Nickname: writer

Review: I am grateful that so many of you have responded with far greater insights than I myself was able to gain during my short trip. I sincerely hope that in the future, changes will allow unfettered access to all journalists - and that Cuba's citizens will have access to what they write.

Date reviewed: Aug 4, 2006 8:14 PM

Nickname: dustinwm

Review: While you are correct about Cuba being a police state, your description of the social services as "excellent" is flat wrong. As you mentioned, Castro has sent doctors abroad to make money, and therefore the quality of healthcare is on the decline. To get a feel for what life is really like under Castro, you must travel to non-tourist areas outside of Havana, such as Cespedes, like I did two years ago. There I found not a single picture of the scoundrel Che, or any examples of adequate social services, and most importantly, basic tenets of liberty, such as property rights and freedom of speech were nonexistent.

Date reviewed: Aug 3, 2006 4:14 PM

Nickname: che

Review: Yeah, havana is gonna be really great after Cuba is opened up. Cubans are biting-at-the-bridle eagerly awaiting their 1st Hard Rock Cafe, Trump casino, and Wal-Mart. (barf) Cuba is a gem; the people, the culture, the architecture. The West will truly screw this lovely virgin leaving her hollowed out, pregnant, and with a screaming case of market-driven herpes.

Date reviewed: Aug 2, 2006 9:11 PM

Nickname: Neil

Review: The litimus test of a country's health care system, well acknowledged by the medical community is the "infant mortality test." The reason this is so is because it is indicative of cleanliness in the hospital, pre-natal care and education, post-delivery care, expertise of medical staff at delivery, overall nutrition and a host of other factors. Guess which country is #1 in lowest infant mortality rate? CUBA. Which one is # 2? ---> CANADA. # 29? -----> USA !! (2005 data) Any above comments berating healthcare systems (universal healthcare)in "socialistic" types of countries simply reflects the ignorance of the writer. Given a 50-year embargo, CUBA has achieved this for its people in spite of the United States, not because of it.

Date reviewed: Aug 2, 2006 7:18 PM

Nickname: Bill

Review: Your comment that the U.S. embargo has led to virtually no car imports for 40 years. How would that affect the import of Japanese, German, Swedish, (et cetera) vehicles? The issue is that Cuba has no hard currency it is willing spend on autos.

Date reviewed: Aug 2, 2006 6:56 PM

Nickname: Padron

Review: I'm sickened by some of these naive comments. I can only hope that one day Canada can have a small taste of what Cubans have had to deal with for almost 50 years.

Date reviewed: Aug 2, 2006 6:25 PM

Nickname: Carlos B

Review: CV's comments are so way off. Does he actually believe people want to live deprived of medical care, food, the pleasures of life, etc. Yes, I said medical care. Go to a hospital, see the dirty beds, no sheets, only the wealthy get what is needed. Go take a look.

Date reviewed: Aug 2, 2006 6:08 PM

Nickname: Sally

Review: How many Cubans die of diabetes or heart disease? Probably not as high as Americans do. How long is the life-span of Cubans? Probably longer than here in America. Sometimes living in a developed country can be a curse, as we see - having an over-abundance of food and things has only brought more disease, more illiteracy, and less respect for life.

Date reviewed: Aug 2, 2006 4:27 PM

Nickname: Naman

Review: Hey CV, I doubt very much that the Cubans are happy in their material scarcity. If that were so, they wouldn't be hawking goods and services to tourists for extra cash.

Date reviewed: Aug 2, 2006 3:56 PM

Nickname: Freddie

Review: Very informative....extremely well written!! Quite observant during visit. Thank you.

Date reviewed: Aug 2, 2006 2:27 PM