Raúl Castro's Government: Recent Economic Reforms and Some Political Considerations.

Four years after calling for structural and conceptual changes, Raúl Castro finally unveiled a roadmap of substantive economic reforms. Over the next 18 months, at least a million workers will be laid off from the bloated state sector. Alternative forms of earning a living – self-employment, cooperatives, leasing of land or physical space, among others – are being authorized as old constraints on these alternatives are rescinded. From the perspective of ordinary Cubans, these reforms – called an actualizaciόn, or an update of the economic model – were long overdue. Yet, in hindsight, the slow-paced process can be explained, not in terms of the need for time to “identify” Cuba’s economic problems which have been known for decades, but by Raúl Castro’s emphasis on la institucionalidad, the need to channel decision making through institutions. His brother left a chaotic state apparatus which first needed mending before an elite consensus on the reform package could be forged. Cuba is entering a situation without precedent: this package is likely to run its own course without the Comandante (Fidel Castro) stopping it. By 2015, Cuban society will probably look different than today, featuring unprecedented inequality and living standards that are on the rise.

Tracing Antilles: History, Culture, and Art in the Work of Humberto Castro

This flyer promotes the event "Tracing Antilles: History, Culture, and Art in the Work of Humberto Castro" cosponsored by the Cuban Research Institute and the Frost Art Museum.

Reflexões fenomenológicas sobre o sofrimento em relação ao trabalho

The literature review reveals that the field of Work Organizational Psychology, as well as the Mental Health of Work has been developing relevant research about the suffering and the world of work. This research intended to approach the unique experience of suffering in relation of the work, from the clinical view, taking the Heidegger’s phenomenological hermeneutics perspective as a reference. Inspired by the thought of the philosopher, sought to understand the suffering in their ontic and existential dimensions, in its limiting aspects; as the one who restricts the possibilities of relationship that man with others, putting in danger significances networks woven for him to deal with things and to live with others. The world of work has been envisioned as a space of possibilities for realization of the existence. Thus, the objective of this study is to understand how the suffering is experienced in relation to work, from the experience of professionals inserted in a judicial organization. The research, with the qualitative approach, used semi-structured individual interviews, whose narratives were analyzed from the heideggerian hermeneutic perspective. Three employees collaborated into this research. The narratives showed that the suffering is related with excess and diversity of tasks carried out by the same employee, associated with lack of acknowledgment of the work executed, and also with working relationship. In general way, the suffering revealed itself as helplessness, loneliness and lack of sense to the existence. We hope that this study enables the opening towards new horizons of understanding about the meanings and sense of work and their relationship networks, as well as contributes to the field of psychology in general

O programa de aquisição de alimentos (PAA) e as transformações socioterritoriais no Rio Grande do Norte

The Acquisition Food Program (Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos – PAA) is one of the governmental public politics proposed, in the year of 2003, that has the focus in the family-run farm in Brazil. This Program has as objectives: commercialize the familyrun farm products, bought by the government agencies; to encourage production, and promoting actions that improve quality food of people facing starving risk. This Program has been working, to some extent, as complement to the Program of family-run farm Enhancement (PRONAF). The present study has as its focus to analyse the social territorials changes observed in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, as a result of the PAA implementation. In this sense, it was promoted a discussion between territory and rules. I this work, public politics are understood as rules. This procedure was important in order to understand how the rules have influenced territorial changes, creating new social and territorial relations. In the research process was used scientific and institutional texts on the subject. It was applied a quiz with 97 PAA’s supplying farmers, and interviews were done with the Program managers in Federal (MDA), State (CONAB and EMATER) and municipal (local office of EMATER and Departments of Agriculture) levels. Social public politics were also analyzed with the aim of understand the context where PAA is situated in relation with the public politics directed to familyrun farm as a whole since 1980, within new Brazilian democratization process. With the information collected in the field, plus the secondary data, maps, charts, tables and cartograms were made. With all of this, a socio-economical profile of the family-run farm in the Rio Grande do Norte was traced, as well as the included in this research. Before this picture, we concluded that PAA indeed represents a forward in public politics directed to family-run farm. However, in spite of the importance of the Program for the family-run farmers to come of age, but in order to the rural and family-run farm reality in the Rio Grande do Norte come to present meaningful changes much still remain to be done.

