VIDEO: Citizens sighted a bright meteor in Puerto Rico - Metro
VIDEO: Ciudadanos avistan un brillante meteorito en Puerto Rico – Metro
[VIDEO] Ciudadanos avistan un brillante meteorito en la Isla
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Un brillante meteorito se vio sobre Puerto Rico a eso de las 10:40 de la noche del martes.
[VIDEO] Ciudadanos avistan un brillante meteorito en la Isla
www.metro.pr
Un brillante meteorito se vio sobre Puerto Rico a eso de las 10:40 de la noche del martes.
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Brillante Meteoro en Puerto Rico 3/05/2013 (SAC)
Published on Mar 5, 2013
Un brillante meteoro se vió sobre Puerto Rico a eso de las 10:40 pm del martes 5 de marzo del 2013. La Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribe (SAC) indicó que recibió reportes de personas que avistaron el enorme meteoro desde Hato Rey, Bayamón, Trujillo Alto, Ponce, San Sebastían, Aguadilla y Cabo Rojo, entre otros. La SAC indicó que se trató de un notable bólido, es decir un meteoro cuya brillantez supera a la de los planetas.
La entidad educativa confirmó que el bólido se desplazó de noreste a noroeste siendo en Aguadilla el lugar donde se observó más bajo o cerca de la superficie. Testigos del avistamiento coinciden en que el enorme meteoro lució con un brillante color verde. La SAC explicó que el color de un meteoro puede ayudar a identificar el material presente en una roca espacial e indicó que el verde es indicativo de que contiene nickel, un elemento muy común en los asteroides.
Visite www.SociedadAstronomia.com y Facebook.com/sociedad.astronomia
La entidad educativa confirmó que el bólido se desplazó de noreste a noroeste siendo en Aguadilla el lugar donde se observó más bajo o cerca de la superficie. Testigos del avistamiento coinciden en que el enorme meteoro lució con un brillante color verde. La SAC explicó que el color de un meteoro puede ayudar a identificar el material presente en una roca espacial e indicó que el verde es indicativo de que contiene nickel, un elemento muy común en los asteroides.
Visite www.SociedadAstronomia.com y Facebook.com/sociedad.astronomia
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La muerte del presidente Hugo Chávez, ocurrida el martes a causa de un cáncer, pone los ojos del mundo sobre nuestra vecina Venezuela, cuyos ciudadanos deberán elegir, en el apretado plazo de 30 días, un nuevo mandatario que surgirá de candidatos que todavía no están claramente identificados.$6,724.8 millones
ANTONIO QUIÑONES CALDERÓN“No hay chavos”, dicen los funcionarios del Estado al referirse al grave problema fiscal del Gobierno. No hay chavos para el mínimo de obras y servicios esenciales al pueblo, se laDiplo-macia
Cezanne Cardona MoralesLa escena pertenece a una de las películas más conmovedoras del cine puertorriqueño, y es una pena que los miembros de la Cámara de Representantes no la hayan visto. En un barrio p
Al parecer la nueva administración gubernamental del gobierno de Puerto Rico está movida por un modelo económico neoliberal, globalizado y de tendencia privatizadora. Este fue el mismo modelo utilizado por la pasada administración gubernamental de corte republicana.
El problema estriba en que no necesariamente las fuentes de efectividad se dan bajo la idea de que la empresa privada es mejor y más efectiva que el gobierno o cualquier entidad pública. Esta premisa se derrumba al descubrir que el mayor despilfarro de fondos públicos y federales se da a través de este modelo. El amiguismo, nepotismo, corrupción y la política partidista han sido los amigos de este sistema de dudosa reputación mundial.
El nuevo gobernador parece haber sido creado en el mismo molde neoliberal de su antecesor; los intereses personales de figuras cercanas han podido derrumbar cualquier idea económica liberal que existió o pudo brindar luz a la encrucijada económica actual.
Si el gobierno de puerto Rico continúa vendiendo y/o privatizando sus más preciados “assets” tendremos un serio problema los que nos quedemos viviendo aquí con nuestras familias; ya que los últimos gobernadores se han mudado a Estados Unidos luego de su incumbencia en La Fortaleza, demostrando poco interés en permanecer laborando en la isla.
La privatización como el único modelo económico para resolver la debacle económica de Puerto Rico ha probado ser similar al modelo incrementalista del sistema capitalista; no funciona como modelo de cambio positivo en la nueva economía del siglo XXI.
Apostemos pues a la agricultura del país, manufactura interna, corporaciones públicas, impuestos de consumo o ‘sales tax’ de 15% (eliminación de planillas para los que ganen $80 mil o menos) y un 10% de contribución a las compañías transnacionales, además de la flexibilización de las leyes de cabotaje.
Ricardo J. Blanco Guillermety
San Juan
El problema estriba en que no necesariamente las fuentes de efectividad se dan bajo la idea de que la empresa privada es mejor y más efectiva que el gobierno o cualquier entidad pública. Esta premisa se derrumba al descubrir que el mayor despilfarro de fondos públicos y federales se da a través de este modelo. El amiguismo, nepotismo, corrupción y la política partidista han sido los amigos de este sistema de dudosa reputación mundial.
El nuevo gobernador parece haber sido creado en el mismo molde neoliberal de su antecesor; los intereses personales de figuras cercanas han podido derrumbar cualquier idea económica liberal que existió o pudo brindar luz a la encrucijada económica actual.
Si el gobierno de puerto Rico continúa vendiendo y/o privatizando sus más preciados “assets” tendremos un serio problema los que nos quedemos viviendo aquí con nuestras familias; ya que los últimos gobernadores se han mudado a Estados Unidos luego de su incumbencia en La Fortaleza, demostrando poco interés en permanecer laborando en la isla.
La privatización como el único modelo económico para resolver la debacle económica de Puerto Rico ha probado ser similar al modelo incrementalista del sistema capitalista; no funciona como modelo de cambio positivo en la nueva economía del siglo XXI.
Apostemos pues a la agricultura del país, manufactura interna, corporaciones públicas, impuestos de consumo o ‘sales tax’ de 15% (eliminación de planillas para los que ganen $80 mil o menos) y un 10% de contribución a las compañías transnacionales, además de la flexibilización de las leyes de cabotaje.
Ricardo J. Blanco Guillermety
San Juan
Mis felicitaciones a El Nuevo Día por el magnífico trabajo de investigación sobre las finanzas de nuestros legisladores. Los datos que surgen le pone los pelos de punta a cualquier ciudadano honesto y responsable.
Sin entrar en otras violaciones de ley la manifiesta evasión contributiva de la mayoría de los legisladores es más que suficiente para que la secretaria de Hacienda, Melba Acosta, inicie el correspondiente procedimiento que estipula la ley para los evasores contributivos. Si la Secretaria de Hacienda no procede, entonces se convierte en encubridora de estos delincuentes.
Creo que ya es tiempo que se legisle y se establezca que será un delito el que los funcionarios públicos no cumplan con su deber ministerial. Acción Ciudadana debe endosar un proyecto con este propósito.
Fernando L. Monllor
Ponce
Sin entrar en otras violaciones de ley la manifiesta evasión contributiva de la mayoría de los legisladores es más que suficiente para que la secretaria de Hacienda, Melba Acosta, inicie el correspondiente procedimiento que estipula la ley para los evasores contributivos. Si la Secretaria de Hacienda no procede, entonces se convierte en encubridora de estos delincuentes.
Creo que ya es tiempo que se legisle y se establezca que será un delito el que los funcionarios públicos no cumplan con su deber ministerial. Acción Ciudadana debe endosar un proyecto con este propósito.
Fernando L. Monllor
Ponce
El sábado 2 de marzo El Nuevo Día publicó una noticia sobre la amenaza de suspender los monitoreos de calidad de agua en nuestras playas.
Estas labores las lleva a cabo la Junta de Calidad Ambiental (JCA) y a ellos me quiero dirigir para hacerles saber que las comunidades, los ciudadanos que somos usuarios o vivimos en las costas estamos dispuestos a realizar estas tareas libre de costo porque somos conscientes de la importancia de la calidad del agua en nuestras playas para proteger a los usuarios que disfrutamos de este recurso y las especies marinas que en nuestros mares habitan.
Le solicitamos a Wanda García, gerente del Área de la JCA, que nos capacite y ofrezca los equipos para hacer estas mediciones. En todas las playas hay ciudadanos que estamos dispuestos a hacer estas labores y a publicar los resultados de estos monitoreos.
Si el gobierno no puede realizar estas labores porque se acabaron los fondos federales, nosotros sí podemos, con mucha dedicación y entusiasmo.
Paco López Mújica
Arrecifes Pro Ciudad
Estas labores las lleva a cabo la Junta de Calidad Ambiental (JCA) y a ellos me quiero dirigir para hacerles saber que las comunidades, los ciudadanos que somos usuarios o vivimos en las costas estamos dispuestos a realizar estas tareas libre de costo porque somos conscientes de la importancia de la calidad del agua en nuestras playas para proteger a los usuarios que disfrutamos de este recurso y las especies marinas que en nuestros mares habitan.
Le solicitamos a Wanda García, gerente del Área de la JCA, que nos capacite y ofrezca los equipos para hacer estas mediciones. En todas las playas hay ciudadanos que estamos dispuestos a hacer estas labores y a publicar los resultados de estos monitoreos.
Si el gobierno no puede realizar estas labores porque se acabaron los fondos federales, nosotros sí podemos, con mucha dedicación y entusiasmo.
Paco López Mújica
Arrecifes Pro Ciudad
En la edición del 6 de marzo de El Nuevo Día citan a la secretaria de Hacienda, Melba Acosta, exhortando al público a que informen a la agencia sobre los posibles actos de evasión contributiva. Pues una vez termine con los “honorables” puede seguir con los profesionales que exigen pago en efectivo por sus servicios. Todos sabemos quiénes son y las razones por las cuáles se hace.
Y si es muy difícil rastrear el dinero, que promueva legislación para prohibir esa práctica. A ver si es en serio la cosa.
Aurelio Mercado-Irizarry
San Germánolvidan la carretera #10
La carretera #10, de Arecibo a Utuado, es una vía olvidada por los pasados 20 años. Da pena transitar por ella pues parece que se detuvo en el tiempo. Los hoyos son la orden del día y del asfalto ni se diga.
Para los alcaldes que han pasado por el pueblo de Arecibo tal parece que esa carretera no existe. Me consta que hay muchas personas que la utilizan diariamente porque viven en esa área.
El pasto llega hasta el asfalto y el mantenimiento es cero.
Edwin Medina
Arecibo
Y si es muy difícil rastrear el dinero, que promueva legislación para prohibir esa práctica. A ver si es en serio la cosa.
Aurelio Mercado-Irizarry
San Germánolvidan la carretera #10
La carretera #10, de Arecibo a Utuado, es una vía olvidada por los pasados 20 años. Da pena transitar por ella pues parece que se detuvo en el tiempo. Los hoyos son la orden del día y del asfalto ni se diga.
Para los alcaldes que han pasado por el pueblo de Arecibo tal parece que esa carretera no existe. Me consta que hay muchas personas que la utilizan diariamente porque viven en esa área.
El pasto llega hasta el asfalto y el mantenimiento es cero.
Edwin Medina
Arecibo
La expresión correcta es: Me dieron una taquilla gratis (no Me dieron una taquilla de gratis).
73
This post has been generated by Page2RSS
via Puerto Rico Report by KG on 3/4/13
Puerto Rico could lose more in Federal spending over the next nine and a half years than 40 States, the District of Columbia, and the other four territories of the United States under reductions in funding for most Federal programs that took effect March 1st.
The potential loss would be disproportionate in comparison to the U.S. territory’s population: Puerto Rico has more people than all but 21 States.
The cuts are mandated by an August 2011 Federal budget law compromise. But the “sequester” is really taking effect because Congress and the President have not agreed on how to reduce the Federal government’s budget deficit beyond the tax increases adopted this past New Year’s Day, which are expected to generate less revenue than required under the 2011 law.
When the President and Congress could not agree on spending cuts along with the tax increases January 1st, they delayed the 2011 law’s spending reductions until March 1, still hoping for an agreement.
One major reason for their hope was that the 2011 law’s cuts in defense spending are proportionately larger than the reductions for other programs, raising national security concerns.
Another reason for the hope was that program cuts will be one of five different percentages, depending on the type of program and not necessarily based on priority or the ability of programs to withstand cuts.
There are different cut percentages for: defense programs requiring annual funding by Congress; defense programs automatically funded on an annual basis; non-defense programs requiring annual, discretionary appropriations; non-defense programs that receive automatic funding; and Medicare.
The non-defense program reductions are a primary concern for Puerto Rico. These will reduce funding for Federal Fiscal Year 2013, which began October 1st, 2012, by an average between the annually appropriated and automatically funded programs of five percent. Because the reduction will all come out of funding for the last seven months of the fiscal year, the programs can have about nine percent less money for the seven months.
Puerto Rico will also feel the affects of the mandatory 2% accross-the-board cuts to Medicare and, to some extent, defense spending reductions.
The cuts continue through Fiscal Year 2022 — unless another budget agreement is reached.
Programs exempt from the sequester include many programs important to Puerto Rico: the Nutrition Assistance Program for Puerto Rico, a program similar to the Former Food Stamps program; meals in schools; Medicaid; Children’s Health Insurance; Pell Grants for post-secondary education tuition; transfers to the territory of Federal taxes on rum produced in the islands and in foreign countries; Veterans Administration; Temporary Assistance to Needy Families; and some highway and airport construction funding.
Exactly how much Puerto Rico and other jurisdictions will lose is uncertain. While the budget cuts have begun, the Federal Executive branch does not have to fully explain how the cuts in each program are being made until March 30th.
If the cuts are made from grants to State and territorial governments equally, Puerto Rico would lose about $120 million, more than all but 10 States.
The loss would be disproportionate to the territory’s share of the national population because the islands receive relatively large amounts of funding under programs that are being cut due to the relatively low income of its population.
Ironically, Puerto Rico is funded far less than equally in relatively large programs for low-income people that are exempt from the cuts, such as Nutrition Assistance, Medicaid, and Assistance for Needy Families.
Although Federal agencies have to reduce spending in each budget account by the same percentages, they have discretion on how to implement the savings within each account. In most cases at least, they will not take all of the cuts out of the program’s grants to States and territories. Most of the savings will come from reducing Federal costs in the programs. This will, in many cases, reduce services but not be identifiable on a State-by-State (or territory) basis.
A preliminary White House report issued on February 25th listed losses for Puerto Rico as:
* $4.9 million from primary and secondary education grants, ending services to 5,280 students and approximately 15 schools;
* Post-secondary tuition assistance for 342 students;
* 2,313 Work-Study jobs for post-secondary students;
* Services for about 2,400 children in Head Start and Early Head Start programs;
* $312,000 for fish and wildlife protection;
* $567,000 less for locating jobs for the unemployed, affecting 17,700 people;
* Child care for up to 300 children;
* Vaccinations for 1,610 children, costing $114,000;
* $356,000 for handling public health threats such as infectious diseases and natural disasters;
* $1.1 million for substance abuse treatment providing services to 300 people;
* HIV tests for 7,390 people, costing $269,000; and
* $79,000 for domestic violence, denying services to up to 300 victims.
If alternative deficit reduction measures are implemented– as many Republicans and Democrats want - Puerto Rico will have to primarily depend upon the generosity of representatives of the States to be treated fairly. It will not have the five votes in the U.S. House of Representatives and two senators in the decision-making that it would have if it were a State. Unlike the District of Columbia, the territory of 3.67 million people — with all born in the islands being U.S. citizens — did not even have votes in the election of the president.
The potential loss would be disproportionate in comparison to the U.S. territory’s population: Puerto Rico has more people than all but 21 States.
The cuts are mandated by an August 2011 Federal budget law compromise. But the “sequester” is really taking effect because Congress and the President have not agreed on how to reduce the Federal government’s budget deficit beyond the tax increases adopted this past New Year’s Day, which are expected to generate less revenue than required under the 2011 law.
When the President and Congress could not agree on spending cuts along with the tax increases January 1st, they delayed the 2011 law’s spending reductions until March 1, still hoping for an agreement.
One major reason for their hope was that the 2011 law’s cuts in defense spending are proportionately larger than the reductions for other programs, raising national security concerns.
Another reason for the hope was that program cuts will be one of five different percentages, depending on the type of program and not necessarily based on priority or the ability of programs to withstand cuts.
There are different cut percentages for: defense programs requiring annual funding by Congress; defense programs automatically funded on an annual basis; non-defense programs requiring annual, discretionary appropriations; non-defense programs that receive automatic funding; and Medicare.
The non-defense program reductions are a primary concern for Puerto Rico. These will reduce funding for Federal Fiscal Year 2013, which began October 1st, 2012, by an average between the annually appropriated and automatically funded programs of five percent. Because the reduction will all come out of funding for the last seven months of the fiscal year, the programs can have about nine percent less money for the seven months.
Puerto Rico will also feel the affects of the mandatory 2% accross-the-board cuts to Medicare and, to some extent, defense spending reductions.
The cuts continue through Fiscal Year 2022 — unless another budget agreement is reached.
Programs exempt from the sequester include many programs important to Puerto Rico: the Nutrition Assistance Program for Puerto Rico, a program similar to the Former Food Stamps program; meals in schools; Medicaid; Children’s Health Insurance; Pell Grants for post-secondary education tuition; transfers to the territory of Federal taxes on rum produced in the islands and in foreign countries; Veterans Administration; Temporary Assistance to Needy Families; and some highway and airport construction funding.
Exactly how much Puerto Rico and other jurisdictions will lose is uncertain. While the budget cuts have begun, the Federal Executive branch does not have to fully explain how the cuts in each program are being made until March 30th.
If the cuts are made from grants to State and territorial governments equally, Puerto Rico would lose about $120 million, more than all but 10 States.
The loss would be disproportionate to the territory’s share of the national population because the islands receive relatively large amounts of funding under programs that are being cut due to the relatively low income of its population.
Ironically, Puerto Rico is funded far less than equally in relatively large programs for low-income people that are exempt from the cuts, such as Nutrition Assistance, Medicaid, and Assistance for Needy Families.
Although Federal agencies have to reduce spending in each budget account by the same percentages, they have discretion on how to implement the savings within each account. In most cases at least, they will not take all of the cuts out of the program’s grants to States and territories. Most of the savings will come from reducing Federal costs in the programs. This will, in many cases, reduce services but not be identifiable on a State-by-State (or territory) basis.
A preliminary White House report issued on February 25th listed losses for Puerto Rico as:
* $4.9 million from primary and secondary education grants, ending services to 5,280 students and approximately 15 schools;
* Post-secondary tuition assistance for 342 students;
* 2,313 Work-Study jobs for post-secondary students;
* Services for about 2,400 children in Head Start and Early Head Start programs;
* $312,000 for fish and wildlife protection;
* $567,000 less for locating jobs for the unemployed, affecting 17,700 people;
* Child care for up to 300 children;
* Vaccinations for 1,610 children, costing $114,000;
* $356,000 for handling public health threats such as infectious diseases and natural disasters;
* $1.1 million for substance abuse treatment providing services to 300 people;
* HIV tests for 7,390 people, costing $269,000; and
* $79,000 for domestic violence, denying services to up to 300 victims.
If alternative deficit reduction measures are implemented– as many Republicans and Democrats want - Puerto Rico will have to primarily depend upon the generosity of representatives of the States to be treated fairly. It will not have the five votes in the U.S. House of Representatives and two senators in the decision-making that it would have if it were a State. Unlike the District of Columbia, the territory of 3.67 million people — with all born in the islands being U.S. citizens — did not even have votes in the election of the president.
via Puerto Rico Report by KG on 3/3/13
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered yesterday in Washington DC and Puerto Rico to celebrate the 96th anniversary of the granting of U.S. citizenship to the people of Puerto Rico and to demand a new “full and equal” citizenship status based on the results of the November 6th plebiscite.
