Cuba on BBC News

[cigarsmoke]

I saw an interesting news report on the BBC news at 1pm yesterday

It was a general report on life in Cuba in the wake of Obama,s first year in office and his promise to relax US policy towards the island.

The report highlighted things such as the low wages earned by even highly skilled people,free education and healthcare and the general feeling by the Cuban people that Obama has not yet lived up to his promises.

The BBC reporter Matt Frey said they would be spending the next couple of days reporting on other aspects of life in Cuba so it may be worth a look at if you get the chance.

I think the BBC tend to show these special reports on their news at 6pm and 10pm as well.

Hopefully may see some cigar action either smoking,factory or farm.

[bossanovaboy]

i watched a bit of that report myself, it was interesting.

Did you watch that trevor mcdonald 3 part series that came on last year? it was about the caribbean and they showed cuba in episode one and trevor visited a cigar factory, it was pretty interesting.

[Robusto]

It was good. Sir Trevor, an ex devoted cigar man, finally succumbed to pressure and smoked one off in the Partagas factory. Fantastic to see someone fall again, I think. I took four years off from 2000 to 2004. Then I copped for a sexual slipstream from a mate's rich Havana and fell again like Sir Trev. But what a fantastic way to fall!

[bossanovaboy]

if you go to bbc.co.uk and type in cuba in the search box then these video news clips will load up if you havent seen them already.

[whisky77]

Sept.

I did see it as well, it made me think back to when I was there in Sptember.

[Son of Cigarsmoke]

I saw the report this afternoon, it showed the cohiba factory that used to be the palace, they have a woman employed to read poetry and literature to the workers over a loud speaker whilst they work, interesting idea lol

[Lads2000]

The Partagas factory has a reader too in fact by all accounts all of them have them.

[Simon Bolivar]

I saw this too & was impressed by the 10,000 medical students trained on scholarships paid for by the Cuban goverment & the only opay back is the newly qualified doctors have to return to work in the poor communities all over the Carribean & South American (even some form the USA) they came from. Impressive commitment to long term PR & very effective humanitarian aid.

[tippexx]

I saw the report this afternoon, it showed the cohiba factory that used to be the palace, they have a woman employed to read poetry and literature to the workers over a loud speaker whilst they work, interesting idea lol

The factory really wasn't what I expected. It's Dickinsian and looks like just anyone can wander in. No wonder bands and boxes can wander out.

The Cuban ballet school was good though.

[Robusto]

I thought the fact it is so old and crumbly - much like Havana itself - added to the Partagas factory's charm, TBH. We had to wait before joining a tour as bundles of tobacco, etc, were moved between different floors by rope suspension above our heads. Of course this could have been a tourist-sugary Disneyland take on cigar factory modus operandi, but it felt authentic, and many aspects of the carry-on had been the same for 100 years plus. Despite the spivs and the cigar whores at the door and in the surrounding streets, this tour got my wife and kids well on board and gained me many puff passes. It was quiet - not too many visitors - when we went round, too.

[eggopp]

I think Cuba has got to be on my list of must see places, i like the idea of factory tours in cigar heaven.. Wonder if they have factory shops?