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The Associated Press, one of the nation’s largest news organizations, said that it will, for the first time, attempt to define clear standards as to how much of its articles and broadcasts bloggers and Web sites can excerpt without infringing on The A.P.’s copyright. The A.P.’s effort to impose some guidelines on the free-wheeling blogosphere, where extensive quoting and even copying of entire news articles is common, may offer a prominent definition of the important but vague doctrine of “fair use,” which holds that copyright owners cannot ban others from using small bits of their works under some circumstances. For...

Cuban leader Fidel Castro blasted Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Friday for his criticism of the Cuban government this week, saying McCain had shown why he finished near the bottom of his class at West Point. In his latest newspaper column, Castro also attacked President George W. Bush for his speech on Wednesday announcing that U.S. citizens would be allowed to send cell phones to Cuba. "A deluge of speeches and lies they directed at Cuba," Castro said in a column published in Communist Party newspaper Granma. "How far they are from knowing Cuba and its people."

By Marc Frank April 23, 2008 HAVANA (Reuters) - An ailing Fidel Castro took partial credit on Wednesday for firing Cuba's long-serving education minister this week, indicating that he would remain influential behind the scenes as long as he is able. Castro, who was succeeded by his younger brother Raul Castro as president this year after almost half a century at the helm, blasted former minister Luis Ignacio Gomez for being "burnt out" and "losing revolutionary consciousness." In a newspaper column, Castro laid into Gomez for travelling abroad too much and taking personal credit for advances in Cuba's education system.

To judge by the ads, the most loyal adherents to CBS' quasi-journalistic programming are impotent and incontinent. It so happens that they share these afflictions with the network's actual news division. Katie Couric is reportedly itching to bolt her gig as the anchor of broadcast TV's worst-rated evening newscast. Last month, Shelley Ross lost her job producing The Early Show, the worst-rated morning newscast, after problems concerning temper tantrums and tequila parties. Most weeks, the perfectly decent Bob Schieffer, who will retire after the 2009 inauguration, sees Face the Nation to a finish as the third-rated Sunday show. And the...

NEW YORK The newspaper industry has experienced the worst drop in advertising revenue in more than 50 years. According to new data released by the Newspaper Association of America, total print advertising revenue in 2007 plunged 9.4% to $42 billion compared to 2006 -- the most severe percent decline since the association started measuring advertising expenditures in 1950.

HAVANA — Nearly 50 years of rule by Fidel Castro ended in Cuba on Sunday as parliament chose his brother Raul to replace him — a transition that leaves the island's communist system unshaken. The new president proposed consulting with the ailing 81-year-old Fidel on all major decisions of state, and parliament approved the proposal. The vote came five days after Fidel said he was retiring, capping a career in which he frustrated efforts by 10 U.S. presidents to oust him. The transition was not likely to bring a major shift in policies of the communist government that have put...

Washington, D.C. — Fidel Castro is finally on his way out. After nearly 50 years of bloody, iron-fisted rule, the world’s longest reigning dictator — and one of the last communist tyrants on the planet — has announced that he is stepping down. That’s good news, but it’s not likely to change much for the 11 million captive people in Cuba. On February 19, Granma, the Cuban Communist Party’s organ, carried a letter purportedly written by the 81-year-old ailing autocrat, announcing that ill health prevents him from continuing to “discharge the duties” of president and commander-in-chief of Cuba's armed forces....

After 49 years of ruling Cuba with an iron fist, 81-year-old Fidel Castro has formally stepped down as president and head of Cuba's armed forces. But there will not be any election to determine his successor. Power in the tropical tyranny is a family matter and Raul Castro, Fidel's 76-year-old brother, will take permanent control of a country he has run for 19 months while Fidel has endured a lengthy illness. Little has changed during that time -- free speech is still suppressed, democracy is crushed, freedom of the press is forbidden, free enterprise is illegal, fair trails are the...

It's mourning in DUmmieland. Their hero, Fidel Castro, has resigned as president (dictator) of Cuba. The feelings of the DUmmies can be described as sadness mixed with grave concern that Cuba may be free again as you can see in this THREAD titled, ""Fidel Castro Resigns As President." Of course, Fidel will be succeeded by his brother, Raul. Ever notice how in hard core commie countries that succession is by blood as in feudal times? In North Korea Big Kim was succeeded by Li'l Kim. Yes, "scientific" communism needs to use feudal bloodlines to determine the succession of their...

Fidel Castro Steps Down...