At the rally in D.C., a letter was signed to be sent to President Obama. That letter explained:
On this date, 96 years ago, the bill granting U.S. citizenship to individuals born in Puerto Rico was signed into law. Today, we – political leaders, veterans, students and ordinary citizens from Puerto Rico and other areas of the country – have gathered outside the White House, a symbol of American democracy, to commemorate this anniversary. It is a bittersweet occasion, the cause for both celebration and sorrow. The people of Puerto Rico cherish their U.S. citizenship, but this citizenship is second-class. Despite the countless contributions they have made to this nation in times of peace and war, residents of Puerto Rico still lack the most basic rights: they cannot vote for the leaders who make their national laws and are treated unequally under those laws.
Read the full text of the letter here.
At the rally in D.C., a letter was signed to be sent to President Obama. That letter explained:
On this date, 96 years ago, the bill granting U.S. citizenship to individuals born in Puerto Rico was signed into law. Today, we – political leaders, veterans, students and ordinary citizens from Puerto Rico and other areas of the country – have gathered outside the White House, a symbol of American democracy, to commemorate this anniversary. It is a bittersweet occasion, the cause for both celebration and sorrow. The people of Puerto Rico cherish their U.S. citizenship, but this citizenship is second-class. Despite the countless contributions they have made to this nation in times of peace and war, residents of Puerto Rico still lack the most basic rights: they cannot vote for the leaders who make their national laws and are treated unequally under those laws.
Read the full text of the letter here.
via Haden Interactive by Rebecca Haden on 3/4/13
Why is it that something like half of all small businesses go without a website, even though somewhere between 80 and 96% of all consumers go to the web for information on local businesses?It’s an interesting question, and I’ve had students take this on as a fieldwork project for a couple of years now. I’ve shared some of the results in this blog in the past, but this semester we’re seeing a new answer.
When asked why they don’t have a website, some small businesses respond that they don’t need one, because “Google already knows” about their company.
In other words, they show up on the local results map when people search, or in Yelp or some other listing.
So — if you already show up in local results, is there any reason that you should have a website?
Yes.
- You are not in control of your web presence if you don’t have a website. Your Facebook page, Google Places page, Yelp listing, or whatever list you’re on has one serious problem: it doesn’t belong to you. When the service you rely on shuts down, decides to charge for their service, or changes their algorithm, you have no recourse. You also have no control over how the information is presented, what reviews are posted, or even the language used.
- You lose a lot of valuable information. Josepha has pointed out that companies without websites are also doing without analytics. Your Google analytics tell you where your visitors come from, how they find you, what they’re looking for, how much they like different things you’re offering, and much, much more. Without a website, you don’t have any of that information.
- The internet is not just for ads. You may feel that your business is represented when it shows up on in a list of local services. But would your customers like to be able to make appointments online? Would they value a chance to place orders online? Would you like a chance to provide samples, collect email addresses for marketing, or to build a platform for future e-commerce? There are so many things a website does beyond just showing your address that “Google knows” really isn’t a good reason to do without a website.
via Puerto Rico Report by hadeninteractive on 3/4/13
Media coverage of rallies to celebrate U.S. citizenship anniversary varies in accuracy.
On March 2, 1917, the citizens of Puerto Rico were granted U.S. citizenship. Ninety six years later, Puerto Rican leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., in San Juan, and other cities to demand an end to second-class citizenship for Puerto Rico’s residents.
Reports of the demonstrations on the mainland vary in their accuracy. Many, including the Edmonton Journal, used an Associated Press story which said that the demonstrators were calling on President Obama to “honor the results of the referendum” held in November. This story expresses the issue with this line:
In the referendum’s first question, 54 per cent of voters said they were not content with commonwealth status.In fact, the first question asked voters if they were satisfied with territorial status. “Commonwealth” is part of the name of Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico is a commonwealth only in the sense that Kentucky is a commonwealth: there is no legal force to the use of the term ”commonwealth” for Puerto Rico, any more than there is for Kentucky.
Many people may not realize that Puerto Rico is a possession of the United States. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth and can come and go freely throughout the United States. Any citizens living in Puerto Rico cannot, however, vote in presidential elections, and Puerto Rico does not have senators or congressmen (or congresswomen). Puerto Rico is under control of Congress but does not have the same protections and privileges as states – and also cannot negotiate with the United States or with other countries as though it were an independent nation.
The Orlando Sentinel reported on a rally held in Altamonte Springs, Florida, near Orlando, where leaders made the same point.
Dennis Freytes, a community activist, said it this way (translation by the Sentinal):
We were granted citizenship by statute, not by the constitution and is not permanent… if Puerto Rico became independent, citizenship can be taken away. Also, the island is a territory as the constitution says, and belongs to the U.S.. The current Commonwealth status is ridiculous.Supporters of statehood and of equal rights for Puerto Rico traveled to San Juan or to Washington, or held rallies in their own hometowns, because ninety-six years is long enough for second class citizenship to be a reality for the people of Puerto Rico.
via Puerto Rico Report by KG on 3/6/13
During a recent visit to Washington, DC, Puerto Rico’s new governor challenged the results of last November’s plebiscite, which was held along with his and other local elections.
Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said that the plebiscite was unfair because the ballot defined Puerto Rico’s current status as “territorial.”
However, Congress has power over Puerto Rico “under the Territory Clause of the Constitution” of the United States, according to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Obama Administration, the administrations of both Presidents Bush, the Clinton Administration, the U.S. House of Representatives, the lead U.S. Senate committee on territories (Energy and Natural Resources), the Congressional Research Service, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office agree that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States.
And Garcia Padilla himself said that “Puerto Rico is under the Territorial Clause” in a televised interview June 26th, 2011.
In the plebiscite, 54% of the vote was cast against continuing the islands’ current territory status. Garcia Padilla had urged a vote in favor of continuing the status.
And beginning the transition to U.S. statehood won 61.2% of the vote in the plebiscite among the other two viable alternatives to territory status — independence and nationhood in a free association with the United States.
Garcia Padilla’s “commonwealth” party only supports continuation of Puerto Rico’s current status as an alternative to its proposed governing arrangement for the islands, an unprecedented arrangement that it wants “commonwealth” status to be.
Under the proposal, Puerto Rico would be empowered to nullify the application of Federal laws and Federal court jurisdiction and empowered to enter into international agreements and organizations as if it were a sovereign nation. Additionally, the United States would be permanently bound to granting new financial support to the Government of Puerto Rico, all current assistance to Puerto Ricans, continued free entry to goods shipped from Puerto Rico, U.S. citizenship based on birth in the islands, and to the entire arrangement.
The Obama, George W. Bush, and Clinton Administrations, the U.S. House committee on territories (Natural Resources), and the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate committee have said that the arrangement is impossible from both a constitutional and practical perspective..
Garcia Padilla has also contested the plebiscite asserting that it was a trick designed to benefit predecessor Luis Fortuno’s re-election campaign by encouraging statehooders to vote. Even if that were true, there would be nothing wrong with encouraging voters to vote, and the motivation for doing so would be irrelevant. What is relevant is how people voted.
‘Commonwealthers’ also dispute the results of the plebiscite arguing that some people did not vote on an alternative to the current status. In every election, many people do not vote. In every election, many people do not vote on some questions while voting on others. Elections are determined by votes, not by people who do not vote.
Further, under law only actual votes count. And Puerto Rico’s Elections Commission, which included a representative of the territory’s “commonwealth” party, unanimously certified the results of the plebiscite — including the percentages of the votes for each status option.
The only plebiscite in Puerto Rico in which a “Commonwealth” proposal won a majority, held in 1967, was boycotted by the statehood and Independence parties. ‘Commonwealthers’ do not discount the “Commonwealth” proposal from that plebiscite because of the boycotts. (Like the “commonwealth” that Garcia Padilla wants, the proposal was not the current status and proved to be unacceptable to the U.S. Government.)
Votes constitute the most authoritative voice in a democracy, taking precedence over that of any elected official. (And the official who won the most votes in the elections is not Garcia Padilla. It is Puerto Rico’s sole representative in the Federal Government, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, who serves in the U.S. House but cannot vote on final legislation. He supports the plebiscite results.)
Garcia Padilla does not like it but Puerto Ricans have voted to have the current status replaced and petitioned for beginning the transition to statehood. The only way that these positions of Puerto Rico can be changed would be through another plebiscite.
Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said that the plebiscite was unfair because the ballot defined Puerto Rico’s current status as “territorial.”
However, Congress has power over Puerto Rico “under the Territory Clause of the Constitution” of the United States, according to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Obama Administration, the administrations of both Presidents Bush, the Clinton Administration, the U.S. House of Representatives, the lead U.S. Senate committee on territories (Energy and Natural Resources), the Congressional Research Service, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office agree that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States.
And Garcia Padilla himself said that “Puerto Rico is under the Territorial Clause” in a televised interview June 26th, 2011.
In the plebiscite, 54% of the vote was cast against continuing the islands’ current territory status. Garcia Padilla had urged a vote in favor of continuing the status.
And beginning the transition to U.S. statehood won 61.2% of the vote in the plebiscite among the other two viable alternatives to territory status — independence and nationhood in a free association with the United States.
Garcia Padilla’s “commonwealth” party only supports continuation of Puerto Rico’s current status as an alternative to its proposed governing arrangement for the islands, an unprecedented arrangement that it wants “commonwealth” status to be.
Under the proposal, Puerto Rico would be empowered to nullify the application of Federal laws and Federal court jurisdiction and empowered to enter into international agreements and organizations as if it were a sovereign nation. Additionally, the United States would be permanently bound to granting new financial support to the Government of Puerto Rico, all current assistance to Puerto Ricans, continued free entry to goods shipped from Puerto Rico, U.S. citizenship based on birth in the islands, and to the entire arrangement.
The Obama, George W. Bush, and Clinton Administrations, the U.S. House committee on territories (Natural Resources), and the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate committee have said that the arrangement is impossible from both a constitutional and practical perspective..
Garcia Padilla has also contested the plebiscite asserting that it was a trick designed to benefit predecessor Luis Fortuno’s re-election campaign by encouraging statehooders to vote. Even if that were true, there would be nothing wrong with encouraging voters to vote, and the motivation for doing so would be irrelevant. What is relevant is how people voted.
‘Commonwealthers’ also dispute the results of the plebiscite arguing that some people did not vote on an alternative to the current status. In every election, many people do not vote. In every election, many people do not vote on some questions while voting on others. Elections are determined by votes, not by people who do not vote.
Further, under law only actual votes count. And Puerto Rico’s Elections Commission, which included a representative of the territory’s “commonwealth” party, unanimously certified the results of the plebiscite — including the percentages of the votes for each status option.
The only plebiscite in Puerto Rico in which a “Commonwealth” proposal won a majority, held in 1967, was boycotted by the statehood and Independence parties. ‘Commonwealthers’ do not discount the “Commonwealth” proposal from that plebiscite because of the boycotts. (Like the “commonwealth” that Garcia Padilla wants, the proposal was not the current status and proved to be unacceptable to the U.S. Government.)
Votes constitute the most authoritative voice in a democracy, taking precedence over that of any elected official. (And the official who won the most votes in the elections is not Garcia Padilla. It is Puerto Rico’s sole representative in the Federal Government, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, who serves in the U.S. House but cannot vote on final legislation. He supports the plebiscite results.)
Garcia Padilla does not like it but Puerto Ricans have voted to have the current status replaced and petitioned for beginning the transition to statehood. The only way that these positions of Puerto Rico can be changed would be through another plebiscite.
via The Blog by Dan Rather on 3/6/13
Hugo Chavez has died of cancer, and to the end he refused to say what type of cancer it was. As we reported last May, Chavez had metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive cancer that the Venezuelan strongman lived with much longer than he was expected to. That's what our source, who was in a position to know his medical condition and history, told us nine months ago. At the time our source doubted Chavez would live to see the results of the October election. Instead, he lasted another five months.
Chavez was a fighter. A defining moment in his life and 14-year rule occurred at the United Nations back in 2006. Then-President George W. Bush had addressed the General Assembly the day before, and when Chavez took the lectern, the fiery populist couldn't resist jabbing President Bush, a man he described as "the spokesman for imperialism."
"The devil came here yesterday," Chavez told the august body, referring to Bush. "And it smells of sulfur still today."
Chavez couldn't resist leaving a little of his own sulfur behind. A few months back, he suggested that his "imperialist" enemies had somehow infected him with cancer -- an assertion that Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro echoed shortly before the president's demise.
Wild conspiracy theories, often involving the United States, were of course nothing new for the Chavez regime. He built a devoted -- almost religiously faithful -- following among Venezuela's millions of marginalized poor by daring to stand up to challenge the United States' supremacy in the hemisphere. His socialist "Bolivarian Revolution" also created a host of new social programs designed to end widespread poverty- everything from literacy programs, healthcare, and job training. These programs were funded with Venezuelan oil, and they had some success. The Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research found poverty in Venezuela dropped by nearly 40 percent during Chavez's first decade in office.
Venezuelan oil -- and Chavez's belligerently anti-American posture -- helped him to become leader of a group of leftist Latin American countries regimes, including Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ecuador that defiantly challenged U.S. hegemony. They did so by refusing to cooperate on American counter-narcotics strategies and extending new diplomatic and economic ties to stridently anti-American regimes overseas, including Iran, Syria and Russia. Chavez considered Cuba's aging ex-dictator Fidel Castro a mentor; indeed, he received much of his medical treatment in Havana. And in exchange for oil money, Cuba sent a steady flow of doctors to treat Venezuela's poor and rural communities.
As long as the oil was flowing, it appeared Chavez would be able to hold onto power. But as he grew ill, it appeared that so did his country. In recent years, production of oil -- which accounts for some 40 percent of Venezuela's budget revenue -- began to fall. Crime has soared. Infrastructure has crumbled. And Chavez consolidated power to such a degree that his death leaves a potentially volatile vacuum -- not only in Venezuela, but in the entire Western hemisphere.
Chavez was a fighter. A defining moment in his life and 14-year rule occurred at the United Nations back in 2006. Then-President George W. Bush had addressed the General Assembly the day before, and when Chavez took the lectern, the fiery populist couldn't resist jabbing President Bush, a man he described as "the spokesman for imperialism."
"The devil came here yesterday," Chavez told the august body, referring to Bush. "And it smells of sulfur still today."
Chavez couldn't resist leaving a little of his own sulfur behind. A few months back, he suggested that his "imperialist" enemies had somehow infected him with cancer -- an assertion that Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro echoed shortly before the president's demise.
Wild conspiracy theories, often involving the United States, were of course nothing new for the Chavez regime. He built a devoted -- almost religiously faithful -- following among Venezuela's millions of marginalized poor by daring to stand up to challenge the United States' supremacy in the hemisphere. His socialist "Bolivarian Revolution" also created a host of new social programs designed to end widespread poverty- everything from literacy programs, healthcare, and job training. These programs were funded with Venezuelan oil, and they had some success. The Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research found poverty in Venezuela dropped by nearly 40 percent during Chavez's first decade in office.
Venezuelan oil -- and Chavez's belligerently anti-American posture -- helped him to become leader of a group of leftist Latin American countries regimes, including Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ecuador that defiantly challenged U.S. hegemony. They did so by refusing to cooperate on American counter-narcotics strategies and extending new diplomatic and economic ties to stridently anti-American regimes overseas, including Iran, Syria and Russia. Chavez considered Cuba's aging ex-dictator Fidel Castro a mentor; indeed, he received much of his medical treatment in Havana. And in exchange for oil money, Cuba sent a steady flow of doctors to treat Venezuela's poor and rural communities.
As long as the oil was flowing, it appeared Chavez would be able to hold onto power. But as he grew ill, it appeared that so did his country. In recent years, production of oil -- which accounts for some 40 percent of Venezuela's budget revenue -- began to fall. Crime has soared. Infrastructure has crumbled. And Chavez consolidated power to such a degree that his death leaves a potentially volatile vacuum -- not only in Venezuela, but in the entire Western hemisphere.
via Latest News by The Huffington Post on 3/6/13
Automatic teller machines don’t get much more offensive than this.
An ATM at a bar called El Ocho de Blanco in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan returned a receipt with the message “we hate fags” written in English at the bottom, sparking an uproar among the island’s LGBT community this week, as a picture of the receipt burned through social media and the blogosphere.
Both the bar and the ATM provider immediately distanced themselves from the offending message. El Ocho de Blanco put a note on its Facebook page saying it turned the ATM off and reached out to the provider, ATM Mobile Services, according to Primera Hora.
The ATM company’s president Jorge Torres said “someone from the outside gained access to the system and programming of the machine.” Torres said his company did not intentionally offend the LGBT community and would upgrade its ATM security to make sure nothing like this would happen in the future.
LGBT activist Pedro Julio Serrano thanked the companies for disavowing the homophobic message in a blog post, but also lamented that it happened in the first place. He said the incident made it clear that the island should pass a law proposed by Puerto Rican Sen. Ramón Luis Nieves criminalizing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Homophobia is unacceptable, wherever it comes from,” Serrano wrote. “This can’t keep happening in Puerto Rico.”
An ATM at a bar called El Ocho de Blanco in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan returned a receipt with the message “we hate fags” written in English at the bottom, sparking an uproar among the island’s LGBT community this week, as a picture of the receipt burned through social media and the blogosphere.
Both the bar and the ATM provider immediately distanced themselves from the offending message. El Ocho de Blanco put a note on its Facebook page saying it turned the ATM off and reached out to the provider, ATM Mobile Services, according to Primera Hora.
The ATM company’s president Jorge Torres said “someone from the outside gained access to the system and programming of the machine.” Torres said his company did not intentionally offend the LGBT community and would upgrade its ATM security to make sure nothing like this would happen in the future.
LGBT activist Pedro Julio Serrano thanked the companies for disavowing the homophobic message in a blog post, but also lamented that it happened in the first place. He said the incident made it clear that the island should pass a law proposed by Puerto Rican Sen. Ramón Luis Nieves criminalizing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Homophobia is unacceptable, wherever it comes from,” Serrano wrote. “This can’t keep happening in Puerto Rico.”
via The Blog by Larry King on 3/6/13
It was September of 2009, during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
That day I interviewed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, in the morning. In the early afternoon, I interviewed Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, and in the evening I interviewed Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya.
It was a strange kind of day, a hectic day with three world leaders, all of whom were regarded as despots. I was surprised when I met Chavez. He was engaging. When he walked into the room, he was laughing and singing. He spoke English and we talked baseball for a few minutes. For someone who didn't like the American leadership or our country, he certainly followed American baseball and knew everything about it. For about five or ten minutes we chatted, while the crew finished setting up for the interview.
We covered a myriad of subjects in an hour-long interview, which covered topics from Israel to Colombia and his friendship with Iran and Cuba. He claimed George Bush tried to assassinate him. He had mixed opinions on President Obama and he said he didn't like Hillary Clinton. Unlike other extremist leaders in the world, he said he was a true, observant Catholic and believed in Christ.
I found him conflicting. In a strange way, he was extraordinarily easy to like, but of course many people -- both good and bad -- who rise to prominence can be that way. Chavez was larger than life. He was very engaging.
Had he been an American politician, Democrat or Republican, he probably would have been very successful.
The hour went very quickly. It was easily done despite the need for an interpreter. It was a simultaneous interpretation. I didn't have to wait for the answer to be complete before the interpreter continued.
I would have to say that I strongly disagreed with him and I didn't like a lot of what he did to his people. But at the same time, I know he helped a lot of people in the United States -- especially during oil shortages in the Northeast, when he supplied a lot of oil to our country.
