In the dark still

As Cubans know all too well, you can never really believe the statistics published in the Castro regime's propaganda sheet, Granma. Most of the time, they are just made up, in true Stalinist tradition.

But let's make an exception for now.

According to this article, the regime has been working overtime to repair services in those areas worst hit by hurricane Ike, in particular the province of Holguin, where the hurricane devastated entire towns ... like Banes.

But more than two weeks after Ike swept through my old home town, Granma admits that electricity services have been restored to only about 54 per cent of the population, despite the "best efforts" of the State-owned electricity company.

Intriguingly, the regime was able to have the electricity grid re-connected almost immediately after Ike to facilities in the nearby resort of Guardalavaca, which are largely reserved for cash-carrying foreign tourists.