardless
of their job.
Now the economy is in shambles, the island a dilapidated backwater of
decaying buildings that are still standing only because their original
construction was of such high quality.
The Cuban government, now under the control of Fidel's brother, Raul,
appears to have finally cried uncle. Marino Murillo Jorge, the former
minister of the economy, told reporters this week that "Life has taught
us the state cannot occupy all the space in the economy."
Skeptics and critics, including dissidents living on the island, say the
economic changes are too small to be meaningful and have been carried
out for only one reason: for the socialist regime to remain in power.
Critics say the charges are more about letting air out of a growing
balloon of discontent.
Murillo himself told reporters this week that the biggest and most
important companies in the country would always be controlled by the
state. Rather than privatizing them, he said, "the government will
create the conditions in which those companies can be more efficient."
That means letting them keep up to 50 percent of their revenue, to be
used for higher salaries or reinvestment.
Murillo is almost dismissive of the small businesses, saying they will
play a small part in the future of the Cuban economy.
On Montes Street, toiling amid the smell of fresh paint, those small
entrepreneurs are clearly thinking much bigger.
—By CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera. Follow her on Twitter @MCaruso_Cabrera.
Source: "Cuba libre: Entrepreneurs make most of new freedom" -
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100882646
Havana, Cuba 5 Free Things To See And Do
Havana, Cuba: 5 Free Things To See And Do
By By PETER ORSI 07/11/13 11:33 AM ET EDT
HAVANA -- For a city where people earn an average of $20 a month at
government jobs, Havana can be a surprisingly pricey place – at least
for tourists.
From $6 daiquiris at El Floridita, Ernest Hemingway's favored watering
hole, to the ubiquitous hustlers looking to con visitors into buying
knock-off cigars, much about the Cuban capital seems geared toward
separating travelers from their money.
Fortunately some of Havana's most charming details can be experienced
free of charge. Here are five great ways to explore this city stuck in
time, without adding to the hefty fees charged by tour companies.
(Note: While millions of tourists visit Cuba each year from Canada,
Europe and elsewhere, Washington's 51-year-old economic embargo still
outlaws most American travel to the island. However, tens of thousands
of U.S. citizens are now visiting legally each year on cultural exchange
trips. These so-called people-to-people tours are rigidly scheduled to
comply with embargo rules, but there's almost always a little free time
to go off on your own, and some of these attractions may also be part of
official itineraries.)
THE MALECON
Begun in 1900 during U.S. occupation and completed in 1958 under
strongman Fulgencio Batista, the Malecon, or seawall, stretches 4 miles
(6 kilometers) from old town to the Almendares River. There's no bad
time of day for a stroll along what's known as "the great sofa" for
being Havana's 24/7 center of social activity. At dawn, fishermen dip
lines into the gentle waves as the city rouses itself from slumber. In
the afternoon, when the sunlight seems impossibly bright – don't forget
the sunblock! – kids keep cool by doing somersaults into the water. But
the Malecon truly comes alive in the evening when thousands gather to
laugh and sip rum, and canoodling couples form romantic silhouettes
against the crimson sky. Weekends at 23rd Street and Malecon are a real
party atmosphere; for a more mellow experience and the best sunsets in
town, pull up some concrete where Paseo Boulevard meets the Florida Straits.
OLD HAVANA
No visit is complete without a leisurely walk through the cobblestoned
Spanish colonial quarter, much of it patiently rehabilitated by the
Havana City Historian's Office. A tour of four public squares is enough
to hit the highlights: intimate Cathedral Square, home to the city's
main Roman Catholic temple; leafy Plaza de Armas, where vendors hawk
books, coins and Ernesto "Che" Guevara memorabilia at a daily flea
market; sun-drenched Plaza Vieja, where uniformed children from a local
school play rollicking games of tag; and breezy Plaza San Francisco, the
jumping-off point for tour buses to Old Havana. The latter teems with
colorfully dressed, cigar-chomping women who make a living as what you
might call officially licensed "greeters," attaching themselves to the
arms of male travelers and leaving lipsticky kiss marks on their cheeks.
A tip is expected if you have your picture taken with them, but a
polite, preemptive "no gracias" before they can pucker up should keep
you on budget.
OLD CARS
Havana doesn't disappoint on its reputation as a living automotive
museum, with finned 1950s Chevrolets, Fords and Cadillacs rarely seen
elsewhere still cruising the city's avenues. While some are barely held
together by makeshift parts and creative soldering, many have been
maintained with surprising amounts of TLC. For a four-wheeled blast from
the past, head to the streets around the wedding-cake-like Capitol
building, where classic car owners park their antiques so nostalgic
tourists can gawk. Motorcycle enthusiasts will delight in the weekly
gathering of the "hogs" just down the hill from the Hotel Nacional.
Members of Havana's tightly knit Harley-Davidson club meet informally
here each Saturday afternoon to show off their vintage rides, nearly all
of them predating the 1959 Cuban Revolution.
ARTISTS' WORKSHOP
See art come alive at the Taller Experimental de Grafica, ensconced at
the end of an alley off Cathedral Square in a former public bathhouse.
Founded in 1962 on "Che's" instructions, the shop hosts dozens of
artists who are remarkably friendly and happy to chat with even the
slightest prompting. Some speak English and will give visitors an
up-close demonstration of how lithographs, etchings and woodcuts get
made. Just about everything you see is for sale, but there's no pressure
to buy. For more free art, walk up gently sloping 23rd Street, also
known "la Rampa," or "the Ramp," where dozens of mosaics by Cuban
masters such as Wilfredo Lam form a sidewalk gallery that goes for
blocks and blocks.
BASEBALL FEVER
Cubans are just as crazy for "beisbol" as Americans, and
Spanish-speaking fans won't want to miss the Central Park's "esquina
caliente," or "hot corner." Named after the baseball term for third
base, this shady spot is a favorite place for Havana residents, mostly
men, to engage all comers in passionate arguments about the sport during
the November-June season. Still haven't gotten your fill of Cuba's
national pastime? A ticket to the raucous bleachers of El Latino
Stadium, home to Havana's most storied ball club, Industriales, costs
just a few pennies' worth in the local currency. Go on, splurge – after
a day in Havana without once opening your pocketbook, you've earned it.
___
Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi
Source: "Havana, Cuba: 5 Free Things To See And Do" -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/free-things-to-do-in-havana-cuba_n_3580159.html
By By PETER ORSI 07/11/13 11:33 AM ET EDT
HAVANA -- For a city where people earn an average of $20 a month at
government jobs, Havana can be a surprisingly pricey place – at least
for tourists.
From $6 daiquiris at El Floridita, Ernest Hemingway's favored watering
hole, to the ubiquitous hustlers looking to con visitors into buying
knock-off cigars, much about the Cuban capital seems geared toward
separating travelers from their money.
Fortunately some of Havana's most charming details can be experienced
free of charge. Here are five great ways to explore this city stuck in
time, without adding to the hefty fees charged by tour companies.
(Note: While millions of tourists visit Cuba each year from Canada,
Europe and elsewhere, Washington's 51-year-old economic embargo still
outlaws most American travel to the island. However, tens of thousands
of U.S. citizens are now visiting legally each year on cultural exchange
trips. These so-called people-to-people tours are rigidly scheduled to
comply with embargo rules, but there's almost always a little free time
to go off on your own, and some of these attractions may also be part of
official itineraries.)
THE MALECON
Begun in 1900 during U.S. occupation and completed in 1958 under
strongman Fulgencio Batista, the Malecon, or seawall, stretches 4 miles
(6 kilometers) from old town to the Almendares River. There's no bad
time of day for a stroll along what's known as "the great sofa" for
being Havana's 24/7 center of social activity. At dawn, fishermen dip
lines into the gentle waves as the city rouses itself from slumber. In
the afternoon, when the sunlight seems impossibly bright – don't forget
the sunblock! – kids keep cool by doing somersaults into the water. But
the Malecon truly comes alive in the evening when thousands gather to
laugh and sip rum, and canoodling couples form romantic silhouettes
against the crimson sky. Weekends at 23rd Street and Malecon are a real
party atmosphere; for a more mellow experience and the best sunsets in
town, pull up some concrete where Paseo Boulevard meets the Florida Straits.
OLD HAVANA
No visit is complete without a leisurely walk through the cobblestoned
Spanish colonial quarter, much of it patiently rehabilitated by the
Havana City Historian's Office. A tour of four public squares is enough
to hit the highlights: intimate Cathedral Square, home to the city's
main Roman Catholic temple; leafy Plaza de Armas, where vendors hawk
books, coins and Ernesto "Che" Guevara memorabilia at a daily flea
market; sun-drenched Plaza Vieja, where uniformed children from a local
school play rollicking games of tag; and breezy Plaza San Francisco, the
jumping-off point for tour buses to Old Havana. The latter teems with
colorfully dressed, cigar-chomping women who make a living as what you
might call officially licensed "greeters," attaching themselves to the
arms of male travelers and leaving lipsticky kiss marks on their cheeks.
A tip is expected if you have your picture taken with them, but a
polite, preemptive "no gracias" before they can pucker up should keep
you on budget.
OLD CARS
Havana doesn't disappoint on its reputation as a living automotive
museum, with finned 1950s Chevrolets, Fords and Cadillacs rarely seen
elsewhere still cruising the city's avenues. While some are barely held
together by makeshift parts and creative soldering, many have been
maintained with surprising amounts of TLC. For a four-wheeled blast from
the past, head to the streets around the wedding-cake-like Capitol
building, where classic car owners park their antiques so nostalgic
tourists can gawk. Motorcycle enthusiasts will delight in the weekly
gathering of the "hogs" just down the hill from the Hotel Nacional.
Members of Havana's tightly knit Harley-Davidson club meet informally
here each Saturday afternoon to show off their vintage rides, nearly all
of them predating the 1959 Cuban Revolution.
ARTISTS' WORKSHOP
See art come alive at the Taller Experimental de Grafica, ensconced at
the end of an alley off Cathedral Square in a former public bathhouse.
Founded in 1962 on "Che's" instructions, the shop hosts dozens of
artists who are remarkably friendly and happy to chat with even the
slightest prompting. Some speak English and will give visitors an
up-close demonstration of how lithographs, etchings and woodcuts get
made. Just about everything you see is for sale, but there's no pressure
to buy. For more free art, walk up gently sloping 23rd Street, also
known "la Rampa," or "the Ramp," where dozens of mosaics by Cuban
masters such as Wilfredo Lam form a sidewalk gallery that goes for
blocks and blocks.
BASEBALL FEVER
Cubans are just as crazy for "beisbol" as Americans, and
Spanish-speaking fans won't want to miss the Central Park's "esquina
caliente," or "hot corner." Named after the baseball term for third
base, this shady spot is a favorite place for Havana residents, mostly
men, to engage all comers in passionate arguments about the sport during
the November-June season. Still haven't gotten your fill of Cuba's
national pastime? A ticket to the raucous bleachers of El Latino
Stadium, home to Havana's most storied ball club, Industriales, costs
just a few pennies' worth in the local currency. Go on, splurge – after
a day in Havana without once opening your pocketbook, you've earned it.
___
Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi
Source: "Havana, Cuba: 5 Free Things To See And Do" -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/11/free-things-to-do-in-havana-cuba_n_3580159.html
2 defectors get their baseball start in Boise
Posted on Saturday, 07.13.13
2 defectors get their baseball start in Boise
BY DAVE SOUTHORN
THE IDAHO STATESMAN
BOISE, Idaho -- As the lights of Cuba disappeared behind him, and he
could barely see the stranger who was captaining the small, two-engine
boat, Carlos Martinez started to worry.
It was three years ago, and Martinez spent 17 hours on that boat in the
Caribbean Sea, trying to defect from Cuba to the Dominican Republic.
On one side, there was a chance to play baseball for a living. On the
other, if he were to be caught, he faced possible arrest and the
probable end of his playing career.
"Big problems - and I didn't know how to swim," the 22-year-old Martinez
said through his Boise Hawks teammate, catcher Rony Rodriguez, who
translated.
Martinez's defection was successful, as was that of his friend, Yasiel
Balaguert, who did so by leaving his team hotel in Mexico during a
baseball tournament in 2010.
Both were signed by the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 30, 2011. Today, they are
relishing their first seasons with the Hawks and excelling early.
"After going through everything, knowing you have to leave your country
behind, to be signed, have on this uniform and play in front of a good
crowd, it finally feels real," Balaguert, 20, said through Boise
pitching coach David Rosario.
As fellow countryman Yasiel Puig creates international headlines and
crushes major-league pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Balaguert and
Martinez have kept a close eye on Puig's rise this baseball season,
providing them with inspiration along the way.
Maybe the inspiration comes from Puig's early stats for the Dodgers: .a
batting average of .394 as of late this week, eight home runs in his
first 35 games.
Or maybe it's the contract he signed last year: $42 million over seven
years.
"It's so great to see, because he's a friend of ours. We stay in touch,"
Balaguert said. "Hopefully we'll get the chance to shine like that and
put our names with other great Cuban players."
So far, Puig hasn't been the only Yasiel making an impact on his team
with a strong build, a strong outfield arm and a strong bat - the
6-foot-2, 215-pound Balaguert is hitting .289 and 23 RBIs.
Martinez (6-4, 230) has made six relief appearances and owns a 3-0
record with a .77 ERA in 11.2, innings.
"They've done a great job," Hawks manager Gary Van Tol said. "They love
to play the game, and I'm sure with their story and situation, where
they come from and where they're at now, they wake up every day feeling
pretty fortunate. And that just filters into the clubhouse."
With that passion for the game, Balaguert and Martinez have quickly
adapted to the Hawks' clubhouse, often seen not just joking around with
each other, but their teammates as well. The Cubs have stressed the
Spanish-speaking players to speak English as much as possible, and have
tutors at each stop to help. At times, teammates like Rodriguez, whose
parents defected from Cuba to Miami before he was born, offer a helping
hand.
"They're great teammates," Rodriguez said. "They went through a lot, and
we understand what they went through, and we're always trying to make it
easy on them, translating for them or whatever they need. I want to help
them."
In 1991, Van Tol got a taste of what young ballplayers like his pair of
Cubans must go through to play professionally in the United States,
along with where they came from.
After his Canadian team lost in the Pan-Am Games in Havana, Van Tol
explored the surrounding area, rather than sulk in the hotel.
"It's beautiful, but it's under Communist rule - you know, those kids
basically risk their lives to get here," Van Tol said. "We're pretty lucky."
The Hawks' clubhouse has its own family feel, but leaving Cuba meant
leaving family behind - Balaguert, who signed for a $400,000 bonus, has
been able to bring his parents to Miami, but he hasn't seen his sister
since he left.
Martinez signed for $250,000; his parents remain in Cuba, though he has
a sister who lives in Miami. He said when Father's Day came around June
16, it wasn't easy - he hasn't seen his father in three years - but he
made his Hawks debut that day in Eugene, getting the win.
"I definitely miss my parents, of course, but they love that I'm here,"
Martinez said. "That's the price a lot of us have to pay to be here."
With Martinez "anchoring the middle of our bullpen," as Van Tol said,
and Balaguert as an outfielder "with a bright, bright future," the
Cubans are taking their first steps toward their ultimate goal:
major-league success, like Puig.
"It feels like we're living our dream," Balaguert said. "It's amazing."
Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com
Source: "BOISE, Idaho: 2 defectors get their baseball start in Boise -
Latest News - MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/13/3498283/2-defectors-get-their-baseball.html
2 defectors get their baseball start in Boise
BY DAVE SOUTHORN
THE IDAHO STATESMAN
BOISE, Idaho -- As the lights of Cuba disappeared behind him, and he
could barely see the stranger who was captaining the small, two-engine
boat, Carlos Martinez started to worry.
It was three years ago, and Martinez spent 17 hours on that boat in the
Caribbean Sea, trying to defect from Cuba to the Dominican Republic.
On one side, there was a chance to play baseball for a living. On the
other, if he were to be caught, he faced possible arrest and the
probable end of his playing career.
"Big problems - and I didn't know how to swim," the 22-year-old Martinez
said through his Boise Hawks teammate, catcher Rony Rodriguez, who
translated.
Martinez's defection was successful, as was that of his friend, Yasiel
Balaguert, who did so by leaving his team hotel in Mexico during a
baseball tournament in 2010.
Both were signed by the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 30, 2011. Today, they are
relishing their first seasons with the Hawks and excelling early.
"After going through everything, knowing you have to leave your country
behind, to be signed, have on this uniform and play in front of a good
crowd, it finally feels real," Balaguert, 20, said through Boise
pitching coach David Rosario.
As fellow countryman Yasiel Puig creates international headlines and
crushes major-league pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Balaguert and
Martinez have kept a close eye on Puig's rise this baseball season,
providing them with inspiration along the way.
Maybe the inspiration comes from Puig's early stats for the Dodgers: .a
batting average of .394 as of late this week, eight home runs in his
first 35 games.
Or maybe it's the contract he signed last year: $42 million over seven
years.
