Oh, yeah. I heard about that. The "Sixth International Encounter of Economists on Globalization and Development Problems." Economists pouring into Cuba to see how a REAL economy is run. Another socialist circle jerk, no doubt like the recent ones in Africa with ample food and luxuries for attendees, while the rest of the nation goes without.

From what I've read, Cubans have almost become food self-sufficient, in part because of their urban organic farming, which is widely studied. They had some rough years after the USSR collapsed, but seem to have turned the corner.

Their claim to have better infant mortality rates is probably untrue, as it's doubtful they count preemies like we do.

Debate skills? One of these days, you should go to the trouble of actually LISTENING to one of Castro's rambling, senile, interminable speeches.

He said a Cuban ninth-grader could out-debate Bush, not himself. He may be right, given that a lot of countries educate their children better than we do.

For some reason, he doesn't get a lot of criticism from his people in this area. Or any other. No "Castro the Chimp" websites in Cuba, I'm afraid.

Not a lot of criticism tolerated by the guy he replaced, either. (And how much worse than 25 could a chimp do on a pilot aptitude test?)

Castro says Cuba has great literacy and medical care. Would he lie about something that important?

Probably better literacy rates than the U.S. (International NGOs measure those things, too, and you could probably find some who'd Castro's claim. As for "great" medical care, I haven't heard anyone (including Castro) claim that.

Oddly, I still don't see people swimming shark infested waters to get INTO Cuba.

Of course not. Who'd want to listen to 4 hour speeches?

I'm curious. The rationale for stomping on commie countries used to be fear of communist aggression. Cuba isn't likely to be an aggressor to any country, particularly with us watching them so close. Why not lift the economic embargo? Is it possible that America's ruling class don't want to see a thriving communist country because they're afraid of the example it would set for the rest of the world?

Why are Americans afraid to let Cuba compete on a level playing field?

Btw, ever read the U.S. government's secret (now unclassified) documents for Operation Northwoods? It's a little early '60s plan signed off on by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (including the Chairman, Limnitzer) to create pretexts for invading Cuba. Those pretexts included staging acts of terrorism in American cities, sinking a U.S. ship, etc. and blaming the Cubans. Interesting reading.