****ing hell man. Ya got me going now. I lost my dad when I was 15. On the last day of my school life. It never leaves ya and I'm 57 now. Certainly good memories beat the bad ones into the background. At that age I had one of two paths rocky road or drag myself up. Good for both of ya fellas. Thanks for sharing your stories. Life and perspective come to mind. BTW love the song too.
Lord Taylor of Blackburn Labour Peer. Died outside Parliament in a tragic accident. RIP. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38105935
His brother's the current President... In any case, life in Cuba was improved significantly under Castro. I'm not a fan of his but Batista and the American mafia raped that country.
Been to Cuba a fair few times, a fascinating place, dripping with history. The buildings of Havana seemed to be a metaphor for the state of the Castro (Fidel) regime of the mid to late 1990's - ie a crumbling façade. However an interesting and beautiful place with similar people, who coped with genuine hardships either through geo-political tensions / idealisms or through natural disasters. For all his faults, and there were many, one thing Cuba under him did do well was to provide an education and healthcare system that was unrivalled in that part of the Americas. Human rights records were appalling though and I suspect more of this will come to light in time. Over a 6 year period I saw the country improve and sensed a real willingness for the ordinary Cuban people to re-engage with the rest of the world, which couldn't fully be done whilst Fidel was alive. There has been a definite change in attitude since Raul stepped in, so it would seem an opportune time for Cuba to be welcomed back to the West. Worked with Cubans based in Miami, many of who wanted to 'go home' but were waiting for Fidel to die. Whilst he was still a hero to them, they just couldn't live / survive in the poverty and oppression that existed in the country. Fidel Castro was a major character in 20th Century history, certainly divisive and increasingly isolated these days and maybe ranked on a par with Kim Jong Un and to a lesser degree, Putin. Not sure how history will judge him, perhaps not as iconic as Che Guevara, but every bit as influential. RIP Edit - Ernie is correct - This post is more of a travelogue based on my time as a visitor to and traveller in Cuba rather than a political commentary.
On a lighter note, I once met Florence Henderson - she was a passenger on a cruise ship I worked on and she was really nice to me. She always asked for me when she wanted anything, I asked her why and she said it was because I didn't know who she was.
Dilemma for one poster on here and his user name. Maybe Skinner's Sarcophagus or Umunna's Urn to replace it?
