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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2016 5:40:33 GMT
The death of Fidel Castro at age 90 is certainly a major event in the Western Hemisphere. In the United States, a lot of us were raised to see him as evil incarnate for many years, and there are even a few people who have not yet changed their mind about this.
I will be very interested to see who attends -- and who doesn't attend -- his funeral.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 26, 2016 6:03:12 GMT
Oh my goodness!!!!
Yes, we knew he'd been failing and not in the public eye, but it sort of seemed that he was immune to death's scythe.
I'm betting Obama attends the funeral.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 26, 2016 6:09:20 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2016 6:17:37 GMT
I kind of wish he had shaved at least once before the end, because I always wanted to see what a frail old man he really had become. The beard hid that. At least he stopped wearing a military uniform, but those old athletic training suits of recent years were kind of crummy.
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Post by bjd on Nov 26, 2016 6:23:38 GMT
I kind of wish he had shaved at least once before the end, because I always wanted to see what a frail old man he really had become. The beard hid that. At least he stopped wearing a military uniform, but those old athletic training suits of recent years were kind of crummy. Don't let Mr Adidas hear you say that. |
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Post by lagatta on Nov 26, 2016 15:33:54 GMT
He was wearing them for the same reason elders in failing health wear "du mou" at the hospice of Mme Kerouac mère and similar places the world over. A bit more "decent" than pyjamas or a nightgown, but easy to get on and off, and not uncomfortable for people with a variety of health problems.  He sure looks pretty frail when meeting Pope Francisco/Francesco in the above photo. Note that Fidel did don a clean white shirt for the occasion. Meanwhile, Trump is having a wet dream about the coming casino... |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2016 16:15:03 GMT
An old childhood friend of mine whom we spent a significant amount of time with while we were in NY recently has been going to Cuba with a group of people from his church doing "missionary" work for over twenty years or more.
Actually, while they may do something along those lines, they really were taking advantage of being able to legally enter the country and live it up drinking good rum and smoking good cigars and who knows what else...
Anyway, he was scheduled to leave to go there yesterday as we spoke earlier in the week.
I can't wait to hear about his trip.
He's a great storyteller to begin with so, it won't be difficult to get him going.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2016 17:26:41 GMT
lagatta, don't forget about the golf courses, and maybe even a convention centre!
Years ago, when Trudeau senior died, Castro attended the funeral as well as Jimmy Carter and they seated them in separate pews, but near enough to each other. The American press went wild with that. Castro and an ex-president in the same room. Times have changed.
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Post by lagatta on Nov 26, 2016 17:59:38 GMT
And the brothel, in honour of Opa Drumpf. Also segregated occupancy, in honour of dear old Dad.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 26, 2016 18:48:34 GMT
The newstand at my local market today ~ |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2016 19:50:57 GMT
We won't really get all that until Monday, because the news wasn't announced until 6am CET and most of the national papers do not publish on Sunday...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2016 23:50:40 GMT
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Post by lagatta on Nov 28, 2016 13:35:23 GMT
Cuba has a lower rate of infant mortality than the US.
Yes, there are a lot of problems in Cuba such as a lack of common medications. But it is deeply shameful for a country as wealthy as the US to have a relatively high rate of infant mortality. (I'm still sad about Bernie not being a candidate there...).
Edited to add: someone kindly pointed out that I had written that Cuba had a lower rate of infant morality. Oh, those immoral newborns...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 17:50:48 GMT
When my husband took ill this past summer more than one person told me that it was unfortunate that he could not seek medical treatment in Cuba for the syndrome he had, which took forever for the bozos here to diagnose and properly treat.
Both persons reasoning when I inquired said that Cuba had more advanced doctors trained in epidemiology and tropical medicine.
I was a tad taken aback because I never knew how advanced their medical system was.
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Post by lagatta on Nov 28, 2016 18:33:53 GMT
Many people here see dentists in Cuba because our otherwise comprehensive public health system doesn't include teeth... Of course these patients pay fees that would be high for Cubans, but considerably lower than here, and which help Cuba pay for needed medical supplies and equipment.
It will be very interesting to see how Cuba evolves now.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 18:59:39 GMT
Canada's health care system doesn't cover costs for dental care? Hmmmm.
Here, Medicare, (my husbands current health care plan along with a supplemental plan gratefully he had the good sense to implement or we would be knee deep in medical bills) and my health care plan
which comes under his monthly pension plan from the city does not cover vision or dental whereas it did previously.
Curious when you think that these are the two areas of the body that most elderly persons would need to have coverage for.
I now have to pay out of pocket for an eye examination and spectacles.
