Netflix Now Available In Cuba

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Netflix Now Available In Cuba

Posted by samzenpus on Monday February 9, 2015 @07:03AM from the binge-away dept.

aBaldrich writes Streaming video service Netflix will be available to Cuban customers starting today, at the $7.99 U.S. per month rate that it offers in the U.S., the company announced today. It'll still require an international payment method for now, as well as Internet access (which still isn't ubiquitous in [Cuba]), but it's an early start that Netflix says it wanted to offer in order to have it available as Cuban Internet access expands, and debit and credit cards become more available to Cuban citizens. Until now, Cubans have had little access to this kind of American entertainment. The U.S. government maintains a floating balloon tethered to an island in the Florida Keys that broadcasts the pro-democracy TV Marti network. The Cuban government constantly jams the signal. "Cuba has great filmmakers and a robust arts culture, and one day we hope to be able to bring their work to our global audience," Reed Hastings, the company's co-founder and chief executive officer, said in the statement.

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Right on time... by hcs_$reboot · 2015-02-09 07:07 · Score: 2

now that Better Call Saul starts to be available on (some) Netflix!

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1. Re:Right on time... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:23 · Score: 1
  
  House of Cards season 3. So very appropriate.
Hmmm .... by gstoddart · 2015-02-09 07:08 · Score: 3, Insightful

Available to Cubans with access to broadband, and international payment methods.
So, Raul and Fidel?
Do you have any idea how much $7.99/month is to an average Cuban? More than what they make.
I'm afraid the douchiness of NetFlix making this announcement is mind-boggling as it seems so disconnected from reality as to be absurd.
I fear Cuba isn't ready for the influx of crap this kind of thing is going to do to its society. And no matter what the idealists say, you can't magically turn their economy into a modern thing without causing more damage than you fix.
The "free market" as they'll see it will eat them alive, I'm afraid.

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1. Re:Hmmm .... by alvinrod · 2015-02-09 07:25 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  According to an article in the Havana Times the average salary in Cuba (as of 2012) was ~$22 based on a report released by the Cuban government. A few other sources from a quick Google search were in the same ballpark so I'll assume that's reasonable.
  
  So Netflix is roughtly 1/3 of an average monthly salary, which is still a considerable amount, but I would imagine that given the limited access to internet there, the cost of Netflix is hardly the largest barrier.
  
  The "free market" as they'll see it will eat them alive, I'm afraid.
  I suspect that the U.S. removing embargoes and trading with Cuba will do a lot to improve their economy. The tourism industry is also likely to see a lot of growth. I don't see how this will "eat them alive" though.
2. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:25 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Cubans are making around $14/month (police and military are at $21/month. That's a USD amount. They also receive food ration vouchers. All other monies are tips from tourists, favors, etc. It's still above the poverty line, but $7.99 for Netflix? Yeah, sure.
3. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:26 · Score: 0
  
  Do you have any idea how much $7.99/month is to an average Cuban? More than what they make.
  More like $500 per month, actually.
  
  you can't magically turn their economy into a modern thing without causing more damage than you fix. The "free market" as they'll see it will eat them alive, I'm afraid.
  So there's no hope for them? I don't believe it. I think they'll adjust just fine, with a period of some confusion and disruption. I bet in 20 years the majority of Cubans will be much better off than they are today.
4. Re:Hmmm .... by Ravaldy · 2015-02-09 07:35 · Score: 2
  
  First the infrastructure needs to be put in place. This will happen through the wealthier asking to get better internet access. Facilities such as vacation resorts will also invest in said technology to improve their customers experience.
5. Re:Hmmm .... by ShanghaiBill · 2015-02-09 07:47 · Score: 1
  
  The "free market" as they'll see it will eat them alive, I'm afraid.
  Not if the free market is also allowed to set their wages.
6. Re:Hmmm .... by gstoddart · 2015-02-09 07:50 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  According to an article in the Havana Times [havanatimes.org] the average salary in Cuba (as of 2012) was ~$22 based on a report released by the Cuban government.
  Then I would say it is considerably up from what Cubans told me it was ... but, I'll take it on face value since it's not completely out of whack.
  
  The tourism industry is also likely to see a lot of growth.
  The Cuban tourism indust already represents about 60% of GDP, and has done so for a long time. A lot of their infrastructure is more or less at capacity, and isn't going to scale well.
  Last I was there, they'd doubled the size of the Juan Gomez airport in Varadero ... and they were so over-run that the airport had been reduced to pure chaos -- they had dozens more flights than they could handle. And the resorts themselves didn't know when they were getting huge influxes of people and were unprepared for it. So all of a sudden they had a few hundred people showing up and no rooms for them.
  
  I don't see how this will "eat them alive" though.
  Well, I can give you some examples ...
  Cuba still has a fair amount of people who are little above dirt poor. They have health care, and schooling, but often not much else. Which means there's a lot of pan-handling. For years people have been told to bring toiletries and the like, because the Cubans can't buy them ... over the last few years, they've become much more aggressively looking for cash.
  The tourism trade has been suffering from a larger amount of outright scams since I've been going -- last I was there I bought a bunch of MP3 CDs, most of which turned out to be blank. They're not even trying any more. They're just getting more brazen and saying "fuck it".
  Your average Cuban lines up along the side of the road to get a ride from one city to another to work ... and the broke down buses they are on versus the ones the tourists are on are really demonstrating that it's a 3rd world country.
  A lot of the most educated people in Cuba work on the resorts ... because you get paid more as a bar tender than you do as an engineer in Cuba.
  Start bringing large corporations trying to sell them crap they don't need, and they'll be diverting some of their limited money to crap like NetFlix. Corporations like Coca Cola will put their own domestic industries out of buisiness.
  Cuba's biggest draw is its beaches, and in many places they're already at capacity and becoming full of garbage as the tourists throw their plastic cups and cigarette butts around. There's only so much beach.
  When I say it will eat them alive, I'm saying if you had a sudden increase of even more tourists, they're simply not going to be able to keep up with it. Service and quality will go down across the board -- in fact, I'll argue it already has.
  Start importing even more social problems like drugs, or even more widespread prostitution, and things will get worse for them.
  Cuba is a small country, with limited resources, and a fairly fragile economy. It simply isn't going to survive a rapid transition without some serious pain, and it might be pain which they don't recover from.
  Too much change, too rapidly, and you could seriously make things FAR worse for many people.
  In my experience, in the last bunch of years, these things are already happening in Cuba. And, quite frankly, it's likely to keep getting worse.
  