He was complicated individual. That day, I found it frustrating to interview Ahmadinejad. Gaddafi was also very frustrating. But oddly, Chavez was never frustrating. He was more responsive during the interview than they were.
Larry King Now (#LarryKingNow) airs on Hulu and Ora.TV Monday-Thursday at 5pm EST
That day I interviewed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, in the morning. In the early afternoon, I interviewed Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, and in the evening I interviewed Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya.
It was a strange kind of day, a hectic day with three world leaders, all of whom were regarded as despots. I was surprised when I met Chavez. He was engaging. When he walked into the room, he was laughing and singing. He spoke English and we talked baseball for a few minutes. For someone who didn't like the American leadership or our country, he certainly followed American baseball and knew everything about it. For about five or ten minutes we chatted, while the crew finished setting up for the interview.
We covered a myriad of subjects in an hour-long interview, which covered topics from Israel to Colombia and his friendship with Iran and Cuba. He claimed George Bush tried to assassinate him. He had mixed opinions on President Obama and he said he didn't like Hillary Clinton. Unlike other extremist leaders in the world, he said he was a true, observant Catholic and believed in Christ.
I found him conflicting. In a strange way, he was extraordinarily easy to like, but of course many people -- both good and bad -- who rise to prominence can be that way. Chavez was larger than life. He was very engaging.
Had he been an American politician, Democrat or Republican, he probably would have been very successful.
The hour went very quickly. It was easily done despite the need for an interpreter. It was a simultaneous interpretation. I didn't have to wait for the answer to be complete before the interpreter continued.
I would have to say that I strongly disagreed with him and I didn't like a lot of what he did to his people. But at the same time, I know he helped a lot of people in the United States -- especially during oil shortages in the Northeast, when he supplied a lot of oil to our country.
He was complicated individual. That day, I found it frustrating to interview Ahmadinejad. Gaddafi was also very frustrating. But oddly, Chavez was never frustrating. He was more responsive during the interview than they were.
Larry King Now (#LarryKingNow) airs on Hulu and Ora.TV Monday-Thursday at 5pm EST
Mike Nova's starred items
via latino - Google News on 3/6/13
 Livemint |
Latino Politicians React to Hugo Chavez's Death
Fox News Latino The death of Hugo Chávez, a polarizing figure in world politics, brought a storm of reaction from Latino politicians in the U.S.. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said it turns a dark chapter in Venezuelan history. “The Venezuelan people now have an ... Opinion: Petrodollars will continue to dominate our relationship with VenezuelaNBC Latino Iran's Ahmadinejad Predicts Hugo Chavez Will Return as Messiah to Save ...Hispanically Speaking News Hugo Chavez Dead: What's Next For Venezuela?Huffington Post all 2,828 news articles » |
via Latest News by HuffPost France on 3/6/13
Venezuela's “socialist revolution” came to an end on March 5. Democratic revolutionary to some, charismatic dictator to others, Hugo Chavez died on Tuesday. The former military coup leader, brilliantly reelected in 2012, adored by many Venezuelans, was often disquieting, but certainly left no one indifferent.
What will be Chavez's legacy? His cult of personality and his dictatorial attitudes, or his grand projects and ideals? Let’s look at the details.
AN ENLIGHTENED DICTATOR OBSESSED WITH POWER
1. A Bonapartist in a red beret
Democratically elected three times, Marxist Hugo Chavez mostly borrowed his political culture from social Bonapartism. Chavez sought to incarnate the State of Venezuela himself, even if this meant bypassing the Constitution or rewriting it as he saw fit. His main political tool: the referendum. His strength: the systematic dissolution of opposition forces, treating them like agents of American imperialism.
Following his election in 1998, Chavez passed a new constitution in 1999 that instituted the “Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” and put in place the principle of “recall referendums,” which served as the primary popular counter-balance to the presidential power. The 1999 constitutional changes also contained provisions that set presidential term limits. While a referendum held to abolish this last measure was unsuccessful in 2007… another referendum in 2009 allowed Chavez to present himself again as a candidate. Another worrying deviation occurred when the Chavist National Assembly granted the president the power to legislate by decree for a period of 18 months.
2. A mystical and vote-winning cult of personality
Hugo Chavez was able to build an exceptional popular base in a country ravaged by severe social conflicts. In addition to a generous and ambitious policy of redistribution of wealth, supported by his party’s “red shirts,” the PSUV, the Venezuelan president was able to foster a cult of personality worthy of the Soviet Union. Huge rock concert-scale gatherings, armies of fevered supporters, mystical Marxism with a hint of lyrical Catholicism and Bolivarian incantation… The Chavez “show” served the interests of a president who never hesitated to align his own person with the destiny of the nation. “Chavez doesn’t lie, Chavez doesn’t sell out, Chavez is the people, Chavez is the truth, all of you are Chavez, we all are,” he declared to supporters, while his opponents were systematically branded as “traitors” and “stateless.” The news of his cancer, treated in Cuba and hidden behind a thick smoke screen, also became an opportunity to erect the Chavez myth. “I conquered death to fulfill my commitments to the Venezuelan people!” he repeated while he ran for his fourth term. But death got its revenge.
3. Questionable diplomatic relations
This is the President’s main grey area. A sworn enemy of “American imperialism,” a slogan that has become a rallying cry in South America, Chavez took his opposition to Washington so far as associating himself with the most dubious regimes on the planet. Under his watch, Venezuela massively imported arms from Russia, tightened its ties to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Iran, consorted with Gaddafi’s Libya, and supported Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria. This is not to mention the ideological and economic kinship with his Cuban sibling, where Chavez always received a distinguished welcome. These embarrassing associations were one of the main campaign arguments for Chavez's opponent in the presidential election of 2012, Henrique Capriles.
4. A tense media environment
Freedom of the press exists in Venezuela. As Chavez supporters point out, over half of the country's television stations are privately owned and they reach about 60% of the viewing audience. The print media largely supports the opposition, even if it primarily addresses the wealthier social groups. That said, public television only gives airtime to voices representing the State. In addition, the Chavez government set a dangerous precedent by not renewing the broadcast license of Venezuela’s oldest private station, RCTV. That decision was made in retaliation for the station’s support for a failed coup in 2002, but sent shockwaves through the Western world, further reinforcing suspicions of Chavist authoritarian tendencies.
5. A worrying military culture
A career lieutenant-colonel, quick to wear the uniform, Hugo Chavez continued to maintain strong ties with the Venezuelan army throughout his presidency. This was a real cause of concern for his opponents, who wondered about the military’s reaction in the event of defeat in the latest elections. Chavez spent two years in jail for a failed coup, fomented in 1992 by his movement, the MBR-200, against then President Carlos Andrés Pérez. From prison, Chavez tried to make a call for a public uprising. Victim of an attempted coup d’état in 2002 himself, Chavez owed his political survival to those faithful to him in the army, preceded by the fervor of his popular supporters. Another sign that the army continues to play a role in the democratic functioning of the country is that it has been designated as the entity responsible to ensure the continuity of the State, until a transitional president is sworn in. Hardly reassuring in a country where coups d’état are legion.
AN ICONOCLASTIC AND PROVOCATIVE PRESIDENT
1. A leader who is unafraid of opinion
Although he allowed himself numerous liberties in interpreting the Constitution, Hugo Chavez could always boast about having involved the electorate in his decisions. Aside from the decision to legislate by decree, voted on by the Venezuelan National Assembly, the populist president consulted the people on a number of occasions and accepted the rejection of the 2007 referendum intended to authorize him to run for office once again. That really sums up the contradictions Hugo Chavez embodied: an enemy of intermediate entities who however never crossed the line of governing against the people. He was a democratically elected president, coming out on top of the only “recall referendum” organized by the opposition in 2004. And this despite allegations of fraud that hung over several elections.
2. A costly social fabric, but in the service of the most impoverished
Elected in 1998 on a strong social platform that benefitted the lower classes, Hugo Chavez kept his word. He never succeeded in making his country less dependent on profits from the oil industry, which still singlehandedly supports the economy. And the success of his “missiones,” vast social and educational programs launched in the early 2000’s, is still debatable. But the numbers are real. Since his election, Venezuela’s GDP has tripled, unemployment has been cut in half, poverty reduced by a third, extreme poverty reduced to 10%, the gap between rich and poor reduced. On a social level, Chavism, with the help of petrodollars, has cut illiteracy in half, reduced infant mortality and increased life expectancy. And many Venezuelans credit him for these achievements.
3. An opportunistic pragmatism
The Venezuelan president carried out an ambitious petrodollar diplomacy on the South American continent and won the support of many of his neighbors, starting with the influential Lula, former President of Brazil and role model for… Henrique Capriles, Hugo Chavez’s former rival. Though a sworn enemy of the United States, Chavez made sure never to cross the line and maintained the supply of oil to Washington. Recently, the president had said he “wished” both countries could enter “a new period of normal relations,” even supporting Barak Obama’s reelection. While this does not necessarily make him a democrat, it proves that the Venezuelan leader’s foreign policies were more likely based on political opportunism than an ideology that would threaten equilibrium in the world.
4. A jostled but stalwart opposition
A sign that democracy is still alive and well in Venezuela, is that the opposition to “comandante” Chavez has never been stronger. The appearance of Henrique Capriles on the national stage is just one example among many. Of course, the political debate remains heated in this country where pro or anti-Chavez protests often turned violent. But the freedom to contest the elected president’s power is more or less intact, particularly in Caracas where Capriles brought together hundreds of thousands of supporters during a huge meeting organized a week before the vote. For the first time, on February 12, the Venezuelan opposition party organized primaries to choose their presidential candidate. Three million people, or 16% of the electorate, came out to thrust the young Capriles onto the scene. This is a sign that political pluralism does indeed exist in Venezuela.
5. Exemplary elections
In order to stave off any suspicion of voter irregularities, even “fraud” according to the opposition, Hugo Chavez had promised to make the last presidential elections an unsullied example of the democratic process. The socialist and his primary rival Henrique Capriles Radonski -- endorsed by about 30 opposition parties -- in July signed an agreement stipulating that both would abide by the results of the vote. According to the electoral accompaniment mission of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the conditions of transparency were met. As Another guarantee, the 13,800 voting stations in the country were outfitted with electronic voting machines that were considered by all parties to be a protection against fraud. The Carter Center, charged with monitoring the anonymity of electronic voting, determined that the elections had been free and fair, while criticizing government propaganda. Venezuelan democracy has not proven to be incompatible with Chavism. But will it endure beyond it?
This piece has been translated from French and originally appeared on HuffPost France.
What will be Chavez's legacy? His cult of personality and his dictatorial attitudes, or his grand projects and ideals? Let’s look at the details.
AN ENLIGHTENED DICTATOR OBSESSED WITH POWER
1. A Bonapartist in a red beret
Democratically elected three times, Marxist Hugo Chavez mostly borrowed his political culture from social Bonapartism. Chavez sought to incarnate the State of Venezuela himself, even if this meant bypassing the Constitution or rewriting it as he saw fit. His main political tool: the referendum. His strength: the systematic dissolution of opposition forces, treating them like agents of American imperialism.
Following his election in 1998, Chavez passed a new constitution in 1999 that instituted the “Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” and put in place the principle of “recall referendums,” which served as the primary popular counter-balance to the presidential power. The 1999 constitutional changes also contained provisions that set presidential term limits. While a referendum held to abolish this last measure was unsuccessful in 2007… another referendum in 2009 allowed Chavez to present himself again as a candidate. Another worrying deviation occurred when the Chavist National Assembly granted the president the power to legislate by decree for a period of 18 months.
2. A mystical and vote-winning cult of personality
Hugo Chavez was able to build an exceptional popular base in a country ravaged by severe social conflicts. In addition to a generous and ambitious policy of redistribution of wealth, supported by his party’s “red shirts,” the PSUV, the Venezuelan president was able to foster a cult of personality worthy of the Soviet Union. Huge rock concert-scale gatherings, armies of fevered supporters, mystical Marxism with a hint of lyrical Catholicism and Bolivarian incantation… The Chavez “show” served the interests of a president who never hesitated to align his own person with the destiny of the nation. “Chavez doesn’t lie, Chavez doesn’t sell out, Chavez is the people, Chavez is the truth, all of you are Chavez, we all are,” he declared to supporters, while his opponents were systematically branded as “traitors” and “stateless.” The news of his cancer, treated in Cuba and hidden behind a thick smoke screen, also became an opportunity to erect the Chavez myth. “I conquered death to fulfill my commitments to the Venezuelan people!” he repeated while he ran for his fourth term. But death got its revenge.
3. Questionable diplomatic relations
This is the President’s main grey area. A sworn enemy of “American imperialism,” a slogan that has become a rallying cry in South America, Chavez took his opposition to Washington so far as associating himself with the most dubious regimes on the planet. Under his watch, Venezuela massively imported arms from Russia, tightened its ties to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Iran, consorted with Gaddafi’s Libya, and supported Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria. This is not to mention the ideological and economic kinship with his Cuban sibling, where Chavez always received a distinguished welcome. These embarrassing associations were one of the main campaign arguments for Chavez's opponent in the presidential election of 2012, Henrique Capriles.
4. A tense media environment
Freedom of the press exists in Venezuela. As Chavez supporters point out, over half of the country's television stations are privately owned and they reach about 60% of the viewing audience. The print media largely supports the opposition, even if it primarily addresses the wealthier social groups. That said, public television only gives airtime to voices representing the State. In addition, the Chavez government set a dangerous precedent by not renewing the broadcast license of Venezuela’s oldest private station, RCTV. That decision was made in retaliation for the station’s support for a failed coup in 2002, but sent shockwaves through the Western world, further reinforcing suspicions of Chavist authoritarian tendencies.
5. A worrying military culture
A career lieutenant-colonel, quick to wear the uniform, Hugo Chavez continued to maintain strong ties with the Venezuelan army throughout his presidency. This was a real cause of concern for his opponents, who wondered about the military’s reaction in the event of defeat in the latest elections. Chavez spent two years in jail for a failed coup, fomented in 1992 by his movement, the MBR-200, against then President Carlos Andrés Pérez. From prison, Chavez tried to make a call for a public uprising. Victim of an attempted coup d’état in 2002 himself, Chavez owed his political survival to those faithful to him in the army, preceded by the fervor of his popular supporters. Another sign that the army continues to play a role in the democratic functioning of the country is that it has been designated as the entity responsible to ensure the continuity of the State, until a transitional president is sworn in. Hardly reassuring in a country where coups d’état are legion.
AN ICONOCLASTIC AND PROVOCATIVE PRESIDENT
1. A leader who is unafraid of opinion
Although he allowed himself numerous liberties in interpreting the Constitution, Hugo Chavez could always boast about having involved the electorate in his decisions. Aside from the decision to legislate by decree, voted on by the Venezuelan National Assembly, the populist president consulted the people on a number of occasions and accepted the rejection of the 2007 referendum intended to authorize him to run for office once again. That really sums up the contradictions Hugo Chavez embodied: an enemy of intermediate entities who however never crossed the line of governing against the people. He was a democratically elected president, coming out on top of the only “recall referendum” organized by the opposition in 2004. And this despite allegations of fraud that hung over several elections.
2. A costly social fabric, but in the service of the most impoverished
Elected in 1998 on a strong social platform that benefitted the lower classes, Hugo Chavez kept his word. He never succeeded in making his country less dependent on profits from the oil industry, which still singlehandedly supports the economy. And the success of his “missiones,” vast social and educational programs launched in the early 2000’s, is still debatable. But the numbers are real. Since his election, Venezuela’s GDP has tripled, unemployment has been cut in half, poverty reduced by a third, extreme poverty reduced to 10%, the gap between rich and poor reduced. On a social level, Chavism, with the help of petrodollars, has cut illiteracy in half, reduced infant mortality and increased life expectancy. And many Venezuelans credit him for these achievements.
3. An opportunistic pragmatism
The Venezuelan president carried out an ambitious petrodollar diplomacy on the South American continent and won the support of many of his neighbors, starting with the influential Lula, former President of Brazil and role model for… Henrique Capriles, Hugo Chavez’s former rival. Though a sworn enemy of the United States, Chavez made sure never to cross the line and maintained the supply of oil to Washington. Recently, the president had said he “wished” both countries could enter “a new period of normal relations,” even supporting Barak Obama’s reelection. While this does not necessarily make him a democrat, it proves that the Venezuelan leader’s foreign policies were more likely based on political opportunism than an ideology that would threaten equilibrium in the world.
4. A jostled but stalwart opposition
A sign that democracy is still alive and well in Venezuela, is that the opposition to “comandante” Chavez has never been stronger. The appearance of Henrique Capriles on the national stage is just one example among many. Of course, the political debate remains heated in this country where pro or anti-Chavez protests often turned violent. But the freedom to contest the elected president’s power is more or less intact, particularly in Caracas where Capriles brought together hundreds of thousands of supporters during a huge meeting organized a week before the vote. For the first time, on February 12, the Venezuelan opposition party organized primaries to choose their presidential candidate. Three million people, or 16% of the electorate, came out to thrust the young Capriles onto the scene. This is a sign that political pluralism does indeed exist in Venezuela.
5. Exemplary elections
In order to stave off any suspicion of voter irregularities, even “fraud” according to the opposition, Hugo Chavez had promised to make the last presidential elections an unsullied example of the democratic process. The socialist and his primary rival Henrique Capriles Radonski -- endorsed by about 30 opposition parties -- in July signed an agreement stipulating that both would abide by the results of the vote. According to the electoral accompaniment mission of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the conditions of transparency were met. As Another guarantee, the 13,800 voting stations in the country were outfitted with electronic voting machines that were considered by all parties to be a protection against fraud. The Carter Center, charged with monitoring the anonymity of electronic voting, determined that the elections had been free and fair, while criticizing government propaganda. Venezuelan democracy has not proven to be incompatible with Chavism. But will it endure beyond it?
This piece has been translated from French and originally appeared on HuffPost France.
via NBC Latino by Sandra Lilley on 3/6/13
There was no love lost between Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’ administration and the U.S., and as of now Chavez’ successor is following the same playbook. Vice President Nicolás Maduro already expelled two American officials and alleged the U.S. might have had something to do with Chávez cancer. Today Senior State Department officials said they were “disappointed” by Maduro’s actions and called some of his statements “outrageous”. As the U.S. reviews next steps, it does plan to send a delegation to Chávez’ memorial service, and officials say they want to find a “space” to work things out.
The U.S. and Venezuela have not had Ambassadors in two years. Despite this, the U.S. has had a long relationship with Venezuela, explains Shannon O’Neil, Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“What has been interesting is that for all the rhetorical animosity over the last decade, the oil flows have continued,” says O’Neil. ”For Venezuela, the U.S. is still the most important export market; we’re 40 percent of their exports, and the relationship will continue,” she adds.
Regarding Maduro’s recent comments, University of Illinois Urbana-Champlain political scientist Damaris Canache says this is part of the Venezuelan Vice President’s campaign for the presidency. “Maduro needs to continue keeping his base of support united,” Canache says. It would be too costly politically for Maduro to engage in improving U.S. relations now. ”That will have to wait until after the elections,” says Canache.
So the question is, how does the U.S. begin to form relations with the new government? U.S. officials say the most important thing moving forward is that elections, expected in 30 days, are fair and democratic. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, said Chávez’ passing has left a political void, “that we hope will be filled peacefully and through a constitutional and democratic process, grounded in the Venezuelan constitution and adhering to the Inter-American Democratic Charter.”
But as Venezuela gears up for elections in the next few weeks, the U.S. is better off standing back a bit, according to O’Neil. ”There is not a lot the U.S. can do actively that would not be counterproductive,” she says. Neighboring countries like Colombia and Brazil, who have a big stake in the stability of Venezuela, could encourage free and fair elections in a way which might be more difficult for the U.S., O’Neil explains.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio said the U.S. should keep a “watchful eye” on the security situation in Venezuela. State Department officials, however, said they have no reason to think there are any security threats to American personnel and the mourning in the country has been quiet and peaceful.