Anyway, back to the OP, it will indeed be curious to see what does transpire with regard to Cuba's future.
I believe that I saw where Putin will not be attending Fidel's memorial.
Goodness knows what the US involvement with all this will be.
My dear friend in Miami has told me how "bonkers" folks there are, rejoicing in Fidel's "final" departure.
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Post by fumobici on Nov 28, 2016 19:39:20 GMT
Trudeau II is currently getting a lot of bad press for eulogizing Castro in fairly glowing terms, as if airbrushing out the less attractive parts of the recently passed's lives wasn't completely normal to do. I'll bet whomever the Canadian PM is when GW Bush or Tony Blair pass away won't be mentioning the many thousands of innocent civilians they were directly responsible for killing either. Add to that the rank hypocrisy of politicians, pundits and press criticizing Trudeau on grounds of Castro being a Communist tyrant who disrespects human rights while every nearly last one of them is completely committed to ignoring the same issues vis a vis The People's Republic of China. If you have and cheerfully support friendly trade relations with the PRC, you have no business nattering on about the evils of communism or human rights in other countries.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 20:20:37 GMT
Well stated Fumobici.
One, (once again) has to blame the media, at least here in the US, for it's portrayal of Fidel and, how this has been the case going all the way back to the 1950-60's to the present.
Who among us growing up in the US were not affected on some level by the "evils" that were only 100 miles away and the threat it imposed?
I confess to a bias brainwashing of sorts and I am not a particularly knowledgeable person regarding all the ins and outs of Communism, Socialism, etc.
However, I do have some semblance of a political ideology leaning in that direction.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 21:23:13 GMT
The latest from Wimp City: Barack Obama, Justin Trudeau and François Hollande will not be attending the funeral. The fact that Fidel Castro was no longer the head of state makes this easy to justify.
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Post by lagatta on Nov 28, 2016 22:13:01 GMT
I'm pissed off at Trudeau though because those families were personal friends. Trudeau père and Fidel Castro, both lawyers with Jesuit backgrounds, enjoyed rarefied philosophical discussions...
The Conservatives who are after Trudeau certainly snuggled up to China, and perhaps worse still, to Saudi Arabia. Sadly, so did many other leading countries. Even Obama went to greet the new king. I didn't see whether Hollande did.
Since when does attending a funeral mean that one approves of the deceased's every action?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2016 22:21:38 GMT
Hollande was the first French head of state ever to make an official visit to Cuba -- but he visited Raul officially and only unofficially paid his respects to Fidel. The rules of diplomacy are often shitty (and convenient). France will be represented at the funeral by Ségolène Royal, #3 in the government.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 29, 2016 6:22:26 GMT
Well, our President Jacob Zuma is there boots and all.
At one time we were flooded with Cuban doctors in our state hospitals but it did not last.
Not because they were no good, but because of the language problem. Our patients hardly spoke English and the Cubans must have had a devil of a time trying to diagnose.
But quite frankly I think the Cuban doctors were totally disgusted with our nursing staff work ethic. And to see the incompetent way in which our hospitals are run. Filth and rats followed by inbred cats roam freely. Don't go near the operating theater - your anaesthetic
has been administered by an expert doctor from Poland but there are no sterile instruments because the sterilizer is broken. In a rush they send an ambulance to another hospital to collect instruments...... The Cubans must have thought WTF.
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Post by bjd on Nov 29, 2016 6:45:24 GMT
Zuma is probably taking the opportunity to have a vacation.
One year my sister was on holiday in Cuba. She stepped on a bee or wasp on the beach and discovered she was allergic to bee/wasp stings because her foot swelled up. She went to see a doctor who was very capable and efficient but apologized because he could give her only one pill of the anti-allergy stuff (the name escapes me for the moment, it begins with h) because of a shortage of medicines.
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Post by tod2 on Nov 29, 2016 7:27:28 GMT
He must have given her HISTAMINE. A very easy over the counter medication here.
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Post by bjd on Nov 29, 2016 8:11:44 GMT
Now that you mention it -- antihistamines. You can buy some over the counter here too, but apparently not in Cuba a few years ago.
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Post by lagatta on Nov 29, 2016 9:10:21 GMT
I have quite a few allergies and do take a supply of antihistamine travelling anywhere. I believe they require a prescription in the Netherlands. No shortage of supplies - just very strict rules there.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 7, 2016 0:02:30 GMT
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Post by bjd on Dec 7, 2016 6:33:27 GMT
How ironic that material by Garcia Marques and Castro has ended up in a library in Texas. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 7, 2016 16:08:45 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 11, 2016 5:45:12 GMT
Took this photo yesterday in the zócalo ~ |
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