Search results for: November 15

“Human rights in Nicaragua have deteriorated considerably since 2008” / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Brussels, 9 May 2015 — Wendy Flores Acevedo, a young lawyer with the Nicaraguan Human Rights Center (CENIDH), spoke with 14ymedio in Brussels about the loss of legal guarantees in recent years in her country, under the government of Daniel Ortega. Escobar. What is the situation today with human rights in Nicaragua? Flores. Human … Continue reading ““Human rights in Nicaragua have deteriorated considerably since 2008” / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”

A Math Test Shielded Against Fraud / 14ymedio, Zunilda Mata

14ymedio, Zunida Mata, Havana 28 april 2015 — “This is more protected than Plaza of the revolution,” a teenager joked this Monday just before sitting down for the math test for college admission. Yesterday, dozens of schools across the country held the difficult test to enter higher education. The rigor of the evaluation content has … Continue reading “A Math Test Shielded Against Fraud / 14ymedio, Zunilda Mata”

The Bullies That Castro Sent to Panama / Angel Santiesteban

For a few seconds you could see the video on Telesur of the blows given by the official Cuban delegates in Panama. I managed to see, and it’s the gesture I remember the most, a man who, above the rest, attacked with his fist, exercising brutal force, and I remembered that on November 8, 2012, … Continue reading “The Bullies That Castro Sent to Panama / Angel Santiesteban”

The Bridgettines, in the Shadows of Power / 14ymedio, Rosa Lopez

14ymedio, Rosa Lopez, Havana 6 February 2015 — Discreet and elusive, donning gray habits and cross-adorned veils, they attend mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity in Pinar del Río. The three nuns, originally from India, belong to the Order of the Most Holy Savior of Saint Bridget headed by the Italian religious … Continue reading “The Bridgettines, in the Shadows of Power / 14ymedio, Rosa Lopez”

When I got to Varadero* / Cubanet, Luis Cino Alvarez

Cubanet, Luis Cino Alvarez, Havana, 30 March 2015 — Despite the fact that on the three occasions I ever visited Varadero my experiences were not particularly pleasant, that beach – which today for the majority of Cubans is almost as inaccessible as Waikiki – occupies a special place in my nostalgia. The first time I … Continue reading “When I got to Varadero* / Cubanet, Luis Cino Alvarez”

Diplomacy, yes. Democracy, what for? / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo

The potential complications  of the renewed diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba. Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo It was about time. Uber taxi drives agree. Academics agree. Minority leaders agree. American social activists agree. Radio, TV and press editors agree. Even comedians agree. It’s the only point of consensus in the polarized US politics. No need … Continue reading “Diplomacy, yes. Democracy, what for? / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo”

A Leader Of Civil Society, A Real Story Without A Moral / Reinaldo Escobar

Desde Aqui, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 27 March 2015 — On a cold November morning in the late eighties, some two hundred of us were trying to come to an agreement to organize a line to buy interprovincial bus tickets at an agency in Havana’s Playa municipality. As usually happens in these cases, the line had … Continue reading “A Leader Of Civil Society, A Real Story Without A Moral / Reinaldo Escobar”

Holguin repairs a street after a hundred residents threaten not to vote in the elections / 14ymedio, Fernando Donate

14ymedio, Fernando Donante Ochoa, Holguin, 23 March 2105 – the Holguin municipal government decided to hurriedly solve the problem of sewage running down 8th Street between 29th and 35th, in the La Quinta neighborhood, after having received a letter signed by more than 100 people who threatened not to vote in the elections for delegates … Continue reading “Holguin repairs a street after a hundred residents threaten not to vote in the elections / 14ymedio, Fernando Donate”

Cuba: Potatoes from the Ration Book (When Available) / Ivan Garcia

Ivan Garcia, 15 March 2015 — The dirty, dilapidated produce market — its floor covered with red dirt and its shelving rusty — in Cerro’s crowded El Pilar neighborhood is ten minutes by car from the center of Havana. Sandra, a housewife, has spent two nights in line here waiting for potatoes. “At three in … Continue reading “Cuba: Potatoes from the Ration Book (When Available) / Ivan Garcia”

In Cuba Drought Wreaks Havoc on World Water Day / 14ymedio, Rosa Lopez

14ymedio, Rosa Lopez, Havana, 22 March 2015 — Spring has officially arrived, but without the rain. Every day the drama worsens in the Cuban countryside, especially in the East. Throughout the length and breadth of the country, the private agricultural sector is experiencing a very difficult situation, because of the precariousness of resources and the … Continue reading “In Cuba Drought Wreaks Havoc on World Water Day / 14ymedio, Rosa Lopez”

“No matter where I live, I will keep working for the freedom of Cuba” / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 18 March 2015 — Twelve years after the Black Spring, 14ymedio chats with some of the former political prisoners currently living on the Island. Two questions have been posed to those activists condemned in March 2003: one about their decision to stay in Cuba, and the other about how they see … Continue reading ““No matter where I live, I will keep working for the freedom of Cuba” / 14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar”

The Conversations and Aspirations of Many Cuban Students / Ivan Garcia

Ivan Garcia, 13 March 2015 — For a group of sixth grade students at the elementary school named after Juan Oscar Alvarado — a 19-year-old underground fighter, assassinated in 1958 in a house in the Sevillano neighborhood where they hid arms — located in that peaceful Havana neighborhood, their plans for the future are far … Continue reading “The Conversations and Aspirations of Many Cuban Students / Ivan Garcia”

The Annual Potato Ritual / 14ymedio, Orlando Palma

14ymedio, ORLANDO PALMA, Havana, 9 March 2015 — Last weekend, the arrival of the potato in several farmers markets in Havana provoked fights that recalled the despair of the most difficult years of the Special Period. Hours after the squabbles ended, it was possible to buy potatoes in the same places, but from the hands of those clever … Continue reading “The Annual Potato Ritual / 14ymedio, Orlando Palma”

Radio Marti: The Voice of Cuban Dissidents / Ivan Garcia

Iván García, 24 February 2015 — One summer during a stay in Camaguey — a province 340 miles east of Havana — the owner of a house where I was staying listened from early morning to Radio Marti, a network created in 1985 under the administration of Ronald Reagan with the goal of providing Cubans … Continue reading “Radio Marti: The Voice of Cuban Dissidents / Ivan Garcia”

Seven Steps to Kill Orlando Zapata Tamayo / Luis Felipe Rojas

Orlando Zapata Tamayo Luis Felipe Rojas — I published this post a few days after that needless death. Now I again denounce the death and express the same ideas about it. It’s my homage to my brother, Orlando Zapata Tamayo. I am still experiencing the pain caused by that avoidable death, and I feel impotent … Continue reading “Seven Steps to Kill Orlando Zapata Tamayo / Luis Felipe Rojas”