Miami Shores
12-08-2008, 17:31
Fidel Castro who according to the Cuban government is sick and getting well. Consulted on all major issues by President Raul Castro as approved by the National Assembly Parliment all for none against. Who has not been seen in public for about 2 years turns 82 on wednesday August 13, 2008.
Wish Fidel a Happy 82 nd Birthday or not?
1. Happy Birthday Fidel, Rot in Hell where you belong.
2. Happy Birthday Fidel, get well soon, best wishes from me.
3. Fidel is dead, the Cuban government is lying about it.
4. Fidel is alive getting better.
5. Prediction: Fidel will-might appear on government videos or pictures only.
6. Prediction: Fidel will appear in public.
7. A President who has to officially consult all major issues with his brother is no President.
8. Raul Castro is the President of Cuba. Consult or not.
By ANITA SNOW
Sun, 24 Feb 2008 Yahoo! News
More than 50 years after Cuban rebels first set sail on Granma, Raul has taken charge
Cuba’s parliament named Raul Castro president on Sunday, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel but leaving the island’s communist system unshaken.
In a surprise move, officials bypassed younger candidates to name a 77-year-old revolutionary leader, Jose Ramon Machado, to Cuba’s No. 2 spot — apparently assuring the old guard that no significant political changes will be made soon.
Raul also proposed he would consult with the ailing, 81-year-old Fidel on all major decisions of state, and parliament approved the proposal.
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Fidel Castro turns 82 out of sight but not out of mind
Maria Isabel Sanchez , AFP
Published: Monday, August 11, 2008
HAVANA - After ruling Cuba unopposed and uninterrupted for nearly 50 years, Fidel Castro turns 82 this week far from the limelight he cherished, but still exerting influence behind the scenes with newspaper articles and editorials.
There will be no official birthday bash Wednesday for the aging leader, who has not been seen in public since he took ill two years ago, but some revolutionary women's groups and labor organizations plan to honor him doing volunteer work for a few days.
His younger brother Raul, 77, took over permanently as president in February and is said to value Fidel's advice and judgment - some dissidents and political analysts even say Fidel is reining in more radical reforms that Raul would like to implement.
A poster of former Cuban president Fidel Castro on Aug. 11 in the Cotorro neighborhood of Havana. Wednesday marks the 82nd birthday of the legendary Cuban revolutionary leader.
When he announced his resignation on February 19, the elder Castro made it clear he was not disappearing from view: "I'm not taking my leave. I only want to fight on as a soldier of ideas. I'll continue writing under the heading 'Reflections of Comrade Fidel.'"
He says he spends several hours writing every day. Since March 2007, some 150 articles and op-ed pieces have been published in his "Reflections" series.
He deals with Cuban and international issues, including Colombia, Russia, the Beijing Olympics, the fuel crisis.
Without fail, he watches Mesa Redonda Informativa, the top official television news program, and keeps abreast of international events through Telesur and CNN.
"What do I do?" he wrote in June. "I cooperate gathering news and data and analyzing the most pressing international problems, which I then provide to the (Communist) Party and state leadership."
"The rest of the time I spend reading, getting information, speaking on the phone with many colleagues and doing the rehabilitation exercises that I'm assigned," he added.
"He exercises almost two hours a day, in two sessions every day," Raul Castro said recently about his brother's activities.
Fidel Castro has not been seen in public since his July 2006 stomach operation - his actual ailment is still a closely guarded secret - but has appeared in videos with visiting heads of government, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez most frequently.
He is under watch by a team of doctors and his wife, Dalia Soto del Valle, at an undisclosed location many believe is the Cimeq, a specialized hospital in western Havana. Others think it's his home, known as "Ground Zero," or even the Palace of the Revolution (government headquarters).
"Great, sure, it's the comandante's birthday, but we've got other things on our mind, 'cause things are still tough around here," Yolanda, a 43-year-old homemaker told AFP at a local market.
"There are people who want to live forever, but everything comes to an end and he's already played out his role," she added.
Fidel Castro may no longer command as much public attention as before, but he still has many Cubans' affection.
A group of Yoruba babalawos, or priests, plans a ceremony on Wednesday to ask the "Orishas" (Gods) to keep Fidel Castro in good health.
"We'll plant a ceiba tree on the day of the Comandante's birth, and the babalawos and santeros from around the country will make animal sacrifices and beat their drums," said Yoruba priest Victor Betancourt.
He said the Bahia town leaders have allowed the tree-planting ceremony, central to all Yoruba sacred rites. "The government doesn't have to believe, but they respect religion."