Releituras de Celso Furtado: Brasil (2001-2012)

Seeking to explain the causes leading to the developme nt and attempt to understand it, some economists were organized around central ideas, culminating therefore in the development of economic theories. The knowledge accumulated over the work by these scholars will make a significant contribution in shaping t he thinking of Celso Monteiro Furtado . Furtado developed numerous studies trying to understand the dynamics of underdeveloped structures, what their basic characteristics and the main factors responsible for the perpetuation of the status quo of these stru ctures. Starting from the question "What remains of underdevelopment characteristics in Brazil in the light of the thought of Celso Furtado?", This work is guided by the hypothesis that Brazil has not suffered between 2001 and 2012, significant structural changes that it could classifies it as a developed country. It has been for this work as a general objective to analyze the underdevelopment of elements that persist in Brazil in the light of the thought of Furtado. And as specific, characterize economic d evelopment, from the study of the classical schools, Marxist, neoclassical, Kaleckian, Keynesian and ECLAC of economic thought; describe the economic underdevelopment in light of Celso Furtado ideas; and, finally, evaluate from the particular epistemology of thought Furtado Brazilian economic reality, with emphasis on the analysis of underdevelopment elements. It was found that although there have been important advances in some sectors, the country maintains a significant structural heterogeneity. Hence th e relevance of Furtado's contribution to understanding the economic underdevelopment, because he is still a constant in our reality.

O Programa Nacional Biblioteca da Escola - PNBE: da gestão ao leitor na educação infantil de Natal-RN

This study aims to investigate the process of implementation of Programa Nacional Biblioteca da Escola, PNBE, and the reader's training on Childhood Education level in Natal. The promotion of literary reading is the opportunity of inclusion in a world that is connected to citizenship, to human rights and social justice, because the reading is the way which gives meaning to the life and, therefore, it is a right for everybody. The study is characterized as a qualitative research with evaluative approach. The methodological procedure that constitutes this corpus took place in three stages: the first one was about the analysis of laws and documents of national public policies for the reading promotion; questionnaires were applied by Managing Committee - Natal/RN to CMEIs and the available websites from MEC that provide distribution of the acquis; in the second stage, we adopted the semi-structured interview as a methodological procedure elaborated with open questions that focus on the program management and to the acquis of PNBE; and in the third step we visited the 21 centers of childhood education in Natal for interviewing and to do the exploratory observation in places of reading. The Informant actors in this research are: the advisors of SME - Natal and FNDE, managers and teachers in Municipal Childhood Education Centers who totalize 30 informants. This theoretical and methodological framework follows the studies of Amarilha (1993; 1994; 2002; 2006; 2010; 2012), Bardin (2001), Bogdan; Biklen (1994), Castro (2007; 2008; 2012), Demo (2000; 2006; 2008), Fischer (2006), Moreira; Caleffe (2008), Paiva (2008; 2012), Secchi (2010; 2012), Soares (2003; 2008) and Zilberman (2001; 2003; 2008). The analysis indicates that decentralization strategy which is adopted in public management model will transfer responsibilities and assumption of the PNBE, exempting the actors to planning actions ensuring the efficiency and efficacy implementation on reading policy to national and municipal levels. The qualified acquis that is distributed by MEC reaches every Childhood Education center and does not depend on teacher's desire or it action, only a few of them know about it and they do not have information about the PNBE, neither receive specific training in order to articulate it to the practice of reading with children from Childhood Education. The reading project implemented by private education system in Natal overlaps the PNBE, making it invisible. The reading places that are available for that schooling stage are summarized to the reading corners. In some CMEI, books remain stored in boxes or they are locked in the closet, out of use to the teachers and students. Thus, care for the acquisition, selecting acquis, and a preoccupation to the supply of the reading and books for this education level are lost into volumes of closed boxes, teachers are jettisoned to this process and children do not have any enchantment to the reading or books. In this context, this paper draws attention to how much we should still investigate in order to understanding the perspectives, stresses and challenges from public policies for the reading promotion in our country. We hope that the research will help to improve the management model of the PNBE, ensuring the reading democratization and therefore the reader's training in early Childhood Education.

O Programa Nacional Biblioteca da Escola - PNBE: da gestão ao leitor na educação infantil de Natal-RN