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  Lost at C:>. Found at C.
7. Re:Hmmm .... by Polo · 2015-02-09 07:53 · Score: 2
  
  Do you have any idea how much $7.99/month is to an average Cuban? More than what they make.
  But how many people can you piggyback on one account?
8. Re:Hmmm .... by gstoddart · 2015-02-09 08:03 · Score: 2
  
  What, like it does in the US where the "free market" lets them bring in TFWs and lower the wage?
  You'll excuse me if I think the notion of the free market doing anything to help anybody except corporations is complete and utter bullshit. The free market is a rigged game, and always will be.
  It doesn't do it in the first world, it sure as hell doesn't do it in developing nations.
  
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  Lost at C:>. Found at C.
9. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 08:14 · Score: 0
  
  Weird you'd call the free market a rigged game, then ask for it to be rigged by adding in restrictions.
10. Re:Hmmm .... by gstoddart · 2015-02-09 08:22 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Weird you'd call the free market a rigged game, then ask for it to be rigged by adding in restrictions.
  No, what's weird is people continue to believe "free market" isn't a lie no matter where you are in the world, and continue to ascribe magical outcomes to what is essentially every greedy bastard optimizing his own greed, and has NOTHING to do with reality.
  The "free market" is an abstraction. And it's a complete fucking lie.
  Let's stop letting the game be rigged in favor of corporations so they can keep lying to us and stacking the odds in their favor -- let's finally realize the corporations are precisely WHY it's a rigged game.
  
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  Lost at C:>. Found at C.
11. Re:Hmmm .... by jeffmeden · 2015-02-09 08:25 · Score: 2
  
  According to an article in the Havana Times [havanatimes.org] the average salary in Cuba (as of 2012) was ~$22 based on a report released by the Cuban government.
  Then I would say it is considerably up from what Cubans told me it was ... but, I'll take it on face value since it's not completely out of whack.
  
  The tourism industry is also likely to see a lot of growth.
  The Cuban tourism indust already represents about 60% of GDP, and has done so for a long time. A lot of their infrastructure is more or less at capacity, and isn't going to scale well.
  Last I was there, they'd doubled the size of the Juan Gomez airport in Varadero ... and they were so over-run that the airport had been reduced to pure chaos -- they had dozens more flights than they could handle. And the resorts themselves didn't know when they were getting huge influxes of people and were unprepared for it. So all of a sudden they had a few hundred people showing up and no rooms for them.
  The nice thing about Tourism as an industry is that scale only relates to demand (see winter vs summer demand in Florida as an example of how this already works). Too many tourists? Double the room rates. Double the restaurant prices. Double the airfare. No, triple it! A new horde of US tourists surging demand in Cuba will just drive up prices. Even crappy hotels have no problem accommodating for supply vs demand by racing up the price curve.
12. Re:Hmmm .... by ShanghaiBill · 2015-02-09 08:33 · Score: 1
  
  What, like it does in the US where the "free market" lets them bring in TFWs and lower the wage?
  I have no idea what a "TFW" is, but the US has the highest average earned income in the world. So using it as a negative example doesn't appear to be sensible.
  Cuba is 90 miles from America, and has a literate and educated workforce. They should be earning at least as much as Mexicans, who are less educated. Yet Mexicans earn more than twenty times as much.
13. Re:Hmmm .... by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · 2015-02-09 08:34 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  You'd be surprised what a free people will do once oppressive government is removed from their backs.
  I went to Jamaica in 2001, and all those poor, poor Jamaicans running the tourist nick nack stalls had cell phones.
  A free people will bust ass to acquire the good stuff. How patronizing are many posts in this thread, suggesting this is a bad thing.
  What it really suggests is an overbearing government is bad for many reasons, and that there's a hell of a lot more to freedom than freedom of speech.
  
  --
  (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
14. Re:Hmmm .... by XxtraLarGe · 2015-02-09 08:52 · Score: 1
  
  Do you have any idea how much $7.99/month is to an average Cuban? More than what they make...
  The "free market" as they'll see it will eat them alive, I'm afraid.
  You're going to blame Netflix for Cubans' low monthly income? I thought that Cuba, like all communist countries, was a "worker's paradise"?
  
  --
  Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
15. Re:Hmmm .... by CrimsonAvenger · 2015-02-09 08:52 · Score: 2
  
  You'd be surprised what a free people will do once oppressive government is removed from their backs.
  So, what exactly leads you to believe that Cubans are about to get "oppressive government removed from their backs"?
  No, Obama opening up relations with Cuba isn't going to accomplish that.
  
  --
  
  "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
16. Re:Hmmm .... by drinkypoo · 2015-02-09 09:00 · Score: 2
  
  According to an article in the Havana Times the average salary in Cuba (as of 2012) was ~$22 based on a report released by the Cuban government.
  Great, now what's the median salary? Cuba has great disparity of wealth just like everywhere else.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
17. Re:Hmmm .... by SuiteSisterMary · 2015-02-09 09:19 · Score: 2
  
  Temporary Foreign Workers.
  
  --
  Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
18. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 09:36 · Score: 1
  
  So because by your admission the free market is based on faulty reasoning, that means it's a lie?
  It's a term. You must have issues with a lot of the dictionary in that case. It would be very difficult to have a conversation with you if you redefine all terms to match your personal beliefs.
19. Re:Hmmm .... by Darinbob · 2015-02-09 09:40 · Score: 1
  
  I'd much rather have Netflix make inroads in Cuba than our cable companies and other media providers.
20. Re:Hmmm .... by Darinbob · 2015-02-09 09:41 · Score: 1
  
  Keeping up the pretend embargo isn't going to accomplish that either.
21. Re:Hmmm .... by JPyObjC+Dude · 2015-02-09 09:42 · Score: 2
  
  I know many Cubans and I agree that $8 per month is a large portion of a monthly salary so unless the Cuban customer has an external source of income, it will be very difficult under normal conditions. However, there is a very large portion of the population with family outside of the country which funnels in money and the Cubans getting that money have more than enough money to buy this service.
  For those that can get a dependable connection and I can see them paying for the service by hosting a black market movie theater in their living rooms for $0.50 a seat. Its possible that they can sell 10 seats in their living room and make $5 USD a showing. Maybe even people in a neighborhood will have a co-op and share the monthly cost.
  The biggest issue in Cuba is internet infrastructure or lack thereof. I have spent time in some big Cuban cities and they are lucky to have a telephone let alone an internet connection. The only Cubans with internet that I know worked for the government and the connection, which worked a fraction of the time, was at the government offices.
22. Re:Hmmm .... by puto · 2015-02-09 09:51 · Score: 2
  
  I have worked on and off in Cuba for the last ten years, their workforce is not literate compared to the rest of the world as far as computer literacy and general knowledge is concerned. You sound a bit racist and under educated.
  
