Although none of the editors of Insidesurgery are participating in the care of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, we are following with interest the cryptic news releases coming out of the country. Undoubtedly vague and misleading on purpose, there are a few things we can comment and conjecture on, based on official reports from the Cuban government.
“I can say that it (Castro’s health) is stable, but a real evolution in my health takes time.”
This seems to indicate that his perioperative period was stable, but that the overall prognosis is in doubt, based on the condition necessitating the surgery, rather than the surgery itself. This would most likely point to a malignancy, where many patients have “successful surgery” but do not have surgical cures. Tumors that fit into this “intestinal category” are pancreatic adenocarcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, colon cancer, stomach cancer and hepatobiliary cancer. In addition, they may be hinting at the placement of a gastrostomy tube (a tube placed into the stomach that relieves bowel obstruction) for diffuse carcinomatosis.
“I can not make up good news because that would be unethical.”
Again, this seems to portend an ominous prognosis. It seems likely that any benign condition treated with successful surgery would be championed as such. Intestinal surgeries that fall into this benign category are for peptic ulcer disease, bowel obstructions from adhesions,hernias, or bezoars, rectal prolapse, liver resections for hemangiomas or infectious disease, and splenectomy.
If the Cuban authorities are using the term intestinal for intra-abdominal or retroperitoneal, then the possible surgeries include repair of aortic aneurysm and kidney surgery.
“Stress has forced (Castro) into surgery.”
There are a few surgical conditions that can be worsened by stress possibly, although the role of stress in exacerbating these conditions is debatable. They would be inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis), peptic ulcer disease, and pheochromocytoma.
“(Castro) will be in bed for several weeks.”
Although Cuban medicine is generally not considered to be of the same quality as American medicine, it is considered advanced for a Third-World country. Cuban surgeons probably know that bed rest after surgery is now frowned upon. The current trend in post-operative care is to ambulate patients as soon as possible. In the biggest abdominal operations done on patients (liver transplants, pancreas resections, aneurysm repairs) every effort is made to get people out of bed in the first day or two. So, it is hard to imagine what surgery would keep Castro in bed for several weeks if he was not at a terminal stage of his life.
There is something suspicious going on here. If Castro had some non-life threatening condition, why would the authorities not simply say that he had a perforated peptic ulcer which was successfully repaired and that the recovery time would be a week?
My guess – Castro has widely metastatic colon or stomach cancer and will be dead in the next several weeks without ever regaining control of the country.
Copyright 2006 Insidesurgery.com
Doctor: Fascinating evaluation of cryptic comments.
Fascinating, indeed…but let us keep in mind that he (Castro) has a knee condition that might keep him in bed longer than expected.
Thank you for your analysis.
I must object, however, to one important comment you made. Cuba, is far from a "Third World" Country.
In the original meaning of "Third World" it represented those countries who "aligned themselves with neither the West nor with the Soviet Bloc during the Cold War. " Cuba was aligned with the Soviet Bloc during the cold war, which, while not admirable, certainly qualigies them as not Third World by the old definition.
In its common vernacular, "Third World" is used pejoratively to denote countries "with a low UN Human Development Index (HDI), independent of their political status." The HDI is an accepted "measure of development which some use as a proxy to define Third World." HDI includes factors such as education, life expectancy, and GDP.
Based on the HDI, Cuba is ranked 52nd in the world, with an HDI (0.817) above .80, considered "highly developed". For comparison, USA (.944)is ranked 10th, and China (.755) is ranked 85th (medium development).
"According to World Health Organization statistics, life expectancy and infant mortality rates in Cuba have been comparable to Western industrialized countries since such information was first gathered in 1957."
In any case, Cuba is clearly run by an autocratic, totalitarian, communist dictatorship, but it’s far from third world. Hopefully, if you are right about Castro’s cancer, we might all see it again soon.
Regards
Sources: All Wikipedia articles on Cuba, Third World, HDI
I’m not a Doctor, I’m just a passerby. This makes me eligible to say that, instead of something "suspicious" going on, there’s something "auspicious" at last.
CUBA is way below a third world country.
Have you been there?
Do you know how people live?
I can´t post the sad pictures I took when I visited Cuba last year. But take a look at the images in http://sites/insidesurgery.com/files.therealcuba.com. You’ll see.
Regards
Could that fall he took during a speech (a year ago?) have anything to do with anything?