Senior State Department officials say they hope they can forge a future relationship with Venezuela on issues such as regional security or counternarcotics. For now, there is a certain wait-and-see period. While some analysts worry about an entrenched animosity toward the U.S., other experts say there is reason to believe relations could improve – and say the U.S. should seize the opportunity, in Venezuela and in the region.
“In Venezuela there will be a lot of rhetoric about the elections in the next 30 days, but I think long-term there will be an opening,” says Miguel Tinker Salas, a political science professor at Pomona College and the author of “The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture and Society in Venezuela.” ”The bottom line is, this is not the Latin America of the 1990s or even 2005,” says Tinker Salas. “There are new sectors demanding a mutual conversation.”
Tagged: administration, Council on Foreign Relations, Hugo Chavez, Miguel Tinker Salas, Nicolas Maduro, Obama, Shannon O'Neil, State Department, Venezuela
The U.S. and Venezuela have not had Ambassadors in two years. Despite this, the U.S. has had a long relationship with Venezuela, explains Shannon O’Neil, Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“What has been interesting is that for all the rhetorical animosity over the last decade, the oil flows have continued,” says O’Neil. ”For Venezuela, the U.S. is still the most important export market; we’re 40 percent of their exports, and the relationship will continue,” she adds.
Regarding Maduro’s recent comments, University of Illinois Urbana-Champlain political scientist Damaris Canache says this is part of the Venezuelan Vice President’s campaign for the presidency. “Maduro needs to continue keeping his base of support united,” Canache says. It would be too costly politically for Maduro to engage in improving U.S. relations now. ”That will have to wait until after the elections,” says Canache.
So the question is, how does the U.S. begin to form relations with the new government? U.S. officials say the most important thing moving forward is that elections, expected in 30 days, are fair and democratic. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, said Chávez’ passing has left a political void, “that we hope will be filled peacefully and through a constitutional and democratic process, grounded in the Venezuelan constitution and adhering to the Inter-American Democratic Charter.”
But as Venezuela gears up for elections in the next few weeks, the U.S. is better off standing back a bit, according to O’Neil. ”There is not a lot the U.S. can do actively that would not be counterproductive,” she says. Neighboring countries like Colombia and Brazil, who have a big stake in the stability of Venezuela, could encourage free and fair elections in a way which might be more difficult for the U.S., O’Neil explains.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio said the U.S. should keep a “watchful eye” on the security situation in Venezuela. State Department officials, however, said they have no reason to think there are any security threats to American personnel and the mourning in the country has been quiet and peaceful.
Senior State Department officials say they hope they can forge a future relationship with Venezuela on issues such as regional security or counternarcotics. For now, there is a certain wait-and-see period. While some analysts worry about an entrenched animosity toward the U.S., other experts say there is reason to believe relations could improve – and say the U.S. should seize the opportunity, in Venezuela and in the region.
“In Venezuela there will be a lot of rhetoric about the elections in the next 30 days, but I think long-term there will be an opening,” says Miguel Tinker Salas, a political science professor at Pomona College and the author of “The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture and Society in Venezuela.” ”The bottom line is, this is not the Latin America of the 1990s or even 2005,” says Tinker Salas. “There are new sectors demanding a mutual conversation.”
Tagged: administration, Council on Foreign Relations, Hugo Chavez, Miguel Tinker Salas, Nicolas Maduro, Obama, Shannon O'Neil, State Department, Venezuela
via Latest News by Ana Benedetti on 3/6/13
Hugo Chavez's death rocked the world. Since being elected President of Venezuela 14 years ago he has been one of the most controversial leaders of this century. He was beloved and detested by many and his influence was felt well beyond Venezuela's borders, from Ecuador to Iran, as he revived the leftist movement in Latin America.
He died after a long battle with cancer on March 5, 2013.
Chavez tended to make headlines. He was quoted, reviewed and analyzed constantly by foreign media and he was even portrayed on an episode of CBS's "The Good Wife." Yet his death will probably be the most documented moment of his reign.
See headlines from newspapers all over South America in the slideshow above.
via Latest News by Council On Foreign Relations on 3/6/13
Despite Mexico's strengthening democracy and booming economy, the country's security crisis rages on. Fifty thousand people have been killed in the past five years due to drug and organized crime-related violence.
via Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com by The Huffington Post on 3/6/13
The funeral for late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who passed away March 5 after a long battle with cancer, will be held on Friday, March 8.
Chavez's funeral will be accompanied by seven official days of mourning, reports Reuters. Classes at schools around the country have been suspended, and various heads of state and dignitaries from around the world are expected to arrive for the event.
Until Friday's funeral ceremony, expected to be a lavish affair, Chavez's body will remain at Venezuela's Military Academy. Per the Guardian, a procession carrying his casket to the academy Wednesday was thronged with thousands of mourners, including his mother.
It is unclear whether Chavez's body will be available for a public viewing.
Voice of America reports Chavez's final burial spot has not yet been disclosed. Reuters writes that some observers speculate he could be buried alongside the remains of Simon Bolivar, the late leader's inspiration, in a yet-to-be-completed mausoleum under construction in Caracas.
Venezuelan legislator Freddy Bernal told Reuters the mausoleum would be a fitting spot for Chavez, stating, "For his political brilliance and commitment to the country, Commander Chavez has earned his place beside the Liberator Simon Bolivar in the Pantheon."
Chavez's funeral will be accompanied by seven official days of mourning, reports Reuters. Classes at schools around the country have been suspended, and various heads of state and dignitaries from around the world are expected to arrive for the event.
Until Friday's funeral ceremony, expected to be a lavish affair, Chavez's body will remain at Venezuela's Military Academy. Per the Guardian, a procession carrying his casket to the academy Wednesday was thronged with thousands of mourners, including his mother.
It is unclear whether Chavez's body will be available for a public viewing.
Voice of America reports Chavez's final burial spot has not yet been disclosed. Reuters writes that some observers speculate he could be buried alongside the remains of Simon Bolivar, the late leader's inspiration, in a yet-to-be-completed mausoleum under construction in Caracas.
Venezuelan legislator Freddy Bernal told Reuters the mausoleum would be a fitting spot for Chavez, stating, "For his political brilliance and commitment to the country, Commander Chavez has earned his place beside the Liberator Simon Bolivar in the Pantheon."
via Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com by Dan Rather on 3/6/13
Hugo Chavez has died of cancer, and to the end he refused to say what type of cancer it was. As we reported last May, Chavez had metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive cancer that the Venezuelan strongman lived with much longer than he was expected to. That's what our source, who was in a position to know his medical condition and history, told us nine months ago. At the time our source doubted Chavez would live to see the results of the October election. Instead, he lasted another five months.
Chavez was a fighter. A defining moment in his life and 14-year rule occurred at the United Nations back in 2006. Then-President George W. Bush had addressed the General Assembly the day before, and when Chavez took the lectern, the fiery populist couldn't resist jabbing President Bush, a man he described as "the spokesman for imperialism."
"The devil came here yesterday," Chavez told the august body, referring to Bush. "And it smells of sulfur still today."
Chavez couldn't resist leaving a little of his own sulfur behind. A few months back, he suggested that his "imperialist" enemies had somehow infected him with cancer -- an assertion that Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro echoed shortly before the president's demise.
Wild conspiracy theories, often involving the United States, were of course nothing new for the Chavez regime. He built a devoted -- almost religiously faithful -- following among Venezuela's millions of marginalized poor by daring to stand up to challenge the United States' supremacy in the hemisphere. His socialist "Bolivarian Revolution" also created a host of new social programs designed to end widespread poverty- everything from literacy programs, healthcare, and job training. These programs were funded with Venezuelan oil, and they had some success. The Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research found poverty in Venezuela dropped by nearly 40 percent during Chavez's first decade in office.
Venezuelan oil -- and Chavez's belligerently anti-American posture -- helped him to become leader of a group of leftist Latin American countries regimes, including Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ecuador that defiantly challenged U.S. hegemony. They did so by refusing to cooperate on American counter-narcotics strategies and extending new diplomatic and economic ties to stridently anti-American regimes overseas, including Iran, Syria and Russia. Chavez considered Cuba's aging ex-dictator Fidel Castro a mentor; indeed, he received much of his medical treatment in Havana. And in exchange for oil money, Cuba sent a steady flow of doctors to treat Venezuela's poor and rural communities.
As long as the oil was flowing, it appeared Chavez would be able to hold onto power. But as he grew ill, it appeared that so did his country. In recent years, production of oil -- which accounts for some 40 percent of Venezuela's budget revenue -- began to fall. Crime has soared. Infrastructure has crumbled. And Chavez consolidated power to such a degree that his death leaves a potentially volatile vacuum -- not only in Venezuela, but in the entire Western hemisphere.
Chavez was a fighter. A defining moment in his life and 14-year rule occurred at the United Nations back in 2006. Then-President George W. Bush had addressed the General Assembly the day before, and when Chavez took the lectern, the fiery populist couldn't resist jabbing President Bush, a man he described as "the spokesman for imperialism."
"The devil came here yesterday," Chavez told the august body, referring to Bush. "And it smells of sulfur still today."
Chavez couldn't resist leaving a little of his own sulfur behind. A few months back, he suggested that his "imperialist" enemies had somehow infected him with cancer -- an assertion that Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro echoed shortly before the president's demise.
Wild conspiracy theories, often involving the United States, were of course nothing new for the Chavez regime. He built a devoted -- almost religiously faithful -- following among Venezuela's millions of marginalized poor by daring to stand up to challenge the United States' supremacy in the hemisphere. His socialist "Bolivarian Revolution" also created a host of new social programs designed to end widespread poverty- everything from literacy programs, healthcare, and job training. These programs were funded with Venezuelan oil, and they had some success. The Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research found poverty in Venezuela dropped by nearly 40 percent during Chavez's first decade in office.
Venezuelan oil -- and Chavez's belligerently anti-American posture -- helped him to become leader of a group of leftist Latin American countries regimes, including Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ecuador that defiantly challenged U.S. hegemony. They did so by refusing to cooperate on American counter-narcotics strategies and extending new diplomatic and economic ties to stridently anti-American regimes overseas, including Iran, Syria and Russia. Chavez considered Cuba's aging ex-dictator Fidel Castro a mentor; indeed, he received much of his medical treatment in Havana. And in exchange for oil money, Cuba sent a steady flow of doctors to treat Venezuela's poor and rural communities.
As long as the oil was flowing, it appeared Chavez would be able to hold onto power. But as he grew ill, it appeared that so did his country. In recent years, production of oil -- which accounts for some 40 percent of Venezuela's budget revenue -- began to fall. Crime has soared. Infrastructure has crumbled. And Chavez consolidated power to such a degree that his death leaves a potentially volatile vacuum -- not only in Venezuela, but in the entire Western hemisphere.
via Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com by The Huffington Post on 3/6/13
Automatic teller machines don’t get much more offensive than this.
An ATM at a bar called El Ocho de Blanco in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan returned a receipt with the message “we hate fags” written in English at the bottom, sparking an uproar among the island’s LGBT community this week, as a picture of the receipt burned through social media and the blogosphere.
Both the bar and the ATM provider immediately distanced themselves from the offending message. El Ocho de Blanco put a note on its Facebook page saying it turned the ATM off and reached out to the provider, ATM Mobile Services, according to Primera Hora.
The ATM company’s president Jorge Torres said “someone from the outside gained access to the system and programming of the machine.” Torres said his company did not intentionally offend the LGBT community and would upgrade its ATM security to make sure nothing like this would happen in the future.
LGBT activist Pedro Julio Serrano thanked the companies for disavowing the homophobic message in a blog post, but also lamented that it happened in the first place. He said the incident made it clear that the island should pass a law proposed by Puerto Rican Sen. Ramón Luis Nieves criminalizing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Homophobia is unacceptable, wherever it comes from,” Serrano wrote. “This can’t keep happening in Puerto Rico.”
An ATM at a bar called El Ocho de Blanco in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan returned a receipt with the message “we hate fags” written in English at the bottom, sparking an uproar among the island’s LGBT community this week, as a picture of the receipt burned through social media and the blogosphere.
Both the bar and the ATM provider immediately distanced themselves from the offending message. El Ocho de Blanco put a note on its Facebook page saying it turned the ATM off and reached out to the provider, ATM Mobile Services, according to Primera Hora.
The ATM company’s president Jorge Torres said “someone from the outside gained access to the system and programming of the machine.” Torres said his company did not intentionally offend the LGBT community and would upgrade its ATM security to make sure nothing like this would happen in the future.
LGBT activist Pedro Julio Serrano thanked the companies for disavowing the homophobic message in a blog post, but also lamented that it happened in the first place. He said the incident made it clear that the island should pass a law proposed by Puerto Rican Sen. Ramón Luis Nieves criminalizing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Homophobia is unacceptable, wherever it comes from,” Serrano wrote. “This can’t keep happening in Puerto Rico.”
via Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com by HuffPost France on 3/6/13
Venezuela's “socialist revolution” came to an end on March 5. Democratic revolutionary to some, charismatic dictator to others, Hugo Chavez died on Tuesday. The former military coup leader, brilliantly reelected in 2012, adored by many Venezuelans, was often disquieting, but certainly left no one indifferent.
What will be Chavez's legacy? His cult of personality and his dictatorial attitudes, or his grand projects and ideals? Let’s look at the details.
AN ENLIGHTENED DICTATOR OBSESSED WITH POWER
1. A Bonapartist in a red beret
Democratically elected three times, Marxist Hugo Chavez mostly borrowed his political culture from social Bonapartism. Chavez sought to incarnate the State of Venezuela himself, even if this meant bypassing the Constitution or rewriting it as he saw fit. His main political tool: the referendum. His strength: the systematic dissolution of opposition forces, treating them like agents of American imperialism.
Following his election in 1998, Chavez passed a new constitution in 1999 that instituted the “Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” and put in place the principle of “recall referendums,” which served as the primary popular counter-balance to the presidential power. The 1999 constitutional changes also contained provisions that set presidential term limits. While a referendum held to abolish this last measure was unsuccessful in 2007… another referendum in 2009 allowed Chavez to present himself again as a candidate. Another worrying deviation occurred when the Chavist National Assembly granted the president the power to legislate by decree for a period of 18 months.
2. A mystical and vote-winning cult of personality
Hugo Chavez was able to build an exceptional popular base in a country ravaged by severe social conflicts. In addition to a generous and ambitious policy of redistribution of wealth, supported by his party’s “red shirts,” the PSUV, the Venezuelan president was able to foster a cult of personality worthy of the Soviet Union. Huge rock concert-scale gatherings, armies of fevered supporters, mystical Marxism with a hint of lyrical Catholicism and Bolivarian incantation… The Chavez “show” served the interests of a president who never hesitated to align his own person with the destiny of the nation. “Chavez doesn’t lie, Chavez doesn’t sell out, Chavez is the people, Chavez is the truth, all of you are Chavez, we all are,” he declared to supporters, while his opponents were systematically branded as “traitors” and “stateless.” The news of his cancer, treated in Cuba and hidden behind a thick smoke screen, also became an opportunity to erect the Chavez myth. “I conquered death to fulfill my commitments to the Venezuelan people!” he repeated while he ran for his fourth term. But death got its revenge.
3. Questionable diplomatic relations
This is the President’s main grey area. A sworn enemy of “American imperialism,” a slogan that has become a rallying cry in South America, Chavez took his opposition to Washington so far as associating himself with the most dubious regimes on the planet. Under his watch, Venezuela massively imported arms from Russia, tightened its ties to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Iran, consorted with Gaddafi’s Libya, and supported Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria. This is not to mention the ideological and economic kinship with his Cuban sibling, where Chavez always received a distinguished welcome. These embarrassing associations were one of the main campaign arguments for Chavez's opponent in the presidential election of 2012, Henrique Capriles.
4. A tense media environment
Freedom of the press exists in Venezuela. As Chavez supporters point out, over half of the country's television stations are privately owned and they reach about 60% of the viewing audience. The print media largely supports the opposition, even if it primarily addresses the wealthier social groups. That said, public television only gives airtime to voices representing the State. In addition, the Chavez government set a dangerous precedent by not renewing the broadcast license of Venezuela’s oldest private station, RCTV. That decision was made in retaliation for the station’s support for a failed coup in 2002, but sent shockwaves through the Western world, further reinforcing suspicions of Chavist authoritarian tendencies.
5. A worrying military culture
A career lieutenant-colonel, quick to wear the uniform, Hugo Chavez continued to maintain strong ties with the Venezuelan army throughout his presidency. This was a real cause of concern for his opponents, who wondered about the military’s reaction in the event of defeat in the latest elections. Chavez spent two years in jail for a failed coup, fomented in 1992 by his movement, the MBR-200, against then President Carlos Andrés Pérez. From prison, Chavez tried to make a call for a public uprising. Victim of an attempted coup d’état in 2002 himself, Chavez owed his political survival to those faithful to him in the army, preceded by the fervor of his popular supporters. Another sign that the army continues to play a role in the democratic functioning of the country is that it has been designated as the entity responsible to ensure the continuity of the State, until a transitional president is sworn in. Hardly reassuring in a country where coups d’état are legion.
AN ICONOCLASTIC AND PROVOCATIVE PRESIDENT
1. A leader who is unafraid of opinion
Although he allowed himself numerous liberties in interpreting the Constitution, Hugo Chavez could always boast about having involved the electorate in his decisions. Aside from the decision to legislate by decree, voted on by the Venezuelan National Assembly, the populist president consulted the people on a number of occasions and accepted the rejection of the 2007 referendum intended to authorize him to run for office once again. That really sums up the contradictions Hugo Chavez embodied: an enemy of intermediate entities who however never crossed the line of governing against the people. He was a democratically elected president, coming out on top of the only “recall referendum” organized by the opposition in 2004. And this despite allegations of fraud that hung over several elections.
2. A costly social fabric, but in the service of the most impoverished
Elected in 1998 on a strong social platform that benefitted the lower classes, Hugo Chavez kept his word. He never succeeded in making his country less dependent on profits from the oil industry, which still singlehandedly supports the economy. And the success of his “missiones,” vast social and educational programs launched in the early 2000’s, is still debatable. But the numbers are real. Since his election, Venezuela’s GDP has tripled, unemployment has been cut in half, poverty reduced by a third, extreme poverty reduced to 10%, the gap between rich and poor reduced. On a social level, Chavism, with the help of petrodollars, has cut illiteracy in half, reduced infant mortality and increased life expectancy. And many Venezuelans credit him for these achievements.
3. An opportunistic pragmatism
The Venezuelan president carried out an ambitious petrodollar diplomacy on the South American continent and won the support of many of his neighbors, starting with the influential Lula, former President of Brazil and role model for… Henrique Capriles, Hugo Chavez’s former rival. Though a sworn enemy of the United States, Chavez made sure never to cross the line and maintained the supply of oil to Washington. Recently, the president had said he “wished” both countries could enter “a new period of normal relations,” even supporting Barak Obama’s reelection. While this does not necessarily make him a democrat, it proves that the Venezuelan leader’s foreign policies were more likely based on political opportunism than an ideology that would threaten equilibrium in the world.
4. A jostled but stalwart opposition
A sign that democracy is still alive and well in Venezuela, is that the opposition to “comandante” Chavez has never been stronger. The appearance of Henrique Capriles on the national stage is just one example among many. Of course, the political debate remains heated in this country where pro or anti-Chavez protests often turned violent. But the freedom to contest the elected president’s power is more or less intact, particularly in Caracas where Capriles brought together hundreds of thousands of supporters during a huge meeting organized a week before the vote. For the first time, on February 12, the Venezuelan opposition party organized primaries to choose their presidential candidate. Three million people, or 16% of the electorate, came out to thrust the young Capriles onto the scene. This is a sign that political pluralism does indeed exist in Venezuela.
