« Cuban-Americans Enrage Al Jazeera (Updated) | Babalu Blog - Main Page | Why Turn on Our Own? »

But making it legal to buy these things doesn't necessarily "improve access". They need an economy in which people can afford to buy these things too.

This reminds me of something that happened when I was in Soviet Russia. My Russian teacher had photo-copied some stuff for our class and when he handed them out, he told us to be sure not to lose them, because it's so hard to get access to a photocopier and he wouldn't be able to replace them. One student asked, "well aren't things getting better here now?" (these were the glorious days of glasnost'), to which the teacher said, "they are giving us more privileges, which is not the same thing as rights."

Yeah the lift is so they can make money, you are taxed 100% of the value of those items, at the airport.

What about the de facto ban on livable wages, or an end to the ban on the internet? I believe the accompanying photo shows the regimes intent, but they are too late. That horse left the gate.

Folks,

This is an ingenious way to try to maintain that "wild pony" of the internet under control.

By selling the computers,they get to keep track of who's buying them.

now, for what other purpose would a Cuban make such a sacrifice economically by buying a computer other than to have access - clandestine obviously - to the net?

Its a win win for the regime. They make a few bucks and keep tabs on the "trouble makers" at the same time.

"Communist Cuba has authorized the unrestricted sale of computers, DVD and video players and other appliances in the first sign President Raul Castro is moving to improve access to consumer goods for Cubans."

How is the Cuban government going to do this? Will raulita increase the Cuban's wages? Will they be paid in dollars? I really would like to know because the average Cuban makes about $16.00 a month. You don't need to be a nuclear scientist to know there's no way they will be able to afford any of these items. Unless, of course, raulita is planning Cuban exiles to subsidize the purchase of these items, in which case, the large majority of Cubans (mostly blacks) will be left out in the cold.

Notice that this "pacifier" is being given under the guise of "more electricity". This seems to be two-fold. One is quiets those who are grumbling which it seems must be growing. It also sends a message that they are now going to be able to meet needs in the future. This is all damage control. The dissidents need to make a major move as some of these folks may regrettably get pacified with the chance of getting new toys.

It makes me so upset to open the internet and see in every front page the news of the lifting of the ban on computers, yet not one of these articles has brought up the fact today, there was an article released that last year's total number of arbitrary detentions were 250, but this year, not yet over the third month, there have been 325 and we're still counting!

That pig regime has decided to lift the computer ban(like this ban is normal around the world), and the press has gone mad reporting it, as if they've announced the discovery of a worm hole to a populated planet in a galaxy we didn't know existed!!! WTF???

Everyone is ok with the fact that a country had a ban on computers to start with??

Did the list include items such as internet enabled satellite phones and DirectWay satellite internet dishes? If these were legal, paying the fees from the US would make a nice charity.

Without internet access, there is very little that can be done with a laptop in kuba.

I wonder if the MSM caught that.

I can see it already: CompRaul and the ChivatoSquad home tech support service.

Another way to look at this news:

In a move to show that they are serious about reforming the access to food on the island, raul has ordered that all Cuban citizens be given steak knives.

Estare escribiendo un pequeño articulo acerca de esto pronto. ESTAMOS CORRIENDO CONTRA EL RELOJ. SI RAUL Y SUS SECUACES LOGRAN LLEVAR A CABO UNA REVOLUCION ECONOMICA ANTES QUE OCURRAN CAMBIOS POLITICOS HACIA LA DEMOCRACIA EN CUBA , ENTONCES PODREMOS DECIR HOY PODREMOS DECIR HOY QUIEN INTENTE APODERARSE DE CUBA , RECOGERA EL POLVO, ABNEGADO EN SANGRE SI NO PERECE EN LA CONTIENDA

video nuevo sacado del horno de CAM desde España fantastico no se lo pueden perder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI_ZBYYcVgw

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

URL:
Remember me? YesNo

Comments: