
The recent death of Cuba’s Fidel Castro has got me thinking: I am starting to miss the glorious days of Presidente Fulgencio Batista. No nonsense with that august leader and friend of America. How sad that he had to flee to António de Oliveira Salazar’s Portugal where he lived only another 14 years.

And what about the genteel hoteliers like Meyer Lansky, chief entrepreneur of Las Vegas? He built and managed Havana’s Hotel Capri (where I once stayed) and boy did he run a tight ship! If something was wrong with your reservation, heads would roll. (Not literally, of course.) Oh, just writing this makes me so nostalgic for the good old days. Bartender, hand me my Cuba Libre! And make it a double.