As I have just returned from a trip to Cuba and given the myriad of questions I am faced with, I am writing down my fresh and pure thoughts: I traveled with the Authors Guild for a week filled with three to five lectures and presentations each day. The lectures were led by authors, editors, musicians, visual artists and university professors of literature, women's studies, urban planning and political science. We stayed in Havana five nights out of seven and drove three and a half hours to Trinidad, a small town, where we stayed with people. (As a business, many add a room or two to their homes, complete with private bathrooms.) At the first presentation, a political science professor was clearly on the side of the government. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essay Although he acknowledged many of the country's problems, he attributed them to the US embargo, not the government's decades-long failure to help its country. people and the economy prosper. In fact, although he recognized that a new model had to be sought, capitalism was not an option because it created “social injustice.” In the days that followed, it became clear that the greatest social injustice actually lies in Cuba's dual currency. After the 1959-1960 revolution – a process that lasted almost three years and not an overnight coup – Cuba aligned itself with the Soviet Union and its economy. It built an economy based on the Russian ruble, but even more on the barter of goods with the Soviet Union. In the barter system, constantly changing non-monetary values ​​had nothing to do with sound fiscal policy. Unfortunately, with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Cuban economy found itself struggling and on its last legs. Suddenly, the only source of steady income came from remittances, money sent by expats living in Florida to their families in Cuba. Until today, remittances constitute by far the main source of the Cuban economy. Old American cars in Havana are a trademark of the city. However, because remittances are in dollars, the CUC – the Cuban conversion of a dollar – is worth 27 times the value of the “national peso”, called CUP. Thus, a dual system was established, existing side by side. Cubans are paid in CUP, which earns them 27 times less than those who receive remittances or are employed in the tourism industry where they are paid in CUC. Tourists can only use CUCs, while Cuban civil servants receive their salaries in national pesos and are only allowed to use them to buy basic necessities – except that this is insufficient and does not allow for small treats. (An ice cream cone costing $2.50 is out of reach for someone making $50 a month.) If ever there was a blatant social injustice that causes college professors to starve to death while hotel hunters thrive, this is it. In fact, due to this huge income gap, scientists, doctors, academicians and skilled professionals have abandoned their profession to become tour guides, hotel workers and concierges. Our tour guide, Christopher, had studied nuclear physics when he switched to languages ​​so he could work with tourists. Our group of twenty-five people tipped him at least $50 per person for the week, ortotal estimated at $1,250 in a country where a government employee earns $50 per month. (Our bus driver got half that amount, which is still huge.) We've heard time and time again how a bartender makes in one evening what a college professor or doctor makes in a month. Housing: one of the first stages of the project The revolution was to nationalize all private property, starting with residential buildings and mansions. Whoever lived in an apartment in 1959 became its owner. And the servants, gardeners and drivers instantly became owners of the homes where they had served the masters. However, the government retained ownership of each building as a whole as well as the land on which they stand. So, even if an apartment dweller owns their apartment, they do not own a share in the common areas – the surface of the building, the corridors, the stairwells or the trash area. Their maintenance is the responsibility of the government. Needless to say, with an impoverished economy, buildings fell into a state of complete neglect. The idea of ​​giving homes to former soldiers also did not take into account the fact that these people lacked the means to maintain such structures. An ancient home, one of thousands that fell into disrepair before collapsing. Havana's urban decay is at its core in ruins, as many buildings that still bear signs of past glory fall into disrepair – not just peeling plaster and spreading dark mold, but also missing windows, broken terraces and gaping rooms with collapsed walls. In places, there is a weak attempt by tenants to save their homes by building rudimentary supports, but these pathetic attempts often fail: on average, three buildings collapse every day – a thousand a year – and this number will increase as new buildings collapse. buildings give way to the passage of time. On every street you can see buildings that look like photos of a bombed city. The brain drain of young professionals and educated people seeking economic opportunities abroad has resulted in a population where 30% are over 60 years old. will reach 40% over the coming decade. From a housing perspective, this means that older people cannot climb stairs to upper floors in buildings that have never had an elevator, nor do they have the resources to find a suitable housing when their buildings give way to the elements. The isolation of the elderly is another social injustice that is sure to increase. pathway to higher education degrees for those who wish. Cuba has 51 universities, a significant number for a population of 11.5 million. In addition, the education system favors specialized training in the arts, and promising children from the age of five are directed towards music, dance and circus arts schools. Visual arts are taught throughout the school years because the country has a high appreciation for art, and at eighteen those who wish can attend dedicated art academies. Additionally, students who show an interest in music, dance, writing, and art, but are not interested enough to attend the specialized schools, are offered all of these extracurricular classes free of charge. Thanks to its high level of education, Cuba's second largest industry is "brain export", that is, academicians and scientists who travel to other countries in South America.South and Central America to work or teach. Unlike expatriates who left for the United States and Europe never to return, these professionals return to Cuba after having earned a decent income. Many repeat such missions abroad every few years. Cuba's third largest industry is pharmaceuticals, medical research and biotechnology. The country prides itself on developing and manufacturing a range of specific medicines. (We do not know exactly how these tests are carried out and what standards are applied, especially since, with the thawing of the trade and economic embargo towards the end of the Obama administration, discussions about medical testing of American pharmaceutical companies in Cuba have become relevant.)Agriculture, which could have been a strong industry in these fertile lands, is unfortunately sorely neglected. The supply of vegetables and fruit during our stay, even in good restaurants, was relatively poor: green beans were only canned. No cauliflower, carrots, asparagus or broccoli. A visit to several grocery stores revealed no staples like peanuts or even dried fruits. Mango, pineapple and guava are available, but no apples, pears or grapes, and even bananas are in short supply. Driving through the center of the country, from Havana to Trinidad, we saw fields of sugar cane, but no corn or wheat. There is no livestock breeding and the meat is therefore imported. In Trinidad, located half an hour from the sea, no fish were available during our two-day stay. Rice, beans and potatoes seem to be the main staple. Courtyard of a house in Trinidad, Cuba, which rents rooms to tourists. Due to the economic struggle of all Cubans, they all must resort to other creative means of survival. They call it “La Lucha,” a word that translates to “wrestling.” Everyone must find their way to their “Lucha” in the form of an entrepreneurial service or parallel manufacturing. Perhaps more than being deprived of political freedom, Cubans lose their dignity due to their continuing economic difficulties which force them to abandon their natural tendencies and interests (e.g. science) to carry tourists' suitcases. Interestingly, despite shortages and poverty, the crime rate is very low. Havana is safe at all times of the day and night, as are tourists' properties. Cubans are pleasant and seem at ease with each other as well as with foreigners. Some of my fellow travelers attributed it to the power of Cuban music, but it seemed to me that music could only serve as a veneer, not a panacea, to a life of frustration, deprivation, and indignity. In my research for one of my novels, China Doll, I learned that our government uses one of two approaches to hostile nations: engagement and containment. Engagement argues that the exchange of knowledge, culture and business practices demonstrates how capitalism works while instilling Western human rights values. (For example, in China, factory supervisors use beatings as a disciplinary tool, which is of course prohibited in American factories.) Containment considers a country like China that calls itself "the sleeping dragon" is dangerous and its ambitions extensions must be carefully monitored. (By saving money, unscrupulous China buys R&D from the West, and what it can't buy, it steals.) China has controlled the nations of the Pacific Rim to the point that these countries must adhere to the interests of the.