  --
  The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
23. Re:Hmmm .... by rogoshen1 · 2015-02-09 09:58 · Score: 1
  
  probably because they'll be in FL.
24. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 10:17 · Score: 1
  
  That's right comrade - a centrally planned command economy will take care of these problems. Viva la Revolucion!
25. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 10:26 · Score: 0
  
  If the demand for tourism goes up but the supply is constrained as you say then the cost for tourists will rise. That brings more money into the economy, increasing the size of the pie. More money means they can afford to expand the infrastructure.
26. Re:Hmmm .... by strong_epoxy · 2015-02-09 10:32 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  That 'lie' built you. Everything from the clothes on your back to the computer you're typing on, the Internet, food, and your home came from the free market.
  Making up god damn lies and hating them is a path to destruction. Seek help.
27. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 11:11 · Score: 0
  
  Holy shit, I want to live in deluded sociopath land? Where are you at? It sounds great there!
28. Re:Hmmm .... by ShanghaiBill · 2015-02-09 12:10 · Score: 1
  
  their workforce is not literate compared to the rest of the world as far as computer literacy and general knowledge is concerned.
  Literate does not mean knowledgeable. It means able to read.
29. Re:Hmmm .... by gstoddart · 2015-02-09 13:27 · Score: 1
  
  That 'lie' built you. Everything from the clothes on your back to the computer you're typing on, the Internet, food, and your home came from the free market.
  No, since no market has ever been free -- free of externalities, free of cheating, free of collusion, free of cartels, free of things which make it not a free market -- no fucking free market has ever existed. It was a market, but it was never a free market.
  You people who blindly say "Yarg, teh free market fixes all teh problems and teh rest is da socialism" read too much Ayn Rand, and ascribe far too much to what this bullshit pink unicorn actually accomplishes.
  It doesn't achieve optimal outcomes -- in the long run, under ideal assumptions and ideal circumstances it is believed it will.
  But that assumption is a crock of shit, and you should know it --- because like Communism it commits the fallacy of believing your ideology will work once people are forced to follow it.
  The "free market" is what it always has been: shady deals, by assholes, designed to undermine the system around them, gain undue influence on other people, tilt the odds in your favor, and generally try to fuck over your fellow man.
  If you're going to tell me that is going to achieve optimal outcomes ... you're utterly deluded, or completely full of shit.
  I've read, and at one point believed, your libertarian randian capitalist bullshit ... and it's all one big fucking lie.
  it's a system designed to let the rich pillage the world from the rest of us.
  
  Making up god damn lies and hating them is a path to destruction. Seek help.
  Nice strawman, douchebag.
  Sorry, but you don't get to insinuate that my rejection of your economic notions is a sign of mental illness.
  If all you have to offer in support of your chosen form of economics is "oh yeah, but what am I" and "neener neener", you can go fuck yourself.
  If you are so deluded as to think that the "free market" is a real thing, and that it achieves the magical outcomes you think it does ... then I suggest you suffer from wishful thinking, delusions, and should also seek help.
  I reject the bullshit of the free market because I used to believe in it.
  Which means I know a fuck of a lot more about it than most people ever will.
  At least, as it's described by delusional assholes who act like disagreeing with the premise of capitalism is a mental illness.
  
  --
  Lost at C:>. Found at C.
30. Re:Hmmm .... by alvinrod · 2015-02-09 14:06 · Score: 1
  
  I tried to find that, because like you I speculated that there was probably a large amount of disparity, but I couldn't find anything with a quick search and didn't have time to do much digging. The figures may very well not be available or not possible to reasonably estimate. It's certainly possible that they are, but I don't care enough to go looking. If someone does have them though I would be curious.
31. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 14:23 · Score: 0
  
  A few things:
  First, Cuba's estimated PPP (purchase power parity) is of 10,200 USD equivalent or $850 a month. Low compared to the US? You bet it, but thats actually HIGHER than lets say Dominican Republic ($9,700), a similar country without a 50 years US embargo.
  source
  Second, you can't convert CUPs to CUCs and assume poor Cubans are living with a dollar a day, that would put them at the same level than the poorest countries in the world, while Cuba is one of the few countries in the developing world rated very high in the HDI.
  source
  The Cuban government subsidizes a *LOT* of things for the Cubans and as result it has created a huge mess of market segmentation where different actors pay different prices for the same product, in dependency of whether they are accessing a specific market (fully CUP subsidized, CUP free, social entity CUP, CUC individual, CUC government) and the currency fluctuations varies WIDELY, so just converting CUP to CUC at CADECA rate only gives you a small picture of whats going on.
  Third, Cuban tourism industry is NOT 60% of the GDP... is about 6%.
  source (Cuentas nacionales >> 5.7 PIB a Precios Constantes)
  Finally, that $22 USD a month is based on the direct conversion of the average salary in CUC. That has nothing to do with average INCOME, which is relevant since there is a LOT of stuff going on in the black market and more or less everyone and their dog are doing something they shouldn't.
  Other than that I more or less agree on the rest
32. Re:Hmmm .... by Aqualung812 · 2015-02-09 14:33 · Score: 1
  
  Too many tourists? Double the room rates. Double the restaurant prices. Double the airfare. No, triple it! A new horde of US tourists surging demand in Cuba will just drive up prices.
  Which means that the owners of the resorts will get more money, which they will spend in the local economy, which means more money for the locals.
  