Tom Glocer Don’t Spin Stories to My FriendsME Liz Strauss wrote this at 11:33 amThe Nice One I was working for a privately-held publishing company for about 9 months. The company had been losing 10% a year for the past three years running. In the morning the Major Partner and Chief Financial Officer were coming to visit to hear our plan to turn the company around. I had been chosen to voice the plan. That night at dinner, the Operations’ Director and close friend said to me over wine and dinner, “You know, the success of this company really depends...

Castro takes another swipe at McCain 19 minutes ago HAVANA (AFP) — Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro, whose political future is to be clarified this month, took another swipe at Republican US presidential hopeful John McCain, in an editorial published Wednesday. Fidel Castro, 81, wrote in the Communist Party newspaper Granma that McCain was in the pocket of conservative Cuban-Americans, most of whom live in Florida and strongly oppose his policies. "It is incredible that at this point in history, the Republican candidate, decorated as a hero, would become the pawn of that mafia. No one who believes in himself...

After the star-less Golden Globes and People’s Choice Awards took a ratings hit last month, Hollywood glittered bright during last night’s Grammy Awards, with big names like Beyonce, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse performing. The result, however, wasn’t quite the post-strike celebration that carrier CBS may have hoped for. From 8 to 11 p.m. the Grammys averaged a 6.9 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, down 17 percent from last year’s 8.3 final rating. That may be the lowest-rated Grammys in at least a decade, though the numbers could change when final ratings are released. Fast nationals measure timeslot...

Apparently USA Today doesn't like having its articles posted here, but this is the link: http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2008-01-31-ny-times_N.htm?csp=34

HAVANA - Acting President Raul Castro — not his older brother Fidel — was the top vote-getter in Cuban parliamentary elections, according to official results Wednesday. Bespectacled, camera shy and far less charismatic than Cuba's ailing long-time leader, the 76-year-old Raul received 99.4 percent of votes cast in the family's base of Santiago in eastern Cuba — a percentage point more than Fidel got. Both brothers easily won re-election to the rubber-stamp legislature known as the National Assembly of Popular Power, as did all of the 614 candidates presented to the island's 8.4 million voters on Jan. 20. The unopposed...

HAVANA (AFP) - Cubans Sunday cast show-of-support votes for a new National Assembly which will choose the country's president amid doubts about whether ailing Fidel Castro will retake the reins of the only communist government in the Americas. Castro, who has been sidelined from power for nearly 18 months following major intestinal surgery, is among 614 uncontested candidates for the legislature, which will name 31 lawmakers to the Council of State led by the president. The election is free of surprises and choices. But the new assembly will be closely watched as it will name by March 5 a new...

HAVANA - Fidel Castro looked frail but alert and even playful in a series of official photographs taken during a meeting with Brazil's president on Tuesday, the first images of the ailing Cuban leader released in about three months. Wearing a tracksuit and tennis shoes that have become his trademark since he fell ill, Castro is seen seated and grinning, his beard well-trimmed and his hair combed as he talks with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In some images, Castro is seen pretending to snap pictures with a camera. The pictures were given to reporters as Brazil's leader left...

Last Updated: Friday, 28 December 2007, 23:14 GMT Castro again hints at retirement Acting leader Raul Castro sat next to his brother's empty seat Cuba's ailing President, Fidel Castro, has for the second time this month alluded publicly to the possibility of retiring from office. In a letter read out to Cuba's National Assembly, he said in the past he had been a person who "clung" to power, but that life had changed his perspective. Mr Castro also urged people to support his brother, acting leader Raul Castro. Last week, the 81-year-old communist leader wrote that he had a duty...

Last Updated: Tuesday, 25 December 2007, 12:00 GMT Castro 'well enough for election' Raul Castro has been acting president since July 2006 The health of Cuban President Fidel Castro is good enough for him to be a candidate in next month's parliamentary elections, his brother Raul has said. Raul Castro said Fidel was exercising two hours daily and putting on weight. Fidel Castro handed over power temporarily to Raul in July 2006 when he underwent intestinal surgery. Communist leaders back Fidel Castro's decision to run for parliament, a prerequisite to remaining president, his younger brother said. 'Powerful mind'Last week Fidel...

hen Tom Brokaw, an old-time mainstream media figure in his own right, says he thinks print newspapers won’t be around in 10 years, that’s probably not a good sign for the industry. The former NBC “Nightly News” anchor appeared at the Sixth & I Synagogue in Washington, D.C. on November 19 to promote his new book..Brokaw said he envisioned a major newspaper going completely digital in 10 years. “I was at The Washington Post earlier today,” Brokaw said. “And in the lobby they’ve got a wonderful graphic describing how the printing press works and where it is … 75,000 copies...

