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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@intrex.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] conservatism/food/references requested
  • Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:18:32 -0500

Scott Vlaun wrote:

To be fair, Cuba's transition wasn't exactly painless. Many suffered greatly during their transition.

Many expatriates are not at all happy at losing their property to Castro's
regime.
Probably safe to assume they'd like it back some day.

They also happen to have a political system that was able to turn agricultural practices around on a dime.

Currently, Venezuelan Oil is their #1 import and much of it is used in agriculture. they also import a lot of food, nearly half a billion annually from the U.S alone.

I was there in '97 and saw some amazing things, but it's not as rosy as we'd like to think.

This is good reading, BTW, good for the BBC this round:
=======================================================

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7252109.stm
Last Updated: Tuesday, 19 February 2008, 09:05 GMT
Fidel Castro announces retirement

Cuba's ailing leader Fidel Castro has announced he will not return to the
presidency,
in a letter published by official Communist Party paper, Granma.

"I neither will aspire to, nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief," he wrote in the letter.

Mr Castro handed over power temporarily to his brother, Raul, in July 2006
when he underwent intestinal surgery.

The 81-year-old has ruled Cuba since leading a communist revolution in 1959.

In December, Mr Castro indicated that he could possibly step down in favour
of younger leaders.

Soon afterwards, Raul Castro appeared to suggest that his older brother still had an important political role to play, saying the president still had full use of his mental faculties and was being consulted on all important policy issues.

'No saying farewell'

In the letter, published on Granma's website during the middle of the night in Cuba, Mr Castro said he would not accept another five-year term as president when the National Assembly meets on Sunday, because of the health problems.


I just want to carry on fighting like a soldier of ideas
Fidel Castro
Letter published in Granma

Castro: The great survivor

"It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total devotion, that I am not in a physical condition to offer," he wrote.

However, Mr Castro insisted he was "not saying farewell".

"I just want to carry on fighting like a soldier of ideas," he added. "I will continue writing under the title, Reflections of Comrade Fidel."

"I will be one more weapon in the arsenal that you can count on. Perhaps my voice
will be heard. I will be careful."

The National Assembly is widely expected to elect 76-year-old Raul Castro as his successor, although analysts say there is speculation about a possible generational jump with Vice-President Carlos Large, 56, a leading contender.


FIDEL CASTRO
Born in 1926 to a wealthy, landowning family
Took up arms in 1953, six years before coming to power
Brother Raul was deputy and Che Guevara third in command
Has outlasted nine American presidents
Target of many CIA assassination plots
Daughter is a dissident exile in Miami

Castro's life in pictures

The BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says nobody knows whether Mr Castro's decision not to seek another five-year term has been prompted by a decline in his health - it has been an official secret since the moment he was taken ill.

The president has not been seen in public for 18 months, although the government occasionally releases photographs and pre-edited video of him meeting visiting leaders from around the world.

Last month, Mr Castro was shown talking to his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who described him as being lucid and in good health.

Our correspondent says, Mr Castro will leave a mixed legacy - both friend and foe recognise him as an iconic leader and major figure in the post-war era.







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