Castro Sighting Outside of Havana

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CBS News

HAVANA July 24, 2010
Castro Sighting Outside of Havana
First Time Former Cuban Leader Has Ventured Outside Capital Since 2006

(AP) Fidel Castro made his first reported appearance outside Havana on Saturday since a health crisis forced him from power in 2006, the strongest indication yet he is reclaiming a major public persona after years out of the spotlight.

The gray-bearded, 83-year-old wore an olive-green shirt at a ceremony in Artemisa, 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Cuba's capital, honoring fallen fighters in his revolution. Through frail, Castro looked a bit like his old self in video released on state television and in photos posted on the government website Cubadebate.

It was the latest in a slew of public appearances in recent weeks, but was of note because it marked Castro's first confirmed trip outside Havana since undergoing intestinal surgery, and because he wore an olive green button-down shirt.

Though devoid of stars and insignia, the shirt was reminiscent of the military uniform that was Castro's trademark for nearly a half century and differed sharply from the tracksuits he had on in government photos and videos released as he recuperated from his undisclosed illness in a secret location. He also occasionally had wore street clothes when visiting with foreign leaders or dignitaries.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/24/world/main6710348.shtml

[JI7]

1. so he is getting better ? isn't his mother still alive ?

[David__77]

17. Lina Ruz Gonzalez, his mother, died in 1963.

But it does seem that Fidel Castro may be around for some time to come.

[Anakin Skywalker]

2. Wow! More Newsworthy Than the Elvis Sightings?

*just teasing* :)

[Judi Lynn]

3. It seems only yesterday the Cuban "exile" hardliners in Miami were honking their horns,

cruising the streets of Miami, sitting on their cars, hanging out the window in celebration he was ill!

A story from that time:

Cuban exile joy over Castro illness gives way to questions
Posted: 08/01/06 at 10:44 pm EDT

MIAMI (AP) -- Joyous celebration in Little Havana over news that an ailing Fidel Castro was temporarily ceding power gave way Tuesday to rampant speculation among Cuban exiles: Is he already dead? What will happen in Cuba after he's gone? Is this just a trick?
"Basically, we are seeing what the Cuban government is saying but we don't know if that is true," said Ninoska Perez of Cuban Liberty Council, an anti-Castro exile group. "I think they are just gaining time. For all we know, Castro may already be dead or critically ill."

Talk radio stations fanned the flames among an 800,000-strong Cuban-American community in Miami-Dade County and government leaders set up a hot line to keep rumors from getting out of control. But one thing was certain: In a city where Castro's presence has loomed for more than a generation, a chain of events that exiles have been dreaming about for years was finally starting to play out. Most Cuban-Americans view Castro as a ruthless dictator who forced them, their parents or grandparents from their home after his communist revolution succeeded in 1959.

"It's our homeland, our golden land, where one day we want to be able to come and go as we please, and live like we once did," said Luis Calles, a math teacher who came to the U.S in 1994.

Castro issued another statement Tuesday night saying his condition was "stable" and that he felt "perfectly fine." The statement, read on Cuba's state-run television, did not provide any details about his intestinal illness.

Cuban-Americans in Miami said the statement sounded like government propaganda.

"They know we are celebrating over here. They are just saying that. They are covering up the truth because they can't take an uproar of people within the island," said Cari Gonzalez, 26, whose parents came from Cuba in 1980.

Mirta Sotolongo, 54, said the statement was essentially meaningless.

"He's not going to return to power. I consider that he's dead and if he's not dead today, he will be dead tomorrow and if not, his days are still numbered," she said.

More:
http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI25904/

http://www.sfgate.com.nyud.net:8090/blogs/images/sfgate/worldviews/2006/08/02/CAR.jpg http://www.blogbat.us.nyud.net:8090/8_22_080106_castro_miami01.jpg
Joy in Miami Turns to Uncertainty Over Castro’s Fate
By ABBY GOODNOUGH
Published: August 1, 2006

MIAMI, Aug. 1 — The delirious first response here to the news of Fidel Castro temporarily ceding power dampened by Tuesday afternoon, as Miami Cubans quietly awaited updates from the island they fled and local officials watched for commotion on land and sea.

