Here I will detail a perspective on how to understand the Cuban reforms from a Marxist point of view and, by comparing them with other socialist experiences of reform, try to elucidate how we can think about this kind of policy change under Communist-led governments.
It is impossible to consider Cuba, and Cuba's oppression by the American state, without getting into complex, contradictory feelings. Even before the current reforms, Cuba was contentious -- not initially a communist revolution, wrenched into communism by circumstance, and then under siege for the entirety of its existence by one of the most powerful capitalist empires on the planet. It is a model of resilience and survival, and of compromise. This last bit, I think, is well-defended in this piece.
And what have been Cuba’s playing cards in the 21st century? Arguably, the worst ones out of any Communist-led state. Any complete analysis of the Cuban Revolution in general, but especially in the 21stcentury, should always start from the decades-long, bipartisan effort by the United States to subjugate Cuba once again. Until the late 1980s, Cuba had the help of the Socialist Bloc and could benefit from the echoes of early Soviet hopes of developed socialist countries reversing unequal exchange and breaking the chains of underdevelopment in other regions. The impact that the 1989-1991 collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe had on Cuba is impossible to overstate; it is tempting to see it as isolated as the early Soviet Union, but with the crucial difference that one was a transcontinental mammoth and the other an island of a similar size to Iceland, 90 miles away from a state committed to defeat it.
A small note in this piece that I think about often is that -- as the author correctly details -- Cuba was almost entirely a monocrop economy until the 90s. Much of its money to survive was provided by the Soviet Union, who, beautifully and tragically, paid exorbitant and unnecessary prices for Cuban sugar until its collapse. An internationalism that feels almost unbelievable now. Even great China makes sure to not disturb the monster of the United States overmuch, and one can hardly blame them for it. But still.
But an L.A. Material review has found that is far from the full story. Organizers failed to lay basic groundwork for the festival, such as obtaining police permits for myriad events. Not a single speaker or panel was formally booked for the “State of Jazz” conference and the overall process was marred by confusion.
🎵 local 🎵 drama 🎵
The international left’s angst and disappointment regarding Venezuela’s retreats is understandable. But the Global South is not about to fulfill the revolutionary aspirations of those living in the belly of the beast. That, it should be clear, is the task for people in the imperial core.
Even simple equipment failed with slapstick regularity, six workers said. Conveyor belts broke down. Automated carts got lost. Safety gates meant to shut down machines when workers approached did not shut down machines when workers approached. A pipe exploded, spraying water up to the ceiling.
Hilarious article about the USA's super efficient military capitalism. Paper tiger!
After crossing the 100-gigawatt mark in 2012, it took the world 10 years to deploy 1 terawatt of solar power. An additional 1 terawatt, enough to meet all of US power demand at its peak, took less than three years to build. Not even two years later in 2026 — the precise timing is subject to debate among analysts — the 3-terawatt threshold was reached.
Some good news. And, naturally:
The first terawatt was mostly rich countries subsidizing the installation of solar, with China and poor countries still finding photovoltaics too expensive. That story changed going into the second and third terawatt, with China taking the baton from rich countries.
The current government of the United States is not going to get us out of climate change. The vanguard of modern communism, however, has a pretty good shot.
The LAPD is ending its agreement with Flock Safety, a company that operates surveillance cameras throughout the city.
huzzah!
Terry Thompson lost $1.5 million on bets he placed with FanDuel. The company gave him VIP treatment — including a personalized video message from the Phillies' All-Star first baseman.
Genuinely stomach turning. Sports betting needs to be banned and these people deserve so much worse than what I want to say publicly online.
A new book claims that Mystery, who teaches awkward men how to hit on women, had sex and smoked weed with an AI chatbot named Miss Shira Always.
Mystery has fallen in love with Grok!
Everything around you is ads and it's only getting worse. I have lost so much patience for advertisements lol
Climate action is increasing its reliance on completely avoidable new fossil fuel infrastructure, and what it gets in return is more lies, less trust and direct participation in big tech’s attempt to destroy access to reality.
Turns out that recent "Bezos quote" about humans drinking too much water was entirely made up, likely an AI hallucination, and reported by an Indian news outlet as fact. Never underestimate the lack of care of the modern overworked/underpaid journalist.
Isaac Chotiner interviews Shimon Riklin, an anchor on Israel’s right-leaning Channel 14, and a Benjamin Netanyahu ally, who feels stabbed in the back by Trump’s Iran deal.
🚨🚨🚨NEW CHOTINER ALERT🚨🚨🚨
AI "assisted" Code is still generative AI and it's weird how people try to justify that it's not.
Good breakdown of a current messy situation regarding SpryFox and generative AI.
Here is the thing I want to say to the brilliant people in Singapore’s conference rooms — and I say it with genuine affection: the transition is not coming. It is here. The countries of South and Southeast Asia are not waiting for a cleaner technology to arrive at scale. They are building it, deploying it, and in some cases, leading the world in doing so.
Some good news.
Rosa Luxemburg coined the phrase “socialism or barbarism” in 1916, in the middle of the first world war, as a general statement about humanity’s choices. In the Caribbean in 2026, it is a concrete question on the table.
Carlos J. Martinez knocking it out of the park here. Viva communist Cuba.
Planning documents for "Scout" say the plan is to "make people addicted" to the tool before adding new features.
I truly feel like complete abstinence from these tools is the most practical option. Avoid as much as possible. You don't have "just a little" of an addictive substance like this! Just avoid it! Stay away!
COVID-19 infections have plummeted in recent years. In 2022, there were around 1.5 infections per person, meaning almost everyone was infected once and many people had more than one infection. In 2023, the number was around 1. In 2024, we stopped recording really good statistics on the number of infections, but every indicator we had showed another huge decline. By 2026, we are looking at record low rates of COVID-19 across hospitalizations, deaths, wastewater data, and cases.
Some good news, at least.
Until now, riders needed to purchase and reload a TAP card to ride Metro buses and trains. Transit officials say the new system eliminates that extra step by allowing passengers to tap a contactless credit card, debit card, smartphone or smartwatch directly at fare gates and onboard bus terminals.
Real contactless NFC payments for LA Metro! World Cup stuff notwithstanding this is a great step forward for the Metro.
The balance of power has shifted, and nations of the Middle East will no longer accept a regional order dictated by the US and Israel.
History continues apace!
Iran's claim over subsea chokepoint pushes US tech companies to overland fiber.
Uh oh hee hee hee
Furries arrived in formal wear, some toting their fursuits in. Pursell arrived wearing his authentic Escamillo matador costume from that evening’s performance of Carmen. Before the show, he hosted a free meet-and-greet, handing out stickers, signing posters, and giving out head pats.
awesome. very cute. amazing looks throughout.