NEW YORK, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday cut its ratings on Belo Corp (BLC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) into junk territory, and said it may cut them again, citing the newspaper publisher's limited ability to improve free cash flow in a challenging environment for newspapers. Belo's use of a bank facility with a material adverse change (MAC) clause to pay out a maturing bond issue is also consistent with a junk-rated company, Moody's said in a statement. Moody's cut Belo's senior unsecured debt one notch to "Ba1," one level below investment grade, from "Baa3." "The long-term ratings...

Castro Makes Rare Live Appearance AP Posted: 2007-10-14 21:35:34 Filed Under: World News HAVANA (Oct. 14) - Fidel Castro made his first live appearance on Cuban airwaves since falling ill 14 months ago, sounding lucid and in good humor as he exchanged praise and jokes Sunday with the Venezuelan president. Juventud Rebelde / AP Cuban President Fidel Castro, right, shakes hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a meeting in Havana, Cuba, on Saturday. Castro's telephone call to a television and radio program came minutes after visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez aired a new videotape of their weekend meeting in...

Will Pinch Sulzberger Lose The New York Times? Monday , October 01, 2007 By Thomas Lifson Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., known all but universally as "Pinch", may well be the last member of the Sulzberger/Ochs family to run the world-famous newspaper company. He is trapped in a financial and competitive trap of his own making, and may have to rely on new money coming into the company at the price of relinquishing his managerial power. Christopher Alleva already explained last week that the incredible shrinking equity resulting from the combination of high dividends and low profits is already raising questions...

The barosaurus did not see the meteor hit. That's because he was at a watering hole on Tucker Boulevard. But even from inside the saloon, he could hear it. Kaboom! It was like thunder. The glasses on the bar shook. A little beer slopped out of the glass that the bartender had put in front of the barosaurus. "Hey, Athena. I ought to get a free beer," said the barosaurus. "Hahaha." Later, the barosaurus went back to the newspaper. From a fifth-floor window, he could not see the actual point of impact, but a dust cloud was visible, rising slowly...

Fidel Castro is terminally ill but is determined to survive until President George W.Bush leaves the White House, as the Cuban dictator made his first television appearance in three months. The 81-year-old gave an hour long interview in a bid to debunk rumours that he is already dead. Appearing alert but tired he said simply: “Well, here I am.” He added: “Nobody knows the day they are going to die.” But Castro’s son Antonio has revealed that his father will not recover from the illness which caused him to undergo surgery this summer, according to a new biography. The new...

The highly anticipated book on Fidel Castro from one of the preeminent authorities on Cuban and Miami politics and CBS' correspondent on Castro, Ann Louise Bardach, WITHOUT FIDEL: The Death of Castro and Other Tales (Scribner) confirms for first time that the Cuban leader is terminally ill and dying -- yet determined to outlive the Bush presidency. An excerpt of the book reveals: "A few weeks after Fidel Castro's surgery, his son, Antonio Castro, an orthopedic surgeon and the doctor for Cuba's national baseball team, was more forthcoming with some of his foreign counterparts at an international baseball event. Asked...

HAVANA, Cuba (AP) -- Fidel Castro looked alert and healthier in a video taped Friday, the first images released of the ailing 81-year-old leader in more than three months. In the video aired unexpectedly on Cuban state television Friday evening, Castro spoke slowly and softly and didn't always look the interviewer in the eye. But he appeared to be thinking clearly. Officials broke into regularly scheduled programming only minutes earlier to announce that an hour-long "conversation" with Castro would be shown.

Down on the ranch, the talk among the cattle hands is that help is on its way. And it could not come sooner for Cuba's state-owned agriculture, where production has slumped for years and weeds are taking over unused fields. Roasting a pig over a fire amid the dust and flies, ranch manager Manolo sips rum and gazes out over the pastures of the farming cooperative where he has worked for a decade. "A year ago I sold 22 head of cattle to the state for 18,000 pesos. This year the same number brought more than 60,000," he said. That...

HAVANA (AFP) — There is no reason to believe that Cuban President Fidel Castro's life is in danger as he convalesces, Culture Minister Abel Prieto said late Friday. The statement came amid a wave of rumors, especially among the Cuban-American community in Florida, that Cuba's long-time communist leader, who has not been seen in public since undergoing surgery over a year ago, is either dead or on his deathbed. "I have no element that leads me to believe that the life of Fidel is in danger," Prieto told reporters during the presentation of a book on Castro's speeches on the...