5. Exemplary elections
In order to stave off any suspicion of voter irregularities, even “fraud” according to the opposition, Hugo Chavez had promised to make the last presidential elections an unsullied example of the democratic process. The socialist and his primary rival Henrique Capriles Radonski -- endorsed by about 30 opposition parties -- in July signed an agreement stipulating that both would abide by the results of the vote. According to the electoral accompaniment mission of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the conditions of transparency were met. As Another guarantee, the 13,800 voting stations in the country were outfitted with electronic voting machines that were considered by all parties to be a protection against fraud. The Carter Center, charged with monitoring the anonymity of electronic voting, determined that the elections had been free and fair, while criticizing government propaganda. Venezuelan democracy has not proven to be incompatible with Chavism. But will it endure beyond it?
This piece has been translated from French and originally appeared on HuffPost France.
What will be Chavez's legacy? His cult of personality and his dictatorial attitudes, or his grand projects and ideals? Let’s look at the details.
AN ENLIGHTENED DICTATOR OBSESSED WITH POWER
1. A Bonapartist in a red beret
Democratically elected three times, Marxist Hugo Chavez mostly borrowed his political culture from social Bonapartism. Chavez sought to incarnate the State of Venezuela himself, even if this meant bypassing the Constitution or rewriting it as he saw fit. His main political tool: the referendum. His strength: the systematic dissolution of opposition forces, treating them like agents of American imperialism.
Following his election in 1998, Chavez passed a new constitution in 1999 that instituted the “Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” and put in place the principle of “recall referendums,” which served as the primary popular counter-balance to the presidential power. The 1999 constitutional changes also contained provisions that set presidential term limits. While a referendum held to abolish this last measure was unsuccessful in 2007… another referendum in 2009 allowed Chavez to present himself again as a candidate. Another worrying deviation occurred when the Chavist National Assembly granted the president the power to legislate by decree for a period of 18 months.
2. A mystical and vote-winning cult of personality
Hugo Chavez was able to build an exceptional popular base in a country ravaged by severe social conflicts. In addition to a generous and ambitious policy of redistribution of wealth, supported by his party’s “red shirts,” the PSUV, the Venezuelan president was able to foster a cult of personality worthy of the Soviet Union. Huge rock concert-scale gatherings, armies of fevered supporters, mystical Marxism with a hint of lyrical Catholicism and Bolivarian incantation… The Chavez “show” served the interests of a president who never hesitated to align his own person with the destiny of the nation. “Chavez doesn’t lie, Chavez doesn’t sell out, Chavez is the people, Chavez is the truth, all of you are Chavez, we all are,” he declared to supporters, while his opponents were systematically branded as “traitors” and “stateless.” The news of his cancer, treated in Cuba and hidden behind a thick smoke screen, also became an opportunity to erect the Chavez myth. “I conquered death to fulfill my commitments to the Venezuelan people!” he repeated while he ran for his fourth term. But death got its revenge.
3. Questionable diplomatic relations
This is the President’s main grey area. A sworn enemy of “American imperialism,” a slogan that has become a rallying cry in South America, Chavez took his opposition to Washington so far as associating himself with the most dubious regimes on the planet. Under his watch, Venezuela massively imported arms from Russia, tightened its ties to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Iran, consorted with Gaddafi’s Libya, and supported Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria. This is not to mention the ideological and economic kinship with his Cuban sibling, where Chavez always received a distinguished welcome. These embarrassing associations were one of the main campaign arguments for Chavez's opponent in the presidential election of 2012, Henrique Capriles.
4. A tense media environment
Freedom of the press exists in Venezuela. As Chavez supporters point out, over half of the country's television stations are privately owned and they reach about 60% of the viewing audience. The print media largely supports the opposition, even if it primarily addresses the wealthier social groups. That said, public television only gives airtime to voices representing the State. In addition, the Chavez government set a dangerous precedent by not renewing the broadcast license of Venezuela’s oldest private station, RCTV. That decision was made in retaliation for the station’s support for a failed coup in 2002, but sent shockwaves through the Western world, further reinforcing suspicions of Chavist authoritarian tendencies.
5. A worrying military culture
A career lieutenant-colonel, quick to wear the uniform, Hugo Chavez continued to maintain strong ties with the Venezuelan army throughout his presidency. This was a real cause of concern for his opponents, who wondered about the military’s reaction in the event of defeat in the latest elections. Chavez spent two years in jail for a failed coup, fomented in 1992 by his movement, the MBR-200, against then President Carlos Andrés Pérez. From prison, Chavez tried to make a call for a public uprising. Victim of an attempted coup d’état in 2002 himself, Chavez owed his political survival to those faithful to him in the army, preceded by the fervor of his popular supporters. Another sign that the army continues to play a role in the democratic functioning of the country is that it has been designated as the entity responsible to ensure the continuity of the State, until a transitional president is sworn in. Hardly reassuring in a country where coups d’état are legion.
AN ICONOCLASTIC AND PROVOCATIVE PRESIDENT
1. A leader who is unafraid of opinion
Although he allowed himself numerous liberties in interpreting the Constitution, Hugo Chavez could always boast about having involved the electorate in his decisions. Aside from the decision to legislate by decree, voted on by the Venezuelan National Assembly, the populist president consulted the people on a number of occasions and accepted the rejection of the 2007 referendum intended to authorize him to run for office once again. That really sums up the contradictions Hugo Chavez embodied: an enemy of intermediate entities who however never crossed the line of governing against the people. He was a democratically elected president, coming out on top of the only “recall referendum” organized by the opposition in 2004. And this despite allegations of fraud that hung over several elections.
2. A costly social fabric, but in the service of the most impoverished
Elected in 1998 on a strong social platform that benefitted the lower classes, Hugo Chavez kept his word. He never succeeded in making his country less dependent on profits from the oil industry, which still singlehandedly supports the economy. And the success of his “missiones,” vast social and educational programs launched in the early 2000’s, is still debatable. But the numbers are real. Since his election, Venezuela’s GDP has tripled, unemployment has been cut in half, poverty reduced by a third, extreme poverty reduced to 10%, the gap between rich and poor reduced. On a social level, Chavism, with the help of petrodollars, has cut illiteracy in half, reduced infant mortality and increased life expectancy. And many Venezuelans credit him for these achievements.
3. An opportunistic pragmatism
The Venezuelan president carried out an ambitious petrodollar diplomacy on the South American continent and won the support of many of his neighbors, starting with the influential Lula, former President of Brazil and role model for… Henrique Capriles, Hugo Chavez’s former rival. Though a sworn enemy of the United States, Chavez made sure never to cross the line and maintained the supply of oil to Washington. Recently, the president had said he “wished” both countries could enter “a new period of normal relations,” even supporting Barak Obama’s reelection. While this does not necessarily make him a democrat, it proves that the Venezuelan leader’s foreign policies were more likely based on political opportunism than an ideology that would threaten equilibrium in the world.
4. A jostled but stalwart opposition
A sign that democracy is still alive and well in Venezuela, is that the opposition to “comandante” Chavez has never been stronger. The appearance of Henrique Capriles on the national stage is just one example among many. Of course, the political debate remains heated in this country where pro or anti-Chavez protests often turned violent. But the freedom to contest the elected president’s power is more or less intact, particularly in Caracas where Capriles brought together hundreds of thousands of supporters during a huge meeting organized a week before the vote. For the first time, on February 12, the Venezuelan opposition party organized primaries to choose their presidential candidate. Three million people, or 16% of the electorate, came out to thrust the young Capriles onto the scene. This is a sign that political pluralism does indeed exist in Venezuela.
5. Exemplary elections
In order to stave off any suspicion of voter irregularities, even “fraud” according to the opposition, Hugo Chavez had promised to make the last presidential elections an unsullied example of the democratic process. The socialist and his primary rival Henrique Capriles Radonski -- endorsed by about 30 opposition parties -- in July signed an agreement stipulating that both would abide by the results of the vote. According to the electoral accompaniment mission of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the conditions of transparency were met. As Another guarantee, the 13,800 voting stations in the country were outfitted with electronic voting machines that were considered by all parties to be a protection against fraud. The Carter Center, charged with monitoring the anonymity of electronic voting, determined that the elections had been free and fair, while criticizing government propaganda. Venezuelan democracy has not proven to be incompatible with Chavism. But will it endure beyond it?
This piece has been translated from French and originally appeared on HuffPost France.
Mike Nova's starred items
via Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com by Zuania Ramos on 3/6/13
Although the Venezuelan government has kept silent on what took place during Hugo Chavez’s last minutes, a CNN correspondent in Caracas and several media said on Tuesday it was his daughter, Rosa Virginia, who was next to him until his final breath.
Since Hugo Chavez was transferred to Havana, Cuba in December 2012 to undergo a fourth operation, it was his oldest daughter who stood at his father’s bedside until the last moment.
The daily ABC, who had followed Chavez's treatment step by step, assured that when the time arrived she would also be responsible for disconnecting the machines keeping him alive artificially.
According to ABC, Chavez was in an induced coma as a result of a respiratory failure from which he wasn’t able to recover.
The Venezuelan leader was last seen in public last year on December 8. That same day he announced he would be traveling to Cuba to undergo a fourth operation in an effort to overcome the cancer that afflicted him.
Chavistas assure that although Chavez has died, the movement he created will never end. While the opposition is already gathering to discuss further steps now that the country needs to re-elect a new president.
Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias was born on July 28, 1954 in Sabaneta de Barinas, Venezuela. He came from humble beginnings. The second of six children, he was the son of Hugo de los Reyes Chávez and Elena Frías, both teachers in a small town in the Venezuelan plains.
Take a look at Hugo Chavez' relationship with his daughter in pictures.
Since Hugo Chavez was transferred to Havana, Cuba in December 2012 to undergo a fourth operation, it was his oldest daughter who stood at his father’s bedside until the last moment.
The daily ABC, who had followed Chavez's treatment step by step, assured that when the time arrived she would also be responsible for disconnecting the machines keeping him alive artificially.
According to ABC, Chavez was in an induced coma as a result of a respiratory failure from which he wasn’t able to recover.
The Venezuelan leader was last seen in public last year on December 8. That same day he announced he would be traveling to Cuba to undergo a fourth operation in an effort to overcome the cancer that afflicted him.
Chavistas assure that although Chavez has died, the movement he created will never end. While the opposition is already gathering to discuss further steps now that the country needs to re-elect a new president.
Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias was born on July 28, 1954 in Sabaneta de Barinas, Venezuela. He came from humble beginnings. The second of six children, he was the son of Hugo de los Reyes Chávez and Elena Frías, both teachers in a small town in the Venezuelan plains.
Take a look at Hugo Chavez' relationship with his daughter in pictures.
via Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com by The Huffington Post on 3/6/13
Carmen Milagros Velez Vega and her partner have a 12-year-old daughter that Velez gave birth to—a child she considers "…our daughter. She is not my daughter." Yet, despite Velez's 25-year-long relationship, Puerto Rican courts refuse to allow her partner to legally adopt their child. Her partner is a woman.
Velez is a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, where the institution's health insurance covers the partners of LGBTQ employees and where she can safely display pictures of her nontraditional family on her desk. And, beyond of the university's progressive campus, the island has anti-discrimination laws that provide her and other gay Puerto Ricans recourse against harassment and hate crimes.
Velez is at the heart of the island's cultural clash over gay rights. As the territory's government increasingly—however slowly—institutes measures to help the gay community, the general population hasn't quite caught up. In January, former conservative governor Pedro Rosello voiced support of same sex marriage. Less than a month later in February, religious groups organized a march against gay rights attended by 200,000 "pro-family" demonstrators.
Alicia Menendez led a HuffPost Live conversation on Puerto Rico’s cultural clash featuring Dr. Velez, along with Pedro Julio Serrano, a prominent Puerto Rican activist, Angel Toledo-López, a professor at the Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez, and Senator Ramon Luis Nieves.
Religious influence extends beyond the island's general population to legislators fearful of losing votes, says Toledo-López. "There is of course a very active religious population in Puerto Rico and their first step is going to be to let [legislators] know that they're going to be very active in their churches, letting the members of their churches know that they should vote against these senators or representatives."
But some legislators in favor of equality for gay Puerto Ricans say they are willing to accept any political blowback that might come their way, “If there is any political consequence, it will be my cross to bear,” said Senator Nieves, who submitted a bill in January making it a crime to discriminate against people based on their gender or sexual orientation. “I’m very confident because I was the candidate for the senate in San Juan, our nation's capital, and we had very big support from the LGBT community.”
“We cannot live in fear,” says Pedro Julio Serrano, a spokesperson for the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. “As a person who twice has had to deal with attempts against [my] life, I'm going back to Puerto Rico next year to live in my country,” says Serrano who travels back and forth between San Juan and New York City. “We need to rescue our Puerto Rico and say that this is our country too.”
Velez is a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, where the institution's health insurance covers the partners of LGBTQ employees and where she can safely display pictures of her nontraditional family on her desk. And, beyond of the university's progressive campus, the island has anti-discrimination laws that provide her and other gay Puerto Ricans recourse against harassment and hate crimes.
Velez is at the heart of the island's cultural clash over gay rights. As the territory's government increasingly—however slowly—institutes measures to help the gay community, the general population hasn't quite caught up. In January, former conservative governor Pedro Rosello voiced support of same sex marriage. Less than a month later in February, religious groups organized a march against gay rights attended by 200,000 "pro-family" demonstrators.
Alicia Menendez led a HuffPost Live conversation on Puerto Rico’s cultural clash featuring Dr. Velez, along with Pedro Julio Serrano, a prominent Puerto Rican activist, Angel Toledo-López, a professor at the Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez, and Senator Ramon Luis Nieves.
Religious influence extends beyond the island's general population to legislators fearful of losing votes, says Toledo-López. "There is of course a very active religious population in Puerto Rico and their first step is going to be to let [legislators] know that they're going to be very active in their churches, letting the members of their churches know that they should vote against these senators or representatives."
But some legislators in favor of equality for gay Puerto Ricans say they are willing to accept any political blowback that might come their way, “If there is any political consequence, it will be my cross to bear,” said Senator Nieves, who submitted a bill in January making it a crime to discriminate against people based on their gender or sexual orientation. “I’m very confident because I was the candidate for the senate in San Juan, our nation's capital, and we had very big support from the LGBT community.”
“We cannot live in fear,” says Pedro Julio Serrano, a spokesperson for the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. “As a person who twice has had to deal with attempts against [my] life, I'm going back to Puerto Rico next year to live in my country,” says Serrano who travels back and forth between San Juan and New York City. “We need to rescue our Puerto Rico and say that this is our country too.”
via Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com by The Credits on 3/6/13
When population numbers are taken into account, Hispanics make up the heaviest percentage of moviegoers today. They represent 18 percent of the movie-going population but account for a solid 25 percent of all movies seen in theaters, and their attendance numbers are only going up. Hollywood, of course, has taken note.
“The overall trend is that Hispanics remain the best movie-going customers,” said Ray Ydoyaga, an executive at Nielsen, who helped put together the analytics company’s annual 2012 American Moviegoing report. “I think by and large that studios understand that Hispanics are one of their most important customers.”
“The overall trend is that Hispanics remain the best movie-going customers,” said Ray Ydoyaga, an executive at Nielsen, who helped put together the analytics company’s annual 2012 American Moviegoing report. “I think by and large that studios understand that Hispanics are one of their most important customers.”
via Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com by The Huffington Post on 3/6/13
Hugo Chavez had a friend in Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who apparently held the Venezuelan leader in such high regard that he believes he will "return on resurrection day" with Jesus Christ and will "establish peace, justice, and kindness" on earth.
After Chavez's death on Tuesday afternoon, Ahmadinejad released a statement on Wednesday to announce a day of public mourning, according to Iran's Raja News, Ahmadinejad's official news agency. In his message, Ahmadinejad voiced skepticism over Chavez's "suspicious" illness and proclaimed that the 58-year-old will resurrect with Jesus one day.
From The Huffington Post's translation of Ahmadinejad's message:
"The arrival of the Ultimate Savior will mark a new beginning, a rebirth and a resurrection. It will be the beginning of peace, lasting security, and genuine life," he said, in part. "His arrival will be the end of oppression, immorality, poverty, discrimination, and the beginning of justice, love, and empathy."
Chavez, a Roman Catholic, managed to bond with Ahmadinejad, a Muslim, over their shared disdain for the West.
The Iranian leader visited Venezuela last January, and the two men spoke out against the U.S. and united against imperialism. "One of the targets that Yankee imperialism has in its sights is Iran, which is why we are showing our solidarity," Chavez said, according to the Telegraph. Ahmadinejad added, "Despite those arrogant people who do not wish us to be together, we will unite forever."
Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan vice president and Chavez's successor, also took issue with the circumstances of Chavez's death. He said the socialist revolutionary's cancer was an attack by "imperialist" enemies, according to Reuters, a claim first made by the late president himself.
Chavez died Tuesday afternoon, 4:25 p.m. Caracas time, after a nearly two-year struggle with cancer.
After Chavez's death on Tuesday afternoon, Ahmadinejad released a statement on Wednesday to announce a day of public mourning, according to Iran's Raja News, Ahmadinejad's official news agency. In his message, Ahmadinejad voiced skepticism over Chavez's "suspicious" illness and proclaimed that the 58-year-old will resurrect with Jesus one day.
From The Huffington Post's translation of Ahmadinejad's message:
Venezuela has lost a brave son, and the world has lost a wise and revolutionary leader. ... He took a firm stance against the demands of oppressors and broke down the all their attempts for discord, propaganda and coup d’etats. He was a bridge that connected all justice-seeking leaders in the world. He finally gave his entire life and being to a suspicious illness and with that, he is undoubtedly a true martyr in the path of serving the Venezuelan nation and safeguarding the revolutionary and human values. Although Hugo Chavez, is no longer among us today, I am sure that his innocent spirit has ascended to the heavens and will one day return to us with Jesus Christ and will once again help humankind establish peace, justice and kindness.In September, Ahmadinejad spoke of this resurrection during the United Nations General Assembly.
"The arrival of the Ultimate Savior will mark a new beginning, a rebirth and a resurrection. It will be the beginning of peace, lasting security, and genuine life," he said, in part. "His arrival will be the end of oppression, immorality, poverty, discrimination, and the beginning of justice, love, and empathy."
Chavez, a Roman Catholic, managed to bond with Ahmadinejad, a Muslim, over their shared disdain for the West.
The Iranian leader visited Venezuela last January, and the two men spoke out against the U.S. and united against imperialism. "One of the targets that Yankee imperialism has in its sights is Iran, which is why we are showing our solidarity," Chavez said, according to the Telegraph. Ahmadinejad added, "Despite those arrogant people who do not wish us to be together, we will unite forever."
Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan vice president and Chavez's successor, also took issue with the circumstances of Chavez's death. He said the socialist revolutionary's cancer was an attack by "imperialist" enemies, according to Reuters, a claim first made by the late president himself.
Chavez died Tuesday afternoon, 4:25 p.m. Caracas time, after a nearly two-year struggle with cancer.
via Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com by Ana Benedetti on 3/6/13
Hugo Chavez's death rocked the world. Since being elected President of Venezuela 14 years ago he has been one of the most controversial leaders of this century. He was beloved and detested by many and his influence was felt well beyond Venezuela's borders, from Ecuador to Iran, as he revived the leftist movement in Latin America.
He died after a long battle with cancer on March 5, 2013.
Chavez tended to make headlines. He was quoted, reviewed and analyzed constantly by foreign media and he was even portrayed on an episode of CBS's "The Good Wife." Yet his death will probably be the most documented moment of his reign.
