A neighbor of mine just returned from a legal two months stay in Cuba. Has pictures 'ad nauseum', souvenirs, the works.

Most of the time there he lived with the family of a Cuban physician, as he's involved somehow in distributing medicinals to underdeveloped countries. He's pretty well-to-do, and has access to something he can give away. I don't understand it, exactly, and suspect he's explained it in such a way that I wouldn't. And, as I've said, I'm not the brightest bulb in the chandelier.

He said the people seemed to be happy, life seemed to go on well, and people appeared to genuinely like Fidel. He reported enough to eat, lousy housing but no worse than in other Latin and South American countries, and folks kinda getting along as we do in my neighborhood. Probably a bit closer, as they mingle in the squares, he said.

I wasn't there, I don't know, and I do know him to be a pretty reasonable guy. Except that he's Jewish, and wishes desperately that Sharon would shape up. Regards the current invasion as an Israeli disaster. According to him he stopped giving money to Israeli charities a couple of years ago, but I don't know for sure if he ever gave anything.

Anyway, that's for what it's worth. I trust the guy, believe the guy believes what he's saying, but won't die in the ditch.

Arf