"It's so great to see, because he's a friend of ours. We stay in touch,"
Balaguert said. "Hopefully we'll get the chance to shine like that and
put our names with other great Cuban players."
So far, Puig hasn't been the only Yasiel making an impact on his team
with a strong build, a strong outfield arm and a strong bat - the
6-foot-2, 215-pound Balaguert is hitting .289 and 23 RBIs.
Martinez (6-4, 230) has made six relief appearances and owns a 3-0
record with a .77 ERA in 11.2, innings.
"They've done a great job," Hawks manager Gary Van Tol said. "They love
to play the game, and I'm sure with their story and situation, where
they come from and where they're at now, they wake up every day feeling
pretty fortunate. And that just filters into the clubhouse."
With that passion for the game, Balaguert and Martinez have quickly
adapted to the Hawks' clubhouse, often seen not just joking around with
each other, but their teammates as well. The Cubs have stressed the
Spanish-speaking players to speak English as much as possible, and have
tutors at each stop to help. At times, teammates like Rodriguez, whose
parents defected from Cuba to Miami before he was born, offer a helping
hand.
"They're great teammates," Rodriguez said. "They went through a lot, and
we understand what they went through, and we're always trying to make it
easy on them, translating for them or whatever they need. I want to help
them."
In 1991, Van Tol got a taste of what young ballplayers like his pair of
Cubans must go through to play professionally in the United States,
along with where they came from.
After his Canadian team lost in the Pan-Am Games in Havana, Van Tol
explored the surrounding area, rather than sulk in the hotel.
"It's beautiful, but it's under Communist rule - you know, those kids
basically risk their lives to get here," Van Tol said. "We're pretty lucky."
The Hawks' clubhouse has its own family feel, but leaving Cuba meant
leaving family behind - Balaguert, who signed for a $400,000 bonus, has
been able to bring his parents to Miami, but he hasn't seen his sister
since he left.
Martinez signed for $250,000; his parents remain in Cuba, though he has
a sister who lives in Miami. He said when Father's Day came around June
16, it wasn't easy - he hasn't seen his father in three years - but he
made his Hawks debut that day in Eugene, getting the win.
"I definitely miss my parents, of course, but they love that I'm here,"
Martinez said. "That's the price a lot of us have to pay to be here."
With Martinez "anchoring the middle of our bullpen," as Van Tol said,
and Balaguert as an outfielder "with a bright, bright future," the
Cubans are taking their first steps toward their ultimate goal:
major-league success, like Puig.
"It feels like we're living our dream," Balaguert said. "It's amazing."
Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com
Source: "BOISE, Idaho: 2 defectors get their baseball start in Boise -
Latest News - MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/13/3498283/2-defectors-get-their-baseball.html
Friday, July 12, 2013
Cuban food ration system marks 50 years amid controversy
Cuban food ration system marks 50 years amid controversy
10:14am EDT
By Rosa Tania Valdes
HAVANA | Fri Jul 12, 2013 1:31pm EDT
(Reuters) - Cuba's food-rationing system marked 50 years on Friday amid
controversy, with President Raul Castro facing popular resistance to his
plans to end the benefit as he moves the country from broad subsidies of
goods and utilities to targeted welfare.
Castro quickly began market-oriented reforms in 2008 after he replaced
his ailing brother Fidel, who installed a communist government on the
island nation in the early 1960s. But the younger Castro has criticized
the rationing system as "paternalistic, irrational and unsustainable."
The country spends 25 billion pesos (around $1 billion) annually on
rationing, subsidizing 88 percent of the cost, according to a source
close to the government.
The law establishing the system, known as the "libreta," was passed in
1962, and hundreds of ration stores opened on July 12, 1963.
A lifesaver for some and obsolete for others, eliminating rations has
proved perhaps the most controversial policy Castro has proposed.
"For many, the ration is necessary because it guarantees each month a
little rice, a few eggs, some sugar and milk," said Ignacio Lima, who
manages a small, dark and dingy ration outlet in Havana. "It is not
enough, but it helps a bit and then you go find what you need on the
open market."
After he spoke with a reporter, four shoppers at the store quickly began
debating the merits of the system - a discussion much like the one that
has raged across the Caribbean island for decades.
Olga Raquel Vazquez, 49, said there had to be a better way to feed
people. "The time has come for the ration to disappear," she said.
But Verena Rodriguez, a 72-year-old pensioner at 250 pesos per month,
the equivalent of $10 dollars, insisted she couldn't live without her
"libreta".
"It has to stay because without the ration some of us will eat and
others won't," she said.
"Who has money can buy everything and who doesn't can't," Rodriguez
said, adding that with 10 pesos, or around $0.45, she could buy what was
coming to her on the ration this week.
A LACK OF CONFIDENCE
Cuba has become a more stratified society since the collapse of its
benefactor, the Soviet Union, in the early 1990s. Reforms, such as an
opening to international tourism and foreign investment, the loosening
of restrictions on small businesses and the welcoming of family
remittances, were introduced to manage the economic and social crisis
that followed.
As a result of the reforms, small businessmen, farmers, residents with
family abroad and others now enjoy an income many times that of state
workers and pensioners, yet everyone receives the ration and subsidized
utilities.
"Undoubtedly, the ration book and its removal spurred most of the
contributions of the participants in the debates, and it is only
natural," Castro said in a speech to a Communist Party Congress in 2011,
after sponsoring three public discussion on reforming the economy since
taking over from his brother.
"Generations of Cubans have spent their lives under this ration system
that, despite its harmful egalitarian quality, has for four decades
ensured every citizen access to basic food at highly subsidized derisory
prices," he said.
Despite communism having its roots in social equality, Castro openly
opposes egalitarianism as harmful, saying that people should get what
they deserve through individual effort.
The Congress, as part of a five-year plan to institute further
market-oriented reforms, voted to do away with the ration, promising it
would be replaced by support for poorer Cubans.
But the government, faced with a popular outcry, has instead opted to
chip away at the libreta in hopes of gradually weaning the public off it.
Soap, detergent and cigarettes were first removed, followed by potatoes,
chickpeas and sugar. This month, the government cut in half its monthly
offer of 10 eggs.
Bert Hoffmann, a Cuba expert at the German Institute of Global and Area
Studies in Hamburg, said the resistance to ending the ration revealed a
lack of confidence in the government.
"It's only natural that people hang on to the "libreta", nobody likes to
give up virtually cost-free provisions if he gets nothing in return," he
said.
"And this is where Raul's reforms have failed: Cubans don't trust that
the targeted welfare system that the government promises will be better,
reliable or work at all."
(Writing and additional reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Philip Barbara)
Source: "Cuban food ration system marks 50 years amid controversy |
Reuters" -
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/12/us-cuba-reform-ration-idUSBRE96B0NP20130712?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
10:14am EDT
By Rosa Tania Valdes
HAVANA | Fri Jul 12, 2013 1:31pm EDT
(Reuters) - Cuba's food-rationing system marked 50 years on Friday amid
controversy, with President Raul Castro facing popular resistance to his
plans to end the benefit as he moves the country from broad subsidies of
goods and utilities to targeted welfare.
Castro quickly began market-oriented reforms in 2008 after he replaced
his ailing brother Fidel, who installed a communist government on the
island nation in the early 1960s. But the younger Castro has criticized
the rationing system as "paternalistic, irrational and unsustainable."
The country spends 25 billion pesos (around $1 billion) annually on
rationing, subsidizing 88 percent of the cost, according to a source
close to the government.
The law establishing the system, known as the "libreta," was passed in
1962, and hundreds of ration stores opened on July 12, 1963.
A lifesaver for some and obsolete for others, eliminating rations has
proved perhaps the most controversial policy Castro has proposed.
"For many, the ration is necessary because it guarantees each month a
little rice, a few eggs, some sugar and milk," said Ignacio Lima, who
manages a small, dark and dingy ration outlet in Havana. "It is not
enough, but it helps a bit and then you go find what you need on the
open market."
After he spoke with a reporter, four shoppers at the store quickly began
debating the merits of the system - a discussion much like the one that
has raged across the Caribbean island for decades.
Olga Raquel Vazquez, 49, said there had to be a better way to feed
people. "The time has come for the ration to disappear," she said.
But Verena Rodriguez, a 72-year-old pensioner at 250 pesos per month,
the equivalent of $10 dollars, insisted she couldn't live without her
"libreta".
"It has to stay because without the ration some of us will eat and
others won't," she said.
"Who has money can buy everything and who doesn't can't," Rodriguez
said, adding that with 10 pesos, or around $0.45, she could buy what was
coming to her on the ration this week.
A LACK OF CONFIDENCE
Cuba has become a more stratified society since the collapse of its
benefactor, the Soviet Union, in the early 1990s. Reforms, such as an
opening to international tourism and foreign investment, the loosening
of restrictions on small businesses and the welcoming of family
remittances, were introduced to manage the economic and social crisis
that followed.
As a result of the reforms, small businessmen, farmers, residents with
family abroad and others now enjoy an income many times that of state
workers and pensioners, yet everyone receives the ration and subsidized
utilities.
"Undoubtedly, the ration book and its removal spurred most of the
contributions of the participants in the debates, and it is only
natural," Castro said in a speech to a Communist Party Congress in 2011,
after sponsoring three public discussion on reforming the economy since
taking over from his brother.
"Generations of Cubans have spent their lives under this ration system
that, despite its harmful egalitarian quality, has for four decades
ensured every citizen access to basic food at highly subsidized derisory
prices," he said.
Despite communism having its roots in social equality, Castro openly
opposes egalitarianism as harmful, saying that people should get what
they deserve through individual effort.
The Congress, as part of a five-year plan to institute further
market-oriented reforms, voted to do away with the ration, promising it
would be replaced by support for poorer Cubans.
But the government, faced with a popular outcry, has instead opted to
chip away at the libreta in hopes of gradually weaning the public off it.
Soap, detergent and cigarettes were first removed, followed by potatoes,
chickpeas and sugar. This month, the government cut in half its monthly
offer of 10 eggs.
Bert Hoffmann, a Cuba expert at the German Institute of Global and Area
Studies in Hamburg, said the resistance to ending the ration revealed a
lack of confidence in the government.
"It's only natural that people hang on to the "libreta", nobody likes to
give up virtually cost-free provisions if he gets nothing in return," he
said.
"And this is where Raul's reforms have failed: Cubans don't trust that
the targeted welfare system that the government promises will be better,
reliable or work at all."
(Writing and additional reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Philip Barbara)
Source: "Cuban food ration system marks 50 years amid controversy |
Reuters" -
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/12/us-cuba-reform-ration-idUSBRE96B0NP20130712?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
Citizen Culture and Civics
Citizen Culture and Civics / Fernando Damaso
Posted on July 12, 2013
It is good that the President, although not part of his core
responsibilities and somewhat belatedly, has spoken publicly about the
loss of ethical values and disrespect for morality, problems about which
many citizens had been warning, without being heard, for many years. It
is also good to have noted the deterioration of moral and civic values
such as honesty, decency, shame, decorum, honor and sensitivity to the
problems of others as well as to have come to the conclusion that we
have regressed in citizen culture and civics and that we are a society
increasingly schooled, but not necessarily more educated.
Although in his statement he did not discuss the many causes that have
provoked this terrible situation, preferring to blame the so-called
Special Period, ignoring that material misery generates moral misery,
that man thinks as he lives, and you can not demand of a population that
mostly moves in the margins or close to it, not to be more or less
marginal, or not to steal from the State when it steals from them with
low wages, the dual currency and the high prices they must pay for
services and products.
The balance of the above is positive, especially when it calls for the
establishment of a climate of order, discipline and exigency in Cuban
society and states that can not become one more campaign. Aware of our
extremism, I hope that this call does not become a call for a new witch
hunt, and that they take appropriate measures to avoid it.
From all of the above, the reference to the reversal in citizen culture
and civics is of great importance. Our Apostle, José Martí, spoke of the
need "to be educated to be free."A society cannot be truly free if it is
not educated, regardless of all the instruction its citizens receive.
It's a truth as big as a temple.
Nor can a free society function without the daily practice of
citizenship, which includes, among many things, both the performance of
duties as well as the exercise of rights, in full harmony. I think the
president, who confessed having meditated a great deal about all this,
is aware of the real extent of his plans and their application in
practice shows it.
11 July 2013
Source: "Citizen Culture and Civics / Fernando Damaso | Translating
Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/citizen-culture-and-civics-fernando-damaso/
Posted on July 12, 2013
It is good that the President, although not part of his core
responsibilities and somewhat belatedly, has spoken publicly about the
loss of ethical values and disrespect for morality, problems about which
many citizens had been warning, without being heard, for many years. It
is also good to have noted the deterioration of moral and civic values
such as honesty, decency, shame, decorum, honor and sensitivity to the
problems of others as well as to have come to the conclusion that we
have regressed in citizen culture and civics and that we are a society
increasingly schooled, but not necessarily more educated.
Although in his statement he did not discuss the many causes that have
provoked this terrible situation, preferring to blame the so-called
Special Period, ignoring that material misery generates moral misery,
that man thinks as he lives, and you can not demand of a population that
mostly moves in the margins or close to it, not to be more or less
marginal, or not to steal from the State when it steals from them with
low wages, the dual currency and the high prices they must pay for
services and products.
The balance of the above is positive, especially when it calls for the
establishment of a climate of order, discipline and exigency in Cuban
society and states that can not become one more campaign. Aware of our
extremism, I hope that this call does not become a call for a new witch
hunt, and that they take appropriate measures to avoid it.
From all of the above, the reference to the reversal in citizen culture
and civics is of great importance. Our Apostle, José Martí, spoke of the
need "to be educated to be free."A society cannot be truly free if it is
not educated, regardless of all the instruction its citizens receive.
It's a truth as big as a temple.
Nor can a free society function without the daily practice of
citizenship, which includes, among many things, both the performance of
duties as well as the exercise of rights, in full harmony. I think the
president, who confessed having meditated a great deal about all this,
is aware of the real extent of his plans and their application in
practice shows it.
11 July 2013
Source: "Citizen Culture and Civics / Fernando Damaso | Translating
Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/citizen-culture-and-civics-fernando-damaso/
Cuba marks 50 years of ‘libreta’ ration books but the end is nigh
Cuba marks 50 years of 'libreta' ration books but the end is nigh
12/07 15:06 CET
Food rationing in Cuba is marking its 50th anniversary but the world's
longest running system of its kind is on its way out as part of
government reforms.
The "libreta" as it is known began operating in July 1963 as a temporary
measure to counter US sanctions.
The ration books guarantee basic supplies to everyone, in theory. In
practice there are shortages, Cubans are forced to shop elsewhere and
the system is very costly for the state: 25 billion pesos a year, the
equivalent of around three quarters of a billion euros.
The rations cover the likes of rice, bread and cooking oil – as well as
small quantities of eggs, beans, and chicken or fish. But other items
such as potatoes, soap and toothpaste have been moved to regular
state-run markets.
The system was introduced under Fidel Castro, but his brother and
successor President Raul Castro wants to do away with the ration books.
Some find the move illogical. Even now the system makes some nostalgic
for Cuba's revolution and its charismatic former leader.
"I like Fidel. I am very fond of Fidel. It's all good because if we
didn't have a ration book some would eat and others wouldn't, isn't that
so? Some say they are going to get rid of it but I don't believe that,"
said pensioner Berena Rodriguez.
"They had the chance to do away with it (rationing) when everything was
available and cheap, but they didn't. Now that nothing is available or
cheap, how are they going to get rid of it?" wondered another pensioner
in Havana, Hilda Fajardo.
There is a Cuban saying that nobody can live on ration books, yet many
cannot live without them. There are fears that abolition will hit the
poorest.
President Castro and Congress want to introduce targeted welfare
instead, to support poorer Cubans.
Source: "Cuba marks 50 years of 'libreta' ration books but the end is
nigh | euronews, world news" -
http://www.euronews.com/2013/07/12/cuba-marks-50-years-of-libreta-ration-books-but-the-end-is-nigh/
12/07 15:06 CET
Food rationing in Cuba is marking its 50th anniversary but the world's
longest running system of its kind is on its way out as part of
government reforms.
The "libreta" as it is known began operating in July 1963 as a temporary
measure to counter US sanctions.
The ration books guarantee basic supplies to everyone, in theory. In
practice there are shortages, Cubans are forced to shop elsewhere and
the system is very costly for the state: 25 billion pesos a year, the
equivalent of around three quarters of a billion euros.
The rations cover the likes of rice, bread and cooking oil – as well as
small quantities of eggs, beans, and chicken or fish. But other items
such as potatoes, soap and toothpaste have been moved to regular
state-run markets.
The system was introduced under Fidel Castro, but his brother and
successor President Raul Castro wants to do away with the ration books.
Some find the move illogical. Even now the system makes some nostalgic
for Cuba's revolution and its charismatic former leader.
"I like Fidel. I am very fond of Fidel. It's all good because if we
didn't have a ration book some would eat and others wouldn't, isn't that
so? Some say they are going to get rid of it but I don't believe that,"
said pensioner Berena Rodriguez.
