tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592207.post2920104573874411849..comments2023-05-23T04:55:39.588-07:00Comments on Book of Life: Cuba, Havana, Beaches, Cigar, Cars and Che Guevara Hivahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02571629840093109900noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592207.post-1649713859586726842013-02-21T18:46:43.838-08:002013-02-21T18:46:43.838-08:00Hi Radius
"Less stress at work" can'...Hi Radius<br />"Less stress at work" can't agree more :)<br /><br />PS: my pleasure :)<br />Hivahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02571629840093109900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34592207.post-71450495389873815242013-02-19T14:49:00.616-08:002013-02-19T14:49:00.616-08:00Dear Hiva, nice travel report from Cuba. I always ...Dear Hiva, nice travel report from Cuba. I always wished to visit the country, for its open-minded people and complex cultural heritage, but at the same time was too much afraid that many details of a socialist economy would painfully remind me of 28 years I lived under similar conditions. Somehow I instinctively felt, that I could easily fall back into the laissez-affair life-style (which I could imagine many Cuban people would like to leave rather today than tomorrow). <br />But your observations of the hispanic culture flair reminded me a lot of a short visit I ones did to Nuevo Laredo in Mexico, just cross the boarder from Texas. Crossing the bridge over the Rio Grande was like a journey from the US around the globe to southern Europe. For me it was a very relaxing and picturesque day, only back home I red that Nuovo Laredo is plagued by the worst narcotic war and cruelity one can imagine (but this was not obvious to a stranger). Cuba, as much as I know, albeit its economic difficulties, is a very friendly society and crime almost unknown. But unfortunately, this is not enough to make a whole country viable in the long term when the economic structures can not provide what the people want. As Bertold Brecht, himself of course a big proponent of socialism, ones paraphrased it. "First comes the foodstuff, moral follows later".<br />There is, however at least one aspect of life where Cuba beats every other nation in the world: it is the efficiency of its health care system. Although Cuba can afford spending for health care per person not more or even less than south-american countries, the life expectancy in Cuba is in the range of US or Western European countries (where the spendings per capita are more than 10 times higher). The "Cuban health care miracle" lays in the way they spend the money: it goes to a large degree into prevention and health education, instead of expensive medication as in the West. Maybe dancing Son, absence of western junk-food, smoking cigars but no cigarettes, less stress at work and less air-polution also contributes to this.<br /><br />Regards , Radius<br /><br />PS: Thanks a lot for listing my blog in your collection.radiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18418500820960221635noreply@blogger.com