Hillary Rodham Clinton got a boost yesterday from an unwanted source - Fidel Castro. A column purportedly written by the badly ailing Cuban dictator said that Clinton would likely win the presidency in 2008, with Barack Obama as her running mate. "The word today is that an apparently unbeatable ticket could be Hillary for president and Obama as her running mate," Castro wrote in a piece about U.S. presidents published by the Communist Party newspaper Granma. Meanwhile, Castro offered a favorable assessment of only one of the 10 men who have been president during his regime - Jimmy Carter. "I...

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...

Rumors about the death of Cuban President, Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, are nothing new and have circulated many times before, but many Cuban exiles in Miami believe this one is for real. With no word from Fidel Castro on his birthday (August 13), speculation about his “departure” have increased. If Castro is not already dead, it is probably safe to say that, from a political point of view, he longer exists. Fidel transferred his presidential powers to his brother (and successor) Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz earlier this year (although this happened provisionally in July 2006), while receiving surgery to repair...

(CBS4) "Fidel Castro will never die!" Castro’s friend and ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sent greetings to Cuba’s ailing leader during an address Saturday to thousands of supporters. "For those who want Fidel to die, they are going to end up frustrated because Fidel Castro will never die. He will always live on," Chavez said. Though much remains unknown about the state of Castro's health, Chavez has frequently offered general updates since the Cuban leader announced more than a year ago that he had undergone intestinal surgery and was provisionally ceding power to his younger brother Raul. Since then, Castro,...

Raúl Castro has started to make cautious changes in Cuba which could signal plans for political and economic reform. Since he took over from his brother Fidel, dozens of dissidents have been released, an olive branch has been extended to Washington and there is talk of easing communist controls on property and agricultural production. Three political prisoners have been freed in the past fortnight, the latest being Armando Betancourt Reina, a journalist jailed for 15 months after reporting on the eviction of a family in Camagüey. Analysts said Raúl, 76, who has been acting president since illness forced his brother...

http://www.flickr.com/gp/82571539@N00/K43233 Just took these photos in Miami...breaking.

Upcoming cover, just leaked from one of my sources in the main stream media -- I can't tell you who as she would probably lose her job.

The rumors heated up again Friday for the third week in a row: Fidel Castro's death would be announced, first at 2 p.m., then at 4, then at 5. In the year since the Cuban government announced Castro had ceded power to brother Raúl following intestinal surgery, rumors he's on his deathbed keep boiling over and dying down, creating a roller coaster of emotion for exiles and islanders. Tearful callers told Ninoska Pérez of Radio Mambí they were sure this was it, and Pérez, as usual, said, ``The moment will come, but this is not the moment.'' At Aaction Home...

The networks are preparing for death of Fidel Castro. Writers, producers and most telling, union engineers and tape editors on expensive overtime stayed late at one network in NY tonight, updating Castro's obit tape. In addition, both network owned and leased satellite uplink trucks headed for Miami fast tonight after covering the Lisa Nowak arraignment in Orlando. My Tampa-based Bay of Pigs survivors (after miscalling Fidel's death last week) are withholding data until confirmed. Right now, it's all rumors,.... but.... -30-

My cellphone has not stopped ringing for the past ten minutes. Various sources inform that an announcement will come within the next few minutes from the Cuban government on Cuban TV and media. Stay tuned and we'll see if we've been manipulated once again or if today is the birth date of Cuba's liberty. Update: Here's the deal and what I know up to now, as of 1500 hours, August 24, 2007: First, South Florida Law Enforcement is on alert. An EOC (Emergency Operations Center) has been set-up and manned somewhere in Homestead. Im also told Local and State government...

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday Fidel Castro is "writing, and producing," denying rumors circulating on the Internet that the Cuban leader had died. Chavez, a close ally of Castro, has frequently provided information about the health of the ailing Communist leader who temporarily stepped aside after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery a year ago. "On the Internet rumors are circulating that Fidel Castro has died," Chavez said during his weekly Sunday broadcast. "Fidel is producing, he is writing." Chavez said he had spoken to Castro on his 81st birthday on Monday. Rumors had surfaced on Friday...

There's an strangely ominous post on celebrity news site PerezHilton.com tonight wondering aloud if Cuban dictator Fidel Castro has died. Mr. Hilton has piqued our interest — as intrepid night reporter noted, "He's never wrong!" (Well, at least when it comes to celebrities, anyhow.) Here's what he wrote: Is Castro Dead??? We are hearing very loud rumblings that Cuban dictator Fidel Castro has died, though it could be just a flare-up of the health rumors that have dogged the tyrant recently. No official confirmation yet, but we will be following this story closely. Post reporter Katie Rook spoke with Mr....

