"Sometimes we miss the forest for the trees. Why would Castro pose for these shots, including pictures of him on the phone, when he could have just as easily have had someone film or tape him giving his birthday message? Why pose with a dated newspaper?"
Why not? Why would you pretend an 80 year old guy who is deathly ill in the hospital is alive when he isn't? There is no upside to pretending he's alive when he isn't. The conspiracy theory is far less credible than the non-conspiracy theory.
One would have to believe that Raul is quietly killing all of his possible political opponents before making the announcement. It's possible but much less likely than the obvious probability that Fidel is still alive. A video could have just as easily been pre-recorded as some photos.
Caption on CNN reads "Happy Birthday Fidel"...instead of the more journalistic "Castro turns 80". And they wonder why the MSM is called the liberal media.
Conspiracy theory? There is certainly an upside for brother Raul to delay the announcement of his brother's death so he can consolidate his control over the country. It is far better to drag it out so that the public is conditioned to the fact that Fidel is seriously ill and possibly dying. I am sure that Raul is concerned about the public reaction and the reaction of Cuban-Americans if they learned that Castro died suddenly. Also, there are also the pedestrian matters of arranging for the funeral and burial, which will involve many heads of state coming to the country. This will be a major PR event requiring lots of preparation and logistics.
I have never heard of an instance in a Communist state where the leader [read absolute dictator] formally and publicly passed the reins of power to someone else while he underwent an operation. Have you?
One would have to believe that Raul is quietly killing all of his possible political opponents before making the announcement. It's possible but much less likely than the obvious probability that Fidel is still alive. A video could have just as easily been pre-recorded as some photos.
I answered why Raul may be delaying the announcement. A video is not as easy to doctor and pose as still photos. I wonder if they would have included a newspaper in the video. To me, this whole show is just a case of the dog not barking. Castro and his ilk manage the media to stay in power. They are masters at it.