See headlines from newspapers all over South America in the slideshow above.
via Latest News by Janell Ross on 3/6/13
In Caracas, Venezuela, as news of Hugo Chavez’ death filtered into the streets, some supporters of the late president and his brand of socialism wept openly. Chavistas, as they are called, benefitted from subsidies that radically altered the lives of the country’s poor.
But in Doral, Fla., a city of about 47,000 home to many Venezuelan expatriates, some of Chavez’s staunchest political adversaries laughed and talked about the news, waiting in long lines to celebrate at Venezuelan restaurants, The Miami Herald reported. They remembered Chavez, 58, for costly manipulations, and tyrannical behavior cloaked in democracy that they said ruined their country.
Venezuelans across the globe have spent two days discussing Chavez, his legacy and the future. They wondered what form of cancer killed him, when and where he died, and what will become of Venezuela now that one of the world’s leading Latin American leftists is gone. The competing faces of Chavez -- socialist reformer who gave voice and opportunity to the poor, and charismatic strongman who used democracy as a disguise -- have been consistent themes of the debate.
“In many ways, both versions of the Chavez story are true,” said Susan Kaufman Purcell, director of the University of Miami’s Center for Hemispheric Policy. “He was a very mercurial personality. At various points, people have implied part of that may have been madness. But there is no question that Chavez’s impact will survive beyond his death.
“You have got a sort of genie that has been let out of the bottle -- a mobilization of the lower class in Venezuela, people who felt that earlier governments ignored them," Purcell continued. "I don’t think that can be contained again.”
Venezuela’s constitution calls for national elections within 30 days.
Vice President Nicolás Maduro, Chavez’s handpicked successor, is expected to be the Chavismo candidate. Latin American analysts said they expect the opposition will back Henrique Capriles Radonski, who ran against Chavez in October and lost by 11 percentage points. Maduro is favored to win.
“I find it almost impossible to imagine that it won’t be Nicolás Maduro,” said Cynthia Arnson, director of the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program. “He is the only person who has officially been given the blessing of Chavez to carry on his legacy.
“Chavismo is very much going to continue without Chavez, but it will never be the same," Arnson continued. “Chavez had a singular ability to keep the movement unified, to keep a direct connection with his mass base and to make decisions. There’s really no known leader in Venezuela who has all of those qualities.”
Even in the U.S., Chavez came in for some praise. Former Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) told the Associated Press that he is mourning Chavez's death. Chavez and Venezuela's national oil company, Citgo, donated heating oil that helped the U.S. poor. Kennedy told AP that Chavez helped more than 2 million Americans.
Now, Chavez’s successor must contend with a deeply disgruntled upper class, including expatriates in the United States, and an emboldened poor, said Purcell. The first group is concerned about security and crime, escalating inflation and shortages of goods. The second expects government help ranging from free refrigerators to health care, she said.
The country’s next president also will have to contend with debt racked up by Chavez and with global oil prices that may fall. Venezuela ranks among the world’s largest oil exporters, but imports almost everything else, Arnson said.
"The running joke in Venezuela is it's easier to get whiskey than milk,” Arnson said.
Poverty in Venezuela declined during Chavez' 14 years in office, dropping from nearly 50 percent in 1999 to about 27 percent in 2011, according to the CIA World Factbook. At the same time, an estimated 1 million Venezuelans, mostly from the middle and upper class, left the country. Chavez's social investments have led to better living standards, including increased school enrollment, a substantial reduction in infant and child mortality, and greater access to potable water and sanitation. Some experts, however, question how much of a role government spending played in the improvements.
But in Doral, Fla., a city of about 47,000 home to many Venezuelan expatriates, some of Chavez’s staunchest political adversaries laughed and talked about the news, waiting in long lines to celebrate at Venezuelan restaurants, The Miami Herald reported. They remembered Chavez, 58, for costly manipulations, and tyrannical behavior cloaked in democracy that they said ruined their country.
Venezuelans across the globe have spent two days discussing Chavez, his legacy and the future. They wondered what form of cancer killed him, when and where he died, and what will become of Venezuela now that one of the world’s leading Latin American leftists is gone. The competing faces of Chavez -- socialist reformer who gave voice and opportunity to the poor, and charismatic strongman who used democracy as a disguise -- have been consistent themes of the debate.
“In many ways, both versions of the Chavez story are true,” said Susan Kaufman Purcell, director of the University of Miami’s Center for Hemispheric Policy. “He was a very mercurial personality. At various points, people have implied part of that may have been madness. But there is no question that Chavez’s impact will survive beyond his death.
“You have got a sort of genie that has been let out of the bottle -- a mobilization of the lower class in Venezuela, people who felt that earlier governments ignored them," Purcell continued. "I don’t think that can be contained again.”
Venezuela’s constitution calls for national elections within 30 days.
Vice President Nicolás Maduro, Chavez’s handpicked successor, is expected to be the Chavismo candidate. Latin American analysts said they expect the opposition will back Henrique Capriles Radonski, who ran against Chavez in October and lost by 11 percentage points. Maduro is favored to win.
“I find it almost impossible to imagine that it won’t be Nicolás Maduro,” said Cynthia Arnson, director of the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program. “He is the only person who has officially been given the blessing of Chavez to carry on his legacy.
“Chavismo is very much going to continue without Chavez, but it will never be the same," Arnson continued. “Chavez had a singular ability to keep the movement unified, to keep a direct connection with his mass base and to make decisions. There’s really no known leader in Venezuela who has all of those qualities.”
Even in the U.S., Chavez came in for some praise. Former Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) told the Associated Press that he is mourning Chavez's death. Chavez and Venezuela's national oil company, Citgo, donated heating oil that helped the U.S. poor. Kennedy told AP that Chavez helped more than 2 million Americans.
Now, Chavez’s successor must contend with a deeply disgruntled upper class, including expatriates in the United States, and an emboldened poor, said Purcell. The first group is concerned about security and crime, escalating inflation and shortages of goods. The second expects government help ranging from free refrigerators to health care, she said.
The country’s next president also will have to contend with debt racked up by Chavez and with global oil prices that may fall. Venezuela ranks among the world’s largest oil exporters, but imports almost everything else, Arnson said.
"The running joke in Venezuela is it's easier to get whiskey than milk,” Arnson said.
Poverty in Venezuela declined during Chavez' 14 years in office, dropping from nearly 50 percent in 1999 to about 27 percent in 2011, according to the CIA World Factbook. At the same time, an estimated 1 million Venezuelans, mostly from the middle and upper class, left the country. Chavez's social investments have led to better living standards, including increased school enrollment, a substantial reduction in infant and child mortality, and greater access to potable water and sanitation. Some experts, however, question how much of a role government spending played in the improvements.
via latino - Google News on 3/6/13
Hugo Chavez, The Passing of a Political Tsunami
Fox News Latino For the next days and weeks there will be many Op-Eds and articles analyzing the impact of the premature demise of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. His legacy will be dissected; the effects of his political and economic model he dubbed “21st Century ... |
via FOX News on 3/6/13
Chávez poured petrodollars into government-run social programs. Unfortunately, he also continued the wretched tradition of using oil wealth to consolidate power.
via FOX News on 3/6/13
A day after President Hugo Chavez died after a two year battle with cancer, thousands of his supporters walked the streets of Caracas behind a flag-draped coffin.
Mike Nova's starred items
via Latino Voices on HuffingtonPost.com by Janell Ross on 3/6/13
In Caracas, Venezuela, as news of Hugo Chavez’ death filtered into the streets, some supporters of the late president and his brand of socialism wept openly. Chavistas, as they are called, benefitted from subsidies that radically altered the lives of the country’s poor.
But in Doral, Fla., a city of about 47,000 home to many Venezuelan expatriates, some of Chavez’s staunchest political adversaries laughed and talked about the news, waiting in long lines to celebrate at Venezuelan restaurants, The Miami Herald reported. They remembered Chavez, 58, for costly manipulations, and tyrannical behavior cloaked in democracy that they said ruined their country.
Venezuelans across the globe have spent two days discussing Chavez, his legacy and the future. They wondered what form of cancer killed him, when and where he died, and what will become of Venezuela now that one of the world’s leading Latin American leftists is gone. The competing faces of Chavez -- socialist reformer who gave voice and opportunity to the poor, and charismatic strongman who used democracy as a disguise -- have been consistent themes of the debate.
“In many ways, both versions of the Chavez story are true,” said Susan Kaufman Purcell, director of the University of Miami’s Center for Hemispheric Policy. “He was a very mercurial personality. At various points, people have implied part of that may have been madness. But there is no question that Chavez’s impact will survive beyond his death.
“You have got a sort of genie that has been let out of the bottle -- a mobilization of the lower class in Venezuela, people who felt that earlier governments ignored them," Purcell continued. "I don’t think that can be contained again.”
Venezuela’s constitution calls for national elections within 30 days.
Vice President Nicolás Maduro, Chavez’s handpicked successor, is expected to be the Chavismo candidate. Latin American analysts said they expect the opposition will back Henrique Capriles Radonski, who ran against Chavez in October and lost by 11 percentage points. Maduro is favored to win.
“I find it almost impossible to imagine that it won’t be Nicolás Maduro,” said Cynthia Arnson, director of the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program. “He is the only person who has officially been given the blessing of Chavez to carry on his legacy.
“Chavismo is very much going to continue without Chavez, but it will never be the same," Arnson continued. “Chavez had a singular ability to keep the movement unified, to keep a direct connection with his mass base and to make decisions. There’s really no known leader in Venezuela who has all of those qualities.”
Even in the U.S., Chavez came in for some praise. Former Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) told the Associated Press that he is mourning Chavez's death. Chavez and Venezuela's national oil company, Citgo, donated heating oil that helped the U.S. poor. Kennedy told AP that Chavez helped more than 2 million Americans.
Now, Chavez’s successor must contend with a deeply disgruntled upper class, including expatriates in the United States, and an emboldened poor, said Purcell. The first group is concerned about security and crime, escalating inflation and shortages of goods. The second expects government help ranging from free refrigerators to health care, she said.
The country’s next president also will have to contend with debt racked up by Chavez and with global oil prices that may fall. Venezuela ranks among the world’s largest oil exporters, but imports almost everything else, Arnson said.
"The running joke in Venezuela is it's easier to get whiskey than milk,” Arnson said.
Poverty in Venezuela declined during Chavez' 14 years in office, dropping from nearly 50 percent in 1999 to about 27 percent in 2011, according to the CIA World Factbook. At the same time, an estimated 1 million Venezuelans, mostly from the middle and upper class, left the country. Chavez's social investments have led to better living standards, including increased school enrollment, a substantial reduction in infant and child mortality, and greater access to potable water and sanitation. Some experts, however, question how much of a role government spending played in the improvements.
But in Doral, Fla., a city of about 47,000 home to many Venezuelan expatriates, some of Chavez’s staunchest political adversaries laughed and talked about the news, waiting in long lines to celebrate at Venezuelan restaurants, The Miami Herald reported. They remembered Chavez, 58, for costly manipulations, and tyrannical behavior cloaked in democracy that they said ruined their country.
Venezuelans across the globe have spent two days discussing Chavez, his legacy and the future. They wondered what form of cancer killed him, when and where he died, and what will become of Venezuela now that one of the world’s leading Latin American leftists is gone. The competing faces of Chavez -- socialist reformer who gave voice and opportunity to the poor, and charismatic strongman who used democracy as a disguise -- have been consistent themes of the debate.
“In many ways, both versions of the Chavez story are true,” said Susan Kaufman Purcell, director of the University of Miami’s Center for Hemispheric Policy. “He was a very mercurial personality. At various points, people have implied part of that may have been madness. But there is no question that Chavez’s impact will survive beyond his death.
“You have got a sort of genie that has been let out of the bottle -- a mobilization of the lower class in Venezuela, people who felt that earlier governments ignored them," Purcell continued. "I don’t think that can be contained again.”
Venezuela’s constitution calls for national elections within 30 days.
Vice President Nicolás Maduro, Chavez’s handpicked successor, is expected to be the Chavismo candidate. Latin American analysts said they expect the opposition will back Henrique Capriles Radonski, who ran against Chavez in October and lost by 11 percentage points. Maduro is favored to win.
“I find it almost impossible to imagine that it won’t be Nicolás Maduro,” said Cynthia Arnson, director of the Wilson Center’s Latin American Program. “He is the only person who has officially been given the blessing of Chavez to carry on his legacy.
“Chavismo is very much going to continue without Chavez, but it will never be the same," Arnson continued. “Chavez had a singular ability to keep the movement unified, to keep a direct connection with his mass base and to make decisions. There’s really no known leader in Venezuela who has all of those qualities.”
Even in the U.S., Chavez came in for some praise. Former Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) told the Associated Press that he is mourning Chavez's death. Chavez and Venezuela's national oil company, Citgo, donated heating oil that helped the U.S. poor. Kennedy told AP that Chavez helped more than 2 million Americans.
Now, Chavez’s successor must contend with a deeply disgruntled upper class, including expatriates in the United States, and an emboldened poor, said Purcell. The first group is concerned about security and crime, escalating inflation and shortages of goods. The second expects government help ranging from free refrigerators to health care, she said.
The country’s next president also will have to contend with debt racked up by Chavez and with global oil prices that may fall. Venezuela ranks among the world’s largest oil exporters, but imports almost everything else, Arnson said.
"The running joke in Venezuela is it's easier to get whiskey than milk,” Arnson said.
Poverty in Venezuela declined during Chavez' 14 years in office, dropping from nearly 50 percent in 1999 to about 27 percent in 2011, according to the CIA World Factbook. At the same time, an estimated 1 million Venezuelans, mostly from the middle and upper class, left the country. Chavez's social investments have led to better living standards, including increased school enrollment, a substantial reduction in infant and child mortality, and greater access to potable water and sanitation. Some experts, however, question how much of a role government spending played in the improvements.
via latino - Google News on 3/6/13
Chavez's Death Could Bring Further Turmoil to Oil Industry
Fox News Latino Oil exports fell by nearly half during Hugo Chavez's time as president. Following his death, Venezuela, which sits on the world's second-largest oil reserves, faces near-term political uncertainty that could bring further turmoil to its oil industry ... |
via NBC Latino by Christine Armario and Kevin McGill, Associated Press on 3/7/13
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offered to send thousands of soldiers, firefighters and volunteers to help with the cleanup. He also pledged $1 million in aid plus fuel to help rebuild hard-hit cities like New Orleans.
The offer, swiftly rejected, was part of a larger pattern: Chavez’s repeated attempts to provide humanitarian relief to low-income and distressed U.S. families. Despite those efforts, he was never able to foster his image as a savior of the American poor like he did in Venezuela. More often, he was accused of orchestrating politically motivated ploys that in the end helped relatively few Americans.
“Many people questioned his motivation,” said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and Americas Society think tank. “Was this a true humanitarian gesture or was it an opportunity to stick it in the eye of the United States? I think many people in the U.S. thought it was the latter.”
Chavez died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, ending 14 years of rule and leaving the oil-rich Latin American nation divided over his fiery brand of socialism. Vice President Nicolas Maduro will run Venezuela as interim president and serve as the candidate for Chavez’s socialist party in an election that must be called, constitutionally, within 30 days.
RELATED: A day of tears, after Chavez death in Venezuela
While much of Chavez’s socialist vision would have been in line with that of many American liberals, he never gained widespread admiration in the U.S.
Hollywood actor Sean Penn and director Oliver Stone praised him, but they were the exception, and many were hesitant to embrace a leader with military roots who shut down media outlets and abolished term limits.
Complicating any potential ideological synergy, Chavez had a combative relationship with the U.S. leaders that went beyond politics.
In 2006, he famously called President George W. Bush the devil in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, saying the podium reeked of sulfur after the U.S. president’s address. Chavez’s inner circle has also claimed the U.S. was behind a 2002 coup to overthrow him. Yet across the years, he kept up a lucrative oil-export relationship with the U.S. while also spreading his petroleum-funded largesse around Latin America.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept into Louisiana, busting federal levees, leaving New Orleans under a blanket of water and trapping tens of thousands in a chaotic landscape with no utilities, little food and a government that seemed unable to respond.
Chavez was quick to step in, offering a planeload of aid and criticizing Bush as “the king of vacations” for being at his Texas ranch when the storm hit.
“There were many innocent people who left in the direction of the hurricane,” Chavez said in a speech. “No one told them where they should go.”
Neither the U.S. government nor the state of Louisiana took him up on his offer. Bob Mann, who was communications director for then-Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, said he supported the state’s decision because he believed the offer was motivated more by Chavez’s desire to embarrass Bush than any humanitarian concern.
Looking back nearly eight years later, though, he might have chosen differently.
“In retrospect, I think maybe we should have taken the money because we didn’t get the help we needed from the federal government,” Mann said.
RELATED: No moment of silence for Chavez before Venezuela-Mets game either
Chavez did make some inroads through his heating oil program; more than 1.7 million people have received oil from Citgo Corp. to keep warm during the cold winter months over the last eight years, according to the state-owned oil subsidiary. The program was initially rejected in many states, but has now helped families in 25 states and Washington, D.C., as well as Native American communities.
Former U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, who heads Citizens Energy, said Tuesday that Chavez cared about the poor at a time when “some of the wealthiest people on our planet have more money than they can ever reasonably expect to spend.” A spokesman for Kennedy said Chavez and the people of Venezuela had donated about 200 million gallons in its collaboration with Citizens Energy.
Thomas Boswell, a geography professor at the University of Miami, said the amount of money and oil he contributed was too small to have a sizable impact.
Chavez’s contributions “didn’t really touch most of the poor in the United States,” Boswell said, adding most Americans were unaware of Chavez’s efforts.
There were many other reasons Chavez’s populist message didn’t resonate. In Venezuela, he could dominate the airwaves for hours on end. In the U.S., he faced a language barrier, among other hurdles. New York University professor Alejandro Velasco said Americans have long rejected the idea of a foreign country providing support to the U.S. population.
Velasco said Chavez’s efforts to highlight the contradictions of the U.S. economic system were ultimately more successful in generating pride in Venezuela than gaining him a following up north.
While initially Chavez may have curried favor among liberals in the U.S., support had eroded over the last decade as he continued to takes steps against private property, the media and his opposition. His fierce rhetoric against the U.S. during the Bush administration also won fewer admirers when President Barack Obama was elected as the nation’s first black president.
“It’s hard to be a supporter of somebody today who is dismantling democratic institutions, from the left, right or center,” Farnsworth said.
He added that Chavez’s approach in Venezuela faced a different economic reality in the U.S. that proved to be a less fertile ground for shoring up political support. For example, Farnsworth noted the U.S. already has programs for the poor that include energy subsidies for heating oil.
Today, Hurricane Katrina victims are divided over whether the U.S. should have accepted Chavez’s aid.
“I don’t deal with that country. I don’t know what they’re about,” said James Cager, 52, whose brick and stucco home in the Lower 9th Ward flooded to the rooftop. “If our government felt that it’s not a good idea to take from them, then we have to go with that.”
Others regret an offer to provide help in a desperate time was turned down. Mtangulizi Sanyika, 70, lived in New Orleans at the time of the storm and now resides in Houston. He said Katrina’s victims weren’t concerned with the ideological origins of the aid.
“An offer from Mr. Chavez may be multidimensional,” Sanyika said. “Yes, it might be said he was seeking to embarrass the United States. On the other side, he could have been genuine.”
—
Associated Press writers Stacey Plaissance and Kevin McGill in New Orleans, and Juan Lozano in Houston, contributed to this report. Armario reported from Miami.