"They had the chance to do away with it (rationing) when everything was
available and cheap, but they didn't. Now that nothing is available or
cheap, how are they going to get rid of it?" wondered another pensioner
in Havana, Hilda Fajardo.
There is a Cuban saying that nobody can live on ration books, yet many
cannot live without them. There are fears that abolition will hit the
poorest.
President Castro and Congress want to introduce targeted welfare
instead, to support poorer Cubans.
Source: "Cuba marks 50 years of 'libreta' ration books but the end is
nigh | euronews, world news" -
http://www.euronews.com/2013/07/12/cuba-marks-50-years-of-libreta-ration-books-but-the-end-is-nigh/
The Gloves are Off
Cuba: The Gloves are Off
July 11, 2013
Raul Castro's Remarks on Cuba's Social Crises
Fernando Ravsberg*
HAVANA TIMES — Making Cuba's official discourse reflect more and more
aspects of everyday reality may well be one of the most important
political processes undertaken on the island today. President Raul
Castro's pronouncements Sunday to the parliament were a clear expression
of this process.
He began by saying his criticisms would help the international press
disparage Cuba, but went on to suggest that restricting the public
debate of economic, political and social problems simply to deprive the
enemy of potential weapons is misguided.
He called "to discuss reality unflinchingly", because "the first step
towards overcoming any problem effectively is acknowledging its
existence, in all its dimensions, and looking for the causes and
conditions which have brought about the phenomenon."
I admit I was somewhat surprised he publicly criticized such a broad
range of domestic problems. Half-jokingly, a good friend of mine, an
avid reader of Letters from Cuba ("Cartas desde Cuba"), said to me:
"he's left you without any topics for your blog."
To tell the truth, I don't believe Raul Castro's speech will deprive
national or foreign newspapers of any work. On the contrary, his
diagnosis invites journalists to delve more deeply into some of the ills
which Cuban society continues to endure and to explore possible treatments.
"The first step towards overcoming any problem effectively is
acknowledging its existence, in all its dimensions, and looking for the
causes and conditions which have brought about the phenomenon."
Countless pieces of investigative or sociological journalism could be
written about the "marked decline of such moral and civic values as
honesty, decency, shame, decorum, integrity and sensitivity towards the
problems of others."
I don't particularly believe these problems are more severe in Cuba than
in other societies and feel there is still time to revert their effects.
Cuba has "modernized" slowly and, for better or for worse, Cubans still
do many things the old-fashioned way.
Till last year, cars and houses were still being bought and sold without
any paperwork; supporting a relative is part of a deeply-rooted national
culture; any neighbor "throws you a lifeline" when your food runs out
before the end of the month and, for most people, loyalty among friends
is still more important than making a profit.
It is also true, however, that Cubans began to shed many of these
qualities during the economic crisis of the 1990s, and that this process
could well pick up speed with the inevitable liberalization of the
"market" and as a result of the social toxins this will invariably
inject into society.
Frankly, I am unsure as to whether the fight against the demons awakened
by modernization can be won. The Cuban president is proposing a
long-term strategy, mindful of the education of new generations through
the culture the reform process intends to build.
"I have the bitter impression that, as a society, we are increasingly
more educated, but not necessarily more cultured," he stated. This
impression could be taken as a point of departure for the redesign of
Cuba's education system, as a call to stop extolling its achievements
and begin rethinking it as a cultural instrument.
Little was left unsaid by Raul Castro, who spoke of the country's low
salaries, the two-currency system, the generalized practice of stealing
from State companies, the corruption of public officials, cases of fraud
in education, vandalism, illegal construction work and the degradation
of civic customs.
The president got the gist of the matter when he blamed part of the
prevailing social chaos on "the lack of respect, in the first place,
towards State entities of the country's institutional framework,
something which undermines their authority and ability to demand that
the population adhere to existing regulations."
Without a doubt, Cubans must start to put their house in order at the
top, because, socially speaking, a high official who gets rich on bribes
is far more noxious that 1,000 workers who "pinch" here and there to
stretch their salaries some and be able to make ends meet.
Managers who steal from their companies are, after all, the main
suppliers of Cuba's black market, and most illegal practices are carried
out with the blessing of public officials who, in exchange for a bit of
hard currency, would authorize the building of lofts in the Capitolio
building itself.
The president criticized the fact "this happens right under our noses,
meeting with no condemnation or opposition from citizens." The truth,
however, is that people do not have access to, or are unaware of, the
institutional mechanisms though which they can claim their rights or
demand adherence to the law.
There is no ombudsman's office, in Cuba, which protects the rights of
citizens or consumers, and few people know how to proceed when an
inspector requests a bribe, where to submit a complaint against a police
officer or who to turn to when a manager steals from one's company.
Some of the old mechanisms currently in place are out of date, rusty or
corrupted. If the government has any intention of having citizens
participate "in a permanent civic movement", it would help to provide
these citizens with institutions capable of addressing, processing and
giving legal form to such civic actions.
These challenges notwithstanding, speaking about the crisis faced by
society in a straightforward manner will help Cubans identify with their
government's political discourse, particularly if it begins to address
their everyday life and the problems they face.
—–
(*) A Havana Times translation of the original posted in Spanish by BBC
Mundo.
Source: "Raul Castro's Remarks on Cuba Today" -
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=96265
July 11, 2013
Raul Castro's Remarks on Cuba's Social Crises
Fernando Ravsberg*
HAVANA TIMES — Making Cuba's official discourse reflect more and more
aspects of everyday reality may well be one of the most important
political processes undertaken on the island today. President Raul
Castro's pronouncements Sunday to the parliament were a clear expression
of this process.
He began by saying his criticisms would help the international press
disparage Cuba, but went on to suggest that restricting the public
debate of economic, political and social problems simply to deprive the
enemy of potential weapons is misguided.
He called "to discuss reality unflinchingly", because "the first step
towards overcoming any problem effectively is acknowledging its
existence, in all its dimensions, and looking for the causes and
conditions which have brought about the phenomenon."
I admit I was somewhat surprised he publicly criticized such a broad
range of domestic problems. Half-jokingly, a good friend of mine, an
avid reader of Letters from Cuba ("Cartas desde Cuba"), said to me:
"he's left you without any topics for your blog."
To tell the truth, I don't believe Raul Castro's speech will deprive
national or foreign newspapers of any work. On the contrary, his
diagnosis invites journalists to delve more deeply into some of the ills
which Cuban society continues to endure and to explore possible treatments.
"The first step towards overcoming any problem effectively is
acknowledging its existence, in all its dimensions, and looking for the
causes and conditions which have brought about the phenomenon."
Countless pieces of investigative or sociological journalism could be
written about the "marked decline of such moral and civic values as
honesty, decency, shame, decorum, integrity and sensitivity towards the
problems of others."
I don't particularly believe these problems are more severe in Cuba than
in other societies and feel there is still time to revert their effects.
Cuba has "modernized" slowly and, for better or for worse, Cubans still
do many things the old-fashioned way.
Till last year, cars and houses were still being bought and sold without
any paperwork; supporting a relative is part of a deeply-rooted national
culture; any neighbor "throws you a lifeline" when your food runs out
before the end of the month and, for most people, loyalty among friends
is still more important than making a profit.
It is also true, however, that Cubans began to shed many of these
qualities during the economic crisis of the 1990s, and that this process
could well pick up speed with the inevitable liberalization of the
"market" and as a result of the social toxins this will invariably
inject into society.
Frankly, I am unsure as to whether the fight against the demons awakened
by modernization can be won. The Cuban president is proposing a
long-term strategy, mindful of the education of new generations through
the culture the reform process intends to build.
"I have the bitter impression that, as a society, we are increasingly
more educated, but not necessarily more cultured," he stated. This
impression could be taken as a point of departure for the redesign of
Cuba's education system, as a call to stop extolling its achievements
and begin rethinking it as a cultural instrument.
Little was left unsaid by Raul Castro, who spoke of the country's low
salaries, the two-currency system, the generalized practice of stealing
from State companies, the corruption of public officials, cases of fraud
in education, vandalism, illegal construction work and the degradation
of civic customs.
The president got the gist of the matter when he blamed part of the
prevailing social chaos on "the lack of respect, in the first place,
towards State entities of the country's institutional framework,
something which undermines their authority and ability to demand that
the population adhere to existing regulations."
Without a doubt, Cubans must start to put their house in order at the
top, because, socially speaking, a high official who gets rich on bribes
is far more noxious that 1,000 workers who "pinch" here and there to
stretch their salaries some and be able to make ends meet.
Managers who steal from their companies are, after all, the main
suppliers of Cuba's black market, and most illegal practices are carried
out with the blessing of public officials who, in exchange for a bit of
hard currency, would authorize the building of lofts in the Capitolio
building itself.
The president criticized the fact "this happens right under our noses,
meeting with no condemnation or opposition from citizens." The truth,
however, is that people do not have access to, or are unaware of, the
institutional mechanisms though which they can claim their rights or
demand adherence to the law.
There is no ombudsman's office, in Cuba, which protects the rights of
citizens or consumers, and few people know how to proceed when an
inspector requests a bribe, where to submit a complaint against a police
officer or who to turn to when a manager steals from one's company.
Some of the old mechanisms currently in place are out of date, rusty or
corrupted. If the government has any intention of having citizens
participate "in a permanent civic movement", it would help to provide
these citizens with institutions capable of addressing, processing and
giving legal form to such civic actions.
These challenges notwithstanding, speaking about the crisis faced by
society in a straightforward manner will help Cubans identify with their
government's political discourse, particularly if it begins to address
their everyday life and the problems they face.
—–
(*) A Havana Times translation of the original posted in Spanish by BBC
Mundo.
Source: "Raul Castro's Remarks on Cuba Today" -
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=96265
Cholera in Havana with Fatalities
Cholera in Havana with Fatalities / Dania Virgen Garcia
Posted on July 11, 2013
HAVANA, Cuba, 9 July 2013, Dania Virgen García/ www.cubanet.org.- For
several days there has been an increase in the cases of cholera in the
provinces of Havana and Guantánamo.
In Havana, where there are reports of more than 40 children admitted to
the hospital, the municipalities most affected are Diez de Octubre and
Cerro.
In Cerro pediatric hospital there are more than 37 children; in Accion
Medica hospital, at Coco and Rabi, Santos Surez in the municipality of
Diez de Octubre, on July 5 four cases were transferred to Cerro
pediatric hospital.
At Pasteur Polyclinic, on Santa Catalina Street, also in Diez de
Octubre, on the 5th, a three-year-old boy, Abel Lizuela Martinez, was
transferred in a delicate state to Cerro Pediatric
From Guantánamo, at the opposite end of the country, Niober García
Fournier of the Cuban Youth Movement for Democracy, reported another
death from cholera: that of José de la Cruz Castillo, 42 years old,
resident in 12 Sur, between Santa Rita and San Gregorio, on July 1. He
was in Room 12 Bed 3 in Agostino Neto Provincial Hospital. His wake was
held for six hours. The health authorities barred the family from access
to the interior of the funeral home, so they had to hold the wake for
him in the street. The deceased worked in the provincial Meat Company.
Also, in Guantanamo prison there is a quarantine for cholera. Visits and
the bringing in of articles to meet the basic needs of the inmates are
restricted.
10 July 2013
Source: "Cholera in Havana with Fatalities / Dania Virgen Garcia |
Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/cholera-in-havana-with-fatalities-dania-virgen-garcia/
Posted on July 11, 2013
HAVANA, Cuba, 9 July 2013, Dania Virgen García/ www.cubanet.org.- For
several days there has been an increase in the cases of cholera in the
provinces of Havana and Guantánamo.
In Havana, where there are reports of more than 40 children admitted to
the hospital, the municipalities most affected are Diez de Octubre and
Cerro.
In Cerro pediatric hospital there are more than 37 children; in Accion
Medica hospital, at Coco and Rabi, Santos Surez in the municipality of
Diez de Octubre, on July 5 four cases were transferred to Cerro
pediatric hospital.
At Pasteur Polyclinic, on Santa Catalina Street, also in Diez de
Octubre, on the 5th, a three-year-old boy, Abel Lizuela Martinez, was
transferred in a delicate state to Cerro Pediatric
From Guantánamo, at the opposite end of the country, Niober García
Fournier of the Cuban Youth Movement for Democracy, reported another
death from cholera: that of José de la Cruz Castillo, 42 years old,
resident in 12 Sur, between Santa Rita and San Gregorio, on July 1. He
was in Room 12 Bed 3 in Agostino Neto Provincial Hospital. His wake was
held for six hours. The health authorities barred the family from access
to the interior of the funeral home, so they had to hold the wake for
him in the street. The deceased worked in the provincial Meat Company.
Also, in Guantanamo prison there is a quarantine for cholera. Visits and
the bringing in of articles to meet the basic needs of the inmates are
restricted.
10 July 2013
Source: "Cholera in Havana with Fatalities / Dania Virgen Garcia |
Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/cholera-in-havana-with-fatalities-dania-virgen-garcia/
Cuba Shows Beginnings of Free Enterprise—Sort of
Cuba Shows Beginnings of Free Enterprise—Sort of
Published: Friday, 12 Jul 2013 | 10:03 AM ET
By: Michelle Caruso-Cabrera | CNBC Chief International Correspondent
HAVANA, Cuba—In a rare demonstration of openness, the Cuban government
invited a group of business journalists to Cuba this week for a
show-and-tell about changes it's making to the Cuban economy.
Journalists from CNBC, the Economist, and others from Germany,
Argentina, and Canada are here to see what the socialist country is
trying to show off.
The timing coincided with a new law which took effect July 1—legislation
allowing individuals, for the first time since the country turned
socialist in 1959, to join together and form businesses in
non-agricultural sectors of the economy. Neither the government nor
anyone else here uses the word "business." Instead they use the word
"cooperative."
'Cooperatives' Hard to Find
Regardless of the name, individuals involved in certain trades are now
permitted to form a business, run it without the intervention of the
state, and most importantly, to keep the profits for themselves. (They
still must pay taxes.) The groups can start from scratch, or as has
proven more common in the early going, they can take over previously
state-run businesses that the government is willing to hand over.
Especially inefficient sectors, such as transportation and construction,
are being offered to private hands.
The efforts appear to have gotten off to a slow start. In a week-long
program packed with events, visits, news conferences, and a cocktail
party, the government did not show visiting reporters any of the new
cooperatives—which the minister of employment said now number 197, in
the restaurant, construction, industry, and transportation sector.
CNBC tried to find some independently, but a new transportation group
told us its start had been delayed. A privately-run wholesale warehouse
on the outskirts of town, which was set to open July 1, stood empty. The
guard told us it would open in a few weeks. A group of nine
air-conditioning repairmen who took over a state-run air conditioning
business invited CNBC to their headquarters at a small house in the
suburb of Miramar, but then told us they didn't want to speak with us.
It is unclear why.
When $2 a Day Is Good Money
What the government did show reporters were the results of an earlier
reform begun two years ago in which individuals were allowed to be
self-employed in certain categories and even have a small number of
employees. One example was that of 57-year-old Silvia Lopez Noda, who
opened a new shop in March dedicated to selling the colorful clothing
used in ceremonies for the Yoruba religion.
Lopez's storefront is freshly painted (a rarity here) with a modern
retail layout. In the back three employees sit at 1950s-era Singer
sewing machines making the sequined and satin dresses sold out front.
Lopez told us she was selling roughly $100 worth of clothing per day.
She pays the seamstress well above the average salary—roughly $2 a day,
or between $40 and $60 a month. State workers make only $19 a month.
When all is said and done, after paying taxes, Lopez said she clears
$130 to $172 a month.
That a store which uses 1950s-era Singer sewing machines is the shining
star of a government-backed tour highlights just how far behind the
country is economically speaking and how far it has to go.
Throughout the visit, government leaders who spoke with the press went
through great pains to say Cuba is not turning its back on socialism. In
a rare appearance, the former minister of planning who is now in charge
of the reform process, Marino Murillo Jorge, told journalists the
changes were being made because "we are constructing a sustainable
socialist society," emphasis on the sustainable.
However, in a statement that would have been inconceivable just a few
years ago, Murillo also told reporters during a news conference, "Life
has shown us that the government cannot occupy all of the economy."
Extremely Rare Invitation
Invitations to American journalists by the Cuban government are
extremely rare, so the invitation that CNBC received is itself
newsworthy. Even the government's decisions on what to show
journalists—and what not to show—can prove revealing.
For more than a decade, CNBC has made repeated requests for visas in
order to do stories about the Duban economy, and been rejected every
time. Only in the case of large events such as the recent visit of the
Pope, and Jimmy Carter's visit in 2002, have the visas been granted, and
with no access to any officials involved in the economy.
Other journalists on the trip expressed similar frustrations with past
attempts to speak with Cuban government officials or to get an inside
look at the workings of the state-run economy.
