[NYTr] Another New Column by the Allegedly Dead Fidel

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

[We still have not received the English translation, so this will
have to do for now... Complete with Will Weissert's literary
criticism.  According to Weissert, the rumors went into hyperdrive
bevause a bunch of aging gusanos in MIAMI held a meeting about
their wishful fantasy plans for when Fidel dies. The Big News Today:
There's Still no Big News. The sheer stupidity of this crap isn't worth
the asswipe it's printed on.-NY Transfer]

AP - Aug 26, 2007
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CUBA_CASTRO?SITE=WILAC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


Castro Signs Essay Amid Health Rumors

By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press Writer

HAVANA (AP) -- Fidel Castro signed a lengthy essay published Sunday
saluting a Cuban political figure but giving no hint of how he is
feeling, even amid rampant rumors of his death.

The 81-year-old Castro has not been seen in public in over a year and
has not even appeared in official photographs or video footage since
taping an interview with Cuban state television June 5.

The lack of images has fueled speculation among the Cuban exile
community in Miami and elsewhere that Castro might have died. He
announced on July 31, 2006 that he had undergone emergency intestinal
surgery and was temporarily ceding power to his younger brother Raul.

Officials in Havana have refused to speak about Castro's condition, but
foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque told reporters in Brazil last week
that "Fidel is doing very well and is disciplined in his recovery
process." He insisted the gray-bearded leader maintains "permanent"
contact with top government officials.

Castro's essay, the latest in dozens of "Reflections of the Commander
in Chief" columns he has published several times a week since late
March, was signed Saturday evening and appeared in the Communist Youth
newspaper Juventud Rebelde on Sunday.

Verbose but clearly stated and easy to follow, [even for a dummy
gringo who can barely read english -NYTr] Castro wrote of Eduardo
Chibas, the president of Cuba's Orthodox Party, who was born 100 years
ago this month. Chibas campaigned against corruption that plagued
Cuba's government before Castro and his band of rebels toppled dictator
Fulgencio Batista in January 1959.

Castro listed political events that linked his younger years with
Chibas, who shot himself during a radio broadcast in 1951, a year
before Batista seized power in a coup. At Chibas' funeral, a young
Castro jumped atop the grave to denounce the government.

"With Chibas alive there would have been no way for (Batista) to carry
out a coup," Castro wrote, "because the founder of the Cuban People
(Orthodox) Party watched him closely and methodically put him up for
public scrutiny."

There was no hint of trouble over the weekend in Havana, where the
streets have been calm and Cuban flags remained at full-mast. Official
media was dominated by stories of Cuban officials' preparation for the
new school year and news from Venezuela and Iraq.

Rumors of Castro's death are a staple in Miami. But their frequency has
intensified in recent days, after his 81st birthday came and went Aug.
13 with neither pictures, letters nor recordings from him released by
the government.

Speculation went into overdrive Friday when Miami officials met to go
over their plans for when Castro dies. Even celebrity blogger Perez
Hilton, a Cuban-American who normally deals with Lindsay Lohan and
Paris Hilton, jumped into the fray, writing that sources were saying
the Miami police were poised to announce Castro's death.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez addressed speculation about the health
of his close friend and ally on Saturday, saying "I'm not going to be
clearing up rumors and more rumors every day. Every little while they
say Fidel died."

© 2007 The Associated Press.