Cuba Lifts Ban On Computer, DVD Sales

[housewolf]

By Reuters
InformationWeek
March 13, 2008 11:08 AM

HAVANA - Communist Cuba has authorized the sale of computers, DVD and video players, and other electrical appliances in the first sign President Raul Castro is moving to lift some restrictions on daily life.

"Based on the improved availability of electricity the government at the highest level has approved the sale of some equipment which was prohibited," said an internal government memo seen by Reuters.

It listed computers, video and DVD players, 19-inch and 24-inch television sets, electric pressure cookers and rice cookers, electric bicycles, car alarms and microwaves that can now be freely bought by Cubans. (Reporting by Marc Frank, Editing by Sandra Maler))

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206903420

Some commentary from Steve Clemmons at the Washington Note:
Cuban President Raul Castro has started his reforms -- well, he did quite a while ago actually though few noticed. But the new news is that the Cuban government has removed restrictions on the sale of computers, DVDs, and video players inside Cuba.

Old story first. When I was doing research in Cuba last March, Fidel Castro was ill and Raul Castro had assumed the responsibilities of acting head of state. In the past during Fidel's tenure, ministers -- questioned by legislators in Cuba's National Assembly -- used to wait for the President to instruct them on how to respond to legislators and the public.

Raul Castro changed that -- and told the ministers that they needed to be accountable for the performance of the institutions for which they had responsibility. Competence was the signal he was sending -- accountability. And he was telegraphing that they ought not wait for dictates of political correctness from his office.

But what Raul Castro has done today is open the door for a new consumer appetite. He is allowing people to purchase -- completely unrestricted -- the vehicles for the consumption and transport of "culture." DVDs, computers, and video players are how American power and culture are really heard and seen around the world today -- not through Pentagon machinery.

But as things stand now, America won't allow its content into Cuba. As the embargo stands, we hope that Venezuela's Hugo Chavez fills the scarce bandwidth now available in Cuba and are giving him no competition.

Raul Castro is moving forward in a constructive direction. The U.S. needs to adopt a set of policies now that is less "self-destructive" of American interests.

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2008/03/the_washington_6/

[Araxen]

1. So car alarms somehow affect the availability of electricity?

[RB TexLa]

2. Not going to work, just as appeasing a power hungry warmonger wanting to claim "Greater

insert nation here" with allowing them to have the first bit of land they grabbed neither can freedom be appeased. I'm sure Raul has the plane ready with a few bags of cash for when the people come after him with pitchforks, and the day can't come soon enough.

[ngant17]

5. As a counter-balance to your bias

Cuba is fundamentally more democratic than the US.

Want proof? You can listen to Arnold August's research into the democratic process in Cuba here:

<http://idahosmith.com/cbiacs.htm>

Click on link by Civic Media Center.

[angrycarpenter]

3. OK they have computers

but will they have internet?

[bean fidhleir]

4. They already have the internet - what they don't have is bandwidth

because (iirc) their only backbone connection is to the US.