Cuba Photoshops Head of Castro onto Picture of Ali G--Claims He is Healthy

The Cuban propoganda machine reached an all-time low Monday morning, publishing a doctored photo of long-time dictator Fidel Castro after all attempts at persuading the public that their leader was on the road to recovery had failed. Castro's health has been steadily declining over the past several years due to a battle with terminal cancer. And while the actions of those behind the stunt were no doubt made with the people's best interests in mind, their efforts may have been a bit misguided.

"It was not an easy decision," commented government PR official Eduardo Batista, "but one we thought would ultimately benefit the morale of the Cuban people. Clearly, we underestimated the popularity of this 'Ali G,' and made a grave mistake."

Shortly after the release of the photograph, thousands of Ali G fans, recoginizing the picture as an altered still from a previous show, alerted the media to the obvious misrepresentation of the quirky comedian. Needless to say, the reaction of the Cuban people, and die-hard Ali G fans, has not been positive.

The photo shows an apparently thin and fit Castro shaking hands with Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. It was lifted from a sketch in which Ali G briefly met with dos Santos and expressed repeated amazement at the fact that the president of the African nation was black.