Fidel turns 81, amidst worsening health rumors

Cuban leader Fidel Castro turned 81 years of age on August 13. However, according to news report out of Cuba there was no appearance by Castro. This has given rise to new speculation that Castro who took ill shortly before his 80^th birthday last year, and at that time handed over the reigns of the Cuban government to Raul, his brother, is in failing health. Although there were celebratory fireworks in Havana to celebrate Castro’s birthday, no new pictures of his appeared in the newspapers.

The rumors about Castro’s failing health has escalated over recent days, especially as since last week his regular column “Reflections by the Commander in Chief” published regularly since March has not been published, and also last week he failed to call in, as he usually does, to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s weekly TV show in Venezuela.

There are reports that an influential Mexican newspaper, Reforma, reported Monday that Castro had several surgeries in the past few weeks to stave off a potentially fatal blood infection, had loss a lot of weight and did not want to receive visitors.

Senior Bush advisor, Karl Rove resigns

One of President Bush’s most trusted aides, and master political campaign strategist, Carl Rove announced on Monday that he will be resigning from the Bush administration at the end of August. The formal announcement of the resignation was made by Bush, with Rove at his side, on the lawns of the White House.

Rove’s departure is regarded by some national political pundits as a major loss for the president, at a time when his rating has been fallen, while facing hostile opposition from the Democratic-led Congress, and the unpopular war in Iraq rages.

Rove helped Bush to win the governorship of Texas, and 10 years ago joined Bush in winning the presidential election on two occasions in 2000 and 2004. In making his announcement, Rove said it was time to start thinking about the next chapter in his and his family’s lives.

Although Rove masterminded Bush to two close presidential victories, he also is believed to have steered the Republicans to losing the 2006 general elections, which he expressed confidence in that party winning. Some Republicans also blame Rove for many of the political problems that the president has incurred.

AIDS growth slows in Zimbabwe

Southern Africa has gained infamy over the past decade for the rapid growth in HIV and AIDS cases, causing countries in that continent some of the worst epidemics in the world. However, one African country, Zimbabwe, is reported to be reversing that trend.

According to recent estimates by the Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS, 1.5 million Zimbabwean adults were living with HIV in 2005, down from 1.6 million in 2003. In other countries in Southern Africa, reported as having one third of the world’s HIV cases, the number of HIV cases either rose slightly or remained the same.

Some Zimbabweans have contributed the improvement in HIV cases to a generational shift toward more responsible sexual practices, with less casual sex and increased condom use among the youth. However, others contribute the decline to frequent death among infected people, reported as 3,000 weekly, and according to UN figures as 600,000 from 2004 to 2006. Antiretroviral drugs are either unaffordable or unavailable in Zimbabwe, as in other South African countries.

Florida ranks low in allocation of food stamps for poor

Despite having a high percentage of its population living below the poverty level, especially in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward counties, the state ranked the 12^th worst in the United States pertaining to the allocation of food stamps up to 2004.

According to a study conducted by the National Priorities Project, only 43 percent of the state’s low income residents are receiving food stamps. Palm Beach and Broward counties ranked as the sixth and seventh worst counties with a population of over one million in the nation. According to the study 29.6 percent of low income residents in Palm Beach are getting food stamps and 32.2 percent of the residents in Broward.

However the low income residents of Miami-Dade County fared better with 55.7 percent of that county’s low income residents receiving food stamps, placing the county in 30th place among the large counties that receive food stamps nationwide.

The study indicates that 50.2 percent of the nation’s poor received food stamps in 2004, with the District of Colombia (Washington D.C.) ranked highest in distributing food stamps, to 71.8 percent of its poor.

The food stamp program which commenced in 1964, and run by the Department of Agriculture is the federal government’s largest food and nutrition programs. According to the study the program cost $28.6 billion and served, overall, 23.2 million people in 2004.