Tagged: aid, Citgo, Citizen's Energy, federal aid, Hugo Chavez, humanitarian relief, Hurricane Katrina, Joseph Kennedy, Katrina victims, new orleans, oil-rich, Oliver STone, poor, relationship, Sean Penn, UN General Assembly
The offer, swiftly rejected, was part of a larger pattern: Chavez’s repeated attempts to provide humanitarian relief to low-income and distressed U.S. families. Despite those efforts, he was never able to foster his image as a savior of the American poor like he did in Venezuela. More often, he was accused of orchestrating politically motivated ploys that in the end helped relatively few Americans.
“Many people questioned his motivation,” said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and Americas Society think tank. “Was this a true humanitarian gesture or was it an opportunity to stick it in the eye of the United States? I think many people in the U.S. thought it was the latter.”
Chavez died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, ending 14 years of rule and leaving the oil-rich Latin American nation divided over his fiery brand of socialism. Vice President Nicolas Maduro will run Venezuela as interim president and serve as the candidate for Chavez’s socialist party in an election that must be called, constitutionally, within 30 days.
RELATED: A day of tears, after Chavez death in Venezuela
While much of Chavez’s socialist vision would have been in line with that of many American liberals, he never gained widespread admiration in the U.S.
Hollywood actor Sean Penn and director Oliver Stone praised him, but they were the exception, and many were hesitant to embrace a leader with military roots who shut down media outlets and abolished term limits.
Complicating any potential ideological synergy, Chavez had a combative relationship with the U.S. leaders that went beyond politics.
In 2006, he famously called President George W. Bush the devil in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, saying the podium reeked of sulfur after the U.S. president’s address. Chavez’s inner circle has also claimed the U.S. was behind a 2002 coup to overthrow him. Yet across the years, he kept up a lucrative oil-export relationship with the U.S. while also spreading his petroleum-funded largesse around Latin America.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept into Louisiana, busting federal levees, leaving New Orleans under a blanket of water and trapping tens of thousands in a chaotic landscape with no utilities, little food and a government that seemed unable to respond.
Chavez was quick to step in, offering a planeload of aid and criticizing Bush as “the king of vacations” for being at his Texas ranch when the storm hit.
“There were many innocent people who left in the direction of the hurricane,” Chavez said in a speech. “No one told them where they should go.”
Neither the U.S. government nor the state of Louisiana took him up on his offer. Bob Mann, who was communications director for then-Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, said he supported the state’s decision because he believed the offer was motivated more by Chavez’s desire to embarrass Bush than any humanitarian concern.
Looking back nearly eight years later, though, he might have chosen differently.
“In retrospect, I think maybe we should have taken the money because we didn’t get the help we needed from the federal government,” Mann said.
RELATED: No moment of silence for Chavez before Venezuela-Mets game either
Chavez did make some inroads through his heating oil program; more than 1.7 million people have received oil from Citgo Corp. to keep warm during the cold winter months over the last eight years, according to the state-owned oil subsidiary. The program was initially rejected in many states, but has now helped families in 25 states and Washington, D.C., as well as Native American communities.
Former U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II, who heads Citizens Energy, said Tuesday that Chavez cared about the poor at a time when “some of the wealthiest people on our planet have more money than they can ever reasonably expect to spend.” A spokesman for Kennedy said Chavez and the people of Venezuela had donated about 200 million gallons in its collaboration with Citizens Energy.
Thomas Boswell, a geography professor at the University of Miami, said the amount of money and oil he contributed was too small to have a sizable impact.
Chavez’s contributions “didn’t really touch most of the poor in the United States,” Boswell said, adding most Americans were unaware of Chavez’s efforts.
There were many other reasons Chavez’s populist message didn’t resonate. In Venezuela, he could dominate the airwaves for hours on end. In the U.S., he faced a language barrier, among other hurdles. New York University professor Alejandro Velasco said Americans have long rejected the idea of a foreign country providing support to the U.S. population.
Velasco said Chavez’s efforts to highlight the contradictions of the U.S. economic system were ultimately more successful in generating pride in Venezuela than gaining him a following up north.
While initially Chavez may have curried favor among liberals in the U.S., support had eroded over the last decade as he continued to takes steps against private property, the media and his opposition. His fierce rhetoric against the U.S. during the Bush administration also won fewer admirers when President Barack Obama was elected as the nation’s first black president.
“It’s hard to be a supporter of somebody today who is dismantling democratic institutions, from the left, right or center,” Farnsworth said.
He added that Chavez’s approach in Venezuela faced a different economic reality in the U.S. that proved to be a less fertile ground for shoring up political support. For example, Farnsworth noted the U.S. already has programs for the poor that include energy subsidies for heating oil.
Today, Hurricane Katrina victims are divided over whether the U.S. should have accepted Chavez’s aid.
“I don’t deal with that country. I don’t know what they’re about,” said James Cager, 52, whose brick and stucco home in the Lower 9th Ward flooded to the rooftop. “If our government felt that it’s not a good idea to take from them, then we have to go with that.”
Others regret an offer to provide help in a desperate time was turned down. Mtangulizi Sanyika, 70, lived in New Orleans at the time of the storm and now resides in Houston. He said Katrina’s victims weren’t concerned with the ideological origins of the aid.
“An offer from Mr. Chavez may be multidimensional,” Sanyika said. “Yes, it might be said he was seeking to embarrass the United States. On the other side, he could have been genuine.”
—
Associated Press writers Stacey Plaissance and Kevin McGill in New Orleans, and Juan Lozano in Houston, contributed to this report. Armario reported from Miami.
Tagged: aid, Citgo, Citizen's Energy, federal aid, Hugo Chavez, humanitarian relief, Hurricane Katrina, Joseph Kennedy, Katrina victims, new orleans, oil-rich, Oliver STone, poor, relationship, Sean Penn, UN General Assembly
via Latest News by Roque Planas on 3/7/13
Mexicans are outraged over the cost of President Enrique Peña Nieto's official photo, HuffPost Voces reports.
The image, published Tuesday on the website for the presidency and on its Facebook and Twitter accounts, cost a whopping 376,420 pesos -- or about $29,000 U.S. dollars. That's pretty insulting in a country where the minimum wage barely tops U.S. $150 per month.
Here's what the $29,000 photo looks like. Story continues below.
The photo's price was published by the Federal Institute of Access to Information and Data Protection (IFAI, in Spanish), which said the Mexican federal government dished out the money to a photographer named Hector Armando Herrera Peralta for a bill titled "service for photographic session."
Herrera Peralta isn't new to the official photography game. According to Mexican daily Milenio, he also took the official photos for former presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón. News website Animal Político reports that the photographer, who has also shot prominent businessmen, charged Calderón some 234,000 pesos for his official photo when he took office in 2006.
Outraged Mexicans took to Twitter to air their grievances.
Check out their reactions in the slideshow below and let us know in the comments whether you think this photo is worth $29,000.
The image, published Tuesday on the website for the presidency and on its Facebook and Twitter accounts, cost a whopping 376,420 pesos -- or about $29,000 U.S. dollars. That's pretty insulting in a country where the minimum wage barely tops U.S. $150 per month.
Here's what the $29,000 photo looks like. Story continues below.
The photo's price was published by the Federal Institute of Access to Information and Data Protection (IFAI, in Spanish), which said the Mexican federal government dished out the money to a photographer named Hector Armando Herrera Peralta for a bill titled "service for photographic session."
Herrera Peralta isn't new to the official photography game. According to Mexican daily Milenio, he also took the official photos for former presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón. News website Animal Político reports that the photographer, who has also shot prominent businessmen, charged Calderón some 234,000 pesos for his official photo when he took office in 2006.
Outraged Mexicans took to Twitter to air their grievances.
Check out their reactions in the slideshow below and let us know in the comments whether you think this photo is worth $29,000.
via Ponce News's Facebook Wall by Ponce News on 3/7/13
Enviado por Arturo Sepulveda: Arrestada y en la Carcel, menor abusadora en escuela de Ponce. Estas de acuerdo en que se tomen estas medidas a los abusadores agresores? Muchos estudios indican que por culpa de estos jóvenes, que su aprovechamiento académico es pésimo, logran que los estudiantes buenos, tiendan a fracasar y su vida escolar un infierno. Esto es basicamente lo que conlleva el fracaso continuo del Dept de Educación. NO CONSECUENCIAS POR TUS ACTOS. Expulsar a estos jovenes delincuentes y tomar medidas pugnitivas económicas a sus Padres, productos del mantengo.
www.facebook.com/poncenews
www.facebook.com/poncenews
via Puerto Rico News's Facebook Wall by Puerto Rico News on 3/7/13
Jennifer Lopez Live In Puerto Rico
Jennifer Lopez Live In Puerto Rico
Jennifer Lopez performing a spainish song live in puerto rico which i think she did back in 2001 or 2002 can't really remember. Leave a comment if you know t...
From: …
Jennifer Lopez Live In Puerto Rico
Jennifer Lopez Live In Puerto Rico
Jennifer Lopez performing a spainish song live in puerto rico which i think she did back in 2001 or 2002 can't really remember. Leave a comment if you know t...
From: …
Jennifer Lopez Live In Puerto Rico
via Ponce News's Facebook Wall by Ponce News on 3/7/13
Eric Cruz nos envia: El problema que tiene John Dewey College en el Pueblo de Juana Diaz, para conservar un Consejero Profesional con Licencia es el siguiente: 80% de lo que le asignan hacer es trabajo de oficina, el cual no tiene nada que ver con la Consejería Profesional. Esta institución, al igual que otras similares, tienen un índice de deserción estudiantil altísimo. A la hora de contratar al Consejero, le indican que este es el asunto que mas hay que trabajar, pero desde el dia #1, le asignan labores secretariales administrativas, las cuales no son su función. Por esta razón, los Consejeros Profesionales con licencia, que han logrado contratar, no duran mucho tiempo. Espero que a las personas encargadas de esto, estas palabras le sirvan para re evaluar las funciones de este profesional de la salud.
via Puerto Rico News's Facebook Wall by Puerto Rico News on 3/7/13
Enviado por Maria Hernandez: Moraleja: Consume todos tus dias de enfermedad todo el tiempo! solo deja de 5 a 10 dias, por si acaso! Asi que... Enfermate todos los viernes! ;)
Orden de vacaciones a la fuerza - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
Se quedan sin pago de licencia de enfermedad 140,000 obreros
Orden de vacaciones a la fuerza - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
Se quedan sin pago de licencia de enfermedad 140,000 obreros
via Puerto Rico News's Facebook Wall by Puerto Rico News on 3/7/13
“Desde que están los trolleys han bajado los pasajes” “Nuestra clientela principal son las personas mayores, que no pueden conducir o que no tienen autos propios, pero la realidad es que ya casi todo el mundo tiene carro”
El carro público podría desaparecer
www.primerahora.com
La Terminal Sur de Transportación, en Arecibo, parece un cementerio.
El carro público podría desaparecer
www.primerahora.com
La Terminal Sur de Transportación, en Arecibo, parece un cementerio.
Mike Nova's starred items
via Puerto Rico News - Archive Links's Facebook Wall by Puerto Rico News - Archive Links on 3/7/13
‘Machete Kills’ New Character Poster Features Sofia Vergara
A new character poster for Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete Kills” is now online. The character poster features Sofia Vergara as Desdemona. “Machete Kills” is the sequel to the 2010 film …
‘Machete Kills’ New Character Poster Features Sofia Vergara
A new character poster for Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete Kills” is now online. The character poster features Sofia Vergara as Desdemona. “Machete Kills” is the sequel to the 2010 film …
‘Machete Kills’ New Character Poster Features Sofia Vergara
via crime rates puerto rico - Google Blog Search by Circles Robinson on 3/6/13
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, Greg Wilpert, what about these issues that Michael Shifter raises of the increasing crime rate in Venezuela—I'm not sure that Caracas is yet at the level of the place of my birth, Puerto Rico, in terms of ...
via crime rates puerto rico - Google News on 3/6/13
Hugo Chávez Dead: Transformed Venezuela & Survived US-Backed Coup, Now ...
Truth-Out JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, Greg Wilpert, what about these issues that Michael Shifter raises of the increasing crime rate in Venezuela—I'm not sure that Caracas is yet at the level of the place of my birth, Puerto Rico, in terms of crime rates, but it ... and more » |
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/5/13
Gabriela Chávez, hija de Hugo Chávez, en Twitter: ¡Hasta siempre papito mío! |
Gabriela Chávez, hija de Hugo Chávez, en Twitter: ¡Hasta siempre papito mío!
peru.com
María Gabriela Chávez, hija menor del mandatario venezolano, agradeció los mensajes de solidaridad que recibió tras la muerte de su padre.
Gabriela Chávez, hija de Hugo Chávez, en Twitter: ¡Hasta siempre papito mío!
peru.com
María Gabriela Chávez, hija menor del mandatario venezolano, agradeció los mensajes de solidaridad que recibió tras la muerte de su padre.
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/6/13
Oliver Stone y Sean Penn lamentan muerte de su amigo Hugo Chávez
Oliver Stone y Sean Penn lamentan muerte de su amigo Hugo Chvez
www.emol.com
El cineasta y el actor expresaron su pesar por el deceso del mandatario a travs de las redes sociales. El documentalista Michael Moore tambin manifest sus condolencias.
Oliver Stone y Sean Penn lamentan muerte de su amigo Hugo Chvez
www.emol.com
El cineasta y el actor expresaron su pesar por el deceso del mandatario a travs de las redes sociales. El documentalista Michael Moore tambin manifest sus condolencias.
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/6/13
España: tres heridos tras explosión en hospital donde está el Rey
España: explosión en hospital donde está el Rey - BBC Mundo - Últimas Noticias
www.bbc.co.uk
Una pequeña explosión en una clínica de Madrid, en la que el Rey se recupera de una operación de hernia discal, dejó tres personas heridas. La policía aseguró que el incendio fue "fortuito".
España: explosión en hospital donde está el Rey - BBC Mundo - Últimas Noticias
www.bbc.co.uk
Una pequeña explosión en una clínica de Madrid, en la que el Rey se recupera de una operación de hernia discal, dejó tres personas heridas. La policía aseguró que el incendio fue "fortuito".
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/6/13
Precio del petróleo sube ligeramente tras la muerte de Hugo Chávez
Precio del petrleo sube ligeramente tras la muerte de Hugo Chvez
www.emol.com
De acuerdo con los analistas, el impacto del fallecimiento del lder venezolano no se sentir en el mercado hasta la eleccin del nuevo lder del pas.
Precio del petrleo sube ligeramente tras la muerte de Hugo Chvez
www.emol.com
De acuerdo con los analistas, el impacto del fallecimiento del lder venezolano no se sentir en el mercado hasta la eleccin del nuevo lder del pas.
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/6/13
Corea del Sur amenaza con "duras represalias" a Corea del Norte en caso de provocación
Corea del Sur amenaza con duras represalias a Corea del Norte en caso de provocacin
www.emol.com
Mediante un comunicado, el Ministerio de Defensa asegur que si Pyongyang pone en peligro la seguridad de los surcoreanos, nuestro Ejrcito contraatacar con severidad.
Corea del Sur amenaza con duras represalias a Corea del Norte en caso de provocacin
www.emol.com
Mediante un comunicado, el Ministerio de Defensa asegur que si Pyongyang pone en peligro la seguridad de los surcoreanos, nuestro Ejrcito contraatacar con severidad.
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/6/13
Election bump over, Obama approval drops to 43 percent: Reuters/IPSOS poll
Election bump over, Obama approval drops to 43 percent: Reuters/IPSOS poll
feeds.reuters.com
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Less than two months into his second term, President Barack Obama's approval rating has dropped and Americans blame him and his fellow Democrats almost as much as his Republican
Election bump over, Obama approval drops to 43 percent: Reuters/IPSOS poll
feeds.reuters.com
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Less than two months into his second term, President Barack Obama's approval rating has dropped and Americans blame him and his fellow Democrats almost as much as his Republican
Mike Nova's starred items
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/6/13
Frenan pago a los policías por días de enfermedad acumulados
Frenan pago a los policías por días de enfermedad acumulados - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
El gobernador Alejandro García Padilla emitió la orden ejecutiva
Frenan pago a los policías por días de enfermedad acumulados - El Nuevo Día
www.elnuevodia.com
El gobernador Alejandro García Padilla emitió la orden ejecutiva
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/6/13
Facebook changes lead users to reveal more personal information, study finds - ABC News http://abcn.ws/YAq9UR @juancpedreira
Facebook Users Sharing More Than Ever
abcnews.go.com
Facebook users try to guard their privacy on the social network but are sharing more personal information than ever, according to a seven-year study by Carnegie Mellon University.
Facebook Users Sharing More Than Ever
abcnews.go.com
Facebook users try to guard their privacy on the social network but are sharing more personal information than ever, according to a seven-year study by Carnegie Mellon University.
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/6/13
VIDEO: Ciudadanos avistan un brillante meteorito en Puerto Rico – Metro
[VIDEO] Ciudadanos avistan un brillante meteorito en la Isla
www.metro.pr
Un brillante meteorito se vio sobre Puerto Rico a eso de las 10:40 de la noche del martes.
[VIDEO] Ciudadanos avistan un brillante meteorito en la Isla
www.metro.pr
Un brillante meteorito se vio sobre Puerto Rico a eso de las 10:40 de la noche del martes.
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/7/13
North Korea vows nuclear attack on United States
North Korea vows nuclear attack on US, as UN prepares to vote on sanctions
www.foxnews.com
An unidentified spokesman for Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said the North will exercise its right for pre-emptive nuclear strikes on the headquarters of the aggressors because Washington is pushing to...
North Korea vows nuclear attack on US, as UN prepares to vote on sanctions
www.foxnews.com
An unidentified spokesman for Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said the North will exercise its right for pre-emptive nuclear strikes on the headquarters of the aggressors because Washington is pushing to...
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/7/13
FBI 'secretly spying' on Google users, company reveals http://fxn.ws/ZfU85w
FBI 'secretly spying' on Google users, company reveals
www.foxnews.com
The FBI used National Security Letters -- a form of surveillance that privacy watchdogs call “frightening and invasive” -- to surreptitiously seek information on Google users, the web giant has just...
FBI 'secretly spying' on Google users, company reveals
www.foxnews.com
The FBI used National Security Letters -- a form of surveillance that privacy watchdogs call “frightening and invasive” -- to surreptitiously seek information on Google users, the web giant has just...
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/7/13
WEF: Puerto Rico tourism industry ranks 52nd in world
WEF: Puerto Rico tourism industry ranks 52nd in world | News is my Business
newsismybusiness.com
Puerto Rico’s travel and tourism industry took the 52nd place in this year’s World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, slipping seven notches since the last time the report...
WEF: Puerto Rico tourism industry ranks 52nd in world | News is my Business
newsismybusiness.com
Puerto Rico’s travel and tourism industry took the 52nd place in this year’s World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, slipping seven notches since the last time the report...
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/7/13
Ex-primer ministro de Italia, Sivio Berlusconi es condenado a un año de prisión
Berlusconi es condenado a un año de prisión - BBC Mundo - Últimas Noticias
www.bbc.co.uk
El exprimer ministro de Italia, Silvio Berlusconi, fue declarado culpable y sentenciado a un año de cárcel por la filtración de unos documentos de la policía que perjudicaban a un rival político.
Berlusconi es condenado a un año de prisión - BBC Mundo - Últimas Noticias
www.bbc.co.uk
El exprimer ministro de Italia, Silvio Berlusconi, fue declarado culpable y sentenciado a un año de cárcel por la filtración de unos documentos de la policía que perjudicaban a un rival político.
via Caribnews's Facebook Wall by Caribnews on 3/7/13
Celebran congreso de trabajadoras sexuales en República Dominicana
Trabajadoras sexuales de RD iniciarán congreso este jueves
www.elcaribe.com.do
Trabajadoras Sexuales anunciaron que inaugurarán mañana jueves jueves el Octavo Congreso Nacional, con el lema “Soy una mujer no un objeto sexual de nadie”, organizado por el Movimiento de Mujeres...