Source: "Cuba Shows Beginnings of Free Enterprise—Sort of" -
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100882235
Published: Friday, 12 Jul 2013 | 10:03 AM ET
By: Michelle Caruso-Cabrera | CNBC Chief International Correspondent
HAVANA, Cuba—In a rare demonstration of openness, the Cuban government
invited a group of business journalists to Cuba this week for a
show-and-tell about changes it's making to the Cuban economy.
Journalists from CNBC, the Economist, and others from Germany,
Argentina, and Canada are here to see what the socialist country is
trying to show off.
The timing coincided with a new law which took effect July 1—legislation
allowing individuals, for the first time since the country turned
socialist in 1959, to join together and form businesses in
non-agricultural sectors of the economy. Neither the government nor
anyone else here uses the word "business." Instead they use the word
"cooperative."
'Cooperatives' Hard to Find
Regardless of the name, individuals involved in certain trades are now
permitted to form a business, run it without the intervention of the
state, and most importantly, to keep the profits for themselves. (They
still must pay taxes.) The groups can start from scratch, or as has
proven more common in the early going, they can take over previously
state-run businesses that the government is willing to hand over.
Especially inefficient sectors, such as transportation and construction,
are being offered to private hands.
The efforts appear to have gotten off to a slow start. In a week-long
program packed with events, visits, news conferences, and a cocktail
party, the government did not show visiting reporters any of the new
cooperatives—which the minister of employment said now number 197, in
the restaurant, construction, industry, and transportation sector.
CNBC tried to find some independently, but a new transportation group
told us its start had been delayed. A privately-run wholesale warehouse
on the outskirts of town, which was set to open July 1, stood empty. The
guard told us it would open in a few weeks. A group of nine
air-conditioning repairmen who took over a state-run air conditioning
business invited CNBC to their headquarters at a small house in the
suburb of Miramar, but then told us they didn't want to speak with us.
It is unclear why.
When $2 a Day Is Good Money
What the government did show reporters were the results of an earlier
reform begun two years ago in which individuals were allowed to be
self-employed in certain categories and even have a small number of
employees. One example was that of 57-year-old Silvia Lopez Noda, who
opened a new shop in March dedicated to selling the colorful clothing
used in ceremonies for the Yoruba religion.
Lopez's storefront is freshly painted (a rarity here) with a modern
retail layout. In the back three employees sit at 1950s-era Singer
sewing machines making the sequined and satin dresses sold out front.
Lopez told us she was selling roughly $100 worth of clothing per day.
She pays the seamstress well above the average salary—roughly $2 a day,
or between $40 and $60 a month. State workers make only $19 a month.
When all is said and done, after paying taxes, Lopez said she clears
$130 to $172 a month.
That a store which uses 1950s-era Singer sewing machines is the shining
star of a government-backed tour highlights just how far behind the
country is economically speaking and how far it has to go.
Throughout the visit, government leaders who spoke with the press went
through great pains to say Cuba is not turning its back on socialism. In
a rare appearance, the former minister of planning who is now in charge
of the reform process, Marino Murillo Jorge, told journalists the
changes were being made because "we are constructing a sustainable
socialist society," emphasis on the sustainable.
However, in a statement that would have been inconceivable just a few
years ago, Murillo also told reporters during a news conference, "Life
has shown us that the government cannot occupy all of the economy."
Extremely Rare Invitation
Invitations to American journalists by the Cuban government are
extremely rare, so the invitation that CNBC received is itself
newsworthy. Even the government's decisions on what to show
journalists—and what not to show—can prove revealing.
For more than a decade, CNBC has made repeated requests for visas in
order to do stories about the Duban economy, and been rejected every
time. Only in the case of large events such as the recent visit of the
Pope, and Jimmy Carter's visit in 2002, have the visas been granted, and
with no access to any officials involved in the economy.
Other journalists on the trip expressed similar frustrations with past
attempts to speak with Cuban government officials or to get an inside
look at the workings of the state-run economy.
Source: "Cuba Shows Beginnings of Free Enterprise—Sort of" -
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100882235
La era está pariendo una bicicleta
La era está pariendo una bicicleta
PABLO PASCUAL MÉNDEZ PIÑA | La Habana | 12 Jul 2013 - 10:18 am.
Ante el desastre del transporte público, no se le ocurre a las
autoridades otra cosa que ofrecer como alternativa la bicicleta. Otra vez.
Ante la debacle del transporte urbano, el Gobierno implementará un plan
urgente que incluye el uso de bicicletas como alternativa para la
movilidad de pasajeros, medida que desempolva los años cruentos del
"periodo especial".
En la reunión del Consejo Ministros celebrada el pasado sábado 29 de
junio en el MINFAR, el vicepresidente Marino Murillo Jorge analizó el
deterioro del estado técnico de los equipos y calificó de "inestable,
insuficiente y de baja calidad" el reordenamiento del transporte urbano
en La Habana, reconociendo a la vez "la evasión de pagos de los
pasajeros y el robo impune de la recaudación por parte de los
trabajadores del sector".
El zar de la economía raulista evaluó como "deficientes" las gestiones
de las empresas de ómnibus, incluyendo las lanchas de la bahía habanera
y el limitado empleo del ferrocarril, señalando que los principales
insumos para estas labores —combustible y piezas de reposición— son
adquiridos en el mercado negro y el propio sistema estatal funge como su
principal proveedor.
Los integrantes del Consejo de Ministros, junto a su presidente,
propusieron rediseñar sistemas de incentivos con bonificaciones,
excepciones de impuestos e, incluso, subsidios para evitar incrementos
de los precios de las transportaciones.
La reunión se desarrolló a menos de quince metros de un parqueo
abarrotado de automóviles de última generación, destinados al uso de los
miembros del gabinete presidencial de Raúl Castro.
Vistazo a la calle
En la capital, los carros no tienen tan buen talante, los modernos
ómnibus Yutong de fabricación china, importados durante los años 2005 y
2006, ya exhiben partes de sus carrocerías chamuscadas por el oxido y
sus sistemas de escape despiden humaredas negras por la mala combustión.
Los vehículos particulares destinados al transporte de pasajeros
sobrepasan los treinta años de uso. Muchos han sido re-motorizados para
utilizar combustible diesel con el objetivo de recorrer más kilómetros
por litros, y en el caso de los "almendrones" (automóviles de la primera
mitad del siglo XX), la mayoría de sus carrocerías perdió sus líneas
clásicas, como consecuencia de las adaptaciones para aumentar el número
de asientos.
Las guaguas de las rutas "P", que brindan mejor servicio en la empresa
estatal de ómnibus "Metrobus", pueden tardar hasta 40 minutos en llegar
a las paradas, mientras otros recorridos como los de las rutas 8 y 34
sobrepasan la hora.
Solicitando el anonimato, un exfuncionario del Ministerio de Transporte
alega que el Gobierno adquirió en los mercados de China y Ucrania más de
900 ómnibus, cuyos precios mayoristas fueron negociados por la bagatela
de 30 mil dólares por unidad, a pesar de que su costo en el mercado
mundial rondaba los 100 mil dólares.
La parte cubana comenzó a incumplir con los pagos y el suministro de
piezas de repuesto fue cortado por los acreedores. "Así comenzaron los
problemas en el transporte urbano", apuntó el exfuncionario.
Puso de ejemplo que en la base de transportes interprovincial Augusto
César Sandino, sita en calle 20 de Mayo y Patria en el municipio
capitalino del Cerro, los vehículos comenzaron a pararse por averías
insignificantes, tales como intercambio de filtro de petróleo.
Pronto comenzó un proceso de "canibalismo" (extracción de parte y piezas
para reparar otros equipos) que terminó estropeando severamente más del
70% del parque automotor sin haber cumplido su periodo de vida útil. "Lo
paradójico del caso", agregó la fuente, "es que Cuba, aún no ha pagado
por esas guaguas".
Atisbo al pasado
Buenaventura Martínez tiene 86 años, vive en el municipio Cerro y fue
uno de los choferes que trabajó en la Cooperativa de Ómnibus Aliados
(COA) antes de ser nacionalizada.
Él atesora un paquete de recortes amarillentos con datos de la empresa,
que llegó a pagar anualmente más de 20 millones de pesos a sus cerca de
12 mil empleados.
Dice que la empresa estaba perfectamente organizada. Su equipo de
dirección creó talleres para reparar las carrocerías y motores, y las
contribuciones del sector del transporte estaban destinadas
exclusivamente al Ministerio de Obras Públicas, para el mejoramiento de
los viales, ya que estos garantizaban la conservación de los equipos.
En la década del 50, la empresa renovó su parque automotor, con la
adquisición de más de 600 ómnibus de la marca General Motors. Según los
expertos, esta generación de autobuses era la más moderna y eficiente
que había construido la industria norteamericana. 600 ómnibus adquiridos
frente a los 900 adquiridos más recientemente, y La Habana por entonces
tenía una población cercana a los 800 mil habitantes, menos de un tercio
de la actual.
Por un bici-socialismo próspero y sustentable
Para Félix Chamizo, un electricista industrial de 57 años que guardó sus
alicates y destornilladores para ponerse detrás de un mostrador y vender
churros por cuenta propia, el colapso del transporte público y la
propuesta de usar bicicletas como medio alternativo, significa que "la
segunda parte de la película de terror Periodo Especial comenzará a
rodarse próximamente".
Comenta que en el año 1992 le vendieron en su centro laboral una
bicicleta china y desde entonces la emplea para trasladarse por la
ciudad. Sin embargo, le parece una burla que de nuevo obliguen montar
bicicletas a una población envejecida, cuyo 60% sobrepasa la edad de 40
años.
Félix evade las guaguas y monta bicicleta moderadamente, ya que ha
presentado síntomas de inflamación en la próstata. Sugiere que es
necesario "jamar bien" para el gasto de energía que demanda el pedaleo,
lo que representa un inconveniente en Cuba por las escaseces y altos
precios de los alimentos.
Y cuando se le informó que, según estudios hechos por científicos
británicos, el déficit alimentario y el exceso de ejercicio que sufrió
la población cubana durante los años cruentos del "periodo especial"
disminuyeron el riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares y en general,
benefició a la salud de la población, Félix respondió: "Esos científicos
son unos hijos de p…".
Source: "La era está pariendo una bicicleta | Diario de Cuba" -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1373409057_4152.html
PABLO PASCUAL MÉNDEZ PIÑA | La Habana | 12 Jul 2013 - 10:18 am.
Ante el desastre del transporte público, no se le ocurre a las
autoridades otra cosa que ofrecer como alternativa la bicicleta. Otra vez.
Ante la debacle del transporte urbano, el Gobierno implementará un plan
urgente que incluye el uso de bicicletas como alternativa para la
movilidad de pasajeros, medida que desempolva los años cruentos del
"periodo especial".
En la reunión del Consejo Ministros celebrada el pasado sábado 29 de
junio en el MINFAR, el vicepresidente Marino Murillo Jorge analizó el
deterioro del estado técnico de los equipos y calificó de "inestable,
insuficiente y de baja calidad" el reordenamiento del transporte urbano
en La Habana, reconociendo a la vez "la evasión de pagos de los
pasajeros y el robo impune de la recaudación por parte de los
trabajadores del sector".
El zar de la economía raulista evaluó como "deficientes" las gestiones
de las empresas de ómnibus, incluyendo las lanchas de la bahía habanera
y el limitado empleo del ferrocarril, señalando que los principales
insumos para estas labores —combustible y piezas de reposición— son
adquiridos en el mercado negro y el propio sistema estatal funge como su
principal proveedor.
Los integrantes del Consejo de Ministros, junto a su presidente,
propusieron rediseñar sistemas de incentivos con bonificaciones,
excepciones de impuestos e, incluso, subsidios para evitar incrementos
de los precios de las transportaciones.
La reunión se desarrolló a menos de quince metros de un parqueo
abarrotado de automóviles de última generación, destinados al uso de los
miembros del gabinete presidencial de Raúl Castro.
Vistazo a la calle
En la capital, los carros no tienen tan buen talante, los modernos
ómnibus Yutong de fabricación china, importados durante los años 2005 y
2006, ya exhiben partes de sus carrocerías chamuscadas por el oxido y
sus sistemas de escape despiden humaredas negras por la mala combustión.
Los vehículos particulares destinados al transporte de pasajeros
sobrepasan los treinta años de uso. Muchos han sido re-motorizados para
utilizar combustible diesel con el objetivo de recorrer más kilómetros
por litros, y en el caso de los "almendrones" (automóviles de la primera
mitad del siglo XX), la mayoría de sus carrocerías perdió sus líneas
clásicas, como consecuencia de las adaptaciones para aumentar el número
de asientos.
Las guaguas de las rutas "P", que brindan mejor servicio en la empresa
estatal de ómnibus "Metrobus", pueden tardar hasta 40 minutos en llegar
a las paradas, mientras otros recorridos como los de las rutas 8 y 34
sobrepasan la hora.
Solicitando el anonimato, un exfuncionario del Ministerio de Transporte
alega que el Gobierno adquirió en los mercados de China y Ucrania más de
900 ómnibus, cuyos precios mayoristas fueron negociados por la bagatela
de 30 mil dólares por unidad, a pesar de que su costo en el mercado
mundial rondaba los 100 mil dólares.
La parte cubana comenzó a incumplir con los pagos y el suministro de
piezas de repuesto fue cortado por los acreedores. "Así comenzaron los
problemas en el transporte urbano", apuntó el exfuncionario.
Puso de ejemplo que en la base de transportes interprovincial Augusto
César Sandino, sita en calle 20 de Mayo y Patria en el municipio
capitalino del Cerro, los vehículos comenzaron a pararse por averías
insignificantes, tales como intercambio de filtro de petróleo.
Pronto comenzó un proceso de "canibalismo" (extracción de parte y piezas
para reparar otros equipos) que terminó estropeando severamente más del
70% del parque automotor sin haber cumplido su periodo de vida útil. "Lo
paradójico del caso", agregó la fuente, "es que Cuba, aún no ha pagado
por esas guaguas".
Atisbo al pasado
Buenaventura Martínez tiene 86 años, vive en el municipio Cerro y fue
uno de los choferes que trabajó en la Cooperativa de Ómnibus Aliados
(COA) antes de ser nacionalizada.
Él atesora un paquete de recortes amarillentos con datos de la empresa,
que llegó a pagar anualmente más de 20 millones de pesos a sus cerca de
12 mil empleados.
Dice que la empresa estaba perfectamente organizada. Su equipo de
dirección creó talleres para reparar las carrocerías y motores, y las
contribuciones del sector del transporte estaban destinadas
exclusivamente al Ministerio de Obras Públicas, para el mejoramiento de
los viales, ya que estos garantizaban la conservación de los equipos.
En la década del 50, la empresa renovó su parque automotor, con la
adquisición de más de 600 ómnibus de la marca General Motors. Según los
expertos, esta generación de autobuses era la más moderna y eficiente
que había construido la industria norteamericana. 600 ómnibus adquiridos
frente a los 900 adquiridos más recientemente, y La Habana por entonces
tenía una población cercana a los 800 mil habitantes, menos de un tercio
de la actual.
Por un bici-socialismo próspero y sustentable
Para Félix Chamizo, un electricista industrial de 57 años que guardó sus
alicates y destornilladores para ponerse detrás de un mostrador y vender
churros por cuenta propia, el colapso del transporte público y la
propuesta de usar bicicletas como medio alternativo, significa que "la
segunda parte de la película de terror Periodo Especial comenzará a
rodarse próximamente".
Comenta que en el año 1992 le vendieron en su centro laboral una
bicicleta china y desde entonces la emplea para trasladarse por la
ciudad. Sin embargo, le parece una burla que de nuevo obliguen montar
bicicletas a una población envejecida, cuyo 60% sobrepasa la edad de 40
años.
Félix evade las guaguas y monta bicicleta moderadamente, ya que ha
presentado síntomas de inflamación en la próstata. Sugiere que es
necesario "jamar bien" para el gasto de energía que demanda el pedaleo,
lo que representa un inconveniente en Cuba por las escaseces y altos
precios de los alimentos.
Y cuando se le informó que, según estudios hechos por científicos
británicos, el déficit alimentario y el exceso de ejercicio que sufrió
la población cubana durante los años cruentos del "periodo especial"
disminuyeron el riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares y en general,
benefició a la salud de la población, Félix respondió: "Esos científicos
son unos hijos de p…".
Source: "La era está pariendo una bicicleta | Diario de Cuba" -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1373409057_4152.html
SA-Cuba medical programme criticised
SA-Cuba medical programme criticised
July 11 2013 at 02:40pm
By Matthew Hirsch
Pretoria - Medical experts have criticised the South African-Cuban
doctor programme, saying the South African doctors were not adequately
equipped when they came home.
Last week, 62 medical students returned from Cuba to begin the last leg
of their training to become qualified doctors.
According to the Department of Health, there are 1 003 South African
medical students training in Cuba.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi aims to increase the number of doctors
trained in South Africa from 1 200 to 3 600 a year, with local medical
schools already having upped their intake by 160 last year.
But the lack of facilities and places available has led to students
being sent to train in Cuba.