CAMAGUEY, Cuba (AP) - Cuba’s acting president Raul Castro recently stated that Cuba has avoided the collapse the U.S. predicted when his brother Fidel Castro fell ill a year ago, and signaled he was willing to talk with a new American administration after President Bush leaves power. Mr. Castro said the island suffered “a hard blow” when Fidel relinquished power last year, but he focused more on the future while addressing tens of thousands of loyalists recently celebrating Cuba’s Revolution Day. “These have truly been difficult moments, although with a diametrically different impact than that expected by our enemies, who...

Usually very reliable Tampa-based Bay of Pigs vets say Castro is dead. UNCONFIRMED! These are the people who tipped us so we had invasion story 2 days before it happend at the old WLCY in St. Pete. More when available.

Castro's End Draws Near Humberto Fontova Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007 Fidel Castro's 81st birthday passed on Aug. 13 without an appearance by the dictator, not even a snapshot or salutation from him in the official press, and with little fanfare from the regime. A small fireworks show on Havana's waterfront, El Malecon, was the highlight. "The Comandante will never appear again in public," said a Cuban student to Yolanda Martinez, Cuban correspondent for Mexico's newspaper, Reforma. "He has been an imposing figure, but his role at Cuba's head is over." The regime's succession plans seem to be operating smoothly. This...

HAVANA - Fireworks exploded over Havana Bay and five Cuban agents imprisoned in the United States sent greetings as ailing leader Fidel Castro turned 81 on Monday, spending his second consecutive birthday convalescing at an unknown location. There was no message from Castro, who has not appeared in public since announcing more than a year ago that he had undergone intestinal surgery and was provisionally ceding power to his younger brother Raul. The true state of his health and any future role for him in government remain uncertain. Hundreds of children from the Communist Pioneers youth group gathered Monday in...

Nuevo Accion, an online anti-castro newspaper is reporting that fidel castro is on his deathbed. The report claims that the moribund dictator is in a "terminal phase" of his illness and those closest to him are aware that he is in his final days despite the fact that doctors are trying to prolong his life. The report further states that fidel had been previously moved from the Cimeq hospital where had been staying to a government "protocol" house near the Spanish Ambassador's house because his official residence is a 2 story house and fidel had been in no condition to...

HAVANA - Fidel Castro said Wednesday that Cuba is "marching ahead" without him in power, insisting that he is consulted on all important decisions but giving no hint about when — or if — he might retake office after stepping down one year ago. But he was decidedly less optimistic about the island's chances of improving relations with the United States, writing in his latest newspaper essay that "no one should entertain the slightest illusion" Washington will negotiate with Cuba. Castro, who turns 81 this month, has not been seen in public since July 31, 2006, when he stunned Cuba...

HAVANA (Reuters) - Convalescing Cuban leader Fidel Castro has bowed out of Thursday's Revolution Day festivities, with his stand-in and brother, Raul Castro, to speak in his place, the government said on Wednesday. "Raul will speak tomorrow" blared a red banner headline of the Communist party newspaper Granma. The news was hardly a surprise to most Cubans and foreign observers as Fidel Castro has repeatedly failed to appear in public since undergoing the first of a series of intestinal operations a year ago. "We'll be waiting for him. If Fidel can't make it, who better than Raul to be here,"...

/begin my excerpt Kim Jong-il, a Total Package of Diseases [2007-07-23] Dr. K, a chief specialist at PLA Hospital in Shenyang, China, is the only Chinese national and ethnic Korean who was able to visit Pyongyang during the period when Kim's heart operation is said to have been performed. His grand uncle was one of the three medical doctors who were with Kim Il-sung at (Red Army's) 88th Brigade in Vyaskoye, Khabarovsk, fighting against Japanese. Due to this connection, he is said to have done some of medical treatments for "Kim Il-sung's pseudo-Dynasty." After his Pyongyang visit, he told...

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's National Assembly accused U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday of wanting to eliminate Fidel Castro, a day after Bush mused on the eventual death of the convalescing Cuban leader. "The Bush administration's conduct clearly shows its intention to continue employing execrable methods against Cuba," the assembly said in a resolution approved unanimously by the 527 deputies present at a meeting of the one-party state's parliament. The resolution was passed one day after Bush openly anticipated the death of the 80-year-old Castro, who has not been seen in public since health problems forced him to cede...