A month until I visit Cuba

[Fidel Castro]

In exactly a months time I will arrive in Havana, Cuba and from here I will be transported the 25 miles to the cooperative farm run by the Instituto de Amistad con los Pueblos (ICAP).

Whilst in Cuba I will be doing a range of things from working on the cooperative alongside Cuban labourers, visiting schools and hospitals, meeting the families of the Miami Five and also given some time to wonder around Havana and the countryside to take in things for myself.

As it appears to be in this forum (without surprise) that the biggest critics of the Cuban system can be found I fully intend to type up on my return a full report of the state of Cuban Schools, Hospitals, working conditions, city streets, and any other major facilities I visit. I will of course be totally un-biased in my report, and give the cons as well as the pros, but I am confident that my findings may dispell some of the pure myths that seem to curculate on this board.

<<<<<<<<Fidel>>>>>

[Commie Girl]

I leave for Cuba on June 19th for my wedding&#33; YAY&#33;&#33; :wub:

[Capitalist Imperial]

Originally posted by [email protected] 26 2004, 06:34 PM
I leave for Cuba on June 19th for my wedding&#33; YAY&#33;&#33; :wub:
who is the lucky girl?

[Capitalist Imperial]

Originally posted by Fidel [email protected] 26 2004, 06:30 PM
In exactly a months time I will arrive in Havana, Cuba and from here I will be transported the 25 miles to the cooperative farm run by the Instituto de Amistad con los Pueblos (ICAP).

Whilst in Cuba I will be doing a range of things from working on the cooperative alongside Cuban labourers, visiting schools and hospitals, meeting the families of the Miami Five and also given some time to wonder around Havana and the countryside to take in things for myself.

As it appears to be in this forum (without surprise) that the biggest critics of the Cuban system can be found I fully intend to type up on my return a full report of the state of Cuban Schools, Hospitals, working conditions, city streets, and any other major facilities I visit. I will of course be totally un-biased in my report, and give the cons as well as the pros, but I am confident that my findings may dispell some of the pure myths that seem to curculate on this board.

<<<<<<<<Fidel>>>>>
Watch out for fleeing refugees on your way there.

[Professor Moneybags]

Originally posted by Capitalist [email protected] 26 2004, 06:43 PM
Watch out for fleeing refugees on your way there.
And don&#39;t leave your designated "tourist area", whatever you do.

[lucid]

Originally posted by Fidel [email protected] 26 2004, 06:30 PM
In exactly a months time I will arrive in Havana, Cuba and from here I will be transported the 25 miles to the cooperative farm run by the Instituto de Amistad con los Pueblos (ICAP).

Whilst in Cuba I will be doing a range of things from working on the cooperative alongside Cuban labourers, visiting schools and hospitals, meeting the families of the Miami Five and also given some time to wonder around Havana and the countryside to take in things for myself.

As it appears to be in this forum (without surprise) that the biggest critics of the Cuban system can be found I fully intend to type up on my return a full report of the state of Cuban Schools, Hospitals, working conditions, city streets, and any other major facilities I visit. I will of course be totally un-biased in my report, and give the cons as well as the pros, but I am confident that my findings may dispell some of the pure myths that seem to curculate on this board.

<<<<<<<<Fidel>>>>>
You&#39;ll probably run into a bunch of people that are healthy, educated, and poor.

[UnionofSovietSocialistRepublics]

great news :) I have been to Cuba, the further away from tourism you canget the better. It is a beautiful country, I have been in a school in havana, it was horribly underfunded, paper, pens and books are apparently very hard to get hold of.
The people do look very healthy, everyone recieves a fair ration.
I am sure you will have an excellent time, the friendly people are very accomidating and the weather and scenery is stunning. :D

sexydj4u congrats on the wedding&#33;

[Commie Girl]

Originally posted by Capitalist Imperial+May 26 2004, 12:42 PM--> (Capitalist Imperial &#064; May 26 2004, 12:42 PM)
[email protected] 26 2004, 06:34 PM
I leave for Cuba on June 19th for my wedding&#33; YAY&#33;&#33; :wub:
who is the lucky girl? [/b]
:D You mean Lucky Guy?? A Wonderful Canadian fellow Socialist&#33;&#33; :P

[Capitalist Imperial]

Originally posted by sexydj4u+May 26 2004, 11:17 PM--> (sexydj4u @ May 26 2004, 11:17 PM)
Originally posted by Capitalist [email protected] 26 2004, 12:42 PM

[email protected] 26 2004, 06:34 PM
I leave for Cuba on June 19th for my wedding&#33; YAY&#33;&#33; :wub:
who is the lucky girl?
:D You mean Lucky Guy?? A Wonderful Canadian fellow Socialist&#33;&#33; :P [/b]
That was a joke, i know that you are actually the female.