  --
  Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
33. Re:Hmmm .... by R3d+M3rcury · 2015-02-09 14:42 · Score: 1
  
  I went to Jamaica in 2001, and all those poor, poor Jamaicans running the tourist nick nack stalls had cell phones.
  But did they have refrigerators?
  Back in the 80s and 90s, there was sort of a stigma to having a cell phone in America--namely only rich/important people had cell phones because wired phones in the home were relatively inexpensive. We spent a ton of money wiring America back in the 1930s and 1940s because that was the only way to do it back then. So people had telephones in their houses because the government essentially subsidized the expense of a phone.
  Compared with the expense of running wires all over the place, cell towers are a heck of a lot cheaper. Build a tower over here, serve 1000 people. No need to run 1000 wires. Which is why they became popular in countries which didn't have the infrastructure to begin with.
34. Re:Hmmm .... by jandersen · 2015-02-09 20:24 · Score: 1
  
  The "free market" as they'll see it will eat them alive, I'm afraid.
  Or perhaps not - poor they may be, but idiots? Take a critical look at what we, in the capitalistic part of the world have to offer; is it really all that great? Yeah, the prospect of getting rich seems attractive, but the abysmal inequality, the broken promises of the not-really-democracy, the hollowness of the freedoms etc - I think people in Cuba can see those problems clearly, and I'm not convinced they will want all of that.
  Another thing is the question of who is going to eat who - just look at China and India. Both are developing nations, with well educated populations, and both are exploding onto the stage. Perhaps Cuba will do the same, to a lesser degree, so who is going to be eaten? The US, in particular, tends to believe that everybody else will bow to their power; but we should remember that the US also exploded onto the scene in similar circumstances only about a century ago, when they were in essence a developing nation. Back then, American culture became the hottest thing - maybe now we are going to see Chinese, Indian, Cuban etc as the hottest, new thing around?
35. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-10 02:36 · Score: 0
  
  There is no free market because the second a market becomes profitable your buddies, big government, step in to skim off the top. Keep cheering on the non-productive leeches, it's your only game.
36. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-10 16:08 · Score: 0
  
  This isn't targeted at the average Cuban at this time.
  As in every country, there is a wealthy upper class in Cuba. As time goes by and a middle class develops, Netflix will already be in the market.
37. Re:Hmmm .... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-10 21:17 · Score: 0
  
  According to an article in the Havana Times the average salary in Cuba (as of 2012) was ~$22 based on a report released by the Cuban government. A few other sources from a quick Google search were in the same ballpark so I'll assume that's reasonable.
  Which is astounding. I've been watching Peaky Blinders on Netflix which takes place in circa 1920 England. A woman is offered a job as a secretary for 8 pounds 4 shillings a month. That works out to about $150 a year, and according to the internet in today's dollars that's about $1,800. Can you imagine living on $1,800 a year? If you're thrifty, it might feed you, but there's no way you're going to put a roof over your head, at least not in the US.
Typo accidentally correct by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:09 · Score: 0

Sadly internet isn't ubiquitous in the US either.
Poor U.S. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:09 · Score: 0

Why isn't the internet ubiquitous in the U.S.?
1. Re:Poor U.S. by Narcocide · 2015-02-09 07:30 · Score: 1
  
  A lot of rural regions in the U.S. are not only fairly sparsely populated but also aren't really that much better off economically than Cuba.
2. Re:Poor U.S. by Narcocide · 2015-02-09 07:32 · Score: 1
  
  Note: I assume here they're not counting satellite or dial-up internet as "internet." I assume they meant "broadband capable of Netflix streaming" when they said "internet."
3. Re:Poor U.S. by mi · 2015-02-09 07:51 · Score: 1
  
  A lot of rural regions in the U.S. are not only fairly sparsely populated but also aren't really that much better off economically than Cuba.
  Please, name 3 regions in the US — rural or otherwise — where the average monthly income is $20. Heck, let's make it $200 — which is ten times, what Cubans earn — because they don't have to pay for that wonderful healthcare of theirs.
  You said, there are "a lot" of such regions, so coming up with 3 should be no problem. Thank you.
  
  --
  In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
4. Re:Poor U.S. by ArcadeMan · 2015-02-09 07:59 · Score: 1
  
  And are you comparing the purchasing power of that 20$/200$ with the prices in Cuba or the prices in the U.S.A.?
  Granted, if Netflix are actually asking 7.99 U.S. dollars per month from Cubans, they'll have a problem. Unless they meant it was for the whole of Cuba? Maybe they'll be able to afford it. Just use the same resolution as a VideoCD but with the compression capabilities of H.264 and that will also solve the bandwidth problem.
  
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5. Re:Poor U.S. by Narcocide · 2015-02-09 08:09 · Score: 1
  
  You should visit the back woods of Montana or Arkansas some time, it'll enlighten you. Also, we still have "Indian Reservations" and the tribes don't *all* own casinos. Adjust for inflation and lack of demand due to how sparse the population is in some areas and you'll find that its really easy to get out-of-range of modern cable/dsl/fiber internet once you're in a place where the ratio of Deer per square mile is 5x that of humans. I know someone who lived about a mile outside of a town of about 4,000 people who just finally got high-speed DSL LAST YEAR.
6. Re:Poor U.S. by mi · 2015-02-09 08:29 · Score: 1
  
  And are you comparing the purchasing power of that 20$/200$ with the prices in Cuba or the prices in the U.S.A.?
  Dollar is a dollar. Labor-intensive and locally-produced things (like prostitution and cigars) are remarkably cheaper in Cuba, but few people regularly partake of all that. A pound of rice costs the same anywhere, and a TV-set is much cheaper in America.
  But, what the heck, let's throw in another adjustment: can you list 3 regions of the US, where average income is below $400 a month? That's 20 times above average Cuban's...
  
  --
  In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
7. Re:Poor U.S. by OakDragon · 2015-02-09 08:42 · Score: 1
  
  Granted, if Netflix are actually asking 7.99 U.S. dollars per month from Cubans, they'll have a problem. Unless they meant it was for the whole of Cuba? Maybe they'll be able to afford it. Just use the same resolution as a VideoCD but with the compression capabilities of H.264 and that will also solve the bandwidth problem.
  It's 7.99 for all of Cuba, but approximately 11.7 milliion Cubans will be staring at this message most of the time:
  
  Your Netflix account is in use on another device. Please stop playing on other devices to continue. Visit Netflix.com/help for more information
  
  --
  Dark Reflection
8. Re:Poor U.S. by Guspaz · 2015-02-09 09:16 · Score: 1
  
  Satellite internet should work fine for Netflix. It's not latency sensitive, and while Satellite is typically not blazingly fast, it works fine at lower speeds, and the dynamic scaling is pretty seamless.
9. Re:Poor U.S. by Guspaz · 2015-02-09 09:20 · Score: 1
  
  A pound of rice costs the same anywhere
  It really doesn't. One kilo of rice costs C$3.67 in Montreal. One kilo of rice costs C$0.98 in Havana. Not everything is cheaper, but many things are.
  You can see the direct comparison here:
  http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-...
10. Re:Poor U.S. by mi · 2015-02-09 09:38 · Score: 1
  
  It really doesn't. One kilo of rice costs C$3.67 in Montreal.
  No sure, what's wrong with Montreal — or the numbeo-site, where you got your numbers — but an American Costco sells a 50-pound bag of rice for $22.69. That's 23kg, or just under $1/kg.
  And, of course, you can buy as much as you'd like of it, whereas in Cuba the quantities are limited by the loving and caring government officials.
  
