Viva la revolution! Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement succeeded in toppling the corrupt US and mafia backed Bautista regime only to spend more than fifty years in economic isolation. Castro’s professed dream of a socialistic people’s republic became its own totalitarian, oppressive regime and the resulting years of trade and tourist embargo were punitive, but pointless in every other regard. Although semblances of Cuba’s rich treasures of art and dance and music have been able to find an excepted western audience, this week’s reopening of diplomatic relations with the Havana government will hopefully open the floodgates of cooperative exchanges in not only the arts, but in science and medicine and trade and technology. It personally makes me gag, but legal importing of the storied Cuban cigar will soon waft foul-smelling smoke into every allowable smoking-permitted environment and, that too will be considered progress. If only the powers that be can resist a return to the pre-revolutionary playground atmosphere where tourism and gambling were king and most of the population their feudal servants…if only.