Good luck, I know that you guys have a wonderful future full of restricting freedoms and oppressing people.

Enjoy cuba, I hope the US does not try to liberate the island while you are there, you may need to hold your reception in a bomb shelter.

[fuerzasocialista]

It&#39;d be nice if someone could bring me back Añá....

[Fidel Castro]

And don&#39;t leave your designated "tourist area", whatever you do.

:lol: , ahh typical, assume that I will be hidden away in some tourist resort and if I dare to venture beyond, well, who knows what Big Bad Fidel might do? I must be in particular danger considering that I am not going to be in any "tourist area", which you would of realised of you would have read the post before attempting (without success) to be a smart-ass.

Of course you are correct in a sense, seeing as I will be living and working amoungst the Cuban people, I better keep an eye out for CIA mercenaries and spies. :lol:


Enjoy cuba, I hope the US does not try to liberate the island while you are there

You are damn right my misguided friend&#33; We all know what happened the last time the U&#036; "liberated" Cuba, they waited until the Spanish were basically defeated and then installed a puppet regime which went on to create a nation of torture, corruption, inequality and submission to U&#036; interests.

Who knows, perhaps one day Cuba will be lucky enough to join the ranks of other nations gloriously liberated by the Yankees, I&#39;m sure Cubans look at Afganhistan and Iraq and just can&#39;t wait to be tortured, humilited and exploited in the name of freedom. <_<

[fernando]

I wish I could go to Cuba too...is it an expensive country? Ok I might sound like a dirty capitalist now...but the thing is I need money to travel and be there, could anyone give me an idea of how much it would cost to be there for lets say...2 weeks, and I would leave from Holland

[DaCuBaN]

I know flight from Aberdeen, Scotland are about £400 to Havana.

Otherwise I&#39;m at a loss... I&#39;d assume if you could depart from the dam it would be a little cheaper

Maybe 600e ?

[Anarchist Freedom]

have fun FC let us know all about it when you get back.


:che:


CGLM&#33; (http://www.cglm.net)

[percept¡on]

Originally posted by [email protected] 30 2004, 03:02 PM
I wish I could go to Cuba too...is it an expensive country? Ok I might sound like a dirty capitalist now...but the thing is I need money to travel and be there, could anyone give me an idea of how much it would cost to be there for lets say...2 weeks, and I would leave from Holland
It really depends, Cubans live on &#036;13 a month, but tourist stores and restaurants price-gouge so a couple weeks could run you &#036;1500-2000. I know someone who went for a month or so on &#036;500, but he stayed with a Cuban family. You could find a room to rent if your gully enough. Just stick to the peso stores/restaurants and don&#39;t pay more than &#036;1 for anything.

Oh, and from experience: DON&#39;T get drunk and wander the streets with a pocket full of cash. You won&#39;t get robbed, but you&#39;ll end up buying fried chicken and orange juice for the whole cafe or some other ill sh¡t like that. It just sucks cuz you&#39;ll be afraid to leave your cash in the hotel room.

[Professor Moneybags]

Originally posted by percept¡[email protected] 30 2004, 06:53 PM
Just stick to the peso stores/restaurants and don&#39;t pay more than &#036;1 for anything.
You exploiter.

[fuerzasocialista]

shit, I was thinking of going to Cuba next week. Its a little complicated though going through a third country...

[apathy maybe]

You know I&#39;ld much rather be healthy, educated and &#39;poor&#39; then un-educated, sick and poor. And thats why many people prefure socialism to capitalism. &#39;Cause under socialism, you are healthy and educated, no matter what your parents do/did.

As to poor, it is a relitive term. Some people say that anyone who has more then what they need are rich, others say someone who is rich has more then the average.

[lucid]

Originally posted by apathy [email protected] 31 2004, 04:08 AM
You know I&#39;ld much rather be healthy, educated and &#39;poor&#39; then un-educated, sick and poor. And thats why many people prefure socialism to capitalism. &#39;Cause under socialism, you are healthy and educated, no matter what your parents do/did.

