CNN/Reuters: Report: Cuba's Castro worth a cool $900M

[DeepModem Mom]

Report: Cuba's Castro worth a cool $900M
Fortunes of dictator estimated at nearly twice that of Queen Elizabeth II in annual ranking of 'Kings, Queens & Dictators.'
May 4, 2006

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cuban President Fidel Castro was furious when Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at $550 million last year. This year, the magazine upped its estimate of the communist leader's wealth to a cool $900 million.

Castro, who says his net worth is nil, is likely the beneficiary of up to $900 million, based on his control of state-owned companies, the U.S. financial magazine said in its annual tally of "Kings, Queens & Dictators" fortunes Thursday.

Kings and sheikhs of the oil-rich Gulf Arab states still top the Forbes list, to be published in its May 22 edition.

Saudi King Abdullah is number one with an estimated $21 billion, followed by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei at $20 billion and United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan at $19 billion....

***

Perhaps the most industrious of the leaders listed is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, with a net worth of $14 billion....

http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/04/news/newsmakers/castro_forbes.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

[Endangered Specie]

1. Not exactly the meager leader of the proletariat eh?

:sarcasm: :eyes:

[bullimiami]

4. he sure dresses like a billionaire.

and the cars and jets and bling bling....

yup, forbes is right. he is a playa'

[saigon68]

25. HE HAS A BUNCH OF OLIVE DRAB GREEN FATIGUES

NOT WORTH A WHOLE LOT

[killbotfactory]

26. That's just how Castro rolls...

His car has tons of fancy hydrolics and shit, too.

[jobycom]

5. If I understand the article right, that's very misleading.

They are saying that since Castro is the head of state and therefore the head of the state-owned businesses, that he's worth $900 mil. It doesn't explain whether he has access to any of that, or whether that is the net worth of all state-owned businesses, or what. Weak article, obviously written to titilate rather than inform. As is all mainstream media output these days.

[Mika]

15. Forbes does this every year. Claiming that Castro owns Cuba.

What's more pathetic is that Americans believe it. :puke:

(Of course, Americans are travel banned by their own government from seeing and learning about Cuba for themselves. I wonder.. what percentage of Americans could find Cuba on a map?)

[alcibiades_mystery]

35. Anyone who takes Forbes seriously on this is an imbecile

It's really that simple.

Well, an imbecile, and rabid ideologue, or a future investor at the Varradero MGM Grand. Those are the only three categories for that kind of stupid.

[Mika]

37. IOW, a Cubaphobe.

:hi:


Cubaphobe talking points..

Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that
this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that Castro did this Castro did that

[IndianaGreen]

6. Really? Where is the evidence that Forbes claims to have?

This is more rightwing bullshit from a rightwing magazine.

[cantstandbush]

39. So what? Ken Lay and other crooks are/were worth more than that

and they never had to run a nation.

[radwriter0555]

40. There isn't one single definitive specific fact indicating he's actually

amassed any personal wealth whatsoever.

[Mika]

43. Facts? Who needs stinkin' facts when discussing Cuba or Castro?

Castro eats babies.

:sarcasm:

[radwriter0555]

44. And, rumor is.... he's a COMMUNIST!

But you know, that's just what I heard.

[Canuckistanian]

2. The neocons should hail him as an agressive capitalist

He's got more money than Cheney.

[DS1]

3. Whether or not Castro was pissed about this reporting

900 million, next to the rest of the 1%, is play money.

[Skink]

7. He could finance Iraq for 1.3 seconds.

If he so choosed.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

31. You're not buying that crap, are you?

[Judi Lynn]

8. Miami "exiles" have tried this stunt before, over the years.

Anyone who takes the time to read the article notes they based their claim on their assertion he controls the wealth of Cuba's state-owned companies.

By this token, they'd also have to claim Hugo Chavez is a multi-billionaire, as he has a certain amount of authority on Venezuela's state-owned companies, as well.

Makes good propaganda for idiots, doesn't bear up to actual facts.

Fidel Castro gave ownership of his family's plantations to Cuba as soon as the new government was created. His were the first properties given to Cuba. He owns NO lavish estates anywhere.

The previous President, the dictator Fulgencio Batista and his horde relieved Cuba of much of its National Treasury on their way out of Cuba. They stole much of Cuba's wealth before fleeing to live in Spain and Florida and other areas around the world.

It's unadulterated garbage. It's been done to death in other years, and the Miami "exiles" are the ones who periodically float this yarn.

Forbes should be more professional.

[daleo]

9. Forbes can make up whatever it likes

If "control of state owned companies" is the same as riches, then Bushco are trillionaires (I consider Bush's control of the military as equivalent to controlling one huge state owned company, the way he has ran the White House).

[Rex]

10. And yet Bill Gates beats em all

Corporate America beats royalty. Haha!

[struggle4progress]

11. Typical billionaire! Here he is meeting with Malcolm X:

[oscar111]

12. moved to another thread by author

moved

[killbotfactory]

13. Yeah, he rolls like a playa

It's hard to get a clear picture of him from all the blingbling.

[Judi Lynn]

14. You can see him coming a mile away, right? Too gaudy, in that

green military suit, for sure!

Here's a stunt pulled a long time ago trying to discredit the guy in the eyes of Cubans, cooked up by some psy ops mental giants, from a program named "Operation Mongoose:"

TIM WEINER, "Documents Show Pentagon's Anti-Castro Plots During Kennedy Years," New York Times, November 19, 1997

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon offered President John F. Kennedy an extraordinary variety of dirty tricks intended to sabotage Fidel Castro, newly declassified documents show.

These plans ranged from sophomoric pranks, like faking a picture of a fat and debauched Castro to destroy the Cuban leader's image, to murderous plots, including sinking a boatload of Cuban refugees as a phony pretext for a U.S. military invasion.

The plans were dreamed up in concert with the concerted effort, code-named Operation Mongoose and spurred by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, to get rid of Castro by any means necessary.

A sample comes from a March 1, 1962, Army memorandum entitled "Possible Actions to Provoke, Harass or Disrupt Cuba," one among some 1,500 pages of once-secret documents released Tuesday by the Assassination Records Review Board, a federal panel which by law can release government records related to President Kennedy's assassination.
(snip)

Then there was Operation Good Times. That involved sowing Cuba with faked photos of "an obese Castro" with two voluptuous women in a lavishly furnished room "and a table brimming over with the most delectable Cuban food." The faked photo would be captioned "my ration is different."
(snip)

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/kencast.htm

[robcon]

16. I think Castro could have done better...

After 46 years as the "dear leader" with all his opponents dead or imprisoned, and his successor in the dynasty announced (Raul Castro), he could have taken a lot more money than $900 million.

[Mika]

17. You need a bigger shovel.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

30. You took that story hook, line, and sinker, didn't you? Pretty sad, IMHO.

[JCMach1]

18. I know for fact Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan is worth more than 19b

His personal income is in the neighborhood of 7-9 billion per year! Forbes has been smoking some...

The truth is even more obscene than the reality glimpsed at by Forbes.

[bigworld]

19. By Forbes' measure, then, since the Queen

is head of state, she "controls" the assets of all the British government owned entities? Somehow I think Forbes is fudging.

[SOS]

20. Whenever you need unbiased information on Fidel Castro

check Forbes magazine and CNN.

:eyes:

[Minstrel Boy]

21. based on the value of state-owned industries

But leave it to Forbes to tell the truth about Cuba. :eyes:

[Judi Lynn]

22. Anyone who saw the Oliver Stone interview which was broadcast on HBO

might remember the shots of his very austere office, with absolutely NO expensive appointments whatsoever. NONE. It was a little unsettling, as it was so damned plain, almost like a room in an older school in the U.S. It was startlingly unadorned.

When I saw the "limosine" he uses, in the film, I recalled hearing a lot of noise some Miami "exiles" tried to make on the internet, claiming that he uses a "Mercedes limosine." They neglected to mention it is almost an antique: very shop worn and years and years old. OLD.

It never seems to bother these propagandists when people find out they're spreading lies. I guess their objective is to catch the dull, and slow ones off guard, the ones who can't be bothered to think things over, or do research. They're always good as an emotional lynch mob to support any right-wing assault on a poor Latin American country in order to install another U.S.-favoring military dictatorship.

On edit: I found some photos of the limosine and the office:



Looking at his chair and desk, I see it's more worn and beaten up than I could see in the film. Yikes.

[Blue_Tires]

23. wow....he's rich?

maybe he'll get some love from Forbes and the WSJ from now on, lol....heads must be exploding in their newsrooms

[confludemocrat]

24. I'll believe Fidel before I believe Forbes. As if he risked all for big $s

come on who's buying this BS?

[Billy Burnett]

27. Then this makes Castro the most generous man in the world!

If Fidel owns the Cuban state infrastructure (as Forbes claims in evaluating his "assets") then that makes Castro the most generous man in the world!

If Forbes claim is the case, then that means that he provides world class education and provides world class health care for all 12,000,000 people in Cuba! On his own dime!

Who else donates so much personal wealth to so many people? No one that I know of.

(But we all know that Forbes if full of shit, but, I'm just saying... IF it were true.. :) )

[Mika]

28. Yes!! Very true, Billy.

I like the way you see it. :)

If we're going to use Forbes measuring stick, then stick it to them.


Of course, we both know that Forbes method of measure is bogus, but I still like your angle. :hi:

[Judi Lynn]

36. You'd think they'd be ashamed to make such a stupid claim, wouldn't you?

Apparently Forbes is starting to believe their readers will believe anything they tell them. Very premature. There will always be the odd person out there who will actually think over what he/she has read, who might point out the errors in their claims.

Hi, good to see you, Billy Burnett! :hi: :woohoo:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

29. This is total nonsense. I guess NeoCon ops against Cuba are....

...getting ramped up based on recent articles in the media.

What the hell is this story based on? Where's the documentation?

[Judi Lynn]

32. Every year there's a flurry of printed propaganda pieces,and it's cyclical

It's been a while since _Bush has refloated the charge of human trafficking, white slavery, etc., and tied it to Cuba, so that one might be next.

Or it could be time to float the one about Cuba creating dual use biological medicine which can also be used as weapons, as it's also been a while since he last floated that one.

He always waits a year or so until people forget the last time before he circulates them all over again. There were a couple they used to float, which never gained the credibility they wanted, which have been retired.

You may remember they (government psy-ops agents, like Lt. Col. Lansdale) started the attempts to discredit the guy a long time ago, in the 1960's, back when they tried to add drugs to his food which would make his beard fall out, tried to slip him a dive suit which was poisoned (someone substituted a clean one, and sabotaged the attempt), and floated any numbers of rumors over the years, hoping to finally strike it rich and concoct the ONE HUGE ACCUSATION which would cause Cuban people to lose respect for "El Comandante," and turn against him.

One failed claim which made the rounds in the last few years came from Miami, and that one was "Fidel Castro is illegitimate!" Apparently someone thought that one would really knock him for a loop, socially.

Of course, there is the continual ongoing claim that he is very, very sick. One day the last person who spread that rumor will appear to have hit the nail on the head, too!

In the meantime, people have "world class educations" and unique, unparalleled access to health care in Cuba, as Billy Burnett pointed out, people who were marginalized and ignored in the past, the huge source of unbelievably cheap labor providing profit for the super wealthy landowners who used their lives and physical energy like tissues.

_Bush's plan (and Cubans are very well aware of this) is to privatize Cuba's health services after the regime change he seeks. He and his vermin churning away in Florida International University on their 400 page "post-Castro program" have it all planned.

It would be great to see Cuba tell them what they can do with that plan.

[Mika]

33. Speaking of US ops against Cuba..

Possible Actions to Provoke, Harrass, or Disrupt Cuba

On February 2, 1962, Brig. Gen. William Craig sent this memo to Brig. Gen. Edward Lansdale, the commander of the Kennedy administration's Operation Mongoose. The document lists bizarre and ruthless plans to "provoke, harass, or disrupt" the government of Fidel Castro.

http://www.parascope.com/ds/articles/mongooseDoc2.htm

[Judi Lynn]

38. This is great! You've got the list.

You've also got the longer look at the truly stupid nasty trick they devised to use against Fidel :

11. Operation GOOD TIMES:

a. Objective: To disillusion the Cuban population with Castro image by distribution of fake photographic material.

b. Concept: Prepare a desired photograph, such as an obese Castro with two beauties in any situation desired, ostensibly within a room in the Castro residence, lavishly furnished, and a table briming over with the most delectable Cuban food with an underlying caption (appropriately Cuban) such as "My ration is different." Make as many prints as desired on sterile paper and then distribute over the countryside by air drops or agents. This should put even a Commie Dictator in the proper perspective with the underprivileged masses.
(snip)

How idiotic is THAT? Apparently they perceived the poor of Cuba in the 1960's as being knuckle-dragging, drooling idiots, who could even BELIEVE that crap. A fat, gluttenous Fidel Castro with multiple women, pigging out.

Only a right-winger could come up with something like that.

[alcibiades_mystery]

34. Complete nonsense propaganda from Forbes

Laughable.

[JackDragna]

41. In all fairness..

Castro could be rich beyond the dreams of avarice and still maintain a demur lifestyle to keep up his rhetoric of being a man of the people. He wouldn't be the first world leader to do so. That said, I'm not necessarily buying the story as telling the unadulterated truth.

[Vogon_Glory]

42. Thanks For Posting This

Thanks for posting this, even if I have my own doubts about "Steverino" Forbes' editorial policies.

I have my own definition of wealth--it's the stuff you own personally and personally control. If such a standard were applied to Mr. Beard, I suspect that the size of his "fortune" would drop like a stone--and well below the threshold of notice used by Forbes' editors.

I will give Castro a little credit. While I thoroughly disapprove of Castro's economic policies and believe that after he's gone, Cuba will spend decades recovering from the damage he did to Cuba's economy, Castro is far, far less financially corrupt than Fugencio Batista.