"Two years ago, we practiced a rite for the comandante's health, and it looks like it worked."
Wish Fidel a Happy 82 nd Birthday or not?
1. Happy Birthday Fidel, Rot in Hell where you belong.
2. Happy Birthday Fidel, get well soon, best wishes from me.
3. Fidel is dead, the Cuban government is lying about it.
4. Fidel is alive getting better.
5. Prediction: Fidel will-might appear on government videos or pictures only.
6. Prediction: Fidel will appear in public.
7. A President who has to officially consult all major issues with his brother is no President.
8. Raul Castro is the President of Cuba. Consult or not.
By ANITA SNOW
Sun, 24 Feb 2008 Yahoo! News
More than 50 years after Cuban rebels first set sail on Granma, Raul has taken charge
Cuba’s parliament named Raul Castro president on Sunday, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel but leaving the island’s communist system unshaken.
In a surprise move, officials bypassed younger candidates to name a 77-year-old revolutionary leader, Jose Ramon Machado, to Cuba’s No. 2 spot — apparently assuring the old guard that no significant political changes will be made soon.
Raul also proposed he would consult with the ailing, 81-year-old Fidel on all major decisions of state, and parliament approved the proposal.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fidel Castro turns 82 out of sight but not out of mind
Maria Isabel Sanchez , AFP
Published: Monday, August 11, 2008
HAVANA - After ruling Cuba unopposed and uninterrupted for nearly 50 years, Fidel Castro turns 82 this week far from the limelight he cherished, but still exerting influence behind the scenes with newspaper articles and editorials.
There will be no official birthday bash Wednesday for the aging leader, who has not been seen in public since he took ill two years ago, but some revolutionary women's groups and labor organizations plan to honor him doing volunteer work for a few days.
His younger brother Raul, 77, took over permanently as president in February and is said to value Fidel's advice and judgment - some dissidents and political analysts even say Fidel is reining in more radical reforms that Raul would like to implement.
A poster of former Cuban president Fidel Castro on Aug. 11 in the Cotorro neighborhood of Havana. Wednesday marks the 82nd birthday of the legendary Cuban revolutionary leader.
When he announced his resignation on February 19, the elder Castro made it clear he was not disappearing from view: "I'm not taking my leave. I only want to fight on as a soldier of ideas. I'll continue writing under the heading 'Reflections of Comrade Fidel.'"
He says he spends several hours writing every day. Since March 2007, some 150 articles and op-ed pieces have been published in his "Reflections" series.
He deals with Cuban and international issues, including Colombia, Russia, the Beijing Olympics, the fuel crisis.
Without fail, he watches Mesa Redonda Informativa, the top official television news program, and keeps abreast of international events through Telesur and CNN.
"What do I do?" he wrote in June. "I cooperate gathering news and data and analyzing the most pressing international problems, which I then provide to the (Communist) Party and state leadership."
"The rest of the time I spend reading, getting information, speaking on the phone with many colleagues and doing the rehabilitation exercises that I'm assigned," he added.
"He exercises almost two hours a day, in two sessions every day," Raul Castro said recently about his brother's activities.
Fidel Castro has not been seen in public since his July 2006 stomach operation - his actual ailment is still a closely guarded secret - but has appeared in videos with visiting heads of government, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez most frequently.
He is under watch by a team of doctors and his wife, Dalia Soto del Valle, at an undisclosed location many believe is the Cimeq, a specialized hospital in western Havana. Others think it's his home, known as "Ground Zero," or even the Palace of the Revolution (government headquarters).
"Great, sure, it's the comandante's birthday, but we've got other things on our mind, 'cause things are still tough around here," Yolanda, a 43-year-old homemaker told AFP at a local market.
"There are people who want to live forever, but everything comes to an end and he's already played out his role," she added.
Fidel Castro may no longer command as much public attention as before, but he still has many Cubans' affection.
A group of Yoruba babalawos, or priests, plans a ceremony on Wednesday to ask the "Orishas" (Gods) to keep Fidel Castro in good health.
"We'll plant a ceiba tree on the day of the Comandante's birth, and the babalawos and santeros from around the country will make animal sacrifices and beat their drums," said Yoruba priest Victor Betancourt.
He said the Bahia town leaders have allowed the tree-planting ceremony, central to all Yoruba sacred rites. "The government doesn't have to believe, but they respect religion."
"Two years ago, we practiced a rite for the comandante's health, and it looks like it worked."