<img src="http://www.juarol.com/img/news/a_leadership_xjg111.jpg" width="174" align="left">HAVANA — Nearly 50 years of rule by Fidel Castro ended in Cuba on Sunday as parliament chose his brother Raul to replace him — a transition that leaves the island's communist system unshaken.


The new president proposed consulting with the ailing 81-year-old Fidel on all major decisions of state, and parliament approved the proposal.

The vote came five days after Fidel said he was retiring, capping a career in which he frustrated efforts by 10 U.S. presidents to oust him.

The transition was not likely to bring a major shift in policies of the communist government that have put it at odds with the United States. But many Cubans were hoping it would open the door to modest economic reforms and improvement in their daily lives

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080224/ap_ ... NJaJC3IxIF

Seems as though things will remain pretty much the same way that they have been. Some say that Raul is worse than Fidel, but I guess only Cubanos who live their and under their regime know for sure. Best of luck to the Cubanos there.

Geez-it's so difficult to stay neutral with this little itty bitty part of our world-chinao!
I wanna applaude the Castros for staying their course-no matter how the media pulls me to the other side-I watched the documentary on the great talents of Cuba (music) Club Buena Vista-corrections accepted on this title but-yeah the musicos were brought to the New York Symphony as part of the show and they smashed the audience with their NATURAL gifts in all areas of MUSIC talent-my point? How does a Country like Cuba, have such wonderful and inspirational talent in it's supposed midst of impending doom? BECAUSE perhaps It is possible to have HARMONY without being or living materialistically! BOO to BASHING CUBA-----and I repeat-----Buuuuuulllsheet! I don't beleive the 1/2 of what mainstream media want's to shove down my throat-i simply refuse to believe that CUBA is an enemy. Que Viva Cuba! Que Viva Fidel! Sheet if you watch the documentary these folks live by the ocean, they smoke their fine cigars...they have strong sense of family, and they worship in a beautiful god-way....and they live well into and over 100 yrs old!!!!!

caker wrote:Seems as though things will remain pretty much the same way that they have been. Some say that Raul is worse than Fidel, but I guess only Cubanos who live their and under their regime know for sure. Best of luck to the Cubanos there.

I heard the same thing.. I also wish the Cubanos the best no matter what!

4got10ndn wrote:Geez-it's so difficult to stay neutral with this little itty bitty part of our world-chinao!
I wanna applaude the Castros for staying their course-no matter how the media pulls me to the other side-I watched the documentary on the great talents of Cuba (music) Club Buena Vista-corrections accepted on this title but-yeah the musicos were brought to the New York Symphony as part of the show and they smashed the audience with their NATURAL gifts in all areas of MUSIC talent-my point? How does a Country like Cuba, have such wonderful and inspirational talent in it's supposed midst of impending doom? BECAUSE perhaps It is possible to have HARMONY without being or living materialistically! BOO to BASHING CUBA-----and I repeat-----Buuuuuulllsheet! I don't beleive the 1/2 of what mainstream media want's to shove down my throat-i simply refuse to believe that CUBA is an enemy. Que Viva Cuba! Que Viva Fidel! Sheet if you watch the documentary these folks live by the ocean, they smoke their fine cigars...they have strong sense of family, and they worship in a beautiful god-way....and they live well into and over 100 yrs old!!!!!

My husband has been there twice and brought back video tapes, the typical Cuban lives anything but in a god-way. They live in dirty, broken down homes that have not been renovated and are ready to breakdown and fall ( like most buildings in Cuba). The Cuban government gives every family a monthy food "allowance" which typically is a bag of rice and measuerd produce and your not allowed to grow your own animals ( cows, pigs). Doing so is a crime. The country's economy is built on tourism therefore, Cubans arent allowed to eat, stay or enjoy anywhere near tourist related areas ( basically stay in your dirty hood).In fact, the 'animals' such as cows and chickens are saved for the tourist so growing your own would be considered 'competetion".
This is a country where a dancer and a prostitute make equal wages as a doctor or attorney. If not more. Its not about living materialistic, its about embracing the true fundementals of democracey. If living in harmony meant never living to your full potencial or having the privliage to get online just to speak your mind like we all do here than Id rather be dead!

Well Normies good for your husband for filming the Cuban's peeliing paint--and good for you for making a good point-that you're content to be AMERICAN. There are two sides to VISION the obvious, and the obscure,-right,so as an American I like to always go study and "SEE" the obscure. Usually when we are have remained so conditioned to see that glitz and glam is the ONLY way it outta be, this might be all that we are convinced to see-right? From and through my experiences I have always tried to keep an open-mind,and to make my own observations-on my own. You say your husband brought back videos of Cuban conditions...was he born into wealth or middle classes? Your average (poor class)American does NOT get to travel even beyond a ten to twenty mile radius and you want me to be persuaded to believe that the Cubans are shot?! No way! I respect that you can view some vids and that perhaps chipped paint on a building baffled you, but personally I feel that we need to respect HUMBLEDNESS. If the touristas are getting the meat it's because it's in their demanding diets. I mentioned in my post that the CUBANS in the DOCUMENTARY I view lived by the WATERS...have you wondered if they fish for a daily intake? Listen dear I grew up on the gulf coast of TEJAS-poor as dirt-my dad and his dad served in two UNITED STATES world wars and several scrimmages...we did not have SOCIAL SERVICES helping us along-we fished we picked the RICHER MANS fields and we repainted the chicken coops that we were alloted(as homes) at the migrant camps-geez this was only one way of millions of hardcore SUBSTANDARD conditions here in AMERICA-what the lot of us need to do is look around in our HOMELAND-POVERTY is the biggest and nastiest legacy the Americans can't seem to allieviate...oh but now we can BLAME the UNDERDOCUMENTED for that too. As an elder American what I have shamefully learned is that we don't have an equal JUSTICE system, and the wealthier lot will ALWAYS see only the diliberate obvious(sunny-side)...perhaps even through some mainstreamed t.v. news channel? I would have liked to agree with you, but thats where I would've subjected all my passion to look beyond my nose, and become complacent to status quo. America is beautiful but personally i'm afriad that she's not humble at all. :rosa: