On August 13th Fidel Castro’s birthday came and went with precious few salutations from his "friends." Cuba’s captive (literally!) and normally boastful media scrambled frantically but could only report three birthday salutations from heads-of-state or celebrities to the ailing and moribund Stalinist: presidents Viktor Yanukovich of the Ukraine, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua --not exactly A-listers.

In fairness, Castro’s famous American friends mostly hailed from Hollywood, Manhattan and Washington D.C., notoriously the capitols of fair-weather-friendships. “If you want a friend in Washington,” said Harry Truman, “get a dog.”

But back in January 1996 Fidel Castro’s visit to New York, New York saw him hailed as “King of the Hill, Top of the List, Head of the Heap!”—and then some.

Sin novedad for regular Babalu readers, but our friends at Townhall insist on disseminating items of little interest outside Miami-Dade.

And, of course you knew we wouldn't forget Old Blue Eyes' classic.