As to poor, it is a relitive term. Some people say that anyone who has more then what they need are rich, others say someone who is rich has more then the average.
Then pack your shit and move to Cuba. I am sure Castro would love to have you.

I am really not sure what your trying to get at when you say "no matter what your parents do/did." It sounds like you are trying to say that most people that are successful got that way because of their parents. If you believe that your just ignorant.

[pandora]

Originally posted by [email protected] 31 2004, 09:33 AM


I am really not sure what your trying to get at when you say "no matter what your parents do/did." It sounds like you are trying to say that most people that are successful got that way because of their parents. If you believe that your just ignorant.
Actually you&#39;ve just expressed your own ignorance. Statistics, and we know how you capitalists love statistics, that most wealth is inherited.

Where I live 60-70% of the income comes from real-estate, most of which is inherited.

Most social movement is horizontal not veritical in the U.S. Get rich stories are more myth than reality. Most people make a relative wage to their parents and stay in the same or WORSE socio-economic bracket.

Oh well nice thought, but fact is most wealth is inherited. Even if Mommy and Daddy only support you through yuppie school and leave you with a new car and insurance, you have had a million more advantages than someone who has had to start working in childhood and gotten education in university by working three jobs for housing.

Chances are the person that put themself through school takes 3x as long and has nothing when they get out having to work for a long time even to afford their own apartment. A very different reality.

[lucid]

Originally posted by pandora+May 31 2004, 06:19 AM--> (pandora @ May 31 2004, 06:19 AM)
[email protected] 31 2004, 09:33 AM


I am really not sure what your trying to get at when you say "no matter what your parents do/did." It sounds like you are trying to say that most people that are successful got that way because of their parents. If you believe that your just ignorant.
Actually you&#39;ve just expressed your own ignorance. Statistics, and we know how you capitalists love statistics, that most wealth is inherited.

Where I live 60-70% of the income comes from real-estate, most of which is inherited.

Most social movement is horizontal not veritical in the U.S. Get rich stories are more myth than reality. Most people make a relative wage to their parents and stay in the same or WORSE socio-economic bracket.

Oh well nice thought, but fact is most wealth is inherited. Even if Mommy and Daddy only support you through yuppie school and leave you with a new car and insurance, you have had a million more advantages than someone who has had to start working in childhood and gotten education in university by working three jobs for housing.

Chances are the person that put themself through school takes 3x as long and has nothing when they get out having to work for a long time even to afford their own apartment. A very different reality. [/b]
Post some links to backup your stats. I would like to see them.

[Hate Is Art]

Most people whose Parents aren&#39;t rich find it very hard to get into a decent University and thus get a well paid job. The people with the best education are usualy the ones whose parents are rich and cart them of a public school.

Sad reality of Capitilism is that it doesnt work&#33;

[Nyder]

Actually I think it&#39;s more the sad reality of parenting.

[apathy maybe]

Yes this is a major problem. While we get some poor people breaking their backs for their kids, other parents can&#39;t be fucked. But by the same token, we get rich parents being bad parents as well.

This is why free education is such an important thing, if you truly want capitalism to &#39;work&#39; you have to give all children equal opertunities. And growing up with no books in the house because your parents can&#39;t &#39;afford&#39; them is not going to help you any.

And lucid, back up you own claims. I would have thought that the claim that children with rich parents are more likely to get a good job then children with poor parents, is common sense. (Leaving out insult which I was going to insert here.)

[Professor Moneybags]

Originally posted by Digital [email protected] 31 2004, 09:43 AM
Most people whose Parents aren&#39;t rich find it very hard to get into a decent University and thus get a well paid job. The people with the best education are usualy the ones whose parents are rich and cart them of a public school.

Sad reality of Capitilism is that it doesnt work&#33;
The goal of capitalism is not to provide you with an education, you must do that for yourself. So whether you are educated or not has no bearing on whether or not capitalism "works".

[apathy maybe]

I find it funny that you put works in quote marks. I do that &#39;cause I think capitalism doesn&#39;t work.

And to rebutt your attempted rebuttle,
You say this "the goal of capitalism is not to provide you with an education, you must do that for yourself", as if rich parents giving their kids an education fits in with this. If you truely believe this, surely you must also hate inheritence?

And a question, what is the goal of capitalism (from your point of view)?

[Fidelbrand]

Waiting for Fidel.... have a nice trip and bring us some unbiased information that rocks this board~

FidelB.

