"Upon leaving the fantasy land that is Old Havana’s tourist district, the luxury cruise ship passengers were able to get a glimpse of Cuba’s reality. Ugly low rise and high rise apartment buildings of Soviet realism design filled the shoreline as the ship passed. It was a perfect summer evening, the sun was setting on the Port of Havana, and yet something was missing."

"Earlier that afternoon, a passenger on the pool deck expressed admiration for the “the struggle” of the Cuban people against “crass commercialism,” while sipping a frozen margarita. He could not see it. That morning, the economic gurus on the ship’s elevator were complaining about “innovation taking jobs.” They could not see it. Many dining room guests gazing at the harbor could not see it. All of their minds had been dimmed by American socialist literacy programs."