He noticeably thinner on the Argentina trip…gaunt looking.
I saw Cordoba as Castro’s last hurrah and a going away gift from Chavez.
If Cuban health care is so great at primary care, you would think they would have almost eradicated this kind of late stage cancer.
Thank you Joseph,
You are correct unless you have been to Cuba, and not as a tourist, but to see the real Cuba. I came to the US in 1969 from Oriente. All of my mother’s family is still in Cuba, and we help them as much as possible; so we know the reality of the crisis in Cuba. The last time I visited Cuba I was sick for months after returning, and felt guilty of what we have here. First hand I experienced what my family goes thought everyday in order to feed their children. Cuba is far worse than a third world country, and though I believe in God I hope Castro is dead. Enough is enough; our people have suffered far too long. I am praying that Fidel Castro doesn’t make it, and that the Cubans never ever forget how many lives were lost trying to reach freedom.
The article goes straigtht to the point, Castro condition seems ominous, I am a doctor, altougth not a surgeon, but educated both in a"third world country and the US. Prognosis is bad both for the old dictator. Yes living conditions in Cuba with all the propaganda, is below Haiti and some African countries. Health care remains "free", if you consider that Hospitals lack basic medical supplies( excluding those dedicated to treat foreigners , they have all medical equipment and supplies needed).
Castro along with his brother Raul and Che, are responsible for thousands of deaths during the 47 year dictatorship, in particular the early years. All three are cold bloded killers, they hate the people of Cuba. Cubans have no human rights, no freedom, no free elections, they live very in very poor conditions. I hope Castro dies so that Cuban families can be reunited again, and they can be free again. The man stole everybody’s businesses and has become a millionaire over the years, he stole the dignity of the people, making them slaves of their regime. I hope he dies and goes to hell.
Fascinating read. Combined with some of the political speculations out there, it does provide some guidance about where events are taking Castro and Cuba. The facts are difficult to come by, but what you write is definitely worth consider.
My father is General Vascular surgeon in Miami. He is a diplomate of the American board of surgeons and has been the chief of surgery of two different hospitals here in Miami. In his opinion, the level of healthcare in Cuba is significantly below the level of healthcare in the U.S.
In Cuba it is necessary for the oridinary Cuban patient to bring his/her own bed linens when he/she is admitted to the hospital. Basic medicines are scarce (these are excluded from the embargo by the way). In Miami there is a cottage industry of sending medicines to Cuba, just walk into any Cuban operated drugstore and you’ll find that they proudly proclaim that they’ll arrange for the shipment of medicines to Cuba.
Additionally, Mr. Castro has sent off thousand of doctors on internationalist missions leaving many of the hospitals and clinics understaffed. None of this affects Castro himself of course, but when we are talking about third world, let’s not be fooled by the propaganda issued by the Cuban government.
The fact is that in 1958 Cuba had a very advanced and progressive health system. That gets lost in all the political rhetoric. Today, Cuba is a third world country.
By the way Wikipedia is worthless garbage. I have Wilson’s disease and can attest to the fact that there’s tons of misinformation in Wikipedia on that subject. Forget about poltically divisive issues.
Very interesting read on the situation. Without being in the medical profession, I think that there are two major issues to consider when talking about major surgery and recovery: age, and an already battered body with apparent initial stages of Parkinson’s as well as possible Altzheimer’s. As far as the long rest period, this seems to be more directed to having (at least within Cuba itself) a period of time in which to structure, control and manage a transition to the next level of government. It brings to mind the much delayed announcement of Mao Tse Tung’s (among other dictators) death.
I do hope the transition period includes the usual purges within the top echelons… in this manner, the more that now fall to their own brethen, the less we will have to deal with in order to bring about a change in the regime.
Don’t forget that Chavez (of Venezuela, got to Cuba, to see the last of Castro, walking. When he toured Che’s old abode.
Then, Chavez ran to Tehran. And, Damascus.
I’ll bet America has a large enough Navy, that we have ships in the Meditterainian. Ships in the Red Sea. Ships in the Straits of Hormuz. And, our Coast Guard around Cuba.
Meanwhile, Chavez thinks he’s bought Cuba, all on his own. Since Venezualan oil money has been propping up Castro’s bogus regime, since the Soviets bellied up.