[lucid]

Originally posted by [email protected] 1 2004, 07:11 AM
Waiting for Fidel.... have a nice trip and bring us some unbiased information that rocks this board~

FidelB.
I don&#39;t think his info is going to "rock this board". He most likely will see exactly what he is expecting. Healthy, fed, and poor people. He will come back with stories of how wonderful all the workers are at the local coffee finca. It will probably reinforce his beliefs in communism. Then he will go home and turn on his AC, get on his computer, get an ice cold drink, turn on the TV, and tell us all about it. He will ***** about capitalists and maybe jump in his car and run down to McD&#39;s for a midnight snack and fill up his tank on the way home (And probably pay what a lot of those cubans made in a month).

Just do us, and yourself, a favor and just stay there.

[Professor Moneybags]

The goal, it is believed, is to set man free from man.

[Fidel Castro]

don&#39;t think his info is going to "rock this board". He most likely will see exactly what he is expecting. Healthy, fed, and poor people. He will come back with stories of how wonderful all the workers are at the local coffee finca. It will probably reinforce his beliefs in communism. Then he will go home and turn on his AC, get on his computer, get an ice cold drink, turn on the TV, and tell us all about it. He will ***** about capitalists and maybe jump in his car and run down to McD&#39;s for a midnight snack and fill up his tank on the way home (And probably pay what a lot of those cubans made in a month).

You sound almost dismissive of the importance of people being "healthy and fed", as though in your view this is not half as important as material wealth, which is further shown in your adding "and poor".

Yes, Cuban workers recieive a very low wage compared to capitalist workers. However consider that workers in a capitalist nation are forced to pay for health insurance/national insurance, rent/mortgage, food, sometimes education, high taxation. In Cuba the people recieve free and high-standard healthcare and education, housing is either rent-free or very low-rent, basic food rations are provided.

Your statement is correct only to the extent that I live in a capitalist system, and therefore in order to simply survive I am forced to actively take part in that system. It is impossible for anyone, even hardcore socialists to avoid at least basic cooperation with capitalism if they live within a capitalist system, however the goal should always be to alter that system to that everyone has the equil oppertunity to "turn on their computer, get an ice cold drink, turn on their TV.", without having to become wage slaves or bourgiosie exploiters to do so.


Just do us, and yourself, a favor and just stay there.

Ouch&#33; Trust me, if I had the chance to leave this corrupt, money-driven, selfish, murdering, exploititive empirialist nation for Cuba permanently I would grab the chance.

[Fidelbrand]

You spoke my heart out, Fidel.

It is an enticing cult to expect us as being true comrades, to starve ourselves to death and to leave our car idle under this dehumanizing system. Pigs get hooked to the system , we as leftists...? to a lesser extent.

[lucid]

Originally posted by Fidel [email protected] 1 2004, 03:20 PM

don&#39;t think his info is going to "rock this board". He most likely will see exactly what he is expecting. Healthy, fed, and poor people. He will come back with stories of how wonderful all the workers are at the local coffee finca. It will probably reinforce his beliefs in communism. Then he will go home and turn on his AC, get on his computer, get an ice cold drink, turn on the TV, and tell us all about it. He will ***** about capitalists and maybe jump in his car and run down to McD&#39;s for a midnight snack and fill up his tank on the way home (And probably pay what a lot of those cubans made in a month).

You sound almost dismissive of the importance of people being "healthy and fed", as though in your view this is not half as important as material wealth, which is further shown in your adding "and poor".

Yes, Cuban workers recieive a very low wage compared to capitalist workers. However consider that workers in a capitalist nation are forced to pay for health insurance/national insurance, rent/mortgage, food, sometimes education, high taxation. In Cuba the people recieve free and high-standard healthcare and education, housing is either rent-free or very low-rent, basic food rations are provided.

Your statement is correct only to the extent that I live in a capitalist system, and therefore in order to simply survive I am forced to actively take part in that system. It is impossible for anyone, even hardcore socialists to avoid at least basic cooperation with capitalism if they live within a capitalist system, however the goal should always be to alter that system to that everyone has the equil oppertunity to "turn on their computer, get an ice cold drink, turn on their TV.", without having to become wage slaves or bourgiosie exploiters to do so.


Just do us, and yourself, a favor and just stay there.

Ouch&#33; Trust me, if I had the chance to leave this corrupt, money-driven, selfish, murdering, exploititive empirialist nation for Cuba permanently I would grab the chance.
I think people being healthy and fed is great&#33; But, I am not ready to trade freedom for security. You want to trade your house for a clay hut in exchange for three square meals and some borderline healthcare go right ahead.