"The burden of disease in Cuba is very different," explained Elma de
Vries, a doctor based in Mitchells Plain and a former chairman of The
Rural Doctors Association of Southern Africa.
According to De Vries, when the freshly-trained doctors return to South
Africa they do so without having been trained in how to deal with TB,
HIV or the complications of diabetes.
They also hadn't been trained to deal with women in labour, she said.
The students spend their first year in Cuba learning Spanish.
They spend another five years in medical school in Cuba before returning
here to finish their training, which takes between 12 and 18 months.
"It's a long, tedious and expensive process, and it's very hard for them
to meet expectations," she said.
Errol Holland, chairman of the South African Committee of Medical Deans,
which represents all eight medical schools in the country, agreed with
De Vries.
"They have a preventative healthcare system and we are not there yet,"
he said. Students going to Cuba are trained in the needs of the Cuban
health-care system."
Holland said his committee had raised "issues" with Motsoaledi about the
exchange programme.
De Vries and Holland said there were simply not enough doctors in South
Africa and the universities had struggled to increase their output.
Holland said he understood that more doctors were required in order to
implement Motsoaledi's National Health Insurance plan.
"We agree that there is a high degree of inequality (in health care).
"(About) 1 000 doctors are required and this is what we are working
towards," he said.
Holland said there needed to be more facilities for trainees and
programmes to help ensure returning students were qualified to practise
here.
Joe Maila, spokesman for the Department of Health, said the programme
was an agreement between the two governments.
"We needed to address the shortage of doctors and Cuba has more than 20
medical schools."
He said the programme would give South Africa more doctors.
The more doctors there were the better, he added.
Cadet News Agency
Source: "SA-Cuba medical programme criticised - South Africa | IOL News
| IOL.co.za" -
http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/sa-cuba-medical-programme-criticised-1.1545474
July 11 2013 at 02:40pm
By Matthew Hirsch
Pretoria - Medical experts have criticised the South African-Cuban
doctor programme, saying the South African doctors were not adequately
equipped when they came home.
Last week, 62 medical students returned from Cuba to begin the last leg
of their training to become qualified doctors.
According to the Department of Health, there are 1 003 South African
medical students training in Cuba.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi aims to increase the number of doctors
trained in South Africa from 1 200 to 3 600 a year, with local medical
schools already having upped their intake by 160 last year.
But the lack of facilities and places available has led to students
being sent to train in Cuba.
"The burden of disease in Cuba is very different," explained Elma de
Vries, a doctor based in Mitchells Plain and a former chairman of The
Rural Doctors Association of Southern Africa.
According to De Vries, when the freshly-trained doctors return to South
Africa they do so without having been trained in how to deal with TB,
HIV or the complications of diabetes.
They also hadn't been trained to deal with women in labour, she said.
The students spend their first year in Cuba learning Spanish.
They spend another five years in medical school in Cuba before returning
here to finish their training, which takes between 12 and 18 months.
"It's a long, tedious and expensive process, and it's very hard for them
to meet expectations," she said.
Errol Holland, chairman of the South African Committee of Medical Deans,
which represents all eight medical schools in the country, agreed with
De Vries.
"They have a preventative healthcare system and we are not there yet,"
he said. Students going to Cuba are trained in the needs of the Cuban
health-care system."
Holland said his committee had raised "issues" with Motsoaledi about the
exchange programme.
De Vries and Holland said there were simply not enough doctors in South
Africa and the universities had struggled to increase their output.
Holland said he understood that more doctors were required in order to
implement Motsoaledi's National Health Insurance plan.
"We agree that there is a high degree of inequality (in health care).
"(About) 1 000 doctors are required and this is what we are working
towards," he said.
Holland said there needed to be more facilities for trainees and
programmes to help ensure returning students were qualified to practise
here.
Joe Maila, spokesman for the Department of Health, said the programme
was an agreement between the two governments.
"We needed to address the shortage of doctors and Cuba has more than 20
medical schools."
He said the programme would give South Africa more doctors.
The more doctors there were the better, he added.
Cadet News Agency
Source: "SA-Cuba medical programme criticised - South Africa | IOL News
| IOL.co.za" -
http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/sa-cuba-medical-programme-criticised-1.1545474
Meanwhile In Cuba
Meanwhile In Cuba
By ANNE HOBSON on 7.9.13 @ 11:19AM
An observant spectator may notice the glint of steel scaffolding barely
visible amidst the crumbling facades along the Malecón, the prevalence
of a new fleet of public transit buses known colloquially as "camels,"
or the existence of new government-sanctioned cyber cafes in Havana. Any
hint of change in Cuba sparks sizable excitement among journalists and
academics, who view the island nation as a modern case study in the
shortcomings of socialism.
This year has given rise to three "revolutionary" indications of change
dictated by Cuban President Raul Castro, the latest figurehead in a line
of communist Castro deities. These changes have the potential to do away
with Cuba's Old Gods, Old Guard, and Old Gold: the Castro brothers, the
aging members of the communist apparatus, and the costly dual currency
system, respectively.
First, Raul Castro has announced an end to his presidency in 2018 and
suggested that he will also apply term limits to other positions of
leadership. Second, he ordered the removal of several prominent members
of the Communist Party's central committee in order to make room for new
and younger loyalists. Finally, Raul reiterated the importance of
getting rid of the dual currency system in his latest biannual speech in
front of the parliament on Sunday.
The Castro brothers have held power since the 1959 ousting of dictator
Fulgencio Batista. Many assumed that he would pass power to a younger
member of the Castro family. Instead, Raul promoted Miguel Diaz-Canel to
be his top lieutenant, and is supposedly grooming him for power.
Raul also praised two aging revolutionaries for offering to leave their
positions to make room for the next generation of communist leaders. In
fact, ever since Fidel handed him the presidency in 2008, Raul has been
replacing older members with allies and younger loyalists.
Last week, Raul announced that he was removing Ricardo Alarcón, former
Parliament chief, from the Communist Party's central committee, along
with several others. Alarcón was one of the original revolutionaries
that aided Castro's guerrillas in the take down of Batista, as well as
Fidel Castro's longtime friend. A true member of the old guard, Alarcón
also served in the 15-member Politburo, the Communist Party's
policy-making body, for 16 years. He was often considered the third-most
powerful figure in Cuba.
Nevertheless, there are those who view the shift from the old guard to
the new as negligible. Newer loyalists do not mean newer policies.
Furthermore, the Castro brothers have traditionally promised high and
delivered low, as is to be expected from a rhetorical regime.
In his speech this weekend, Raul trumpeted the importance of disbanding
the dual currency system, a move that would amplify long-term economic
growth and move to free the shackled economy. This is particularly vital
because Cuba's economic growth consistently falls short of projections.
Cuba's dual currency system is an outdated extension of
government-mandated social and economic oppression. The value of the
Cuban Convertible Peso—money used by foreigners at a value tied to the
U.S. dollar—is 24 times the value of the Cuban Pesos paid to Cuban
workers. Therefore, ordinary goods end up costing the average Cuban
prices equivalent to multiple days or even weeks of work. For example, a
desk fan which would cost foreigners 20 CUC, or roughly $22, costs a
Cuban worker the equivalent of nearly $500.
Equalizing the two currencies would allow all Cubans access to imported
goods, lower the social barriers between foreigners and the Cuban
people, decrease the gap between the rich and poor, simplify business
transactions, and dramatically increase incomes. However, as Cuba
Standard points out, any transition to a single currency system will
have to be slow, because immediate shock in the form of abruptly
equalizing the values would cause sharp inflation and scarcity of goods.
Politics is often synonymous with unfulfilled promises, especially in
fiscal fiefdoms like Cuba. Therefore, critics are rightly wondering:
Will Castro walk the talk? Will the new guard usher in new policies? Or
will that famous English proverb hold true: You can't teach an old guard
dog new politics.
Source: "The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Meanwhile In
Cuba" - http://spectator.org/blog/2013/07/09/meanwhile-in-cuba
By ANNE HOBSON on 7.9.13 @ 11:19AM
An observant spectator may notice the glint of steel scaffolding barely
visible amidst the crumbling facades along the Malecón, the prevalence
of a new fleet of public transit buses known colloquially as "camels,"
or the existence of new government-sanctioned cyber cafes in Havana. Any
hint of change in Cuba sparks sizable excitement among journalists and
academics, who view the island nation as a modern case study in the
shortcomings of socialism.
This year has given rise to three "revolutionary" indications of change
dictated by Cuban President Raul Castro, the latest figurehead in a line
of communist Castro deities. These changes have the potential to do away
with Cuba's Old Gods, Old Guard, and Old Gold: the Castro brothers, the
aging members of the communist apparatus, and the costly dual currency
system, respectively.
First, Raul Castro has announced an end to his presidency in 2018 and
suggested that he will also apply term limits to other positions of
leadership. Second, he ordered the removal of several prominent members
of the Communist Party's central committee in order to make room for new
and younger loyalists. Finally, Raul reiterated the importance of
getting rid of the dual currency system in his latest biannual speech in
front of the parliament on Sunday.
The Castro brothers have held power since the 1959 ousting of dictator
Fulgencio Batista. Many assumed that he would pass power to a younger
member of the Castro family. Instead, Raul promoted Miguel Diaz-Canel to
be his top lieutenant, and is supposedly grooming him for power.
Raul also praised two aging revolutionaries for offering to leave their
positions to make room for the next generation of communist leaders. In
fact, ever since Fidel handed him the presidency in 2008, Raul has been
replacing older members with allies and younger loyalists.
Last week, Raul announced that he was removing Ricardo Alarcón, former
Parliament chief, from the Communist Party's central committee, along
with several others. Alarcón was one of the original revolutionaries
that aided Castro's guerrillas in the take down of Batista, as well as
Fidel Castro's longtime friend. A true member of the old guard, Alarcón
also served in the 15-member Politburo, the Communist Party's
policy-making body, for 16 years. He was often considered the third-most
powerful figure in Cuba.
Nevertheless, there are those who view the shift from the old guard to
the new as negligible. Newer loyalists do not mean newer policies.
Furthermore, the Castro brothers have traditionally promised high and
delivered low, as is to be expected from a rhetorical regime.
In his speech this weekend, Raul trumpeted the importance of disbanding
the dual currency system, a move that would amplify long-term economic
growth and move to free the shackled economy. This is particularly vital
because Cuba's economic growth consistently falls short of projections.
Cuba's dual currency system is an outdated extension of
government-mandated social and economic oppression. The value of the
Cuban Convertible Peso—money used by foreigners at a value tied to the
U.S. dollar—is 24 times the value of the Cuban Pesos paid to Cuban
workers. Therefore, ordinary goods end up costing the average Cuban
prices equivalent to multiple days or even weeks of work. For example, a
desk fan which would cost foreigners 20 CUC, or roughly $22, costs a
Cuban worker the equivalent of nearly $500.
Equalizing the two currencies would allow all Cubans access to imported
goods, lower the social barriers between foreigners and the Cuban
people, decrease the gap between the rich and poor, simplify business
transactions, and dramatically increase incomes. However, as Cuba
Standard points out, any transition to a single currency system will
have to be slow, because immediate shock in the form of abruptly
equalizing the values would cause sharp inflation and scarcity of goods.
Politics is often synonymous with unfulfilled promises, especially in
fiscal fiefdoms like Cuba. Therefore, critics are rightly wondering:
Will Castro walk the talk? Will the new guard usher in new policies? Or
will that famous English proverb hold true: You can't teach an old guard
dog new politics.
Source: "The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Meanwhile In
Cuba" - http://spectator.org/blog/2013/07/09/meanwhile-in-cuba
Cuba’s food ration stores mark 50th anniversary
Posted on Thursday, 07.11.13
Cuba's food ration stores mark 50th anniversary
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
JTAMAYO@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM
The Cuban government calls it a "supplies booklet." Cubans call it a
"rations booklet" or simply "la libreta."
Either way, half a century after its creation, the booklet has come to
symbolize the epic failure of Cuba's agricultural sector and the
communist government's stubborn insistence on an egalitarian subsidy for
each and every one of its 11 million people.
The hundreds of state-run food stores that distribute the rations are
marking their 50th anniversary Friday, although the decree creating the
system was issued in March 1962, at a time when U.S. economic sanctions
on Cuba were beginning to cause shortages of food, medicines and other
supplies.
Cuban ruler Raúl Castro two years ago called for an "orderly" end to a
system "under which two generations of citizens have lived, this
rationing system that despite its toxic egalitarian character offered
all citizens access to basic food at laughable prices."
Castro has been pushing a series of market-oriented reforms to drag his
economy out of the doldrums, cutting back on subsidies and other public
spending, slashing state payrolls and allowing more private enterprise.
The booklet in fact has been shrinking over the decades, and especially
after the early 1990s, when Cuba lost its $4-$6 billion a year subsidies
from the Soviet Union and had to tighten its belt to the last notch.
Today, the government spends an estimated $1 billion annually on the
system — unique in the world for its level of detail and coverage — a
huge number in a nation where the average official salary stands at less
than $20 per month.
With an agricultural sector all but stagnant after a half-century of
central government controls, Cuba must now import up to 80 percent of
the food it consumes, fueling an import bill estimated at more than $1.5
billion per year.
Cubans pay less than $2 for the items they receive under the ration card
— an estimated 12 percent of real value — a lifesaver for the poorest of
the island's poor and a help to every man, woman and child regardless of
their income.
Yet, the food rations last only about 10 days out of every month. For
the rest of the time, Cubans must buy in markets where much higher
prices are set by the laws of supply and demand.
Each Cuban is now supposed to receive a monthly ration of seven pounds
of rice, half a bottle of cooking oil, one sandwich-sized piece of bread
per day plus small quantities of eggs, beans, chicken or fish,
spaghetti, white and brown sugar and cooking gas.
Children get one liter of milk and some yogurt, diabetics get special
booklets for their diets and there are special rations for special
occasions — cakes for birthdays, rum and beer for weddings, uniforms,
pencils and notebooks for the start of the school year.
But not all those rations are always available each month, and the
number of items and the size of the rations have been dropping for
years. Gone are potatoes, soap and tooth paste, salt, cigarettes and
cigars and liquid detergent, among other items.
Today the booklet, printed on cheap paper that turns brown, is issued to
each of Cuba's 3.6 million families and has 20 pages, compared to 28
pages in earlier years.
And while the rations account for only a small part of their
consumption, Cubans say they fear that the total removal of the system
will deliver a harsh blow to retirees whose fixed incomes average
$12-$14 per month.
One Cuban axiom holds that "No one can live on the booklet, but there
are a lot of people who can't live without the booklet."
There has been talk in Havana of replacing the booklet of poor people
with something like food stamps, but Castro has made it clear that he
wants to eliminate the entire rationing system.
Rationing was introduced "with an egalitarian intent in a time of
shortages," he declared in 2011. But with the passing of time, it has
turned into "an unbearable burden for the economy and a disincentive to
work."
Source: "Cuba's food ration stores mark 50th anniversary - Cuba -
MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/11/3496083/cubas-food-ration-stores-mark.html
Cuba's food ration stores mark 50th anniversary
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
JTAMAYO@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM
The Cuban government calls it a "supplies booklet." Cubans call it a
"rations booklet" or simply "la libreta."
Either way, half a century after its creation, the booklet has come to
symbolize the epic failure of Cuba's agricultural sector and the
communist government's stubborn insistence on an egalitarian subsidy for
each and every one of its 11 million people.
The hundreds of state-run food stores that distribute the rations are
marking their 50th anniversary Friday, although the decree creating the
system was issued in March 1962, at a time when U.S. economic sanctions
on Cuba were beginning to cause shortages of food, medicines and other
supplies.
Cuban ruler Raúl Castro two years ago called for an "orderly" end to a
system "under which two generations of citizens have lived, this
rationing system that despite its toxic egalitarian character offered
all citizens access to basic food at laughable prices."
Castro has been pushing a series of market-oriented reforms to drag his
economy out of the doldrums, cutting back on subsidies and other public
spending, slashing state payrolls and allowing more private enterprise.
The booklet in fact has been shrinking over the decades, and especially
after the early 1990s, when Cuba lost its $4-$6 billion a year subsidies
from the Soviet Union and had to tighten its belt to the last notch.
Today, the government spends an estimated $1 billion annually on the
system — unique in the world for its level of detail and coverage — a
huge number in a nation where the average official salary stands at less
than $20 per month.
With an agricultural sector all but stagnant after a half-century of
central government controls, Cuba must now import up to 80 percent of
the food it consumes, fueling an import bill estimated at more than $1.5
billion per year.
Cubans pay less than $2 for the items they receive under the ration card
— an estimated 12 percent of real value — a lifesaver for the poorest of
the island's poor and a help to every man, woman and child regardless of
their income.
Yet, the food rations last only about 10 days out of every month. For
the rest of the time, Cubans must buy in markets where much higher
prices are set by the laws of supply and demand.
Each Cuban is now supposed to receive a monthly ration of seven pounds
of rice, half a bottle of cooking oil, one sandwich-sized piece of bread
per day plus small quantities of eggs, beans, chicken or fish,
spaghetti, white and brown sugar and cooking gas.