Actually, I’m not a doctor. But a Star Trek fan. And, "He’s dead, Jim," comes to mind. No wonder Castro’s not walking! Nor is he conscious. So one reason he’s in bed, not walking, is that you don’t shake coma patients awake, so they can take a toodle. Or have their legs drapped over the side of the bed.
Perhaps, we need to hear from a forensic specialist?
Regardless of the status of medicine or the county’s classification as ‘third world’, I doubt Castro is receiving anything less than the best availible. Certainly, his level of treatment will be far above what is rendered to regular citizen.
When Fidel fell and busted his knee several months ago, they quickly had news footage of him recuperating. Now, if such footage doesn’t appear soon, a lot of people will seriously doubt he’s still alive.
I am a cuban graduated doctor. I am very impressed with the analysis rendered here, and also agree that the dictator is finally dying or very probably dead by now. Just wanted to add that although Cuban School of Medicine has always been ranked very high, medical care for the people in Cuba has degraded since the fall of the Soviet Union. Of course, this does not have any impact on the care of the Dictator, since he probably have a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Equipment at home. He has the best doctors and the best equipments at his disposition at anytime. They probably check cholesterol levels weekly and run an extensive battery of tests every month.
I hope this is the beginning of the end of an oppressive regime, and then my country will be able to elect its leaders again.
Check therealcuba.com
Knowing how totalitarian regimes work I would not be surprised if he’s already dead. It will take some time to sort it all out, in the meantime let’s all hope the current events will bring changes to the island.
Hello:
I am a Cuban who lived 24 years in that terrible system. Question for the doctors in this board: Is it possible that Fidel has colon cancer or other type of cancer in an advanced stage?
I guess he is so afraid to dead that they should have been passing him thru the Somatom every other week since 1959 :). With all the medical preventive care he should have received his whole life and since cancer is treatable if detected in time, would it be possible for him to develop a life threatening cancer? (I hope the answer is yes, by the way).
Also, the analysis in this article is very good, but let’s not forget that sadly all the information the Cuban government has provided might be completely false. Everything coming from the Cuban officials should be taken with a grain of salt (or two).
Maybe something went very wrong during an emergency type of surgery (probably related to a Mesenteric thrombosis, for example) and they do not know what to do, and how to say it, and who is going to say it to the people. Because we all know that saying that makes everybody go out to the streets, and that will be the end. So they could be very well hiding his death.
Good discussion. My thoughts are that El Comandante is ill but death is not eminent. Presently there is a rehearsal taking place in Cuba for his demise in several months or years. A rehearsal in order to determine reaction from its oppressed citizens, the Cubans in exile, the dissidents, and the US. This will allow the Communist Party to be best prepared for his real demise.
When I was in medical school I analyzed the health data for Cuba before and after the revolution. In 1958 Cuba’s health statistics were 3rd in the Western hemisphere after the USA and Canada. The Cuban claim of building thousands of hospital beds was the result of changing the name of private Catholic hospital beds to public ones. The same thing occurred in the school system. Nothing was built just the names changed. There was a 10 year decline in most health measures in Cuba until they started to improve again. When I returned to visit Cuba in 1985 I had just started my psychiatric residency. Our group of doctors was taken to the psychiatric hospital in Havana. It was touted as an example of how the revolution had improved the life of psychiatric patients. They showed us a motley crew of schizophrenic patients weaving carpets who were involved in a "revolutionary work therapy." (these were long term hospitalized patients not in the community.) I treated many Marielito boatlift patients at San Francisco General who had been released and forced onto boats at gunpoint. I heard many stories of using electroconvulsive therapy punitively without anesthesia. Clearly they had learned many things from their Russian psychiatrist colleagues.
When I was in medical school I analyzed the health data for Cuba before and after the revolution. In 1958 Cuba’s health statistics were 3rd in the Western hemisphere after the USA and Canada. The Cuban claim of building thousands of hospital beds was the result of changing the name of private Catholic hospital beds to public ones. The same thing occurred in the school system. Nothing was built just the names changed. There was a 10 year decline in most health measures in Cuba until they started to improve again. When I returned to visit Cuba in 1985 I had just started my psychiatric residency. Our group of doctors was taken to the psychiatric hospital in Havana. It was touted as an example of how the revolution had improved the life of psychiatric patients. They showed us a motley crew of schizophrenic patients weaving carpets who were involved in a "revolutionary work therapy." (these were long term hospitalized patients not in the community.) I treated many Marielito boatlift patients at San Francisco General who had been released and forced onto boats at gunpoint. I heard many stories of using electroconvulsive therapy punitively without anesthesia. Clearly they had learned many things from their Russian psychiatrist colleagues.
