For many years you could get to Cuba via Mexico or Canada and, if you paid by cash the US would look the other way. They also let you go there if you were providing medical and humanitarian aid(bring a few bandaids etc). I have always wanted to go but I understand that the US has totally cracked down on this. Not sure if it's feasible. When Cuba opens up it will be the place to go for sure.
Gene - to get a bit more insight into Cuba, google
"Castro CIA assasination"
"Castro Mafia"
"Castro Batista"
or
"Castro batista mafia"
Conspiracy theorists will love some of this as it relates to JFK's assasination.
It is a beautiful place that has been plagued by dictators of all stripes, corrupt officials and organized crime from colonial times. I'm not making any apologies for anyone's behaviour - it's a complex story with plenty of blame to go around. And like most stories, it's Joe (or Jose) Lunchbox who carries the burden. Most of the younger generation will not have been exposed to the deeper story.
Really interesting reading from cuban-exile.com is a reprint of a 1960 magazine article about Castro, Batista and the corruption in the gambling industry. Remember that the article is written after the overthrow of Batista but before Kennedy took office, the hardened Cuban alliance with the USSR, the numerous CIA assasination attempts, the Bay of Pigs and the missle crisis:
"Two types of gambling predominated in the days before Castro. Both held opportunities for graft. There were the games of chances played in casinos, and the lottery run by the state." (From the article)
And I thought we (the good old US of A) were the first to come up with the idea of a state owned gambling monopoly.
—
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
from wikipedia:
"The first signs of a lottery trace back to Asia, where ancient Keno slips were discovered. First played in China, the lottery has helped finance major governmental projects like the Great Wall of China"
Very - how often can you strap your gear on top of a 59 Caddy?
For many years you could get to Cuba via Mexico or Canada and, if you paid by cash the US would look the other way. They also let you go there if you were providing medical and humanitarian aid(bring a few bandaids etc). I have always wanted to go but I understand that the US has totally cracked down on this. Not sure if it's feasible. When Cuba opens up it will be the place to go for sure.
Lisa went several years ago (with her church), and fell in love with the place and the people.
That's all I have to say, no politics in this forum.
Gene
Gene Mathis
Gene - to get a bit more insight into Cuba, google
"Castro CIA assasination"
"Castro Mafia"
"Castro Batista"
or
"Castro batista mafia"
Conspiracy theorists will love some of this as it relates to JFK's assasination.
It is a beautiful place that has been plagued by dictators of all stripes, corrupt officials and organized crime from colonial times. I'm not making any apologies for anyone's behaviour - it's a complex story with plenty of blame to go around. And like most stories, it's Joe (or Jose) Lunchbox who carries the burden. Most of the younger generation will not have been exposed to the deeper story.
Really interesting reading from cuban-exile.com is a reprint of a 1960 magazine article about Castro, Batista and the corruption in the gambling industry. Remember that the article is written after the overthrow of Batista but before Kennedy took office, the hardened Cuban alliance with the USSR, the numerous CIA assasination attempts, the Bay of Pigs and the missle crisis:
http://cuban-exile.com/doc_176-200/doc0190.html
"Two types of gambling predominated in the days before Castro. Both held opportunities for graft. There were the games of chances played in casinos, and the lottery run by the state." (From the article)
And I thought we (the good old US of A) were the first to come up with the idea of a state owned gambling monopoly.
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
from wikipedia:
"The first signs of a lottery trace back to Asia, where ancient Keno slips were discovered. First played in China, the lottery has helped finance major governmental projects like the Great Wall of China"
Pretty amazing! I can just see it now - "Play Fantasy Five and help keep the Mongols out."
Its interesting also that when not run by the state, the Lottery is generally known as "the Numbers Racket".
What happens in a black hole stays in a black hole.
"the state is that entity which claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force" (commonly called a monopoly on violence)
- Max Weber, 1918