Here is an article where someone got caught with their hand in the Venezuelan treasury.
Thanks to The Source.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Life on Mars
According the great astronomer Hugo Chavez, pigs used to run around on Mars. He got that from theory from chief astronomer and astrophysicist Fidel Castro.
Here's the article.
I think they got their degrees off the wrapper of a Toronto!!
Thanks to The Source for this bit of hilarity.
Here's the article.
I think they got their degrees off the wrapper of a Toronto!!
Thanks to The Source for this bit of hilarity.
The Threat
Hugo has threatened to cut off oil to the US. Here is the article. All because Exxon Mobil has sought legal recourse from Chavez strong arming them out of the oil fields in Venezuela without proper remuneration for their investment.
Exxon Mobil has won a judgement to freeze $12 billion in assets of PDVSA, the Venezuelan national oil company.
This gives cause for Chavez to whine and point fingers at the bad U.S. of A. which is his biggest customer.
Exxon Mobil has won a judgement to freeze $12 billion in assets of PDVSA, the Venezuelan national oil company.
This gives cause for Chavez to whine and point fingers at the bad U.S. of A. which is his biggest customer.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Bring on the Guardia
I need to digress from blogging about Venezuela and share my frustrations with the US for just a post or two.
I went on a business trip for two days early this week. I flew out on Sunday and back home on Tuesday. It was the first time I'd flown since the tragedy on 9/11/2001. I'd heard the stories about the 3 ounce toiletry limits, so I was prepared in that regard. (Shaved the night before, bought sample size deodarant and toothepaste at the store, put them in a plastic baggy, etc.) But I wasn't aware of the other hoops I had to jump through until I got to the airport and joined my travelling companions at the check point.
We queue up in multiple lines, waiting for a TSA employee to check our boarding passes against our IDs, giving us the once over. (Kinda reminded me when I would go into Venezuela with my Venezuelan passport, and I'd get the once over from the Venezuelan immigration folks at La Guardia.)
That was the easy part. I follow along in line with everyone else, and the first thing odd that I noticed was that people were taking off their shoes!!! What?!?!?!?! This is nuts I thought. Glad I wore some slip ons. I also noticed that there were plastic bins that people were putting jackets and shoes and other loose items, so I followed suit. I put my jacket, and shoes in a bin, and put the bin and my laptop case and backpack (also with a laptop) on the conveyor belt.
Thinking I'm okay, I step through the metal detector only to be reminded that my cell phone needed to be scanned. So I put that on the conveyor belt, hoping I don't forget it. I step through the detector, nothing buzzes, and step back over to collect my belongings.
And the trouble ensues. A bigger, older gentleman bellows out asking whose bag this was, holding up my backpack. I claimed it, and was asked if there was a laptop in it. I said yes, and he chastised me for not taking the laptop out of the bag and putting it through separately. (Hey, if you could tell it was a laptop, why do I have to put it through separately?) Just as I was about to respond, another older gentleman (not so big, but with a bigger attitude) did held up my laptop case asking for the owner, to which I responded. He gave me the same shpeel about taking the laptop out, etc. and was rather condescending.
So now I have one guy who has my personal laptop and one guy who has my work laptop, and I'm trying to keep my eye on both of them. Work laptop goes through first, and all is well except for when I go to pick up the case, which was left unzipped, stuff fell out. I was a bit peeved about that.
The big dude who had my personal laptop waited until I had buttoned up my work computer and had put on my shoes and collected my other personal items. He then proceeded to ask me again if the backpack was my bag and explained that I was supposed to put the laptop through separate from the bag. He asked if I had two computers, and I said yes, one personal and one work. He then proceeded to put my personal laptop and backpack back through the xray machine. I collected both, put the laptop back in the backpack and was on my way, with a bit of attitude myself.
Coming back was equally annoying, but at least I had the procedure down. This time I had the laptops out in separate baskets, along with my other belongings in baskets. I made it through with out incident this time, but still none too happy. The odd thing was, at the airport I left from to come home, my boarding pass was checked twice: once before getting to the xray/metal detectors, and once after I walked through the metal detector. As if somehow I was going to morph into something else between those two points.
I thought of the many times I travelled in Venezuela on an airplane, and the many checks in the airport we would go through. First the Guardia would check your luggage that you were checking on the plane. Then, if you had a travel permit, you'd check in with DISIP. Then on the way out the door to board your plane, your carry-ons were checked. And finally, before you boarded the plane, you were frisked.
I used to think that was an annoyance. But my experience here was more annoying for some reason. Part of it was the attitude of the TSA employees. I'm sure they get a share of attitude back, but they seem to have a chip on their shoulder. I'd hate to stereotype them, but as a group don't appear to have a great degree of education, and seem to have an ax to grind with society and this is how they are going to get their ability to grind that ax.
And part of my annoyance was the fact that while the checking is more thorough, I could think of so many ways to get something through that wouldn't be checked. What's that saying? You can't see the forest for the trees? If someone were going to try something, don't you think they'd attempt something other than what has already been tried? (Shoe bomb, box cutters, etc.) But hey, that's just me.