I’m not a doctor, but I imagine that if you think treating a lawyer is risky, how much more so must be having a dictator for a patient. Maybe they always refuse to be put under for fear of assassination; possibly Fidel thought submitting to a colonscopy was unbefitting the Great Friend of the People, or whatever title he might have.
It’s off subject, but it shows the ackward position of the expert under a totalitarian gangster. As you may know, Stalin and his entourage liked to stay up all night boozing. One night they fell into an argument over whether the light in the sky was Vena planet or a star. Somebody had the bright idea of phoning the secret police back in Moscow and having them go wake up an astronomer to ask him. So the KGB or whatever they called it back then knocked on the door of the first guy, who sees them, and has a heart attack on the spot. They try another astronomer, who takes one look and commits suicide by throwing himself out the window.
awarded himself.
Gentlemen,
Regardless of what has happened, his (Fiel Castro’s) mortality has been pronounced loud and clear to the world.
Fidel’s day draws near to meet his maker, wherein Fidel Castro will stand before God to be judged. Pray for his forgiveness and a peaceful death.
May the Lord of Lord, Kings of Kiings show merciful forgiveness upon his soul.
I was born in 1972 and raised in Havana. I arrived from Cuba four year ago and we never eat UN Human Development Index. It was very hard to put on the table some UN statistics. I’m glad that I’m now in th US and greedy health insurance companies allow me to do a tune up of my morbid body. Thanks Aetna! Roger I’m donating my place in Cuba, so you can go there and enjoy my share of Human Development Index. Ah! It’s so nice to live without scabies and louse. Without losing a tooth every month and without the fear of getting blind due to a lack of vitamins! I really wish that pacient Castro goes to forensics very soon! Thank Doctor for your diagnose.
Thank you Doctor for your review. There are many Cubans and friends awaiting the moment of freedom for our country. Time is due and the pain has been unbearable. Castro, you failed miserably, go and let us live again!
Any "information" from Wikipedia concerning anything outside of Star Trek, Lord of the Rings or subjects like that should not be believed until you can independently verify it from reliable sources.
Wikipedia is little more then a revisionist historians and leftist propagandists tool when it comes to any subject other then Star Trek or LotR.
Here is a correction of your post on Cuba’s "socialist workers paradise" health care system, Roger.
http://sites/insidesurgery.com/files.babalublog.com/a…
it’s easier to read the Fidel wannabee Hugo Chavez (not Evo Morales) facial expressions when he refers to Cuba these days and figure out how bad it is for Fidel…
the first night of news Chavez had a huge "hangover" face and was saying that he had found out through the TV !!! lies and more lies…but it confirmed how bad Fidel is…
look at Chavez running to Iran, Vietnam (unwilling Vietnam), Putin…and Chavez isn’t going to Cuba…he would have if Fidel was awake…
watch Chavez and you know whats going on in Cuba
Un Cubano, yes Fidel failed miserably, but the Cuban American lobby in Miami and the incredibly incompetent Cuban American legislators could have failed even more miserably !!!
after all Fidel is in his old age death bed and even above Queen Elizabeth in Forbes money race…so who won ? Fidel won, he killed Kennedy and then kept the USA away…he ruled Cuba how he wished for 48 years while Cuban Americans only listen to Radio Mambi stupidity day after day…
sad but true, Fidel won
I am a general surgeon too and believe that if Castro had a benign intestinal bleeding problem such as angiodyspasia or diverticulosis they would be trumpeting from the roof tops.
I too would bet that he has a late stage colon cancer.
I am not a doctor and never even played one on TV. But, medically speaking, I hope that fidel, raul and all their murdering buddies are either dead or well on their way to hell so that Cuba can soon be free!!!
A Brazilian newspaper reports that Fidel has cancer.
Here is the <a href="http://sites/insidesurgery.com/files.efenews.com/deta…">link</a> to an English-language account.
MSNBC is reporting that fidel is sitting up and eating. How possible is this after such a big surgery?
Because they were fed the info from Granma, et. al.
Thank God Castro has finally found the EXIT door. In the past 47 years more than 2 million Cubans have exiled, documented tens of thousands killed and thousands have have been imprisoned by the Castro brothers’ communist and satanical regime. No, I will not pray for his soul and no, I will not pray for Raul’s enlightment that sounds terribly hypocritical coming from a church who teaches little children that the perpetual punishment for bad deeds is HELL and that’s where BIG BROTHER Castro belongs!!!!! Juanita WE will dance in the streets and PARTY all night when your BIG BROTHER is cold and GONE!!!!!!! He had no respect for life nor for families, now is his turn and tooooooo bad about your family.
Doctor,
It would be interesting to hear your perspective on another theory based upon my knowledge of a surgery experience of an acquaintance of mine. This individual had surgery conducted two years ago for peptic ulcer disease. Complications due to surgical error, medical device defects, or some unique physiology/anatomy nearly led to the patient’s death. Due to infection/complications, this acquaintance was in a coma for 3 months.
This is obviously a unique experience, but consider the following timeline:
July 26 – Castro’s last public appearance.
July 31/Aug 1 – Castro’s surgery date
Aug 1 – Announcement of delegation of power. Note this happened after the surgery.
August 13 – Castro’s 80th birthday.
A surgery for a non-life threatening illness could have been conducted on July 31/August 1 to give Castro sufficient recovery time for national celebrations of his birthday.
If doctors went into the surgery anticipating a malignancy, the delegation of power to his brother would likely occur prior to the operation.
Life-threatening complications from routine surgery would be a source of embarrassment to the state, which has consistently publicized the quality of Cuban medicine.
In my untrained view, some of the cryptic statements made by the government and others attributed to Castro would tend to support this theory as well.
Cuban healthcare and there phyisicians are top notch. This arrogance that American Medicine is the best is total B.S.
All the great phyisicians in the USA are foreign phyisicians , who come her and make our system great!
I am anti-Castro and pro-USA, but I resent that the US medical establishment thinks there great and know everything.If the US system was so great, why do they discriminate against Foreign Physisicans? Why does the USA /AMA not allow competition from other Physicians,even from within the US, such as phyisicians from Puerto Rico? Why do people have to pass the USMLE and not be allowed to take other exams to be accepted by "Mafia of US medicine? Why did the AMA and there cohorts,change exam requirements on foreign physicians, and then not grandfather them in , like there US counterparts,?
US medicine is weak, thank god for attorneys and malpratice, to keep these US doctors from hurting the public!
Couldn’t pass the exam, Frank?
Jose Marti,
If it weren’t for the Cuban-American radio stations in Miami the following would not be possible.
The dissidence in Cuba would not be heard. These radio stations are the ONLY means Cubans have of not only voicing their grievances but to make the outside world know of any human rights violations taking place. How do you think we in the U.S. knew about the sinking of the “13 de Marzo” tugboat massacre if not through a call made from Cuba to one of those stations? How do you think the Cuban-American community follows up on political prisoners such as Guillermo Fariñas, Oscar Elias Biscet, and others?
Without these radio stations the Cuban-American community would be kept in the dark.
The Mainstream Media has had a love affair with fidel castro (lowercase please) since before the Cuban Revolution; they always paint the Cuban-American community (the victims) as the bad guys! Half of what they say about Cuba is pure BS and the other half is fantasy.
These radio stations are HEARD throughout Cuba. It is the ONLY means Cubans have to really KNOW what is going on not only in Cuba but around the world. Hello!!! Cuba is a closed society. Do you think they get the real news through their newspaper Granma?
At this moment Cubans know more about what is happening with fidel and raul castro from those radio stations you disdain so much, than from their own government officials.
As for those Cuban-Americans in Congress (3 Congressmen and 2 Senators), they fight an up-hill battle everyday on issues that are relevant to the Cuban-American community and their constituency as a whole. Just because you are ignorant of everything they have done doesn’t mean they have been neglectful.
UN statistics??? Who gives them the information??? Cuba??? Anyone would have to be rather dim to believe in these numbers.
Frank, we have about 30.000 (yes, 30.000) Cuban doctors in Venezuela and, believe me, they are way, but way, behind the Vzlan doctors professionally.