Children get one liter of milk and some yogurt, diabetics get special
booklets for their diets and there are special rations for special
occasions — cakes for birthdays, rum and beer for weddings, uniforms,
pencils and notebooks for the start of the school year.
But not all those rations are always available each month, and the
number of items and the size of the rations have been dropping for
years. Gone are potatoes, soap and tooth paste, salt, cigarettes and
cigars and liquid detergent, among other items.
Today the booklet, printed on cheap paper that turns brown, is issued to
each of Cuba's 3.6 million families and has 20 pages, compared to 28
pages in earlier years.
And while the rations account for only a small part of their
consumption, Cubans say they fear that the total removal of the system
will deliver a harsh blow to retirees whose fixed incomes average
$12-$14 per month.
One Cuban axiom holds that "No one can live on the booklet, but there
are a lot of people who can't live without the booklet."
There has been talk in Havana of replacing the booklet of poor people
with something like food stamps, but Castro has made it clear that he
wants to eliminate the entire rationing system.
Rationing was introduced "with an egalitarian intent in a time of
shortages," he declared in 2011. But with the passing of time, it has
turned into "an unbearable burden for the economy and a disincentive to
work."
Source: "Cuba's food ration stores mark 50th anniversary - Cuba -
MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/11/3496083/cubas-food-ration-stores-mark.html
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Moscow-Cuba plane detour sparks speculation Snowden may be on board
Moscow-Cuba plane detour sparks speculation Snowden may be on board
Get short URL Published time: July 11, 2013 17:33
Edited time: July 11, 2013 21:59
An Aeroflot plane en route from Moscow to Havana has deviated from its
course, FlightAware live flight tracking indicates. The news has sparked
online speculation that NSA leaker Edward Snowden may be aboard the
aircraft.
Aeroflot flight 150 to Havana took off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo
airport at 14:10 pm local time (10:10 GMT) on Thursday. Whistleblower
Edward Snowden has been holed up in the airport for the past two weeks.
The flight route usually passes over Scandinavia and across Greenland
before turning south over Canada and the United States. However, this
time the flight headed west across Europe before continuing its path
over the Atlantic Ocean.
The detour has spawned speculation in the media and on Twitter that
Snowden may be aboard the plane and that that the plane may be trying to
avoid entering US airspace. Snowden is wanted in the US on charges of
espionage for revealing secret NSA surveillance programs.
The plane is expected to land in the Cuban capital around 22:30 GMT.
Upon its arrival in Havana, it may finally become clear whether Snowden
has left Moscow or not.
Under Russian law, air carriers are banned from sharing flight passenger
data to third parties, Aeroflot spokesman Andrey Sogrin told RT.
Referring to the flight detour, Sogrin said that "it is difficult to
explain now" what exactly was behind the decision, but added that
weather conditions or an issue with the flight schedule could be behind
the move. In other words, if a flight is delayed, its route is sometimes
changed in order to catch up with its expected landing time.
However, Thursday's flight took off only five minutes later than
scheduled, according to the Sheremetyevo airport website.
Aviation expert Chris Yates said that flying straight across the ocean
might be a bit more risky than sticking to the traditional route.
"Westbound transatlantic flights take particular tracks that are
determined by the weather conditions," he told RT. "It is likely that
Snowden is not on board that airplane, but that the North Atlantic
Tracks have been moved South because of weather conditions prevailing
over Greenland and part of Iceland at the moment," Yates said.
When Snowden arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong over two weeks ago, the
media thought that Snowden was on his way to Havana because he
reportedly had a ticket to Cuba. The news caused quite a stir among
journalists who rushed to get tickets on the same flight. However,
Snowden never boarded the flight.
Snowden first fled the US for Hong Kong. He arrived in Russia on June 23
and has been trapped in the international transit zone of Moscow's
Sheremetyevo airport ever since.
The 30-year-old whistleblower has applied for asylum in over 20
countries around the globe. However, so far only three countries in
Latin America – Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua – have said they would
grant asylum to the former CIA employee.
Source: "Moscow-Cuba plane detour sparks speculation Snowden may be on
board — RT News" - http://rt.com/news/snowden-plane-route-cuba-965/
Get short URL Published time: July 11, 2013 17:33
Edited time: July 11, 2013 21:59
An Aeroflot plane en route from Moscow to Havana has deviated from its
course, FlightAware live flight tracking indicates. The news has sparked
online speculation that NSA leaker Edward Snowden may be aboard the
aircraft.
Aeroflot flight 150 to Havana took off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo
airport at 14:10 pm local time (10:10 GMT) on Thursday. Whistleblower
Edward Snowden has been holed up in the airport for the past two weeks.
The flight route usually passes over Scandinavia and across Greenland
before turning south over Canada and the United States. However, this
time the flight headed west across Europe before continuing its path
over the Atlantic Ocean.
The detour has spawned speculation in the media and on Twitter that
Snowden may be aboard the plane and that that the plane may be trying to
avoid entering US airspace. Snowden is wanted in the US on charges of
espionage for revealing secret NSA surveillance programs.
The plane is expected to land in the Cuban capital around 22:30 GMT.
Upon its arrival in Havana, it may finally become clear whether Snowden
has left Moscow or not.
Under Russian law, air carriers are banned from sharing flight passenger
data to third parties, Aeroflot spokesman Andrey Sogrin told RT.
Referring to the flight detour, Sogrin said that "it is difficult to
explain now" what exactly was behind the decision, but added that
weather conditions or an issue with the flight schedule could be behind
the move. In other words, if a flight is delayed, its route is sometimes
changed in order to catch up with its expected landing time.
However, Thursday's flight took off only five minutes later than
scheduled, according to the Sheremetyevo airport website.
Aviation expert Chris Yates said that flying straight across the ocean
might be a bit more risky than sticking to the traditional route.
"Westbound transatlantic flights take particular tracks that are
determined by the weather conditions," he told RT. "It is likely that
Snowden is not on board that airplane, but that the North Atlantic
Tracks have been moved South because of weather conditions prevailing
over Greenland and part of Iceland at the moment," Yates said.
When Snowden arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong over two weeks ago, the
media thought that Snowden was on his way to Havana because he
reportedly had a ticket to Cuba. The news caused quite a stir among
journalists who rushed to get tickets on the same flight. However,
Snowden never boarded the flight.
Snowden first fled the US for Hong Kong. He arrived in Russia on June 23
and has been trapped in the international transit zone of Moscow's
Sheremetyevo airport ever since.
The 30-year-old whistleblower has applied for asylum in over 20
countries around the globe. However, so far only three countries in
Latin America – Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua – have said they would
grant asylum to the former CIA employee.
Source: "Moscow-Cuba plane detour sparks speculation Snowden may be on
board — RT News" - http://rt.com/news/snowden-plane-route-cuba-965/
Loss of Ethical Values
Loss of Ethical Values / Rebeca Monzo
Posted on July 11, 2013
"We have painfully perceived, for more than 20 years of the Special
Period, the increasing deterioration of moral and civic values like
honesty, decency, shame, decorum, honor and sensitivity to the problems
of others."
So reads one of the paragraphs of Raul Castro's discourse before the
Cuban parliament, published today, Tuesday, July 9 in the daily Rebel Youth.
I ask myself, why did he have to wait more than 20 years to put the
brakes on a situation that was already noticeable and perceived to be
worsening?
At this point the social indiscipline and human deterioration is almost
uncontrollable. There are many factors that have influenced it and they
were known by all. The fragmentation of the Cuban family, product of the
political confrontations and political estrangement among their members,
many times imposed by the regime itself, is perhaps the crux of all the
subsequent social misfortune. The family was always considered and in
fact is the fundamental social nucleus of a nation.
The misconduct of the marginalized, like screaming loudly in the middle
of the street, the use of obscene words and the vulgarity of speech,
have been present in our daily lives. Television, one of the most
influential of the mass media, also has contributed to exposing all
kinds of vulgarities and mediocrities, in terms of image and vocabulary.
Throwing trash in public roadways, as well as indulging physiological
needs in streets and parks, is something now of daily routine and are
acts that are carried out before the indolence and apathy of observers,
maybe for fear of being verbally or physically assaulted by the actor
himself if attention is called. Walk in the morning through the old
Asturian Center, now a museum, and you will be horrified to have to move
away from the doorways by the strong odor of urine that these emanate.
With respect to the increased consumption of alcoholic beverages by the
populace, their indiscriminate sale in almost all the state
establishments from early hours is noteworthy, being that the only one
responsible is the State itself. It is a shame to see in any state
business, very neglected and rundown, a little table dragged to the
middle of the sidewalk for the sale of rum, so that the pedestrian does
not have to bother entering the place in question to drink.
As far as the abuse of the school uniform, generally the teachers
themselves have given the bad example, dressing inadequately to stand in
front of a student body and make themselves respected teaching a class.
All of this of course has been a product of the bad training of many
teachers, the prolonged shortage of clothes for sale, the low salaries
and the transportation difficulties, which has brought about having to
use a kind of clothing that does not impede climbing into a truck or
hanging from the platform of a bus.
Nevertheless, barely hours after publishing the discourse in question, a
friend of ours was an eyewitness to an event in the farmer's market at
17th and K streets, in Vedado, when a young man came running and tripped
and almost fell on an elderly woman, who sells plastic bags at the exit
of said establishment.
She, feeling battered, uttered one of the most gross curses, "now so in
fashion," which begins with "P." Then out of nowhere came another man,
also young, dressed in plainclothes, who immediately asked for the
woman's identity card, in order to impose a fine of 200 pesos, not for
selling bags (which is considered a crime), but for the "curse."
The woman began to cry living tears, explaining that she was retired and
hypertensive, that she had no money, etc. When the young man in
plainclothes saw that those present began to encircle them, he told the
vendor that "this time he was going to pardon the fine," but instead he
was going to "draw up" a warning. This made the woman burst into tears
again, before the astonished gaze of all those present, who daily often
utter these curse words and others even stronger, before the
indifference of everyone.
Translated by mlk
9 July 2013
Source: "Loss of Ethical Values / Rebeca Monzo | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/loss-of-ethical-values-rebeca-monzo/
Posted on July 11, 2013
"We have painfully perceived, for more than 20 years of the Special
Period, the increasing deterioration of moral and civic values like
honesty, decency, shame, decorum, honor and sensitivity to the problems
of others."
So reads one of the paragraphs of Raul Castro's discourse before the
Cuban parliament, published today, Tuesday, July 9 in the daily Rebel Youth.
I ask myself, why did he have to wait more than 20 years to put the
brakes on a situation that was already noticeable and perceived to be
worsening?
At this point the social indiscipline and human deterioration is almost
uncontrollable. There are many factors that have influenced it and they
were known by all. The fragmentation of the Cuban family, product of the
political confrontations and political estrangement among their members,
many times imposed by the regime itself, is perhaps the crux of all the
subsequent social misfortune. The family was always considered and in
fact is the fundamental social nucleus of a nation.
The misconduct of the marginalized, like screaming loudly in the middle
of the street, the use of obscene words and the vulgarity of speech,
have been present in our daily lives. Television, one of the most
influential of the mass media, also has contributed to exposing all
kinds of vulgarities and mediocrities, in terms of image and vocabulary.
Throwing trash in public roadways, as well as indulging physiological
needs in streets and parks, is something now of daily routine and are
acts that are carried out before the indolence and apathy of observers,
maybe for fear of being verbally or physically assaulted by the actor
himself if attention is called. Walk in the morning through the old
Asturian Center, now a museum, and you will be horrified to have to move
away from the doorways by the strong odor of urine that these emanate.
With respect to the increased consumption of alcoholic beverages by the
populace, their indiscriminate sale in almost all the state
establishments from early hours is noteworthy, being that the only one
responsible is the State itself. It is a shame to see in any state
business, very neglected and rundown, a little table dragged to the
middle of the sidewalk for the sale of rum, so that the pedestrian does
not have to bother entering the place in question to drink.
As far as the abuse of the school uniform, generally the teachers
themselves have given the bad example, dressing inadequately to stand in
front of a student body and make themselves respected teaching a class.
All of this of course has been a product of the bad training of many
teachers, the prolonged shortage of clothes for sale, the low salaries
and the transportation difficulties, which has brought about having to
use a kind of clothing that does not impede climbing into a truck or
hanging from the platform of a bus.
Nevertheless, barely hours after publishing the discourse in question, a
friend of ours was an eyewitness to an event in the farmer's market at
17th and K streets, in Vedado, when a young man came running and tripped
and almost fell on an elderly woman, who sells plastic bags at the exit
of said establishment.
She, feeling battered, uttered one of the most gross curses, "now so in
fashion," which begins with "P." Then out of nowhere came another man,
also young, dressed in plainclothes, who immediately asked for the
woman's identity card, in order to impose a fine of 200 pesos, not for
selling bags (which is considered a crime), but for the "curse."
The woman began to cry living tears, explaining that she was retired and
hypertensive, that she had no money, etc. When the young man in
plainclothes saw that those present began to encircle them, he told the
vendor that "this time he was going to pardon the fine," but instead he
was going to "draw up" a warning. This made the woman burst into tears
again, before the astonished gaze of all those present, who daily often
utter these curse words and others even stronger, before the
indifference of everyone.
Translated by mlk
9 July 2013
Source: "Loss of Ethical Values / Rebeca Monzo | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/loss-of-ethical-values-rebeca-monzo/
Counter-revolution
Counter-revolution / Cuban Law Association, Julio Alfredo Ferrer Tamayo
Posted on July 11, 2013
Lic. Julio Alfredo Ferrer Tamayo
REVOLUTION, for Fidel Castro Ruz, Historic Leader of the Cuban
Revolution, is the sense of the historic moment; it's changing
everything that should be changed; it's full liberty and equality; it's
to be treated and to treat others as human beings; it's our own
emancipation through our own efforts; it's standing up to powerful
dominant forces inside and outside our social and national space; it is
to defend values we believe in no matter what sacrifice; it's modesty,
disinterest, altruism, solidarity and heroism; it is fighting bravely,
intelligently and realistically; never lying or breaking ethical
principles; it is the profound conviction that there is no power in the
world able to crush the force of truth and ideas. revolution is unity,
independence, fighting for our dreams of justice for Cuba and for the
world, it is the foundation of our patriotism, our socialism and our
internationalism. Gathered together like this in the Guidelines for
Economic and Social Policies, discussed in the VI Congress of the
Communist Party of Cuba, ratified by the President of the Republic of
Cuba, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, like a fundamental compass in the
construction of a prosperous and sustainable socialism.
Starting off from this definition, it is possible to work out what is
COUNTER-REVOLUTION; whatever opposes or contravenes that concept. When
we are not treated or don't treat others as human beings; when we lie
and violate ethical principles; when we are immodest, selfish, mean and
egotistical; when we do not defy powerful dominating forces in our
social and national space. when we do not fight bravely, intelligently
and realistically; when we don't change everything that should be
changed, when there is not full equality and liberty; when they don't
allow the Cuba Law Association to exercise its clear human right to have
its constitution, and to realise our dreams of justice for Cuba.
Translated by GH
8 July 2013
Source: "Counter-revolution / Cuban Law Association, Julio Alfredo
Ferrer Tamayo | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/counter-revolution-cuban-law-association-julio-alfredo-ferrer-tamayo/
Posted on July 11, 2013
Lic. Julio Alfredo Ferrer Tamayo
REVOLUTION, for Fidel Castro Ruz, Historic Leader of the Cuban
Revolution, is the sense of the historic moment; it's changing
everything that should be changed; it's full liberty and equality; it's
to be treated and to treat others as human beings; it's our own
emancipation through our own efforts; it's standing up to powerful
dominant forces inside and outside our social and national space; it is
to defend values we believe in no matter what sacrifice; it's modesty,
disinterest, altruism, solidarity and heroism; it is fighting bravely,
intelligently and realistically; never lying or breaking ethical
principles; it is the profound conviction that there is no power in the
world able to crush the force of truth and ideas. revolution is unity,
independence, fighting for our dreams of justice for Cuba and for the
world, it is the foundation of our patriotism, our socialism and our
internationalism. Gathered together like this in the Guidelines for
Economic and Social Policies, discussed in the VI Congress of the
Communist Party of Cuba, ratified by the President of the Republic of
Cuba, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, like a fundamental compass in the
construction of a prosperous and sustainable socialism.
Starting off from this definition, it is possible to work out what is
COUNTER-REVOLUTION; whatever opposes or contravenes that concept. When
we are not treated or don't treat others as human beings; when we lie
and violate ethical principles; when we are immodest, selfish, mean and
egotistical; when we do not defy powerful dominating forces in our
social and national space. when we do not fight bravely, intelligently
and realistically; when we don't change everything that should be
changed, when there is not full equality and liberty; when they don't
allow the Cuba Law Association to exercise its clear human right to have
its constitution, and to realise our dreams of justice for Cuba.