My annoyance is that we've put these extra checks in place, but probably to no avail. A big waste of taxpayer money and taxpayer time.
I'm not saying something shouldn't be done, just that those in power should be thinking one step AHEAD of those who want to attack us, not one step BEHIND them.
I'm glad I don't travel often for business. I'm sure I'd get used to the annoyance, but it would take some time.
Funny thing is, my wife took the test to work for the TSA and she didn't pass. We're thinking that she was too smart to work for the TSA. :-)
I went on a business trip for two days early this week. I flew out on Sunday and back home on Tuesday. It was the first time I'd flown since the tragedy on 9/11/2001. I'd heard the stories about the 3 ounce toiletry limits, so I was prepared in that regard. (Shaved the night before, bought sample size deodarant and toothepaste at the store, put them in a plastic baggy, etc.) But I wasn't aware of the other hoops I had to jump through until I got to the airport and joined my travelling companions at the check point.
We queue up in multiple lines, waiting for a TSA employee to check our boarding passes against our IDs, giving us the once over. (Kinda reminded me when I would go into Venezuela with my Venezuelan passport, and I'd get the once over from the Venezuelan immigration folks at La Guardia.)
That was the easy part. I follow along in line with everyone else, and the first thing odd that I noticed was that people were taking off their shoes!!! What?!?!?!?! This is nuts I thought. Glad I wore some slip ons. I also noticed that there were plastic bins that people were putting jackets and shoes and other loose items, so I followed suit. I put my jacket, and shoes in a bin, and put the bin and my laptop case and backpack (also with a laptop) on the conveyor belt.
Thinking I'm okay, I step through the metal detector only to be reminded that my cell phone needed to be scanned. So I put that on the conveyor belt, hoping I don't forget it. I step through the detector, nothing buzzes, and step back over to collect my belongings.
And the trouble ensues. A bigger, older gentleman bellows out asking whose bag this was, holding up my backpack. I claimed it, and was asked if there was a laptop in it. I said yes, and he chastised me for not taking the laptop out of the bag and putting it through separately. (Hey, if you could tell it was a laptop, why do I have to put it through separately?) Just as I was about to respond, another older gentleman (not so big, but with a bigger attitude) did held up my laptop case asking for the owner, to which I responded. He gave me the same shpeel about taking the laptop out, etc. and was rather condescending.
So now I have one guy who has my personal laptop and one guy who has my work laptop, and I'm trying to keep my eye on both of them. Work laptop goes through first, and all is well except for when I go to pick up the case, which was left unzipped, stuff fell out. I was a bit peeved about that.
The big dude who had my personal laptop waited until I had buttoned up my work computer and had put on my shoes and collected my other personal items. He then proceeded to ask me again if the backpack was my bag and explained that I was supposed to put the laptop through separate from the bag. He asked if I had two computers, and I said yes, one personal and one work. He then proceeded to put my personal laptop and backpack back through the xray machine. I collected both, put the laptop back in the backpack and was on my way, with a bit of attitude myself.
Coming back was equally annoying, but at least I had the procedure down. This time I had the laptops out in separate baskets, along with my other belongings in baskets. I made it through with out incident this time, but still none too happy. The odd thing was, at the airport I left from to come home, my boarding pass was checked twice: once before getting to the xray/metal detectors, and once after I walked through the metal detector. As if somehow I was going to morph into something else between those two points.
I thought of the many times I travelled in Venezuela on an airplane, and the many checks in the airport we would go through. First the Guardia would check your luggage that you were checking on the plane. Then, if you had a travel permit, you'd check in with DISIP. Then on the way out the door to board your plane, your carry-ons were checked. And finally, before you boarded the plane, you were frisked.
I used to think that was an annoyance. But my experience here was more annoying for some reason. Part of it was the attitude of the TSA employees. I'm sure they get a share of attitude back, but they seem to have a chip on their shoulder. I'd hate to stereotype them, but as a group don't appear to have a great degree of education, and seem to have an ax to grind with society and this is how they are going to get their ability to grind that ax.
And part of my annoyance was the fact that while the checking is more thorough, I could think of so many ways to get something through that wouldn't be checked. What's that saying? You can't see the forest for the trees? If someone were going to try something, don't you think they'd attempt something other than what has already been tried? (Shoe bomb, box cutters, etc.) But hey, that's just me.
My annoyance is that we've put these extra checks in place, but probably to no avail. A big waste of taxpayer money and taxpayer time.
I'm not saying something shouldn't be done, just that those in power should be thinking one step AHEAD of those who want to attack us, not one step BEHIND them.
I'm glad I don't travel often for business. I'm sure I'd get used to the annoyance, but it would take some time.
Funny thing is, my wife took the test to work for the TSA and she didn't pass. We're thinking that she was too smart to work for the TSA. :-)
Friday, January 25, 2008
Chavez' Popularity Slipping
Here's a blog entry and article about the goings on in the barrios of Caracas.
Not the intro paragraph where it is noted that Chavez overall popularity is on the decline, and the opposition now outnumbers the Chavistas.