Oh, I forgot, the word here is that Raul had to be sobered up before appearing in an interview on CNNenEspañol yesterday, which BTW had several conditions attached. No breaks (advertisement breaks), no questions and no editing, all this announced by CNN before showing the "interview".
everything points to a very serious/terminal illness> FC is getting the best care in the world you can be sure> including foreign specialists if needed !!! its a safe bet he w’ont return to power even if he recovers…. U.S medicine being the best in the world has surely been written by one of its grossly overpaid practicioners !!!the rest is US propaganda pablum……and flirtin with disaster is a punk!!!
To Roger, you obviously have never been to Cuba. Your UN indexes are based on what that totalitarian regime reports and we all know that NO information coming from Cuba can be trusted. Any country where the water is not drinkable and there is no electricity for the greater part of any given day and children are running half naked and barefoot in the street and there are no medicines readily available and a person does not know where their next plate of food will come from (IF there is food to be found) and there are countless and unheardof illnesses and diseases: IS A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY. OPEN YOUR EYES!!!
Stop wondering……. lets get together to save our island from a new dictator. The time is now! Leaders, take a step to the front!
Frank you are a sick puppy.Oh,by the way learn english.
Castro did not make it to the Moncada in time!, he said he got lost in most important the trip, after preparing the attack for month… Only the Kids from Artemisa, who realy did not know the mission made it … to their death!, He did not make it on the Nov.30.1956 landing with the Granma yatch in time, due to a caribean storm … in december!. He did not make it to the invasion from Orient to Occident, because he was in La Plata headquarters, sit top of a secret passage, just in case. He did not make it to Havana until Jan.8.1959, after Camilo had it all under control, and later sent him to his death, He did not make it to blow the world away in Oct.1963, He did not make it in making 10 millions of metric tons of sugar, He did not make it in keeping his regime clear in front of the world during the Mariel boatlift in 1980, He didn’t make it with the Farmers’ market, didn’t make it with the "platano microjet" nor with the Doctor for 120 families, nor with the cocaine and Noriega, Castro didn’t make it in his own marcha combatiente, showing off with a pair of snikers, for the use of which he sent thousand to the abyss, He didn’t make it without enrolling religion in the communist party?!, He didn’t make it without the blood of the cubans for 47 years, without the mother of Elian, and the drowned in the tugboat March 13, he did not make it without the laying and killing.
Such a looser can no make it this time neither!
So much good would come after Castro (and his gang) are dead and gone!! My God, he has brought so many heart-aches and suffering to the Cuban people. Forty seven years of his systematic cruelty and opression. Personally, I think the old goat is living the last months of his hateful life. Hooooray!! I can’t hardly wait.
Please, visit the Medicina Cubana Blog with information abouth cuban dictator health.
http://medicinacubana.blogs…
Iam a catholic, and I wish Castro dies soon, so he does not suffer.
To Gigi and those other detractors, I hope you don’t go to a hospital and have to suffer from some ailment and have to be treated by a foreign phyisician. Make sure you ask them where they graduated from before they operate on your fat belly!
US medicine is another form of a union,disguised as educators. There is no longer a differance between a US medical graduate and a PA! I think PA’s should be paid more the US doctors because at least they spend time with the patients!!
To get quality healthcare in the US you better be a millionare, or fly to europe or Cuba for good healthcare!
Many of the comments stem from complete understanding of what constitutes good health care. For an intellectual person to say that there is no difference in a US medical graduate and a PA is one of the most pathetic statements obviously not that of a intellectual but of one who is probably a high school drop out. All people are going to die but Castro’s demise can not be soon enough. Is it immoral to desire the demise of an evil person? I think not.
RE: Roger’s comments
Thanks for acknowledging your source; Wikipedia. A great source for a quick read but the facts on Wikipedia are not always facts sometimes the write ups are filled with misinformation and personal conjecture much like your comments here. Clearly you have never been to Cube and splitting hairs over labels does not make the citizens of Cuba any better off. They presently have a non existent infrastructure and anyone that you talk to on the streets of Havana (or anywhere else in Cube) will readily tell you that they wish Castro were dead. Talk to anyone over fifty and they will tell you that they had more food, money and personal freedom before Castor took over. Which is not to say that things were good under Batista, just better.
Cuba is a third world country regardless of who they might have been aligned with in the last century.
I am not a Doctor. Actually I don’t even know the difference between an aspirin and a Tylenol, but what I really know is that I really hope that by the time we wake uo tomorrow morning (October 8th, 2006) the bloody Dictaror is dead, and that he died screaming in pain .. as many of his innocent victims ..
Fidel’s not dead yet..