Translated by GH
8 July 2013
Source: "Counter-revolution / Cuban Law Association, Julio Alfredo
Ferrer Tamayo | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/counter-revolution-cuban-law-association-julio-alfredo-ferrer-tamayo/
Don’t Lose Any More Time
Don't Lose Any More Time / Fernando Damaso
Posted on July 10, 2013
In defense of the current Cuban model and its updating within the
straitjacket of the so-called Guidelines, some citizens are frightened
by the idea of the possible restoration of capitalism in Cuba,
mechanically repeating verbally and in writing all the propaganda that
has been overwhelmingly spread by the news media. Nobody stops to point
out the negative aspects of the current model (its main critics lie
precisely within them), they simply deny the positives of change.
Fifty-six years of capitalism in Cuba, despite its shortcomings,
problems, fratricidal conflicts, dictatorships, politics, theft of
public funds and other misfortunes, represented development and wealth,
unlike fifty-four years of socialism, even with its many misfortunes,
which have only represented underdevelopment, involution, lack of
productivity, backwardness, poverty and accumulation of problems, both
old (lack of housing, unemployment, racial discrimination, etc.) and new
(lack of possibilities, exodus, inefficient services, social
indiscipline, arbitrariness, bad manners, rudeness, etc.). These
realities, however much they try, cannot be hidden: they appear whenever
you explore, even superficially, our past and present history.
In recent days, at the current session of the National Assembly, they
have repeated the need to perfect the socialist state enterprise,
forgetting its failure for seventy years in the former USSR, forty in
the former socialist countries, and fifty-four in Cuba. They also have
declared that socialism is the compass. Ideological stubbornness has
never solved any problem.
To continue parroting these absurdities is to lose resources and time.
What's important is to end the current impasse and join the real world.
The work isn't easy, but it will only get harder if we don't all join
together in our efforts to achieve it.
8 July 2013
Source: "Don't Lose Any More Time / Fernando Damaso | Translating Cuba"
- http://translatingcuba.com/dont-lose-any-more-time-fernando-damaso/
Posted on July 10, 2013
In defense of the current Cuban model and its updating within the
straitjacket of the so-called Guidelines, some citizens are frightened
by the idea of the possible restoration of capitalism in Cuba,
mechanically repeating verbally and in writing all the propaganda that
has been overwhelmingly spread by the news media. Nobody stops to point
out the negative aspects of the current model (its main critics lie
precisely within them), they simply deny the positives of change.
Fifty-six years of capitalism in Cuba, despite its shortcomings,
problems, fratricidal conflicts, dictatorships, politics, theft of
public funds and other misfortunes, represented development and wealth,
unlike fifty-four years of socialism, even with its many misfortunes,
which have only represented underdevelopment, involution, lack of
productivity, backwardness, poverty and accumulation of problems, both
old (lack of housing, unemployment, racial discrimination, etc.) and new
(lack of possibilities, exodus, inefficient services, social
indiscipline, arbitrariness, bad manners, rudeness, etc.). These
realities, however much they try, cannot be hidden: they appear whenever
you explore, even superficially, our past and present history.
In recent days, at the current session of the National Assembly, they
have repeated the need to perfect the socialist state enterprise,
forgetting its failure for seventy years in the former USSR, forty in
the former socialist countries, and fifty-four in Cuba. They also have
declared that socialism is the compass. Ideological stubbornness has
never solved any problem.
To continue parroting these absurdities is to lose resources and time.
What's important is to end the current impasse and join the real world.
The work isn't easy, but it will only get harder if we don't all join
together in our efforts to achieve it.
8 July 2013
Source: "Don't Lose Any More Time / Fernando Damaso | Translating Cuba"
- http://translatingcuba.com/dont-lose-any-more-time-fernando-damaso/
High tariffs hinder Cubans' web access at internet centres
High tariffs hinder Cubans' web access at internet centres
Thursday 11 July 2013 | 08:08 CET | News
High prices are blocking the Cuban population's access to internet
services via the government's recently launched cybersalon project. Cuba
opened 118 public internet centers on 4 June. Run by state-owned
operator Etecsa, these centers charge USD 4.50 an hour, which means that
a session at one of the new cybersalons costs almost as much as the
average state worker earns in a week, The New York Times reports.
Millions of Cubans have never been online. Professionals such as
doctors, journalists, academics and artists qualify for a dial-up
connection at home. Others use pirated connections, rent time on a
neighbor's line or log on at a hotel, where they pay about USD 8 an
hour. Many trade information on memory sticks or rely on stodgy
state-run periodicals for news, the newspaper says.
According to data released by the Cuban government, around 26 percent of
Cubans had internet access in 2012. However, this figure includes
millions who used only an intranet linked to their work. ITU puts the
number of broadband subscriptions in Cuba at 0.04 per 100 inhabitants,
or about one in 2,500, which makes Cuba the least wired country in the
Western Hemisphere. Even Cuba's new cybersalons, which operate under the
brand name Nauta, amount to just one for every 95,000 Cubans.
Etecsa's strategic programmes director, Jorge Legra, recently told Efe
that the company may start providing home internet services to ordinary
Cubans by the fourth quarter of 2014. Etecsa is currently studying
bringing ADSL broadband technology to the home. Etecsa officials have
also said the company plans to offer mobile broadband access by the end
of next year and will gradually reduce the price of connectivity.
Source: "High tariffs hinder Cubans' web access at internet centres -
Telecompaper" -
http://www.telecompaper.com/news/high-tariffs-hinder-cubans-web-access-at-internet-centres--954653
Thursday 11 July 2013 | 08:08 CET | News
High prices are blocking the Cuban population's access to internet
services via the government's recently launched cybersalon project. Cuba
opened 118 public internet centers on 4 June. Run by state-owned
operator Etecsa, these centers charge USD 4.50 an hour, which means that
a session at one of the new cybersalons costs almost as much as the
average state worker earns in a week, The New York Times reports.
Millions of Cubans have never been online. Professionals such as
doctors, journalists, academics and artists qualify for a dial-up
connection at home. Others use pirated connections, rent time on a
neighbor's line or log on at a hotel, where they pay about USD 8 an
hour. Many trade information on memory sticks or rely on stodgy
state-run periodicals for news, the newspaper says.
According to data released by the Cuban government, around 26 percent of
Cubans had internet access in 2012. However, this figure includes
millions who used only an intranet linked to their work. ITU puts the
number of broadband subscriptions in Cuba at 0.04 per 100 inhabitants,
or about one in 2,500, which makes Cuba the least wired country in the
Western Hemisphere. Even Cuba's new cybersalons, which operate under the
brand name Nauta, amount to just one for every 95,000 Cubans.
Etecsa's strategic programmes director, Jorge Legra, recently told Efe
that the company may start providing home internet services to ordinary
Cubans by the fourth quarter of 2014. Etecsa is currently studying
bringing ADSL broadband technology to the home. Etecsa officials have
also said the company plans to offer mobile broadband access by the end
of next year and will gradually reduce the price of connectivity.
Source: "High tariffs hinder Cubans' web access at internet centres -
Telecompaper" -
http://www.telecompaper.com/news/high-tariffs-hinder-cubans-web-access-at-internet-centres--954653
Revolt of the Rabble
Cuba: Revolt of the Rabble
July 10, 2013
Erasmo Calzadilla
HAVANA TIMES — One of the most significant socio-cultural events Cuba is
witnessing today is something we could call the "Revolt of the Rabble".
This issue is cause for concern, particularly for those who feel most
affected by it: the older generations, people who have other values and
are unwilling to renounce them, intellectuals and those interested in
social matters.
In "normal" countries, the rabble, if it exists (I wonder if there is
any nation without rabble), is marginalized or kept at bay by other
social groups (the middle class, for instance). Being considered
"rabble" means being very low on the social ladder, which is why people
try not to act like rabble, even when they are part of it.
In Cuba, however, this trend – at least since the triumph of the
revolution – has been inverted: the more trashy you appear, the greater
your chances of survival, of defeating your enemies, of solving day to
day problems and even appealing to people and hooking up with someone –
which is why many people here try to act this way, even when they are
not like that at all.
The attitudes typical of the rabble have become hegemonic in Cuba. The
everyday wisdom, manner of speaking (content, pronunciation and body
language), music and fashion which predominate in the country are those
of the rabble. It represents, not only a mass phenomenon, but a
totalitarian culture as well, for it is intolerant towards other trends,
identities and alternative lifestyles.
Causes
The revolution set out to create the New Man and ended up engendering
our reggaeton-listening youth. It pictured itself giving birth to a
mature, educated and conscientious working class (the world's most
cultured people), but its offspring turned out to be a rag-tag of
criminal underlings. Now, it must reap what it sowed.
In its fight to the death with the bourgeoisie and the remnants of
Cuba's capitalist past (everything that wasn't communist fit these
categories), the revolution ended up throwing out the baby with the bath
water, impoverishing the nation's cultural fiber dramatically.
True, it redeemed the poor and favored the underprivileged sectors of
society. But, simultaneously, it implemented political, labor, economic
and other practices which have eroded the best things these people had.
State centralization, egalitarianism, the curtailment of liberties,
paternalism, Soviet subsidies, measly salaries, the incitement of
political violence, the establishment of an information monopoly – these
are some of the social practices, unleashed years ago, which today
encourage the consolidation of the rabble.
Political Trashiness
An alienated social group, the rabble never expresses itself as a
politically-conscious subject. It would be ridiculous to refer to it as
"civil society".
The State takes advantage of the rabble's political illiteracy to
provoke it and set it loose on its opponents. Neither the State, nor any
political vanguard, could ever rely on the rabble to improve socialism
or create a more just society. The rabble can only destroy, it can never
create.
In this and many other senses, the "Revolt of the Rabble" is an
undesirable phenomenon and, as such, many well-intentioned people are
looking for ways to contain it.
To expect the rabble to put its ways behind it of its own decision would
be rather naive. Culturally speaking, the rabble likes the way it is and
is even proud of itself.
Some set their hopes on a return to capitalism (something which doesn't
seem so distant now), which they feel will set things "in their place."
Capitalism may, in effect, be able to hold back the tide of the rabble,
but it would also propagate its own vices, which look even worse than
those of the rabble.
Since I don't have an answer and I am not convinced by those of others,
I'm going to join the rabble. If anyone has a problem with that,
well…they've got plenty of work to do.
Source: "Cuba is experiencing the revolt of the "rabble"" -
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=96213
July 10, 2013
Erasmo Calzadilla
HAVANA TIMES — One of the most significant socio-cultural events Cuba is
witnessing today is something we could call the "Revolt of the Rabble".
This issue is cause for concern, particularly for those who feel most
affected by it: the older generations, people who have other values and
are unwilling to renounce them, intellectuals and those interested in
social matters.
In "normal" countries, the rabble, if it exists (I wonder if there is
any nation without rabble), is marginalized or kept at bay by other
social groups (the middle class, for instance). Being considered
"rabble" means being very low on the social ladder, which is why people
try not to act like rabble, even when they are part of it.
In Cuba, however, this trend – at least since the triumph of the
revolution – has been inverted: the more trashy you appear, the greater
your chances of survival, of defeating your enemies, of solving day to
day problems and even appealing to people and hooking up with someone –
which is why many people here try to act this way, even when they are
not like that at all.
The attitudes typical of the rabble have become hegemonic in Cuba. The
everyday wisdom, manner of speaking (content, pronunciation and body
language), music and fashion which predominate in the country are those
of the rabble. It represents, not only a mass phenomenon, but a
totalitarian culture as well, for it is intolerant towards other trends,
identities and alternative lifestyles.
Causes
The revolution set out to create the New Man and ended up engendering
our reggaeton-listening youth. It pictured itself giving birth to a
mature, educated and conscientious working class (the world's most
cultured people), but its offspring turned out to be a rag-tag of
criminal underlings. Now, it must reap what it sowed.
In its fight to the death with the bourgeoisie and the remnants of
Cuba's capitalist past (everything that wasn't communist fit these
categories), the revolution ended up throwing out the baby with the bath
water, impoverishing the nation's cultural fiber dramatically.
True, it redeemed the poor and favored the underprivileged sectors of
society. But, simultaneously, it implemented political, labor, economic
and other practices which have eroded the best things these people had.
State centralization, egalitarianism, the curtailment of liberties,
paternalism, Soviet subsidies, measly salaries, the incitement of
political violence, the establishment of an information monopoly – these
are some of the social practices, unleashed years ago, which today
encourage the consolidation of the rabble.
Political Trashiness
An alienated social group, the rabble never expresses itself as a
politically-conscious subject. It would be ridiculous to refer to it as
"civil society".
The State takes advantage of the rabble's political illiteracy to
provoke it and set it loose on its opponents. Neither the State, nor any
political vanguard, could ever rely on the rabble to improve socialism
or create a more just society. The rabble can only destroy, it can never
create.
In this and many other senses, the "Revolt of the Rabble" is an
undesirable phenomenon and, as such, many well-intentioned people are
looking for ways to contain it.
To expect the rabble to put its ways behind it of its own decision would
be rather naive. Culturally speaking, the rabble likes the way it is and
is even proud of itself.
Some set their hopes on a return to capitalism (something which doesn't
seem so distant now), which they feel will set things "in their place."
Capitalism may, in effect, be able to hold back the tide of the rabble,
but it would also propagate its own vices, which look even worse than
those of the rabble.
Since I don't have an answer and I am not convinced by those of others,
I'm going to join the rabble. If anyone has a problem with that,
well…they've got plenty of work to do.
Source: "Cuba is experiencing the revolt of the "rabble"" -
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=96213
Appropriations committee responds to Jay-Z, Beyonce Cuba trip
Appropriations committee responds to Jay-Z, Beyonce Cuba trip
By KEVIN CIRILLI | 7/10/13 12:51 PM EDT
Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee are looking to limit
Jay-Z and Beyonce's travel options.
A spending bill approved on Wednesday by one of the panel's
subcommittees contains a provision that seeks to tighten travel
restrictions to Cuba, following the celebrity couples headline making
trip the communist country earlier this year.
"This is the Jay-Z, Beyonce Bill," Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), a member
of the House Appropriations Committee who opposes the provision, told
POLITICO. "Absolutely [it's a response to the trip], and it's playing to
the audience in Miami" — a reference to opponents of relaxing economic
and diplomatic relations with the island country.
The provision is part of a larger $17 billion financial services
spending bill that funds the operations of several agencies, including
the Treasury Department, which approved the cultural trip that included
Jay-Z and Beyonce. The department has said it approves the trips based
on their itinerary and not the specific travelers.
Panel Republicans said that's too broad a policy and in response the
spending would restrict travel to Cuba to educational exchanges
involving academic study related to a degree program. So unless Jay-Z
and Beyonce are earning a degree — the Treasury Department wouldn't have
been able to approve their trip.
Their trip "was an example of how the guidelines are not being
enforced," Subcommittee Chairman Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.) told POLITICO.
"I think that if we're going to say that we have this policy in place
that relates to travel in Cuba that it ought to be enforced and that
becomes a grey area where they're probably not really following the
guidelines."
Serrano, an advocate for opening up relations with Cuba, said he has no
problems with the married celebrity couple's anniversary trip, which
sparked criticism for what could be perceived as an endorsement of the
communist country.
"The mistake they made was being seen in public, by that I mean they
being who they are walked down the street.," he said. "We may consider
Cuba a closed society, but even it is – it's not closed enough so they
don't know who Jay-Z and Beyonce are."
He added: "What you're seeing here is the result of a successful trip
…isn't it educational for a superstar in our country to go to Cuba and
say, 'Look who we are?'"
Source: "Appropriations committee responds to Jay-Z, Beyonce Cuba trip -
Kevin Cirilli - POLITICO.com" -
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/jay-z-beyonce-cuba-trip-93959.html
By KEVIN CIRILLI | 7/10/13 12:51 PM EDT
Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee are looking to limit
Jay-Z and Beyonce's travel options.
A spending bill approved on Wednesday by one of the panel's
subcommittees contains a provision that seeks to tighten travel
restrictions to Cuba, following the celebrity couples headline making
trip the communist country earlier this year.
"This is the Jay-Z, Beyonce Bill," Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), a member
of the House Appropriations Committee who opposes the provision, told
POLITICO. "Absolutely [it's a response to the trip], and it's playing to
the audience in Miami" — a reference to opponents of relaxing economic
and diplomatic relations with the island country.
The provision is part of a larger $17 billion financial services
spending bill that funds the operations of several agencies, including
the Treasury Department, which approved the cultural trip that included
Jay-Z and Beyonce. The department has said it approves the trips based
on their itinerary and not the specific travelers.
Panel Republicans said that's too broad a policy and in response the
spending would restrict travel to Cuba to educational exchanges
involving academic study related to a degree program. So unless Jay-Z
and Beyonce are earning a degree — the Treasury Department wouldn't have
been able to approve their trip.
Their trip "was an example of how the guidelines are not being
enforced," Subcommittee Chairman Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.) told POLITICO.
"I think that if we're going to say that we have this policy in place
that relates to travel in Cuba that it ought to be enforced and that
becomes a grey area where they're probably not really following the
guidelines."
