I once received a fan-email for one of my clients from Cuba. It was less how they got email access that puzzled me than how they got a filthy capitalist computer game (on an entirely capitalistic theme as was the case, too).
The gushing nonsense aside, Cuba is supposed to be a great place to go on holiday. My dad goes with his wife and two kids every year, and stay in a Western style resort which is pretty damned cheap. The kids love it. He also said the place is nice to look at and it does have an interesting history, although the interesting parts all predate Castro's assumption of power. I'm sure it would be worth a visit for several reasons, but none of them to do with the current regime whatsoever. Certainly my dad hasn't got much time for Castro, communism, or any other such nonsense.
I think a lot of people don't realise Cuba is a prison-state. It fails a simple test of liberty: you can't get out unless they let you(Link).
Or alternatively, there's always the Florida Keys. Same climate, similarly nice beaches and er... not a communist hell-hole.
I recently debated Cuba with an English commie. She stated that amongst other reasons the Cuban socialist utopia was great was that Cuba has the world's lowest "carbon footprint". I have no idea if this is true but what it suggested to me was that (a) bugger all happens there and (b) they are totally fucked since the Sovs collapsed and stopped bunging them oil.
Truly amusing post Brian!
In case you did not bother to follow the link: those quotes are real. I just caught myself hoping that they were using Google translator...
Alisa,
I checked out the site and it would certainly appear that Cuba's "very prestigious" culture doesn't include more than a passing knowledge of English.
Sad, when you consider there are 300 million English speakers (and some Canucks) 90 miles to the North of them.
Gotta go now, I'm spraying beer over the keyboard because I just realised I'd typed "vulture" not "culture". Oh, God it's been a long week... How can a vulture be prestigious when they're not even true raptors? Time to check out.
What I'd like to know is when, as a state who's current prosperity (and it is, by comparison) was founded on the slave trade, is going to pay compensation to the victims thereof.
Come, on, Fidel. Its only 42 acres and a mule. Cough up.
--Certainly my dad hasn't got much time for Castro, communism, or any other such nonsense.--
So why keep supporting him?
We all provide money to Castro whether we want to or not. But the E.U. and various U.N. agencies send money to Cuba (to look after the historic buildings and so on).
Chevez also sends lots of cheap oil and financial support.
The exiles in the United States send money back to help their families - however at least that is voluntary support.
For what a socialist nation is like without such support see North Korea (although the United States and other nations send food aid and other such).