This study aims to investigate the process of implementation of Programa Nacional Biblioteca da Escola, PNBE, and the reader's training on Childhood Education level in Natal. The promotion of literary reading is the opportunity of inclusion in a world that is connected to citizenship, to human rights and social justice, because the reading is the way which gives meaning to the life and, therefore, it is a right for everybody. The study is characterized as a qualitative research with evaluative approach. The methodological procedure that constitutes this corpus took place in three stages: the first one was about the analysis of laws and documents of national public policies for the reading promotion; questionnaires were applied by Managing Committee - Natal/RN to CMEIs and the available websites from MEC that provide distribution of the acquis; in the second stage, we adopted the semi-structured interview as a methodological procedure elaborated with open questions that focus on the program management and to the acquis of PNBE; and in the third step we visited the 21 centers of childhood education in Natal for interviewing and to do the exploratory observation in places of reading. The Informant actors in this research are: the advisors of SME - Natal and FNDE, managers and teachers in Municipal Childhood Education Centers who totalize 30 informants. This theoretical and methodological framework follows the studies of Amarilha (1993; 1994; 2002; 2006; 2010; 2012), Bardin (2001), Bogdan; Biklen (1994), Castro (2007; 2008; 2012), Demo (2000; 2006; 2008), Fischer (2006), Moreira; Caleffe (2008), Paiva (2008; 2012), Secchi (2010; 2012), Soares (2003; 2008) and Zilberman (2001; 2003; 2008). The analysis indicates that decentralization strategy which is adopted in public management model will transfer responsibilities and assumption of the PNBE, exempting the actors to planning actions ensuring the efficiency and efficacy implementation on reading policy to national and municipal levels. The qualified acquis that is distributed by MEC reaches every Childhood Education center and does not depend on teacher's desire or it action, only a few of them know about it and they do not have information about the PNBE, neither receive specific training in order to articulate it to the practice of reading with children from Childhood Education. The reading project implemented by private education system in Natal overlaps the PNBE, making it invisible. The reading places that are available for that schooling stage are summarized to the reading corners. In some CMEI, books remain stored in boxes or they are locked in the closet, out of use to the teachers and students. Thus, care for the acquisition, selecting acquis, and a preoccupation to the supply of the reading and books for this education level are lost into volumes of closed boxes, teachers are jettisoned to this process and children do not have any enchantment to the reading or books. In this context, this paper draws attention to how much we should still investigate in order to understanding the perspectives, stresses and challenges from public policies for the reading promotion in our country. We hope that the research will help to improve the management model of the PNBE, ensuring the reading democratization and therefore the reader's training in early Childhood Education.

Trajetórias construídas em caminhos (não) planejados: os sentidos formativos da escrita no estágio supervisionado obrigatório do curso de Pedagogia da UFMA

This research is taking as study aim the mediatory teaching action, its involvement with educational guidance reports of Supervised Obligatory Student Teaching in curriculum managing by formal teachers is more related to the form as each one understands the mediatory action of the pedagogy teaching activities than to the adherence of a common project, that is: the Course Pedagogy Project (CPP). Thus, our aim is meant to understand the attribution from the formal teachers to curriculum managing process, having as forms its action in the supervised obligatory student teaching at UFMA Pedagogy Course. On one side, we look for traces about established relation by them between their professional experience and their report guidance in current course. On the other hand, a research concern comes up to us on the forming meaning of the report writing by UFMA Pedagogy Teachers Course. In order to do that, we used interviews interpreted by means of methodology understanding interview. Starting from oral speeches, we understand that the managing formation in this course is linked to postures not identical and adjustable to conditions the teachers have access. We identify a curriculum subject group and a group that by their conformation adapted is considered as object group of curriculum practices. As for the mediatory action in writing formation process, we noticed that they contribute to teacher information at UFMA in the reflexive critic perspective and or in the bureaucratic reproduction perspective. The report writing at the end of the Supervised Obligatory internship is characteristic of quality quantity assessment display, as bureaucratic process and as reflexive display and didactic pedagogy activity intervention. We defend that the teachers´ guidance under critical reflections, where the writing has a social role, must overcome individual dimension, they must be debated as collective and organized practices. We hope to contribute with such a research on teacher mediatory actions and their implementing with help of reporting writing guidance in the Supervised Obligatory Student Teaching in the Curriculum Teacher managing process.

“Back to the future?” Cuban–Russian relations under Raúl Castro

Peer reviewed

“Back to the future?” Cuban–Russian relations under Raúl Castro

Peer reviewed

“Back to the future?” Cuban–Russian relations under Raúl Castro

Peer reviewed

«Cada página lograda es una letra al más allá». Estudio de la correspondencia Américo Castro-Pedro Salinas

Este trabajo explora la correspondencia entre Pedro Salinas y Américo Castro a partir de una edición, que, a causa de la legislación vigente respecto de los derechos de autor, no puede ser publicada. Por tanto, aquí encontramos el estudio introductorio, que analiza ese epistolario desde todas las perspectivas: comenzando con un repaso teórico del subgénero epistolar, pronto se explican las dificultades en torno a la reconstrucción cronológica del epistolario. Temáticamente, se analizan diferentes aspectos, entre los que se encuentran, por ejemplo, los sucesos históricos narrados (con especial atención a las guerras civil y mundial), la educación de su tiempo, la universidad americana o los pasajes sobre la creación de sus propias obras literarias o ensayísticas. Además, se incluye la investigación de la relación tanto entre estos dos autores como con otras muchas figuras importantes de la época. Por último, se explican minuciosamente los criterios de edición seguidos y se incluye una cronología que nos permite ubicar de manera adecuada la génesis de las cartas

Juanita Castro, sister of Fidel Castro at Anti-Fidel Castro demonstration

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Mrs. Raúl Castro (Vilma Espín) press conference

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Anti-Castro demonstration with Juanita Castro, sister of Fidel

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.