Where's the party?

Fidel Castro turns 81 today. So what's going on in Cuba?

Cuba is set to break with tradition and not hold official celebrations to mark the birthday of its 81-year-old president, Fidel Castro.

There were fireworks at midnight in the Cuban capital Havana to mark the occasion but nothing else was planned.

Mr Castro has not been seen in public for over a year after having emergency surgery and power has been temporarily transferred to his brother, Raul.

Many observers believe Mr Castro may never return to front-line politics.

For Mr Castro's last birthday there were candle-lit vigils and mass demonstrations of affection for the convalescing leader.

There have been no pictures of him recuperating for more than two months now.

If bets were being taken, I'd be willing to wager Castro is never seen in public again. His age, the seriousness of his ailment, and the lack of appearances so far would tell us the Cuban dictator doesn't have much time left on earth.

Question- Do atheistic communists start contemplating the afterlife as death approaches?

Dr. Taylor at Poliblog is also blogging on the Castro news.
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