The article speaks for itself.
Not the intro paragraph where it is noted that Chavez overall popularity is on the decline, and the opposition now outnumbers the Chavistas.
The article speaks for itself.
Desperate Times...
Call for desperate measures. And in Chavez' case, he must truly be desperate.
Here is an article from the AP where Chavez accuses Colombia and the US of conspiring against him.
Funny that he accuses Colombia of aggression when he sought to undermine Colombian President Uribe with his negotiation antics with the FARC. Getting only egg on his face with that situation, he is acting like a cry baby and playing the imperialism card again.
No wonder he lost the last referendum. He's losing his fan base, because all he just a bag of hot air. Sure, in the beginning the anti-US talk resonated with a vast majority of his supporters. There has generally been an anti-American sentiment in Venezuela among the poor and lower middle-class since I can remember. Chavez fed on that resentment to gain support, and to feed his ego.
Since that time, while some people have gained the benefit of petrol dollars (which are dwindling as previously sited on this blog), he hasn't done much to address the core problems faced by Venezuela: crime, corruption, and lack of work. People can only last so long on vapor ware before becoming disheartened.
So he goes back to the well this time, citing 'intelligence' reports that the US and Colombia are out to get him, in an attempt to whip the faithful back into a frenzy. Something tells me, his message won't be as well received as time goes on without tangible headway made against food shortages, crime, and general infrastructure issues in the country.
Here is an article from the AP where Chavez accuses Colombia and the US of conspiring against him.
Funny that he accuses Colombia of aggression when he sought to undermine Colombian President Uribe with his negotiation antics with the FARC. Getting only egg on his face with that situation, he is acting like a cry baby and playing the imperialism card again.
No wonder he lost the last referendum. He's losing his fan base, because all he just a bag of hot air. Sure, in the beginning the anti-US talk resonated with a vast majority of his supporters. There has generally been an anti-American sentiment in Venezuela among the poor and lower middle-class since I can remember. Chavez fed on that resentment to gain support, and to feed his ego.
Since that time, while some people have gained the benefit of petrol dollars (which are dwindling as previously sited on this blog), he hasn't done much to address the core problems faced by Venezuela: crime, corruption, and lack of work. People can only last so long on vapor ware before becoming disheartened.
So he goes back to the well this time, citing 'intelligence' reports that the US and Colombia are out to get him, in an attempt to whip the faithful back into a frenzy. Something tells me, his message won't be as well received as time goes on without tangible headway made against food shortages, crime, and general infrastructure issues in the country.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
He Did It
Found this on Drudge Report.
Chavez followed through and confiscated food from a private company. 27 trucks from Polar were stopped and the contents confiscated. Chances are these weren't beer trucks but harina pan, and other food stuffs.
With reports out that Venezuela is reaching an economic crisis, and the government is running out of money, one wonders if this isn't just another way that Chavez is using to 'procure' goods for his state funded food stores.
It's convenient that the excuse for confiscating the goods bound for western Venezuelauy was smuggling to Colombia, and the confiscation of food stuffs in eastern Venezuela was hoarding. (Probably not much smuggling going on with Guyana, thus another excuse has to be given.)
And the number of trucks is curious as well: 27 trucks, 500 tons of food. I bet that Polar sent more trucks than 27. If you suspect someone of smuggling, wouldn't you shut them down completely? Sounds to me like those 27 trucks were the price of Polar doing business.
What I don't understand is that if Chavez really wants to open the floodgates of food, negotiate with the private companies. Buy in bulk to lower the wholesale price and you can sell it cheaper in the government run food stores and not hurt the rest of citizens who shop in regular super markets. I'm sure Polar would be willing to work something out, as long as they wouldn't have to sell at a loss, which is what the government is trying to make them do. Chavez blames the black market for food shortages, while his own economic policies are creating the black market.
Chavez followed through and confiscated food from a private company. 27 trucks from Polar were stopped and the contents confiscated. Chances are these weren't beer trucks but harina pan, and other food stuffs.
With reports out that Venezuela is reaching an economic crisis, and the government is running out of money, one wonders if this isn't just another way that Chavez is using to 'procure' goods for his state funded food stores.
It's convenient that the excuse for confiscating the goods bound for western Venezuelauy was smuggling to Colombia, and the confiscation of food stuffs in eastern Venezuela was hoarding. (Probably not much smuggling going on with Guyana, thus another excuse has to be given.)
And the number of trucks is curious as well: 27 trucks, 500 tons of food. I bet that Polar sent more trucks than 27. If you suspect someone of smuggling, wouldn't you shut them down completely? Sounds to me like those 27 trucks were the price of Polar doing business.
What I don't understand is that if Chavez really wants to open the floodgates of food, negotiate with the private companies. Buy in bulk to lower the wholesale price and you can sell it cheaper in the government run food stores and not hurt the rest of citizens who shop in regular super markets. I'm sure Polar would be willing to work something out, as long as they wouldn't have to sell at a loss, which is what the government is trying to make them do. Chavez blames the black market for food shortages, while his own economic policies are creating the black market.
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