USA vs. Cuba or Cuba vs. USA

Okay...is it me, or is this whole idea of the mighty United States of America "containing communism" (Thank you President Truman) getting really old fashioned?

The US had held an economic blockade over Cuba for 45 years in the hopes of bringing down the regime of Fidel Castro. He's still in power, broken hip and all. Some US states want the embargo lifted but Washington has only tightened restrictions. Including banning US citizens from traveling to Cuba except in family emergencies. Land of the free?

While I think this economic embargo is an old Republican Party, narrow-minded policy (Helms-Burton too, can't forget Helms-Burton). Another part of me wants it to stay. Not for political reasons. But, after a vacation to the island nation in December 2004, I feel it's kept Cuba in it's own little cultural bubble. Untouched by the fiendish hands of American Corporations. No McDonalds, No Starbucks. Just Cohibas (real ones, not fake ones) and Havana Club.

It's also nice to be on a beach or in a bar without ignorant, loud, obnoxious American tourists. I'm not saying that all American tourists are obnoxious...just most of them.

Despite the fact that the average Cuban makes $40 a month ($400 if they work in tourism), "la revolucion" seems to keep things going there. They have free health care and roads. But it takes a long time to get anything done. A representative of Cuban tourism told me that what takes us 3 years to build in North America takes them 10. Island "Manana" attitude + Communism = Slooooooooww!

The Cuban people also seem happy. Their life seems a lot more simple and lifting the US blockade will probably complicate things.

I wonder what will happen when Fidel Castro dies.

My Generation

As I sit here and watch The Apprentice , I can't help but observe how self-centred the people of my generation really are.

I realize you can't judge an entire generation of people based on observations from a reality TV show. I mean, really, the people chosen for reality are usually full of themselves to begin with. But, if you take into account the number of e-mails that you should get a reply from and the number of phone calls you expect to get back from people, my generation have no manners and no class. It's terrible.

They're also lazy. I admit it, I'm lazy too. But there's a growing number of people who are 20 - 30 who are still living at home! Can you believe it? Admittedly, I moved out at 23. But I read in Time Magazine
that there's a growing trend where people at age 35 are still living with their parents.

Why is my generation like this? What the hell?