  --
  In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
11. Re:Poor U.S. by ArcadeMan · 2015-02-09 10:34 · Score: 1
  
  It could depend on the brand, the type of rice and where you buy it.
  I live in a small town without a Costo so I buy my rice at a grocery store and a 4.54kg bag of Tilda brand, basmati rice costs around 17$CAD, or 3.75$CAD/kg which is basically the same price as in Montreal so Guspaz probably also used a grocery store price.
  Keep in mind that some food costs a lot less in the U.S.A. than in Canada, but doing a Canadian grocery store vs U.S.A. Costco price comparison is pointless.
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
12. Re:Poor U.S. by Guspaz · 2015-02-09 12:37 · Score: 1
  
  It's not a valid comparison to compare the price of 1kg of rice to the bulk price...
  For example, looking at WalMart Canada, they'll sell you 8kg of rice for C$1.06 per kilo, or they'll sell you 900g for C$2.52 per kilo.
  Of course, the 900g price is decently lower than the prices that Numbeo is quoting, but the basic premise holds true: food has different prices in different places. For one thing, the ability and willingness of people to pay more can drive prices up. For another thing, the cost of transport can too. And I can tell you that people in a country with a per-capita GDP of $6,985 are probably not willing to pay as much for stuff as people in a country with a per-capita GDP of $50,577.
13. Re:Poor U.S. by mi · 2015-02-09 16:59 · Score: 1
  
  It's not a valid comparison to compare the price of 1kg of rice to the bulk price...
  50 pounds is hardly "bulk". Costco's price is what the food costs. Everything extra you pay on top of that is for the fancy convenience of small portions, not waiting in line, etc.
  
  For one thing, the ability and willingness of people to pay more can drive prices up.
  Perhaps. But Costco is for people, who seek a no-frills bargain. That they are able to find it shows, rice does cost about the same in US as in Cuba.
  Now, how about you — instead of quibbling over food prices — do come up with the requested list of US regions, where salaries are below $400/month?
  
  --
  In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Might I suggest "Juan Of The Dead" ... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:11 · Score: 1

... as their first selection. "Juan Of The Dead" on IMDB
1. Re:Might I suggest "Juan Of The Dead" ... by BarbaraHudson · 2015-02-09 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  More likely those black and white "I Love Lucy" shows with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. You know, "that Cuban guy" :-)
  
  --
  "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
2. Re:Might I suggest "Juan Of The Dead" ... by NotDrWho · 2015-02-09 07:22 · Score: 1
  
  Great, now we can expect an influx of "Desi Arnez is a Batista crony whose capitalist show undermines the people! But that episode where they worked at the candy factory was pretty funny" posts on IMDB.
  
  --
  SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
Sigh. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:12 · Score: 2, Interesting

Another ruination of a non-Americanised culture begins, and the homogenisation continues. Great if you like the One True God, but pretty shit if you are interested in pretty much any other option.
Those "pro-democracy" activists who get involved in pirate networks like Marti (N.B. it's "piracy" precisely when a government doesn't like it - just as it would be if I blasted a social-democratic propaganda station from an offshore vessel close to New York, say) do not really represent Cuba, btw. They represent the displaced upper-middle classes of Cuba who benefitted from the serfdom that existed prior to Castro - who, though politicians pretend to forget it, was a significant improvement on what came before.
Yes, there is a wealth of powerful, moving Cuban culture. It exists because Cuba is not another satellite of the USA - yet.
1. Re:Sigh. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:24 · Score: 0
  
  Those "pro-democracy" activists who get involved in pirate networks like Marti (N.B. it's "piracy" precisely when a government doesn't like it - just as it would be if I blasted a social-democratic propaganda station from an offshore vessel close to New York, say) do not really represent Cuba, btw. They represent the displaced upper-middle classes of Cuba who benefitted from the serfdom that existed prior to Castro - who, though politicians pretend to forget it, was a significant improvement on what came before.
  Hush, you fool! Someone in Miami might hear you!
2. Re:Sigh. by Major+Blud · 2015-02-09 08:28 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  If the US embargoes Cuba, they're being imperialistic. If the US decides to do business with them, they are going to ruin their culture and make it another satellite. Talk about "damned if you do, damned if you don't".
  
  --
  If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
3. Re:Sigh. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 09:24 · Score: 1
  
  Did you genuinely just do a, "Won't somebody please think of the United States?"
  The fact that you have talked about dissemination of culture in terms of "doing business" shows that you've already been so wedded to the American Way that you can't see that anything could possibly be wrong - culture is just a commodity to be bought and sold, right?
  The first step is not to have a single, powerful, self-interested organisation (governmental or private) with any ability to control the distribution of culture. When they say "one day we hope to bring their work to a global audience", they mean, "One day the cow will be sufficiently fattened for slaughter, and then we hope to get a cut from selling the meat." The thought of Hollywood Copyright coming to Cuba is terrifying.
  Europe hasn't nearly eliminated its millennia-old culture in the same way North America has, so each country - and even the European Union, derogating from the well-known Arts. 34-36 TFEU which confirm it's otherwise basically a free trade treaty - tends to be fairly protective of its cultural heritage. Frenchmen would have a collective aneurysm if you proposed to France the dream that one you will be able to "do business" with their culture. It's missing the point entirely. Culture is something shared, recognised, and protected through democratic oversight. Although it may spread through trade, it is not owned, and it is not traded.
4. Re:Sigh. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 09:35 · Score: 0
  
  It is up to the people to decide whether in america, cuba, europe or elsewhere, isn't it? Unless you want to decide for them or create iron curtain to prevent internet access.
5. Re:Sigh. by Major+Blud · 2015-02-09 09:43 · Score: 2
  
  "The fact that you have talked about dissemination of culture in terms of 'doing business'"
  The whole point of the embargo was to prevent US businesses from doing trade with Cuba. So the solution is to maintain it so that Cuban culture can be protected?
  How has opening a Ford dealership in France or an Apple Store in Italy stifled their culture? Not much based off of the last visit I had. Do you expect this to be different for Cuba?
  Besides, free speech and personal freedom are cultural attributes worth sharing, is it not? The implementation of this in the USA is debatable, but the best way to share those attributes is through exchange of ideas enabled through international trade and openness. The only other way is through armed conflict, and we can see how well that worked out in their past conflicts.
  
