Cuba

As of the first week of January 2017, Alaska Airlines began flying direct from LA to Havana.  It was the first ever commercial air flight direct to Havana from the west coast.  Felt very fortunate to be with a great Google crew on a flight in the second week of Jan.

Cuba pros:

- Havana looks like how you want it to look.  Incredible, old Colonial buildings, literally crumbling before your eyes, but with people living in them.  Bright pastel colors on the buildings.  Really just incredible walking down the streets.

- The cars are amazing.  60% of the cars on the street are American cars from the 50s.  It's not just a tourist scheme, it really is a way many people get around.  The cars are very well maintained and sounds like many owners are self-made mechanics who make tweaks everyday.

- There is music everywhere.  Seems like all of the musicians are talented, from salsa to jazz.

Cuba cons:

- The food is very bland and we were hunting for hot sauce (which we didn't find) by day 3.  Cubans don't like spicy food, so it's almost impossible to find.  And many restaurants, paladars and bars run out of dishes or drinks.

- The plumbing / bathroom situation is real and hilarious.  Generally no toilet paper in public bathrooms and if there is, it can't be flushed.  50% of toilets have no toilet seat and 50% of toilets don't flush.  That is a recipe for disaster!

Trump's Cabinet

Aside from being a great movie, Back to the Future 2 was just one year away when they predicted the Cubs would win the World Series and Biff (Trump) would become president (2015 instead of 2016).  Truly amazing.

I was fortunate enough to be in Chicago when the Cubs won the series.  And like other Americans, I'm unfortunately here as Trump takes over the White House.

In Costa Rica, Park, Vandy & I spent a lot of time talking politics and discussing a number of issues.  The goal was for the three of us to reach resolution on each issue, which we did for most.  In some cases, none of us had the facts and we left it as TBD until we have more info.  Here's the summary from Trump's new cabinet of three.

Education

- No tax increase on the wealthy to reduce student loan interest rates.  We need to do more research on the burden on the government if government loans are defaulted.  Do taxpayers pay for it?  If so, consider privatizing.  Also, we need to check if loan defaults are a growing issue.  Also, what is the correlation, if any, of the size of a university's athletics department and increased tuition?

- We support common core standards, at a base level, but will allow states & local districts to customize depending on the types of customization requested.

Immigration

- US should not build a physical wall.  Further debate required on building a virtual wall.

- Illegal immigrants can only access health care that is government subsidized for emergencies (no disease, generally) and they will be deported after they are cared for.

- US cannot ban immigrants based on religion, but we can ban (or significantly reduce) based on high-risk countries.

- Illegal immigrants cannot get in-state tuition.

- Immigrants should not be required to speak English.

- Children of illegal immigrants should not be granted legal citizenship.

- US should increase restrictions in current border security policy, but states should not be allowed to manage their own security policy.

Electoral

- Foreign lobbyists should not be allowed to raise money for American elections.

- An ID should be required to vote.

- Corporations, unions and non-profits cannot donate to political parties.

- The limit currently in place for individual donors giving money to a candidate should remain.

- Presidential debates will not include candidates with <15 of="" p="" the="" vote.="">
- Political candidates are required to release recent tax returns.

Healthcare

- The government should not regulate the prices of life-saving drugs, however, every few years (e.g. three years), the government can ensure retail pricing is logically based on the costs of creating the drug.

- Marijuana should be legalized, taxed and regulated.  Marijuana offenses of criminals should be removed and these people should be released from prison.  However, the government should identify a way to test for marijuana in roadside tests.

- Vetrans should be able to see any doctor of their choosing.

Economic

- The minimum wage should be reviewed every year to align with inflation.

- Welfare recipients should be randomly tested for drugs and after two positive tests, they lose welfare for six months.

- We need to see an itemized list to better review possible reductions in public spending.

- We need to better understand the current requirements for hourly and salary workers before evaluating maternity leave.

- Remove corruption by eradicating loopholes for individual taxes and corporate entities.

Social Issues

- Pro-choice, but provide birth control, sex education and more social services to help reduce abortions.

- Same sex marriage is allowed, but churches have the right to refuse same sex ceremonies.

- The government should continue to fund planned parenthood.

Environmental

- The government should increase environmental regulations to prevent climate change and provide more incentives for alternative energy production.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica trip - Christmas 2016.  San Jose -> La Fortuna -> Monteverde -> Manuel Antonio.  Costa Rica wake up call = 7am hotel building demolition directly outside your window.  And who knew that sloths actually exist and they really do move like....sloths!  Glad we were able to see the city, volcano, cloud forest and beaches all in one trip.  Great times, wish I could do it every week.

This photo is supposed to look like this on a nice day: