Independent from Long Beach, California • 18

Tf T'rnrrrrww irf rrrcrT? f- i i 3-' new comparison By Dianne Smith Sun Writer Dr. Kent said he speaks reasonable Spanish," so that he could communicate with the people directly. There seemed to be a free exchange of information to the questions I asked." LONG BEACH physician, Dr. Jack Kent, decorates J' of his office across'from Community Hospital with posters he acquired on recent visit to Cuba. He was 'able to compare the rountry bef ore and after the takeover by Fidel Castro, having -first visited there in 1955.

CUBA BAS MADE health and education its two priorities since the revolution, he pointed out Life expectancy has been increased to 69 years for men and 70 yean for women, just four years behind that i United of the 1 Part of the reason for this is the ability, through advanced sanitation techniques, to eliminate diseases common to poor countries, including malnutrition. Dr. Kent said he found the Cubans' average caloric intake was 2,400 and that their protein intake was satisfactory, although meat is rationed. Basic ood staples reJcheap. but there is a limited selec- tion.

The doctors he talked with reported that obesity was beginning to be a problem especially among the women. -The Cuban people are enthusiastic about their present end their future." -Thats the impression of a Long. Beach physician after talking to just about everyone I met, with conversations lasting from one minute to one hour." Dr. Jack Kent, an internist and endocrinologist, and his wife, Mary 'Cavalier, spent nine days in Havana last month, listing hospitals, a technical school and wandering around the city. Kent first visited the country in 1955 while.

a junior in medical school before die Communist takeover by Fidel Castro. He has been interested in seeing the changes made since Castro took power and has been negotiat--1 inf te visiKHibe for two letters to the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City. This was before the relaxation of travel restrictions for Americans. I also had to get permission from our state department. I had to fill out complicated forms about why I wanted to visits etc.

Finally, they gave me permission to come any time. wanted to compare die Cuban society now and then, particularly the medical care. I've seen other Latin American and Caribbean countries and I wanted to see how Cuba compared. I discovered a harmonious spirit unlike anywhere else I have been." nrSr-Lstarted by writing Staff -photo- by Transportation, while overcrowded, is cheap are 65 per 5 miles and buses are 5 cents TOM SHAW iaxis are few cars because the less the need, the higher priced die commodity." Admission to all sporting events is free and among new attractions built since the revolution is Lenin Park. Dr.

Kent described it as having an artificial lake, an amphitheater with its stage on the the lake, a kiddie land, a restaurant, a stable and a babysitting center. Asked if there were accommodations for tourists, Dr. Kent said there are 25 hotels under construction. They stayed at the Riviera Hotel and the former Havana Hilton is now the Habana Libre. They flew via Mexicana Airlines from Mexico City, returning by Cubana Airlines to the Mexican capital.

WHAT HE ALSO found in' the people was a spirit of energy-anticipation. commitment to the- future and support for. the changes made. There's a lot of pride jn their accom- iical care for everyone. plishments, such as free medica Patients are assigned manual jobs and paid for their work, according to Dr.

Kent What they produce is sold to the' community and the hospital returns about 40 percent of its $5 millkm-a-year operating costs this way. soldier guarding the monument to the revolution and some of the embassies had military guards." -Commenting on the changes in 22 years, he noted that the city is cleaner than before and there was less debris on the streets Qian in urban areas here, Gone were the street beggars and the prostitutes; 1 Little has been done, however, in the old section of the city where the governors palace and national cathedral stand. Here, paint is peeling from die buildings. 'Re called the program nmost This is achieved through poly clinics, the basic health unit, of which there are about 400 or 500. Each clinic is attached to a community housing project -the one he visited has a population of 30,000, with anticipated growth to 65,000.

The clinic is divided into four sections pediatrics, medicine, gynecology-obstetrics and surgery with one doctor in each field per 1,000 to 2,000 patients. There is also a child psychologist at each clinic. Most of the doctors probably more than 50 rcent are women," noted Dr. Kent, who said yond the clinics, which tend to normal health Asked about the lifestyle, be said the dress is; casual I saw only one person wearing a tie. The Cuban culture is still there.

The music is the same. While Cuba is a poor country by our standards there sire ho modern conveniences in the homes it is near the top in average income among Latin American countries. The average income is 100-150 pesos a month (a Cuban peso is equal to a little more than a U.S. dollar). HE SAID MOST of the new construction since the revolution has been centered outside Havana; in the rural areas.

The Cubans have attempted to limit the growth of Havana by budding up the In other words, they have put the housing where the people are. the revolution, 50 percent of the total hospital beds were in Havana, which had only 34! percent of the' population. Today, only 35 percent of the hospital beds are in the capital city. The total population of the country has increased from 6 million before the revolution to million today. Responding to a question about the Russian presence, Dr.

Kent said there were many Soviet ships in the harbor unloading freight As for the military, he said there was little evidence. There was a ONE OF THE highlights of their trip was a visit to a psychiatric hospital. Dr. Kent termed the care of mental patients as near ideal and something to emulate." The hospital's director, Dr, Sidney Orrett, explained that before the transformation, psychiatric patients were relegated to a dungeon and an average pf 14 a day died. The key to the current treatment program is rehabilitation and community Cuba is mainly' an agricultural country, with sugar being its main product Tobacco is still a big needs, are institutes in various medical which would deal with major problems.

After the clinics close, about noon, the doctors spend the afternoon making house calls to patients unable to come to the clinic. I was impressed by their organization and ability to see all the people needing care. iustry." And, a big plus for tourists is that no tipping is B-6 INDEPENDENT (AM) PRESS-TELEGRAM (PM). In-Sights. life style I ana liirt raJU Um ftMcfc, CM, July 177 Socially Speaking Charged with difficult task By Dr.

Walt Menninger WHAT CAN be realistically expected of this commission? It is my understanding that the president is asking far more of the commission than may be reasonably expected in a limited time. Wedding bellsi and a blooper In mid-June, I had the privilege of presenting a statement before the Presklents Commission on Mental Health in one of four days of public hearings. By Carolyn McDowell But hes done the same with his. own staff on other issues where he has wanted to move forward quickly with new programs. Chaired- by Mrs.

Rosalynn Carter, the commission is charged by the President to survey the care being given to the nation's mentally ill and to make recommendations to him for action to be taken in this health area. Important accomplishments of the commission will be its calling In 19684)9, 1 served as one of 13 members of President Johnson's National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence. We too heard doubts about what our commission mighf be expected to accomplish. Most people dont really understand what a presidential commission is, and wnat it can or cannot, do. Being appointed by the highest' office in the land, such a commission is expected to accomplish great things.

And many people assume it is composed of specialists in the area to be studied. Actually, a commission is not a group of specialists: rather it is a group of responsible citizens citi- zens of integrity and ability" who are like a kind of grand ji studying a social problem. While there may be some specialists on the it is intended to be broadly representative. attention to mental health as a matter of public importance, educating people about mental health issues and making these issues more visible. Many of the people who-testified at the hearings I attended in San Francisco were highly critical of mental health care generally available to the public.

And there were many angry words directed to the commission. MR. AND MRS. KENNETH LYDERS After all, as Dr. Simpson ob- served, most people disregard the problem until it touches them per-sonally.

The commission has already helped by holding its hearings across the country, thereby putting mental health on the evening television news and on the front pages of many Lyderses feted on 50th anniversary Some ethnic groups protested their lack of presence on the commission. For example, since there is no Asian-American on the panel, that group saw more evidence of societys lack of concern for persons of their heritage. The Presidential Commission on Mental Health does include several highly respected specialists in addition to a number of lay persons who have long been active in the mental health field. But it is impossible to have every special interest and ethnic group represented and still have a manageable panel. In the long run, the accomplishments of any commission are limited by the fact it does not have a significant base of power to force the implementation of its An open house Sunday afternoon in the Fellowship HaQ of Our Saviours Lutheran Church will mark the 50th wedding anniversary of Mr.

and Mrs. Kenneth M. Lyders of Cypress. A family buffet dinner in the Tanglewood-West Clubhouse, Cypress, will follow the reception. The honored couple has five children.

K. Duane Lyders of Another witness, Dr. Louis Simpson, who is a psychiatrist-adviser to Gov. Brown, stated, My gut feeling is truly one of despair. Most people in Congress and the WE TRY.

Sometimes we fail- In Sundays column I suffered a temporary (I hope) mental collapse and interchanged the names of the bride and bridegroom in a wedding story. Betty Jo Somppi Waibel graciously reminded me that it is still the custom in this country for the bride to change her name to her husband's last name nof the other way around. So we'll see if we can get it right this time. Wedding bells rang in the City of the. Silver Dollars for the former Betty Jo Somppi and Capt.

Bill Waibel of the Los Angeles Fire Department Although the couple is mating a first home in Stanton, Betty Jo will continue in the Joe Authier Insurance Agency in Long Beach. The agency was started by Betty's father, Joe Authier, who is retired from the Long Beach Police Department. Bridegroom Bill will continue his duties as head -of fire prevention in San Pedro. NOW IF I can keep the Czinger family straight and spelled correctly we will proceed to the next item. Last summer I told you of the birth of Allyn Czinger.

Allyn came into the world on the Fourth of July at Henly-on-the-Thames, England. British medical personnel were as excited as Allyns American parents about the Bicentennial birth. TroudntentsrJphff'TindSuzrzingerriiave-T returned to a new home in Huntington Beach bring- ing their son, who carries dual citizenship. In keeping with his patriotic beginning, Allyn took his first step on the Fourth of July this year. A welcome home party was hosted by proud grandparents, John and Dorothy Czinger, in their Rossmoor home.

Welcomen included David and Betsy Bob and Dorothy Holland and their sons, Robert and 1 David. Now, 1-year-old, Allyn has 20 years to choose between British and American citizenship. 1 ONE-HUNDRED-year-old Aggie Younger has been in the United States since 1920. Aggie, a British subject, has not made up her mind whether she wants to change her citizenship. Well, important decisions do take time.

She was feted at a century, birthday party this East weekend at the Casa de Belita convalescent ome whefe she I- Among those attending were two close friends, 1 Theda Moravek and Grade Jones. It has to persuade decision- Ventura. Joanna Lyders of Boston, Richard country don't give a damn until mm mm 1f mm A. il Illness strikes Thdrbwn familyr1 nuto-bynlunitinD ami Iny. Of made Lyders of Texas, Mrs.

Byron Miller a nT Ronald Lyders, both of Long Beach, and 10 grandchildren. Married July 26, 1927 in Minot, N. the golden-weds lived in Long Beach for 23 years before moving to Cypress seven years ago. Mr, Lyders was em-oyea i ployed at Dary Lumber Company until his retirement course, Mrs. Carter has her concern about mental And he didnt have much hope that this commission was going to do much to improve the situation.

which the commission will base its recommendations, falls to the staff, headed by the executive director. Dr. Tom Bryant He is calling upon many mentaf health professionals to assist the staff in their efforts, working in task force groups. in 1973. Mrs.

Lyders was a bookkeeper until retiring health well known, and her pres- qnce on the commission as chairperson assures this commission's reports of careful review by the president I suspect she can also be quite HIS WORDS brought back memories of my own experience as a member of a presidential are members of Our Saviours Lutheran in 1970. Both Church. women ust battl pornography Pitchford and mother of Blake Ariel, 9, the dominant culture. The dominant cul- trust between feminists and housewives. tmnkj.it is a backlash of the women's ture terrorizes women, the Today, Morgan believes that rift has liberation movement terrorizes children.

been bridged. MS. MORGAN believes the battle of In fact' she believes most radi' I'm indignant about child pornog- cnild eornog By Carol Kleiman. Kmight-RkUer Newt Sertiee Robin Morgan, a founding mother of the feminist movement is outraged by the glut of pornography on the news: nds. sta Aggie is still remembered in her native land.

She ciered a congratulatory message from queen reciev pornogrpahy is one women must fight' together because women are its victims. Its a hard maze to get through to a solution, though, because of the First Amendment, which protects of speech and expression," she observes. We have -to work out the strategy." Morgan is known for working out cat-women today are housewives. 1 believe this because they are the ones living with husbands, and home is where the issue of sexism is being worked out, where the struggle is being engaged." Ms. Morgan, who has been married for 15 years, shares household response-.

bilities equally with her It was and still is quite a struggle, she says, and I can say from first-hand experience that housewives are the cutting edge of the movement" raphy and appalled and sickened by the sexual propaganda of magazines and movies that partition off parts of the female body, that say sex is conquest and aggression, that sex exists only to please men." she says. Magazines like Penthouse, and Hustler have very little to do with humane sex. They depict sex as war, rape, sadism. There is no love, no eroticism, no sensuality. "The rise in pornography is dangerous, too dangerous to ignore." Child she says, is an outgrowth of the subcultures imitating Pornography and its.

offspring, child pornography, are ways of terrorizing women, of telling us to stay in our place, of telling us whos boss," says Ms. Morgan, 36. New York, author of Sisterhood is Powerful, one of the handbooks of the movement in the '60s. A woman cant go past a newsstand today without feeling a psychic rape. Thats why pornography is a feminist issue.

Ms. Morgan, wife of poet Kenneth Elizabeth H. Not to be outdone Carter also sent Happy Bir bo noire. LES AND MARGARET Walker have been-doing" Southern California sights with their housed guesting niece, Kiz Marie Thayer of Brainerd, For 11 year-old Kiz it was her first plane trip and first time away from home. strategy whetf not writing and lecturing.

In 1968 she was one of the organizers of the feminist protest against the Miss America Pageant. Back then, there was a visible dis-. uuuuuui K.V..