  --
  If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
6. Re:Sigh. by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 13:30 · Score: 0
  
  You seem to be maintaining an army of strawmen and false dichotomies.
  "Doing business" is not the same as buying/selling expressions of culture. And stopping culture from being turned into a commodity does not require an outright embargo.
  The privatisation of Cuban "arts culture" - and all Netflix does in business terms is buy and resell licenses to copy righted works - is not the same as the setting up of one Ford dealership or one Apple store. But the French can get pretty aggressive in their protests if a foreign company tries to do business in a way that disrespects its traditions.
  Of course free speech and personal freedom are cultural attributes worth sharing. Copy right is a temporary (although much less temporary, these days) restriction on freedom of speech, and is not worth "sharing" at all. Yes, it is the US view that "trade" (usually with a gross imbalance of power) is "the best way" to spread "free speech and personal freedom", but this is not the global opinion. It is only through American eyes that "the only other way" is war - even on a site which leans heavily toward the Free software movement, a movement which sees trade as merely one of many tools in the arsenal of productivity.
7. Re:Sigh. by Major+Blud · 2015-02-09 13:42 · Score: 1
  
  Stallman, is that you? ;-)
  
  --
  If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
Re:So we have fat ignorant and narcissistic by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:15 · Score: 0, Troll

Geez I haven't been on slashdot in weeks, and this is the first response I see. Better just stick to reddit, unfortunately there seems to be higher level quality posting there now.
Now they can watch "the interview" by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:15 · Score: 0

"100% literacy? Activate Operation Netflix."
1. Re:Now they can watch "the interview" by NotDrWho · 2015-02-09 07:27 · Score: 2
  
  If you think that's bad, wait until we deploy the WWE and Nascar apps.
  
  --
  SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
Commies..... by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:17 · Score: 0

.....you forget...
Which means free food, housing, medical care....all the bare necessities of life are provided by the government.
What is "earned" is for luxury spending.....
Also lots of cubans have side jobs, do favors/are owed favors to make up for the difference....
Lets get this straight, I am not saying they live a luxurious life...
But Americans might be shocked vs what they imagine.
1. Re:Commies..... by mi · 2015-02-09 07:54 · Score: 2
  
  Which means free food, housing, medical care....all the bare necessities of life are provided by the government.
  Yes, in exchange for 100% taxation and not being free to leave (even moving to a different town within Cuba requires police' permission).
  Which is precisely the deal, slaves were getting on plantations. The fools weren't happy with that for some reason...
  
  --
  In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
It'll be available to by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 07:19 · Score: 0

all 2 internet devices.
Positive step I suppose but only for wealthy by butchersong · 2015-02-09 07:25 · Score: 1

Almost no one in cuba has full internet access. Mostly what they call "internet" is access to some government servers. There is an underground mesh network movement that is really cool but I think it is its own little network not anything you could connect to then stream netflix from. At the moment you're talking about a single digit percentage of the population able to take advantage of this. Probably mostly those in power and their children... yay?
1. Re:Positive step I suppose but only for wealthy by Ravaldy · 2015-02-09 07:33 · Score: 1
  
  The upper bracket will get to enjoy the entertainment initially hence forcing the infrastructure to improve. As the infrastructure improves the rest of the country will get to benefit as well.
Haven't we read a story similar to this before? by bogaboga · 2015-02-09 07:26 · Score: 1

"There are some hard lessons about the dangers of cooperation that are strongly in the memories of these companies," says John Morgan. "Something that makes partnering harder, even when it might make economic sense to do so."
I can only think of Microsoft and its failed partnerships.
1. Re:Haven't we read a story similar to this before? by Ravaldy · 2015-02-09 07:52 · Score: 1
  
  The link doesn't paint a full picture of Microsoft's failure/success. Considering they reported $86.8 B in earnings last year I would say these failures didn't affected their success (they were profitable in case you ask)
  Not one person or company would look good if all you listed was their failures.
Fantastic by schneidafunk · 2015-02-09 07:30 · Score: 1

Honestly this will probably be more effective at spreading democracy to Cuba than the embargo. Slam them with American culture and get paid for it.

--
Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
Re:So we have fat ignorant and narcissistic by oldbitcollector · 2015-02-09 07:31 · Score: 1

Wish I could tell you things are better there... I've noticed an interesting downslide on several social networks in the last few weeks. Perhaps it's time for an "invite only" social network. At least for posting privilages.
SubjectsInCommentsAreStupid by lesincompetent · 2015-02-09 07:32 · Score: 3, Insightful

As a non-american still not reached by netflix despite living in a very first world country my reaction can only be ohfo'ffuck'ssake!
I hope you understand my frustration.
1. Re:SubjectsInCommentsAreStupid by puto · 2015-02-09 09:49 · Score: 1
  
  Netflix is an American company, if you do not have it, call your government, not Americas fault.
  
  --
  The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
2. Re: SubjectsInCommentsAreStupid by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 18:55 · Score: 1
  
  The fact that Netflix can't stream internationally without special licencing agreements is an artifact of American IP laws. It's not the fault of every non-American government.
3. Re:SubjectsInCommentsAreStupid by lesincompetent · 2015-02-10 01:37 · Score: 1
  
  1) Did i even remotely imply anything like that? 2) Your statement is false nonetheless, for the reasons stated by mr. anonymous coward below. Thank you anon.
Re:So we have fat ignorant and narcissistic by mi · 2015-02-09 07:33 · Score: 2, Interesting

So we have fat ignorant and narcissistic Cubans to look forward to in a few years. GG capitalism.
Uhm, no. If the current clique is allowed to rule America for much longer, there will be lean and cautious people talking in hints and reading between the lines on both sides of the straits.
GG Socialism!