Mayor Carlos Alvarez of Miami-Dade County said the county’s emergency operations center would stay open around the clock in anticipation of possible unrest, and that a rumor-control hotline had received about 500 calls from residents hoping to glean more information. Mr. Alvarez, who begged people not to block traffic if they reveled outdoors, said things had remained surprisingly orderly overnight.

Spontaneous celebrations broke out after Cuban national television reported the development around 9 p.m. on Monday, with people honking horns, clanging pots and pans and shouting, “Cuba libre!” The police beefed up their presence and blocked off several streets, including a section of Calle Ocho in the Little Havana neighborhood, but did nothing else unusual.

“I drove around last night and I’m happy there were no arrests and no reported cases of vandalism,” said Mr. Alvarez, whose family left Cuba in 1960 when he was 7. “I’ve got a feeling it will pick up again in the late afternoon or tonight, depending on what information we get.” Alfredo Mesa, executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation, said his group was busily conferring with dissidents on the island about how to keep Mr. Castro’s brother and chosen successor, Raul, from permanently taking power.

“We know there are people at all levels of power in the Cuban government that do want to return sovereignty, basic freedom and respect for human rights to the Cuban people,” Mr. Mesa said.” There are people who can make that change possible if in fact they know there is support abroad for them in this very critical hour.” In Little Havana, people were bursting with theories about Mr. Castro’s condition in the 90-degree heat. Some surmised he was already dead, others that he was faking illness to gauge how the island he has ruled for 47 years would respond.

“Oh my God, this is really something!” said Felipe Mendez, 69, who left Cuba in 1980. “We are all waiting to see what is going to happen. I am afraid it will be a while before we know. But we are excited to know something drastic may be happening.” Others, like Jose More, owner of the Latin Café in Hialeah, refused to let themselves get excited yet.

“I think any Cuban people would like to see Fidel dead,” Mr. More, 68, said. “My reaction is, is it true or not true? If it’s true, I want to celebrate. If it’s not, I want to wait.” All morning, local radio stations buzzed with speculation, and one host even called a funeral home in Havana to mischievously report Mr. Castro was dead. The Coast Guard watched for boats taking to the Florida Straits, but said it had seen no unusual activity along the Florida or Cuban coasts.

More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/world/americas/01cnd-miami.html?_r=1

http://www.euronews.net.nyud.net:8090/images_old/06/AG_0108-mid-miami.jpg http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com.nyud.net:8090/images/2006/08/01/image1853412g.jpg http://graphics8.nytimes.com.nyud.net:8090/images/2006/08/01/world/01castro.1902.jpg

[naaman fletcher]

12. Picture of the DU Latin American forum that saw him out and about

">]

[Alamuti Lotus]

4. truly abysmal writing by AP, as can be expected

The hostility of the writer's pen permeates every subtle, and poorly delivered, attempt at a jab. Nice picture of the old man, though; he is actually looking quite ok.

[Peace Patriot]

13. Agreed. I don't call them the Associated Pukes for nothing. They write like Pukes

(fascist, Reagan-Bush Republicans).

:puke:

[happyslug]

5. This site said his mother died on August 6. 1963

http://www.wargs.com/other/castro.html

Confirm by a NY Time article of 10/29/2009:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/world/americas/27castro.html

[JI7]

6. so who is the old guy with the mother still alive ? maybe i'm thinking of McCain

[dipsydoodle]

7. He's checking out

some of the places of interest for me which I'll visit in a few months time.

Good man. :)

[cowman]

8. I hope he dies a horrible slow death

like what he is responsible for many of his fellow citizens deaths, now let the flaming begin from all this monsters cheerleaders.

[dipsydoodle]

9. Ok then

Just for starters how does he match up against lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan ?

[cowman]

10. This has nothing to do

with Iraq or Afghanistan, He is a murderer whom I hope dies a long, painful death. Just my opinion, but all the cheerleaders for this monster will defend him no matter what he did.