Serrano, an advocate for opening up relations with Cuba, said he has no
problems with the married celebrity couple's anniversary trip, which
sparked criticism for what could be perceived as an endorsement of the
communist country.
"The mistake they made was being seen in public, by that I mean they
being who they are walked down the street.," he said. "We may consider
Cuba a closed society, but even it is – it's not closed enough so they
don't know who Jay-Z and Beyonce are."
He added: "What you're seeing here is the result of a successful trip
…isn't it educational for a superstar in our country to go to Cuba and
say, 'Look who we are?'"
Source: "Appropriations committee responds to Jay-Z, Beyonce Cuba trip -
Kevin Cirilli - POLITICO.com" -
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/jay-z-beyonce-cuba-trip-93959.html
Cuba’s ex-prisons chief — accused of human-rights abuses — is back in the U.S.
Posted on Thursday, 07.11.13
Cuba's ex-prisons chief — accused of human-rights abuses — is back in
the U.S.
BY DAVID NORIEGA AND JUAN O. TAMAYO
JTAMAYO@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM
A former Cuban prisons chief who was living in Miami and returned
hastily to the island after he was accused of human-rights abuses is now
back again in the United States, according to a knowledgeable source.
Interior Ministry Col. Crescencio Marino Rivero, 71, returned to Cuba in
November after a half-dozen dissidents identified him as a former
director of prisons in the central province of Villa Clara and accused
him of abuses.
But a person with direct knowledge of the case Wednesday confirmed
reports last week that Rivero had returned to somewhere in the United
States. The person declined comment on Rivero's location and all other
issues, and asked for anonymity because the person was not authorized to
speak publicly about the case.
Rivero's wife, Juana Ferrer, who stayed in Miami when he returned to
Cuba, insisted to an El Nuevo Herald reporter Wednesday that he remains
in the island and accused the media of harassing her and her family.
The report of Rivero's return drew grumbles from Miami immigration
lawyers William Allen and Santiago Alpizar, whose complaints about his
presence in South Florida last year eventually prompted an investigation
by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"I am disappointed that it's been months since this information has been
made public, and in those months this guy returns to Cuba, returns to
this country and nothing has happened," Allen said.
He added that he was especially frustrated because the U.S. government
at the same time has sought to deport other Cubans who, like Rivero and
Ferrer, allegedly lied about their Communist Party membership and other
issues when they applied for U.S. visas and residence.
The normal procedure for cases like Rivero and Ferro would be for ICE to
submit the results of its investigation to the U.S. Attorney's Office in
Miami for a decision on whether to press criminal charges — most likely
fraudulently obtaining visas and residence.
If the federal prosecutors decline, ICE can then start removal
procedures — in essence, deportation cases in which an immigration judge
rules on whether the defendants committed fraud. Deportations to Cuba
are rare, so the defendants face detention in immigration lockups like
the one on Krome Avenue or can voluntarily return to the island.
ICE and the U.S. Attorneys Office in Miami declined comment on the
Rivero and Ferrer case.
Rivero retired in 1996 from the Interior Ministry, in charge of all
prisons, and moved to Miami in 2010 with his wife, a former Interior
Ministry passport officer who held at least the rank of captain. They
moved in with a daughter, who has a young child.
A half-dozen former Cuban political prisoners have accused him of
abusing them or ordering prison guards to abuse them when he was in
charge of juvenile detention centers and later adult prisons in Villa
Clara in the 1980s and 1990s.
Dissident Guillermo Fariñas, like Rivero a resident of the city of Santa
Clara, alleged that an angry Rivero ripped out two intravenous feeding
tubes from his arms when he was in a hospital in 1998 carrying out one
of his many hunger strikes.
Farinas, winner of the European Parliament's Sakharov prize for freedom
of conscience, said Rivero also shouted that "dissidents don't need
intravenous liquids. They need to be killed."
Federal investigators obtained copies of Rivero and Ferrer's
applications for visas and residence, under the Cuban Adjustment Act, in
November, around the same time that Rivero went back to their home in
Santa Clara.
Prosecuting Rivero for human rights abuses would be difficult, according
to experts, but he and Ferrer could be put in removal procedures if they
are found to have lied in their U.S. applications.
The forms ask if the applicants have ever worked in prisons, belonged to
a Communist Party, received weapons training or served in a
"paramilitary unit." Interior Ministry officers hold military ranks and
can carry weapons.
Rivero has denied the allegations of human rights abuses and branded his
accusers as "liars." But he appeared to acknowledge possible problems
with his visa application when he spoke with a handful of Miami
reporters in November.
When he applied for a U.S. visa, he said, "at that time I had been out
of the Interior Ministry for 14 years. I didn't give it any importance."
Source: "Cuba's ex-prisons chief — accused of human-rights abuses — is
back in the U.S. - Cuba - MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/11/3494382/online-head.html
Cuba's ex-prisons chief — accused of human-rights abuses — is back in
the U.S.
BY DAVID NORIEGA AND JUAN O. TAMAYO
JTAMAYO@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM
A former Cuban prisons chief who was living in Miami and returned
hastily to the island after he was accused of human-rights abuses is now
back again in the United States, according to a knowledgeable source.
Interior Ministry Col. Crescencio Marino Rivero, 71, returned to Cuba in
November after a half-dozen dissidents identified him as a former
director of prisons in the central province of Villa Clara and accused
him of abuses.
But a person with direct knowledge of the case Wednesday confirmed
reports last week that Rivero had returned to somewhere in the United
States. The person declined comment on Rivero's location and all other
issues, and asked for anonymity because the person was not authorized to
speak publicly about the case.
Rivero's wife, Juana Ferrer, who stayed in Miami when he returned to
Cuba, insisted to an El Nuevo Herald reporter Wednesday that he remains
in the island and accused the media of harassing her and her family.
The report of Rivero's return drew grumbles from Miami immigration
lawyers William Allen and Santiago Alpizar, whose complaints about his
presence in South Florida last year eventually prompted an investigation
by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"I am disappointed that it's been months since this information has been
made public, and in those months this guy returns to Cuba, returns to
this country and nothing has happened," Allen said.
He added that he was especially frustrated because the U.S. government
at the same time has sought to deport other Cubans who, like Rivero and
Ferrer, allegedly lied about their Communist Party membership and other
issues when they applied for U.S. visas and residence.
The normal procedure for cases like Rivero and Ferro would be for ICE to
submit the results of its investigation to the U.S. Attorney's Office in
Miami for a decision on whether to press criminal charges — most likely
fraudulently obtaining visas and residence.
If the federal prosecutors decline, ICE can then start removal
procedures — in essence, deportation cases in which an immigration judge
rules on whether the defendants committed fraud. Deportations to Cuba
are rare, so the defendants face detention in immigration lockups like
the one on Krome Avenue or can voluntarily return to the island.
ICE and the U.S. Attorneys Office in Miami declined comment on the
Rivero and Ferrer case.
Rivero retired in 1996 from the Interior Ministry, in charge of all
prisons, and moved to Miami in 2010 with his wife, a former Interior
Ministry passport officer who held at least the rank of captain. They
moved in with a daughter, who has a young child.
A half-dozen former Cuban political prisoners have accused him of
abusing them or ordering prison guards to abuse them when he was in
charge of juvenile detention centers and later adult prisons in Villa
Clara in the 1980s and 1990s.
Dissident Guillermo Fariñas, like Rivero a resident of the city of Santa
Clara, alleged that an angry Rivero ripped out two intravenous feeding
tubes from his arms when he was in a hospital in 1998 carrying out one
of his many hunger strikes.
Farinas, winner of the European Parliament's Sakharov prize for freedom
of conscience, said Rivero also shouted that "dissidents don't need
intravenous liquids. They need to be killed."
Federal investigators obtained copies of Rivero and Ferrer's
applications for visas and residence, under the Cuban Adjustment Act, in
November, around the same time that Rivero went back to their home in
Santa Clara.
Prosecuting Rivero for human rights abuses would be difficult, according
to experts, but he and Ferrer could be put in removal procedures if they
are found to have lied in their U.S. applications.
The forms ask if the applicants have ever worked in prisons, belonged to
a Communist Party, received weapons training or served in a
"paramilitary unit." Interior Ministry officers hold military ranks and
can carry weapons.
Rivero has denied the allegations of human rights abuses and branded his
accusers as "liars." But he appeared to acknowledge possible problems
with his visa application when he spoke with a handful of Miami
reporters in November.
When he applied for a U.S. visa, he said, "at that time I had been out
of the Interior Ministry for 14 years. I didn't give it any importance."
Source: "Cuba's ex-prisons chief — accused of human-rights abuses — is
back in the U.S. - Cuba - MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/11/3494382/online-head.html
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Cuban Hospitals Are Falling to Pieces and If They Repair Them, It’s With the Patients Inside
Cuban Hospitals Are Falling to Pieces and If They Repair Them, It's With
the Patients Inside / Lilianne Ruiz
Posted on July 10, 2013
Havana, Cuba, July 2, 2013 Lilianne Ruiz/www.cubanet.org – Ruben
Benitez is not his real name. His real name is not used because he is a
father and family man and afraid of losing his job. Doctor by profession
he remains disconcerted by the death of his father which occurred in the
Calixto Garcia hospital.
According to which he himself said, upon arriving at the Intensive Care
ward, the words of the nurse who helped him were:
"What's going on here? Is it raining?"
The ward was filled with water puddles due to a broken air conditioning
pipe.
Dr. Benitez knows the rules especially when it comes to requiring an
admittance, and added:
"Me, clearly, and that's it, because I wanted to solve my problem."
He assures it was not for lack of medications. "Nor for lack of
attention from medical and nursing staff, despite all situations of
indolence and some other abuse on finding his too demanding companion
uncomfortable. It was because the hospital was so filthy," he said.
"The medical staff doesn't say so, apparently, but in a hospital where
the same elevator carries the construction workers, the doctors, and
even the trash, you can't carry a seriously ill patient because that's
taking an infection from the mouth right to the lung."
Doctor Benitez's father was admitted for chest pain and he developed
complications ending up with hypostatic pneumonia, which killed him.
The doctor looked at me with surprise when I asked if he thinks you
shouldn't transport a seriously ill patient in an elevator with other
people. On asking him I remember my father being admitted to the
hospital and the number of times I went up with him lying on a gurney,
trying to protect him from the man who was carrying the trash, in the
presence of doctors talking, which forced me to see that situation as
"normal."
"You can't be doing construction in a hospital with patients inside. The
floor is cleaned every day and within the ward (after fixing the air
conditioning) apparently it's cleaner. But outside, it's not what you
see, it's that you can run a finger over the floor and it's covered with
cement dust, because they've been doing construction in the hospital for
many years," the doctor commented.
"It's very depressing to see a family member in this situation and not
be able to do anything," he said. "He died of hypostatic pneumonia, but
it can't be determined if he contracted it simply by lying flat, or
whether it was the result of an infectious environment that should have
been avoided."
He says he rejected the idea of an autopsy because it mean extending the
suffering without resolving anything, no power to sue anyone.
According to Dr. Benitez, in his role as a companion, the most shocking
was the sum of all these terrible conditions of life there, from the
disruption of the builders to the sewage water running in front of the
ICU room, when the first downpour of the season.
"When you don't know the topic it's very easy to fool you, but when
you're a doctor, not so much…"
In Havana, a few years ago it was said that the director of the Cancer
Hospital had forbidden their workers to talk about the relationship to
talk about the construction of the hospital and the number of deaths:
"Because it's logical that there is a greater risk death for patients
who are receiving expensive chemotherapy treatment (which normally
causes immuno-suppression) and who ingest dust," the doctor pointed out.
When he was a student, in 2004, in the Fajardo hospital, on a visitor's
pass, it could have been the same builder shouting over a running drill.
"Even though it was on another floor, the reverb didn't let you talk."
Repairs with intensive care patients
At least ten years ago they started the repair work on the capital's
hospitals. What I could never understand, neither the doctors nor the
patients, is why they all have to be restored at the same time.
Some, like the Cardiovascular Institute or the Fajardo Hospital, have
been declared "terminal." Others seem to have stalled, like Calixto
Garcia. The Clodimira Acosta obstetric-gynecological appears to be a
lost building, despite having started on the reconstruction work.
Statistics reveal that the number of deaths by infections in hospitals
being repaired have tripled.
There are no alternatives but to go, when you get sick, to the same
dirty and dilapidated hospital we're talking about.
Only those with a high level of personal relations are allowed to
receive medical attention in the elite places like CIMEQ or the Cira
Garcia International Clinic.
The experience in the "hospitals for the people," make Cubans repeat, as
a collective consciousness, that "What you can't do here is go to the
hospital."
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
6 July 2013
Source: "Cuban Hospitals Are Falling to Pieces and If They Repair Them,
It's With the Patients Inside / Lilianne Ruiz | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/cuban-hospitals-are-falling-to-pieces-and-if-they-repair-them-its-with-the-patients-inside-lilianne-ruiz/
the Patients Inside / Lilianne Ruiz
Posted on July 10, 2013
Havana, Cuba, July 2, 2013 Lilianne Ruiz/www.cubanet.org – Ruben
Benitez is not his real name. His real name is not used because he is a
father and family man and afraid of losing his job. Doctor by profession
he remains disconcerted by the death of his father which occurred in the
Calixto Garcia hospital.
According to which he himself said, upon arriving at the Intensive Care
ward, the words of the nurse who helped him were:
"What's going on here? Is it raining?"
The ward was filled with water puddles due to a broken air conditioning
pipe.
Dr. Benitez knows the rules especially when it comes to requiring an
admittance, and added:
"Me, clearly, and that's it, because I wanted to solve my problem."
He assures it was not for lack of medications. "Nor for lack of
attention from medical and nursing staff, despite all situations of
indolence and some other abuse on finding his too demanding companion
uncomfortable. It was because the hospital was so filthy," he said.
"The medical staff doesn't say so, apparently, but in a hospital where
the same elevator carries the construction workers, the doctors, and
even the trash, you can't carry a seriously ill patient because that's
taking an infection from the mouth right to the lung."
Doctor Benitez's father was admitted for chest pain and he developed
complications ending up with hypostatic pneumonia, which killed him.
The doctor looked at me with surprise when I asked if he thinks you
shouldn't transport a seriously ill patient in an elevator with other
people. On asking him I remember my father being admitted to the
hospital and the number of times I went up with him lying on a gurney,
trying to protect him from the man who was carrying the trash, in the
presence of doctors talking, which forced me to see that situation as
"normal."
"You can't be doing construction in a hospital with patients inside. The
floor is cleaned every day and within the ward (after fixing the air
conditioning) apparently it's cleaner. But outside, it's not what you
see, it's that you can run a finger over the floor and it's covered with
cement dust, because they've been doing construction in the hospital for
many years," the doctor commented.
"It's very depressing to see a family member in this situation and not
be able to do anything," he said. "He died of hypostatic pneumonia, but
it can't be determined if he contracted it simply by lying flat, or
whether it was the result of an infectious environment that should have
been avoided."
He says he rejected the idea of an autopsy because it mean extending the
suffering without resolving anything, no power to sue anyone.
According to Dr. Benitez, in his role as a companion, the most shocking
was the sum of all these terrible conditions of life there, from the
disruption of the builders to the sewage water running in front of the
ICU room, when the first downpour of the season.
"When you don't know the topic it's very easy to fool you, but when
you're a doctor, not so much…"
In Havana, a few years ago it was said that the director of the Cancer
Hospital had forbidden their workers to talk about the relationship to
talk about the construction of the hospital and the number of deaths:
"Because it's logical that there is a greater risk death for patients
who are receiving expensive chemotherapy treatment (which normally
causes immuno-suppression) and who ingest dust," the doctor pointed out.
When he was a student, in 2004, in the Fajardo hospital, on a visitor's
pass, it could have been the same builder shouting over a running drill.
"Even though it was on another floor, the reverb didn't let you talk."
Repairs with intensive care patients
At least ten years ago they started the repair work on the capital's
hospitals. What I could never understand, neither the doctors nor the
patients, is why they all have to be restored at the same time.
Some, like the Cardiovascular Institute or the Fajardo Hospital, have
been declared "terminal." Others seem to have stalled, like Calixto
Garcia. The Clodimira Acosta obstetric-gynecological appears to be a
lost building, despite having started on the reconstruction work.
Statistics reveal that the number of deaths by infections in hospitals
being repaired have tripled.
There are no alternatives but to go, when you get sick, to the same
dirty and dilapidated hospital we're talking about.
Only those with a high level of personal relations are allowed to
receive medical attention in the elite places like CIMEQ or the Cira
Garcia International Clinic.
The experience in the "hospitals for the people," make Cubans repeat, as
a collective consciousness, that "What you can't do here is go to the
hospital."
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
6 July 2013
Source: "Cuban Hospitals Are Falling to Pieces and If They Repair Them,
It's With the Patients Inside / Lilianne Ruiz | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/cuban-hospitals-are-falling-to-pieces-and-if-they-repair-them-its-with-the-patients-inside-lilianne-ruiz/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