--
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Bandwidth? by HouseOfMisterE · 2015-02-09 07:35 · Score: 2

Do they have Internet bandwidth available for this in Cuba?
1. Re:Bandwidth? by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 14:37 · Score: 0
  
  In short, no. Most of the private connections are in 56K modems.. thats about 7Kb/s of maximum speed... 10 minutes per megabyte of data. And that for the ones with internet access.
  There are a few DSL links here and there with speeds up to 512 kb/s, but those are ridiculously expensive and hard to come by (this are the modems that workplaces and schools typically use, with only the top of the top using optical fiber or similar)
  That said, the cheapest option to bring fast internet is to use the cell phone network, but thats still in early stages. About a year ago they got (relatively expensive) email service in their cell phones and their servers literally collapsed due to the traffic mostly from text emails, so it doesn't look like they are going to have any decent internet service in the next three to five years.
  That said, in SOME places they DO have 3G data connectivity at a ridiculously high prices. Two years ago I checked during a trip there and I could connect to the internet without any issues using my Bell (canada) phone at the outrageous fee of $16 USD per Mb of data o_O
Re:So we have fat ignorant and narcissistic by thaylin · 2015-02-09 07:47 · Score: 0

Did you even read the post he commented on? It had nothing to do with politics.

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When you cant win, ad hominem.
Let the MSM advertise your business for free by Chess_the_cat · 2015-02-09 07:50 · Score: 2

Seems like this is more of a PR move. Netflix grabs a few headlines courtesy the MSM and Cuba gets Netflix in theory but not in practice.

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Support the First Amendment. Read at -1
Do we have editors at /.? by CrimsonAvenger · 2015-02-09 07:51 · Score: 0

I have a hard time believing an editor would let slide:

as well as Internet access (which still isn't ubiquitous in the U.S.)
I really hope the "editor" just managed to drop a couple of "as" (one before and one after "ubiquitous"), otherwise I'd have to assume he's got the IQ of a clam....

--

"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
1. Re:Do we have editors at /.? by drinkypoo · 2015-02-09 09:02 · Score: 1
  
  I really hope the "editor" just managed to drop a couple of "as" (one before and one after "ubiquitous"), otherwise I'd have to assume he's got the IQ of a clam....
  Why, because they stated a fact? We still have a lot of citizens with no internet access. Most of them are pretty old, granted.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
2. Re:Do we have editors at /.? by CrimsonAvenger · 2015-02-09 11:14 · Score: 1
  
  There are no doubt people with no internet access here. But there are very few, if any, who are without internet access because they just can't get it.
  Even my mom, who is in her late 70's and lives out in the boonies, found a way to get enough internet access for her purposes....
  
  --
  
  "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
3. Re:Do we have editors at /.? by drinkypoo · 2015-02-09 11:30 · Score: 1
  
  There are no doubt people with no internet access here. But there are very few, if any, who are without internet access because they just can't get it./quote>
  True, but there's lots of people who cannot buy internet access suitable for netflix for any reasonable price. Broadband penetration in the USA is pretty poor, to say nothing of penetration of service as good as the FCC has recently mandated "broadband" to be. In terms of land area, there's virtually nowhere you can get 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up without paying professional money.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Yay \o/ by easyTree · 2015-02-09 08:06 · Score: 1

Yay \o/
Another win for democracy?

Cubans have had little access to this kind of American entertainment.
All good things must come to an end :D

--
Requiem for the American Dream
1. Re:Yay \o/ by easyTree · 2015-02-09 08:09 · Score: 1
  
  Better watch out, McDonalds will be next. . .
  
  --
  Requiem for the American Dream
2. Re:Yay \o/ by easyTree · 2015-02-09 08:16 · Score: 1
  
  Apparently already covered, although pretty much everything about the article is wrong apart from this: McDonald's is the easiest target because it is American and it is everywhere. It has become the symbol of all that's wrong with the U.S., which is making the world fat and imposing our calorie counts and McRibs on a planet that is quite happy with its insect meals and pasty flour dishes.
  
  --
  Requiem for the American Dream
"Free Healthcare and Education" by voss · 2015-02-09 08:11 · Score: 1

Costa Rica has that too
Along with human rights, multiparty democracy and an open internet
1. Re:"Free Healthcare and Education" by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 08:23 · Score: 0
  
  Costa Rica has that too
  Along with human rights
  To be fair, Cuba lacks the resources required to close down Guantanamo.
"pro-democracy TV Marti network" by bill_mcgonigle · 2015-02-09 08:13 · Score: 1

I like how the USG has to set up a special TV network just to get a pro-democracy viewpoint on the air.
If only they could get ABC/NBC/CBS to air such content... I suppose they don't transmit in SD any longer and Fox offered but the USG said, "no, we want to promote US culture, not give the Castro regime prima facie evidence against it."

--
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
No shit by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 08:19 · Score: 0

Streaming video service ... require ... Internet access
In other news, swimming in a pool requires water.
Wealthy U.S. by mi · 2015-02-09 08:20 · Score: 0

You should visit the back woods of Montana or Arkansas some time, it'll enlighten you.
As expected, no actual regions of US with poverty similar to Cuba's could be enumerated.

--
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
1. Re:Wealthy U.S. by Narcocide · 2015-02-09 09:18 · Score: 1
  
  Really? I thought I just enumerated 3 of them, as you requested. Its not like you're gonna be able to find these places on Google Maps. The whole continent isn't a city, bro.
2. Re:Wealthy U.S. by mi · 2015-02-09 09:28 · Score: 1
  
  I thought I just enumerated 3 of them
  You forgot to provide evidence of the average income in each — choosing to talk instead about availability of Internet service there instead. Try again.
  
  The whole continent isn't a city, bro.
  I'm not your brother — keep your creepy attempts at fraternization to yourself.
  
  --
  In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
3. Re:Wealthy U.S. by Narcocide · 2015-02-09 12:19 · Score: 1
  
  I'm not your brother —
  Yea well I know that but I meant it sarcastically.
  