[captain jack]

11. Like they do U.S troops?

[cowman]

14. Whatever dude

[Billy Burnett]

15. Plus, he ran over my neighbor's dog in '67

If Castro was such a hated monster why did he drive himself around Cuba in an open jeep (usually with the Jeep top down)?

Whatever?









If Americans were free enough to be able to travel to Cuba, then many would learn that the Castro brothers are revered as Cuba's revolutionary war heroes, and heroes in the defense of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs during the US invasion. They are revered as the dedicated servants of the populist revolution that enabled all Cubans to crawl out of the stone ages and develop world class social infrastructure for all Cubans.

As in all revolutions against brutal dictatorships, there might have been some dirty deeds done against the blood soaked henchmen of Batista's death squads who were murdering peasants and peasant labor activists as well as murdering Cuba's outspoken intellectuals and artists who were calling out for an end to the brutality and exploitation.

Nonetheless, the Castro's are heroes in Cuba, and Cubans know that revolutionary heroes are not perfect.

I know this to be true from personal experiences in Cuba.

[JVS]

19. Nice glasses, Poindexter!

[Judi Lynn]

20. Had no idea the guy in the 3rd photo had ever been there. Cool!

Don't know how you found these excellent photos, but they are GREAT.

I've heard he used to drive all over the place, frequently, with the top down on the jeep, greeting other Cubans. I've seen videos of him getting out and meeting people he'd never seen before, and seeing them reacting with honest expressions of admiration, respect.

Also recall reading from several sources that when he collapsed as an older man, after speaking to a large office in the broiling sun, they were all shocked, horrified, some crying, and many rushing forward to see what could be done.

Just looked to see if I could find a quick account of that event, got one:

The New York Times
June 23, 2001
Castro Appears to Faint at Podium

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 9:10 p.m. ET

HAVANA (AP) -- Fidel Castro apparently fainted before a crowd of thousands during a
televised speech Saturday, but by the evening he was joking that it was only a rehearsal to
see what kind of burial he would get.

Aides helped Castro off the stage after his apparent fainting spell in the hot morning sun,
but the Cuban leader returned to the podium a few minutes later to ensure the crowd he
just needed some rest.

``I am whole!'' he insisted, to cheers.

By evening, Castro looked rested and cheerful as he went back on live television --
this time from an air conditioned broadcast studio. Those in the studio gave him a
standing ovation.

"It is my fault,'' Castro said of his growing weak during his earlier speech.
"Collecting facts, reading so many documents'' until the wee hours.

He also added jokingly that he lasted longer than a lot of other people during his
morning appearance in the Caribbean sun.

``Another 665 citizens received assistance before I did,'' he said with a smile,
referring to the members of the crowd who were carried away in stretchers by Red
Cross workers.

``I joked that it was a rehearsal ... that I was playing dead to see what kind of burial
they would give me,'' Castro told the studio audience.

Castro said that after he was helped down the steps of the stage, he was taken to a
nearby ambulance and given oxygen. He said that as he was taking his own pulse,
he noticed that the ambulance was not moving and decided to return to the podium.

``I know that this caused a lot of people a lot of worry and I really feel bad about
it,'' Castro added.

Late Saturday morning, the 74-year-old Cuban leader, wearing his traditional
long-sleeved uniform and heavy black boots, was about two hours into a speech
under the bright sun with temperatures in the mid-80s when his body began listing to
the side.

Government cameras suddenly pulled away and focused on the crowd, filled with
surprised and concerned faces. Some people gasped and some cried.

More:
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/fidel/castro-faints.htm

That's hardly the kind of story you'd expect to get from an outfit like AP, wouldn't you say? What a shock they didn't include truckloads of claims people in Miami were dancing in the street in anticipation of his death!

~~~
It's great to see photos of the stories I've already heard repeatedly. Thanks a lot for sharing them.

[The abyss]

16. Judi, thank you for posting!

So much water under the bridge.

Good photos Billy Burnett – thanks.

[Judi Lynn]

21. Hi, The abyss, you're right. A whole lot of water. Thanks. n/t

[boppers]

18. Oooh! Fashion notes!

:eyes:

He's such a trend setter for the clothing of dying 20th century political movements!