El Comandante No Es Bueno
First, to our moms and the three or four other people who actually read this website: we deeply apologize for the recent dearth of articles. We are now back at full strength and expect the articles to start pouring in again. To start, we offer a quick update on the status on everyone's favorite communist, the seemingly immortal Fidel Castro.
As most of you probably remember, in July 2006 it was first reported that Fidel Castro was seriously sick and was 'temporarily' transferring control over Cuba to his brother Raul while he recovered from surgery. Strict secrecy was maintained over what exact illness he was suffering from, leaving news reporters, CIA analysts and the rest of us only able to speculate. Many suggested he had cancer and would soon be dead.
Both reports from the Cuban government that the illness was minor and from outsiders that Castro was on his death bed have proved false. This has now dragged on for nearly a year, without Castro either dying or appearing in public, let alone resuming power. It is still hard to find reliable information about what exactly Castro is suffering from, but a New York Times article and other sources claim that he may have diverticulitis, or 'a bulging of the large intestine'. If you've ever watched cable TV at 4am, you have probably heard of this condition in a midly-repulsive infomercial for colon cleanser. Castro himself has said that his initial surgeries with Cuban doctors were unsuccesful, leading to a much longer recovery time than he expected. After these first failed attempts, he had a doctor from Spain, an expert in intestinal disease, flown in with a planeload of advanced medical equipment.
In the last few months, there have been a stream of reports that Castro's health is finally improving. He has met with a number of leaders, including Venezuela's Hugo Chavez in January, and the head of the Vietnamese Communist party, Nong Duc Manh in the first week of June. He has also started to write a number of articles recently, and of course much of it has been centered on criticism of the US. In april, he wrote an article in the, ahem, left-leaning newsletter CounterPunch that criticized the US on its plan to use biofuels, because he claims this plan would raise food costs in third-world countries. According to an article in the BBC, Castro also claimed in another article that Bush said: 'I'm a hard-line president and I'm only waiting for Castro to die', though he didn't give any details about when Bush supposedly said this.
It is still unclear when, if ever, Fidel will return to power. While his health has apparently improved drastically, some are saying that signs indicate Fidel will probably remain in a supportive role while leaving Raul Castro at the head of the country. As always, we will continue to follow this story for you...