  You forgot to provide evidence of the average income in each — choosing to talk instead about availability of Internet service there instead.
  You can pretend all you want that the fact of the differences in base costs of living and the lack of availability of network infrastructure that is Netflix-capable across the vast majority of the geographic area of the continental USA is as irrelevant to my initial statement and the relative economic status of Cuba vs places in the USA you can only get to after driving for hours down unpaved dirt/gravel roads, but I doubt most the rest of the readers of this now rather tiresome and pedantic thread (though I pity them) will miss your lame attempt at astro-turfing over the actual problem.
  I have an Idea! How about you dig up the wikipedia page and do the math yourself for the adjustments for inflation and commodities costs and subtract stuff paid for implicitly by their socialized health care and food and housing systems? Also, maybe get a second opinion on that 20$ figure; Fox News isn't really known for their super accurate accounting of facts on numbers like this. I heard somewhere that the actual number for Cuban monthly household incomes is over 20 times what you cited.
4. Re:Wealthy U.S. by mi · 2015-02-09 15:13 · Score: 1
  
  I have an Idea! How about you dig up the wikipedia page
  No, sonny, that's not, how it works. You make a statement — you supply substantiation. Best is to do that in advance. Absolutely must do it, when requested. Several replies later, you still don't offer the substantiation. It is perfectly logical to conclude, it does not exist.
  
  I heard somewhere that the actual number for Cuban monthly household incomes is over 20 times what you cited.
  Citation needed. NBC would be fine.
  
  --
  In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
5. Re:Wealthy U.S. by Narcocide · 2015-02-11 05:49 · Score: 1
  
  Well, far be it for me to pull your head out of the sand. For some reason you seem really defensive about this, like the truth would shatter your fragile grasp on reality. I suggest not turning on the TV to something other than fox news...
The big bucks will be in medical tourism by BarbaraHudson · 2015-02-09 08:29 · Score: 1

When you can get plastic surgery done for less than you can in Mexico, and Cuba only ranks 2 points under the US for health care services, and vastly over Mexico, you're going to see a lot of people making the trip for a nip, tuck, and tan, and pumping significant coin into the economy.

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"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
1. Re:The big bucks will be in medical tourism by drinkypoo · 2015-02-09 09:41 · Score: 1
  
  I'd like to go down there for dental care. I was planning on going to TJ, but I'd really prefer not these days.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
2. Re:The big bucks will be in medical tourism by BarbaraHudson · 2015-02-09 11:06 · Score: 1
  
  Well, with the Canadian dollar now back below parity (well below parity) and Canada ranking higher in health care than the US, you may not need to go so far.
  
  --
  "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Good for Cuba by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 09:22 · Score: 0

You know, the US does business with China, Russia and other countries that have a rather bad record of human rights. Cuba, in my mind is not a North Korea or Iran. Personally, I think the best way to freedom is to allow people to see what they are missing. The Castro power is dwindling and will soon give way to a potential for more open government. Why not set that stage by setting a example of what can be had with some freedom? Embargo's never have worked, neither has sanctions. They are only punishing the very people you claim to want to give freedom too. I don't agree with Obama on much, but allowing trade with Cuba and creating better relations with Cuba and the US means more stability and less Russian influence.
1. Re:Good for Cuba by PPH · 2015-02-09 10:09 · Score: 1
  
  Personally, I think the best way to freedom is to allow people to see what they are missing.
  Just watch. The most popular movies will end up being like Rendition and Wag the Dog.
  
  --
  Have gnu, will travel.
The long game. by westlake · 2015-02-09 09:39 · Score: 1

Another ruination of a non-Americanised culture begins
What will American culture look like when the population is majority Hispanic?brNetflix isn't in Cuba looking for it can sell, it is looking for what it can buy.
A rich communist walks into a bar... by TiggertheMad · 2015-02-09 09:51 · Score: 1

First the infrastructure needs to be put in place. This will happen through the wealthier asking to get better internet access. Facilities such as vacation resorts will also invest in said technology to improve their customers experience.
Wealthier? CAPITALIST RUNNING DOG, THIS! IS! COMMUNISM!!!

I thought that the whole point of Communism was that nobody was 'rich' or 'poor'....

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HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
1. Re:A rich communist walks into a bar... by Ravaldy · 2015-02-09 09:56 · Score: 1
  
  Go to Cuba and travel through their towns and tell me there aren't some that are better off. You'll quickly realize there are.
2. Re:A rich communist walks into a bar... by TiggertheMad · 2015-02-09 10:12 · Score: 1
  
  I thought that the whole point of Communism was that nobody was 'rich' or 'poor'....
  Go to Cuba and travel through their towns and tell me there aren't some that are better off. You'll quickly realize there are.
  Sarcasm, its a thing...
  
  --
  
  HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
3. Re:A rich communist walks into a bar... by gstoddart · 2015-02-09 14:09 · Score: 1
  
  I thought that the whole point of Communism was that nobody was 'rich' or 'poor'....
  Funny, I though the whole point of Capitalism was that when rich douchebags got richer they made the world better for all of us, instead of just concentrating wealth and power with rich douchebags.
  Oh, wait, you mean economic ideology is a lie? And that Capitalism is just as much complete bullshit as Communism?
  My god, man, you could destroy the world with that knowledge.
  Fuck knows the idiots making policy who believe either of them are true are killing us all.
  
  --
  Lost at C:>. Found at C.
The Lucy Show! by Trax3001BBS · 2015-02-09 09:55 · Score: 1

...
The Power of Nightmares by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 09:57 · Score: 0

I guess the Cubans should request the Adam Curtis documentary 'The Power of Nightmares' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Nightmares as the first required viewing.
Call me by Anonymous Coward · 2015-02-09 13:51 · Score: 0

Call me when you can not find Beta anywhere.
If only there was some way to raise prices by rsilvergun · 2015-02-09 15:26 · Score: 1

in order to response to increased demand. Surely the many bartending engineers can devise a scheme.

While we're on the subject, I know Electrical Engineers doing entry level support ( the IT equivalent of waiting tables ) because offshoring has killed their jobs and they're not mobile (own houses/have kids/etc). The Cuban embargo and the global race to the bottom has probably done more to kill those engineer's careers than Castro ever did.

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Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
American Soft Power by sylivin · 2015-02-10 02:05 · Score: 1

This is a prime example of American soft power in action. From Hollywood, to Netflix, to Wall Street, to McDonalds, the American culture machine is perhaps the strongest soft power force in world history.
This is one of the primary reasons the embargo should have been lifted a long time ago. American hard power (military, government loans, etc) has always been the go-to strategy for dealing with issues, but they often forget the might of American culture and business.
Why saber rattle at authoritarian leaders when instead you can undermine them from the bottom up? This is the same reason why China fears the free flow of information on the internet.