[Commie Girl]

Your concept of "freedom" is questionable, Lucid....free to do what? What good is freedom if you can not even eek out a living or expect the basic rights of all people to food, clothing, shelter and medical care? Just curious.

[lucid]

Originally posted by [email protected] 1 2004, 03:43 PM
Your concept of "freedom" is questionable, Lucid....free to do what? What good is freedom if you can not even eek out a living or expect the basic rights of all people to food, clothing, shelter and medical care? Just curious.
Freedom is being able to attend a school and get an education. Free to expand that education and make a good living. Free to be everything you want and go as high as you possible can. Your also free to screw around in school and sit around *****ing about the system while your life passes you by. Your free to complain about health care instead of finding a job with medical care.

The only reason you question my concept of freedom is because when you think of freedom you just see "free". What is owed to me. I want "free food", "free health care, "free everything"&#33; It&#39;s owed to me&#33; wahhhhh

I have always had medical care, even with my low wage fast food jobs as a kid, and when I didn&#39;t I always could find clinics to goto to see a Dr... Dunno, again, maybe it&#39;s just you.

[apathy maybe]

It amazing. We are told that the goal of capitalism is to make men (I assume humans) free, and yet we also attempt to make men free. We want to remove the worry of having to get up in the morning &#39;cause if we don&#39;t go to work *everyday* we&#39;ll get fired and won&#39;t be able to pay the rent and then will be on the street.

The problem with capitalism is, that no matter what you do, you will still have people who can&#39;t make a decent living. But in many cases these people will be living in Africa or the poorer parts of Asia, they aren&#39;t white so it doesn&#39;t matter. But the fact remains that not all people have the oppurtunity to
"attend a school and get an education. Free to expand that education and make a good living. Free to be everything you want and go as high as you possible can."
&#39;Cause they don&#39;t have a school, or their parents can&#39;t afford to send them to school, or what ever else. You must stop thinking about the USA (if that is were you come from) or Canada (dito) or any other rich industrial/post-industrial country. Even with in those countries you can find people who can&#39;t afford to go to school. But in many poorer countries only the kids of the elite go to school. So capitalism isn&#39;t working for the rest of that society is it.

The problem with most capitalists is that they claim they want everyone to have equal oppertunity to rise, but in reality poor parents can&#39;t afford to send their kids to school, and cappies don&#39;t want to change a thing.

[Fidelbrand]

Originally posted by apathy [email protected] 3 2004, 05:01 AM
and cappies don&#39;t want to change a thing.
Some benevolent ones want to, but they are not strong enough to fight the system or other zombies in the system will condemn them for promoting socialism. Deductively, nothing much can be changed.

The System rules us, ..something worse than ruling of man to man. You just have to be and got to be connected to this system~

[Professor Moneybags]

We are told that the goal of capitalism is to make men (I assume humans) free, and yet we also attempt to make men free.

We have already explained that positive rights lead to slavery and not freedom.


The problem with capitalism is, that no matter what you do, you will still have people who can&#39;t make a decent living. But in many cases these people will be living in Africa or the poorer parts of Asia, they aren&#39;t white so it doesn&#39;t matter.

What is it with this constant obsession with race ?

[Fidelbrand]

Originally posted by Professor [email protected] 3 2004, 06:42 AM
We have already explained that positive rights lead to slavery and not freedom.
Oh, shut up, I have explained it too but you just didn&#39;t blather a word, professeur~ha&#33; (http://www.che-lives.com/forum/index.php?act=Post&CODE=06&f=8&t=25312&p=403832)

Crush that god damn antiquated version of excuse about the difference between "positive" and "negative rights".

[Hiero]

Originally posted by Professor Moneybags+Jun 1 2004, 06:09 AM--> (Professor Moneybags @ Jun 1 2004, 06:09 AM)
Digital [email protected] 31 2004, 09:43 AM
Most people whose Parents aren&#39;t rich find it very hard to get into a decent University and thus get a well paid job. The people with the best education are usualy the ones whose parents are rich and cart them of a public school.

Sad reality of Capitilism is that it doesnt work&#33;
The goal of capitalism is not to provide you with an education, you must do that for yourself. So whether you are educated or not has no bearing on whether or not capitalism "works". [/b]
So take for example a child of a single mother working full time can not always be there to encourage the child, can not always buy the extra neccesities for learning and as this child gets older they get less interested in school and drop out since they cant keep up grades ( we all know someone like this).

Now the other sceniro is the kid whos parents are rich. So this kid gets the works the tutor, the books all the good stuff including the good school.

Now we all know the statiscis that most fall in the first sceniro or inbetween, and only a small percentage in the last.

Yeah so capitalism works but it works very poorely.

On the other topic i aggree with the cappies (but i still want lucid&#39;s home suciede bombed) that the report on cuba is going to be biased, just look at your name, sig, picture.

[Sideshow Luke Perry]

Okay, I&#39;d like to talk about Cuba for a moment, and back up my assertions with at least a few facts.

First up, an interesting article written by a socialist about the state of Cuba. It&#39;s a little old, but unless things have changed drastically it&#39;ll still be relevant.

http://www.swp.ie/resources/Cuba,%20social...files/reply.htm (http://www.swp.ie/resources/Cuba,%20socialism%20and%20the%20third%20world_file s/reply.htm)
And an interesting quote for those who don&#39;t feel like reading the entire article:


Given the lack of organs of popular power, of active and independent workers’ organisations; and given the undeniable lack of democratic control on the present Cuban state, Blackburn resorts to the kind of “legitimation through hindsight”. In this too, he follows the Cuban regime itself; the first histories of the Cuban revolution written by the official spokesmen contained only passing references to the Communist Party. In 1958, Castro himself had dismissed the Cuban CP as a political force. Yet by the late sixties, the role of the Communist Party in pre-revolutionary Cuba had been expanded miraculously, and official histories now gave it a central role in the development of the struggle pre-1959

I&#39;ll write more later if anyone cares to come back. But women&#39;s rights are very poor in Cuba, even compared to our own capitalist societies. There&#39;s a distinct lack of objectivity when it comes to Cuba- I know they&#39;ve been treated appallingly by the US, but that doesn&#39;t justify what goes on.

And as for "I&#39;m sure I&#39;ll have a wonderful time"...I&#39;m sure you will. I&#39;m sure you could have a perfectly decent holiday in the USA if you didn&#39;t scratch beneath the surface too much.

[The idealist]

So? The answer is simple.

For gods sake, when you go to Cuba. Scratch&#33; Don&#39;t just watch what you want. But also look for what you don&#39;t want to see.

Be sceptical and critical minded about that which you see throughout the journey. Pictures would be a nice thing.

Feeling that you have done a good job and have found the truth (or a truth), no matter how good or bad, gives you an amazing high.

But also remember to enjoy the holiday. :cool:

[Fidel Castro]

Don&#39;t worry, I have no intention of simply lavishing praise and overlooking problems with the Cuban system. I intent to make up my own mind about Cuba from what I see, bad as well as good.

Because I&#39;m going to Cuba on some sort of "specialist" visa rather than a tourist card, I&#39;ll have pretty much total access to any sector of society I wish whilst in Cuba (Because I&#39;m going through a soilidarity organization I&#39;ll also be given alot of leeway). I&#39;ll make sure to "scratch" whilst wondering through the hospitals, schools, factories and streets. I hope to get the chance to talk to anti-Castro Cubans as well as pro-Castro Cubans, I have been told that the Cuban people are surprisingly open in whatever criticisms they may have.

I&#39;ll also be meeting the Miami-Five families, I will make sure to report on this on my return.

[lucid]

Originally posted by comrade [email protected] 3 2004, 07:33 AM
(but i still want lucid&#39;s home suciede bombed)


Join the club :)

[lucid]

Originally posted by Fidel [email protected] 3 2004, 01:39 PM
Don&#39;t worry, I have no intention of simply lavishing praise and overlooking problems with the Cuban system. I intent to make up my own mind about Cuba from what I see, bad as well as good.

Because I&#39;m going to Cuba on some sort of "specialist" visa rather than a tourist card, I&#39;ll have pretty much total access to any sector of society I wish whilst in Cuba (Because I&#39;m going through a soilidarity organization I&#39;ll also be given alot of leeway). I&#39;ll make sure to "scratch" whilst wondering through the hospitals, schools, factories and streets. I hope to get the chance to talk to anti-Castro Cubans as well as pro-Castro Cubans, I have been told that the Cuban people are surprisingly open in whatever criticisms they may have.

I&#39;ll also be meeting the Miami-Five families, I will make sure to report on this on my return.
Smack the miami 5 people for me. You have no idea how much traffic I sat in while living in Miami during that time.