Trabajadoras sexuales de RD iniciarán congreso este jueves
www.elcaribe.com.do
Trabajadoras Sexuales anunciaron que inaugurarán mañana jueves jueves el Octavo Congreso Nacional, con el lema “Soy una mujer no un objeto sexual de nadie”, organizado por el Movimiento de Mujeres...
Mike Nova's starred items
via Caribbean Business on 3/6/13
Venezuelans in US hopeful of changeDORAL, Fla. — Venezuelans in the U.S. cheered and expressed cautious optimism th ...  PR workers’ commute times among longest in the US, Census saysThe U.S. Census Bureau sheds light on Puerto Rico’s tangled “rush-hour” roadways ... |
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via BBC News - Latin America & Caribbean on 3/6/13
Venezuela went though a period of dramatic change during President Hugo Chavez's time in power, but can his revolution continue despite his death?
via Puerto Rico Business News's Facebook Wall by Puerto Rico Business News on 3/6/13
Ads out of closet with gay themes. Read: http://ow.ly/isL0j #caribbeanbusiness
Ads out of closet with gay themes. Read: http://ow.ly/isL0j #caribbeanbusiness
Ads out of closet with gay themes. Read: http://ow.ly/isL0j #caribbeanbusiness
Ads out of closet with gay themes. Read: http://ow.ly/isL0j #caribbeanbusiness
Ads out of closet with gay themes. Read: http://ow.ly/isL0j #caribbeanbusiness
Mike Nova's starred items
via Caribbean Business on 3/6/13
Ads out of closet with gay themesNEW YORK — A new TV commercial features a good-looking young woman on a beach va ...  Horizon: Moving northeast service to Philadelphia will benefit PR tradeHorizon Lines announced Wednesday it will move its northeast terminal operations ... What are your chances of dying by 2023? New mortality test offers clueWant to know your chances of dying in the next 10 years? Here are some bad signs ...  |
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via (title unknown) on 3/5/13
3 Comments, last updated on Tuesday Mar 5 by TeGustan LasBotasDePerros
via puerto rico - Google Blog Search by taskforceblog on 3/5/13
421509_10151335755883437_853069722_n LGBT rights are advancing in Puerto Rico as a consequence of decades of amazing activism and a change in government last November. The Task Force has been at the ...
via Caribbean Business on 3/6/13
A day of tears in post-Chavez VenezuelaCARACAS, Venezuela — By the hundreds of thousands, Hugo Chavez's tearful sup ...  PR national team tops Twins 8-7FORT MYERS, Fla. – Puerto Rico is trying to return to baseball prominence.  |
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via Puerto Rico News - Archive Links's Facebook Wall by Puerto Rico News - Archive Links on 3/7/13
73 Los chavistas lloran a Chávez
73
Los chavistas lloran a Chávez
José A. Delgado
9
569
1468
1696
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73 Los chavistas lloran a Chávez
73
Los chavistas lloran a Chávez
José A. Delgado
9
569
1468
1696
This post has been generated by Page2RSS
73 Los chavistas lloran a Chávez
via Puerto Rico News - Archive Links's Facebook Wall by Puerto Rico News - Archive Links on 3/7/13
TRANSICIÓN DIÁFANA PARA VENEZUELA
TRANSICIÓN DIÁFANA PARA VENEZUELA
La muerte del presidente Hugo Chávez, ocurrida el martes a causa de un cáncer, pone los ojos del mundo sobre nuestra vecina Venezuela, cuyos ciudadanos deberán elegir, en el …
TRANSICIÓN DIÁFANA PARA VENEZUELA
TRANSICIÓN DIÁFANA PARA VENEZUELA
La muerte del presidente Hugo Chávez, ocurrida el martes a causa de un cáncer, pone los ojos del mundo sobre nuestra vecina Venezuela, cuyos ciudadanos deberán elegir, en el …
TRANSICIÓN DIÁFANA PARA VENEZUELA
via Global Voices en Español » Inglés by Gabriela Garcia Calderon Orbe on 3/6/13
Cuando el sitio web socio-político OpenSpace fue clausurado en febrero, algunos afirmaron que era una acción contra su editor en jefe Maksim Kovalsky. Esto tuvo sentido para muchos, pues antes de dirigir OpenSpace, Kovalsky gerenció el diario Kommersant Vlast’ (Poder), puesto del que lo sacaron por publicar una fotografía de una cédula de votación presidencial marcada con las palabras “Putin, ándate a la m***da” (el Director General de Kommersant, Demian Kudryavtsev, dejó la empresa en protesta [ru] poco después de este incidente). Ahora, menos de un mes después, hay nuevos despidos.
Dos editores en jefe perdieron sus puestos el 4 de marzo de 2013: Mikhail Kotov dejó uno de los mayores periódicos rusos en línea, Gazeta.ru [ru], mientras que Alexey Vorobiev ya no es jefe de Kommersant FM [ru], una estación de radio afliiada a Kommersant con una fuerte presencia en línea. Es difícil pasar por alto las similitudes, donde lo más importante es el hecho de que ambos editores fueran despedidos el mismo día por un hombre llamado Dmitry Sergeev. Bastante inverosímil, fueron dos Dmitry Sergeevs sin ninguna relación quienes ejecutaron los despidos.
Exeditor en jefe de Gazeta.ru, Mikhail Kotov, sumergido en sus pensamientos. Captura de pantalla de YouTube, 4 de marzo de 2013.
Efectivamente, hay dos ejecutivos de medios de alto nivel llamados Dmitry Sergeev en Rusia, y escogieron el mismo día para dar un cambio radical a su personal, lo que provocó que un usuario de Twitter bromeara [ru] ”los medios rusos han establecido un cargo especial – dmitry sergeev”. Uno de estos Dmitry Sergeevs, importante funcionario de SUP (empresa matriz de Gazeta.ru y LiveJournal) explicó su parte de la historia en un post de Facebook, donde cita [ru] una sesión de planificación de la empresa durante la cual se dejó de lado a Kotov:
Aunque Gazeta.ru no es particularmente opositor en espíritu, la relativa independencia de Kotov (estuvo a cargo durante más de una década) aparentemente fue vista como una amenaza por los propietarios. ¿Por qué? El periodista Vladimir Shusharin pensó en una respuesta [ru]:
Para los que aún no están seguros de la trascendencia general de estas renuncias, la reacción de Boris Yakemenko, putinista de la vieja guardia y hermano del fundador de NASHI, debería ser de lo más reveladora [ru]:
Escrito por Andrey Tselikov · Traducido por Gabriela Garcia Calderon Orbe · Ver post original [en] · Comentarios (0)
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Dos editores en jefe perdieron sus puestos el 4 de marzo de 2013: Mikhail Kotov dejó uno de los mayores periódicos rusos en línea, Gazeta.ru [ru], mientras que Alexey Vorobiev ya no es jefe de Kommersant FM [ru], una estación de radio afliiada a Kommersant con una fuerte presencia en línea. Es difícil pasar por alto las similitudes, donde lo más importante es el hecho de que ambos editores fueran despedidos el mismo día por un hombre llamado Dmitry Sergeev. Bastante inverosímil, fueron dos Dmitry Sergeevs sin ninguna relación quienes ejecutaron los despidos.
Exeditor en jefe de Gazeta.ru, Mikhail Kotov, sumergido en sus pensamientos. Captura de pantalla de YouTube, 4 de marzo de 2013.Сегодня утром на планерке я был представлен в должности исполнительного директора Газеты.ру с прямым подчинением всех отделов. Ранее все отделы подчинялись главному редактору и он отвечал за все, что происходило на Газете. Теперь по новой структуре редакция, разработка, маркетинг и коммерция подчиняются непосредственно мне. С категорическим несогласием выступил Михаил Котов, заявив, что он не может далее продолжать работать в подобных условиях и просит об увольнении по собственному желанию.
Esta mañana, en la sesión de planificación, me designaron director ejecutivo de Gazeta.ru con supervisión directa de todos los departamentos. Antes, todos los departamentos estaban subordinados al editor en jefe y era responsable de todo lo que ocurría en Gazeta. Ahora, según la nueva cadena de comando, los departamentos editorial, de marketing y comercial son subordinados directos míos. Mikhail Kotov discrepó categóricamente, dijo que no puede seguir trabajando en estas condiciones y pidió renunciar.Después Sergeev explicó, y dejó constancia de que la productividad de la publicación se estaba quedando atrás, y que publicaban “100 noticias al día”. También mencionó que no tenía deseo alguno de cambiar la dirección editorial del periódico. Sin embargo, según Anton Nosik [ru] (antes trabajador de SUP), enfrentado con ese ultimátum, Kotov no tuvo más opción que renunciar.
Aunque Gazeta.ru no es particularmente opositor en espíritu, la relativa independencia de Kotov (estuvo a cargo durante más de una década) aparentemente fue vista como una amenaza por los propietarios. ¿Por qué? El periodista Vladimir Shusharin pensó en una respuesta [ru]:
Неоднократно писал и говорил, что нынешняя качественная журналистика, особенно экономическая, куда остреее, глубже, умнее и, в конечном счете, оппозиционнее жалких и бездарных выступлений тех, кто присвоил себе имя демократической оппозииции
He dicho y escrito repetidamente que en estos días, el periodismo de calidad, sobre todo el periodismo económico, es más agudo, más profundo, más inteligente y, al final, más de oposición que el desempeño patético y mediocre de los que han asumido el manto de oposición democrática.El otro Dmitry Sergeev, presidente de la Casa Editora Kommersant, se mantuvo alejado de los medios sociales, y explicó [ru] a los periódicos que Alexey Vorobiev renunció por “razones personales”. También mencionó un punto importante, que la línea editorial de Kommersant FM no cambiaría. Aunque fuera cierto, algunos ven la partida de Vorobiev como el último clavo en el ataúd de la vieja y rebelde estación de radio. Después de todo, fue subeditor del anterior editor en jefe, Denis Solopov, que salió a mediados del año pasado en medio de acusaciones de que al dueño de Kommersant, Alisher Usmanov, no le gustaba la crítica de la publicación al gobierno [ru].
Para los que aún no están seguros de la trascendencia general de estas renuncias, la reacción de Boris Yakemenko, putinista de la vieja guardia y hermano del fundador de NASHI, debería ser de lo más reveladora [ru]:
Продолжается процесс оздоровления российских средств массовой информации. [...] Стоит напомнить, что и «Коммерсант» и «Газета ру» были основаны Березовским. Его традиции в данных изданиях до сей поры остаются почти неповрежденными и характеризуются постоянным хихиканьем, антироссийской позицией и ангажированностью.
El proceso de curación de los medios masivos de Rusia continúa. [...] Vale la pena mencionar que Kommersant y Gazeta.ru fueron fundadas por [el archienemigo de Putin, Boris] Berezovsky. Sus tradiciones en estas publicaciones siguen intactas en su mayor parte, y se caracterizan por constantes risitas, posiciones editoriales antirusas y parcialización.Tal vez editores como Kovalsky, Kotov y Vorobiev ya no se sientan bien reicibidos en el valiente nuevo mercado de medios.
Escrito por Andrey Tselikov · Traducido por Gabriela Garcia Calderon Orbe · Ver post original [en] · Comentarios (0)
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Mike Nova's starred items
via Global Voices en Español » Inglés by Gabriela Garcia Calderon Orbe on 3/6/13
El blog Ivory Pomegranate informa [en] sobre cómo se celebró el día de San Valentín este año en Biskek, la capital de Kirguistán. El bloguero escribe:
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A quién le importa si San Valentín es una exportación occidental cursi y comercializada; a veces es un agradable ejercicio tener una excusar para ser romántico.Escrito por Alexander Sodiqov · Traducido por Gabriela Garcia Calderon Orbe · Ver post original [en] · Comentarios (0)
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via Global Voices en Español » Inglés by Gabriela Garcia Calderon Orbe on 3/6/13
Harlem Shake, el último meme que ha causado locura a nivel global, llegó a Asia Central. Neweurasia.net comparte [en] una recopilación de los mejores videos de Harlem Shake de Kazajistán, Kirguistán, Tayikistán, Turkmenistán y Uzbekistán. El bloguero Sanjar escribe [en]:
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Con este virus cultural, vemos claramente que si la gente quiere pasarla bien, nada los detendrá. Luchar con la influencia o restricciones occidentales en YouTube no ayudará a las autoridades.Escrito por Alexander Sodiqov · Traducido por Gabriela Garcia Calderon Orbe · Ver post original [en] · Comentarios (1)
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via puerto rico - Búsqueda de blogs by Pedro Julio Serrano on 3/6/13
Pedro Julio Serrano es un activista de derechos humanos — puertorriqueño de pura cepa, orgullosamente gay — que desde Nueva York pero con su corazón firme en la patria, lucha junto a ti por un Puerto Rico Para Tod@s ...
via puerto rico - Búsqueda de blogs by desconocido on 3/5/13
La entidad tendrá un recorte de casi un millón en fondos federales.
via Latin American Herald Tribune by noemail@noemail.org (Latin American Herald Tribune) on 3/6/13
Latin American Herald Tribune posted a photo:
Crowds Jam Caracas Streets to Honor Venezuela’s Chavez
Escorted by senior officials and the Presidential Guard of Honor, the car carrying Chavez’s flag-draped coffin rode along several Caracas streets as a red tide of mourners blew kisses and pledged their eternal love and loyalty to his leftist social movement
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=702141&CategoryId=...
VenEconomy: Time for Judgement and Ponderation in Venezuela
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=702395&CategoryId=...
Tal Cual: A Polemic Venezuelan Leader
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=702418&CategoryId=...
U.S. Won’t Rule Out Retaliation for Venezuela’s Expulsion of Attache
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=702315&CategoryId=...
Crowds Jam Caracas Streets to Honor Venezuela’s Chavez
Escorted by senior officials and the Presidential Guard of Honor, the car carrying Chavez’s flag-draped coffin rode along several Caracas streets as a red tide of mourners blew kisses and pledged their eternal love and loyalty to his leftist social movement
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=702141&CategoryId=...
VenEconomy: Time for Judgement and Ponderation in Venezuela
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=702395&CategoryId=...
Tal Cual: A Polemic Venezuelan Leader
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=702418&CategoryId=...
U.S. Won’t Rule Out Retaliation for Venezuela’s Expulsion of Attache
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=702315&CategoryId=...
via Latin American Herald Tribune on 3/7/13
The drawn-out decline of cancer-stricken Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spurred buying of the country's high-yielding debt over many months and his death on Tuesday will likely cause prices to rally a little more, investors and analysts said.
via Latin American Herald Tribune on 3/7/13
Queen Sofia, the crown prince with his wife and children, and several politicians on Wednesday visited Spain’s King Juan Carlos in the Madrid hospital where he is recovering from surgery to repair a slipped disc.
via Latin American Herald Tribune on 3/7/13
Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez described himself as “very happy” on his 86th birthday, which he celebrated Wednesday at his home in this capital in the company of family and friends.
Mike Nova's starred items
via Latin American Herald Tribune on 3/7/13
Nicolás Maduro, ejerciendo como Vicepresidente de la República y flanqueado por la alta jerarquía del chavismo civil y militar, anunció que este martes 5 de marzo a las 4:47 p.m. falleció en el Hospital Militar Carlos Arvelo el presidente electo (y no juramentado) Hugo Chávez Frías.
via Latin American Herald Tribune on 3/7/13
Nicolás Maduro, acting as Venezuela’s Vice-President and flanked by the chavismo’s highest military and civil hierarchy, announced on Tuesday that president-elect (but not sworn-in) Hugo Chávez had passed away at Hospital Militar Carlos Arvelo in Caracas at 4:47 p.m.
via Latin American Herald Tribune on 3/7/13
It seems right to us the calling for peace and the respect for the citizen, as much for those who saw in Hugo Chávez a role model to follow, as for those who constantly confronted him like we did.
via Puerto Rico News on 3/6/13
Caribbean cruises give you a taste for various islands and ports of call have to offer so you can come back on your own and stay longer in your favourite tropical hideaway.
via puerto rico news - YouTube on 3/6/13
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via The Guardian's Facebook Wall by The Guardian on 3/7/13
Guardian front page, Thursday 7 March 2013 – Revealed: Pentagon's link to Iraqi torture centres
http://gu.com/p/3e7m9/tw
http://gu.com/p/3e7m9/tw
via Puerto Rico Videos & Songs's Facebook Wall by Puerto Rico Videos & Songs on 3/7/13
Ricky Martin - One Night Only (1999)
Ricky Martin - One Night Only (1999)
One Night Only 1999/ concert / show full /
From: Andalusiadelsol
Views: 28744
111 ratings
Time: 44:56 More in Music
Ricky Martin - One Night Only (1999)
Ricky Martin - One Night Only (1999)
One Night Only 1999/ concert / show full /
From: Andalusiadelsol
Views: 28744
111 ratings
Time: 44:56 More in Music
Ricky Martin - One Night Only (1999)
via Puerto Rico Videos & Songs's Facebook Wall by Puerto Rico Videos & Songs on 3/7/13
Jennifer Lopez Live In Puerto Rico
Jennifer Lopez Live In Puerto Rico
Jennifer Lopez performing a spainish song live in puerto rico which i think she did back in 2001 or 2002 can't really remember. Leave a comment if you know t...
From: …
Jennifer Lopez Live In Puerto Rico
Jennifer Lopez Live In Puerto Rico
Jennifer Lopez performing a spainish song live in puerto rico which i think she did back in 2001 or 2002 can't really remember. Leave a comment if you know t...
From: …
Jennifer Lopez Live In Puerto Rico
Mike Nova's starred items
via Financial Times's Facebook Wall by Financial Times on 3/7/13
Many Venezuelans forgave Hugo Chávez for his economic blunders, but will they be so generous towards the next leader? Nicolás Maduro is likely to succeed in a snap election, but to prove himself could he end up being more chavista than Chávez? http://on.ft.com/WveDge
Image by Getty
Image by Getty
via Russia - Google News on 3/5/13
 Washington Times |
Russia launched massive nuclear drill, Pentagon alarmed
Washington Times The official said another worry is that Russia appears to be increasing the readiness of its nuclear forces at a time when the U.S. nuclear complex is in urgent need of upgrading and the military is facing sharp automatic defense cuts that could affect ... Russia carries out its 'biggest nuclear army drill in two decades' as Pentagon ...Daily Mail all 2 news articles » |
via anti-americanism in russia - Google News on 3/6/13
 BBC News |
World media examine Chavez legacy
BBC News Comparing Mr Chavez to Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, Ren TVsays: "For Russians, he was similar to what Fidel Castro was for the Soviet people, only Chavez was a comandante of the 21st Century." Chavez 2000 presidential election ... "Firebrand ... and more » |
via anti-americanism in russia - Google News on 3/2/13
Putin's government clings to strategy
Toledo Blade A meteor streaked across the Russian sky and exploded over a populated area with the force of a nuclear bomb last month, injuring hundreds of people and casting the light on the world's largest country that has failed to put anti-Americanism in the ... |
via anti-americanism in russia - Google News on 3/2/13
Itar-Tass Russia, CIS news summary for Saturday, March 2=1
Avionics Intelligence "Moscow and Washington have been making attempts to stabilize their relations somewhat after the exchange of (unfriendly) laws and the surge of anti-Americanism in Russia and Russophobia in the United States," Kremenyuk said after the Berlin meeting of ... and more » |
via anti-americanism in russia - Google News on 3/3/13
How the Kremlin Created a Collective Sharikov
The Moscow Times But almost immediately after the official Soviet anti-U.S. propaganda ended in 1991, a new anti-Americanism started to develop at the grass-roots level. At first, Washington was accused of undermining Russia's sovereignty and stealing its natural ... |
via anti-americanism in russia - Google News on 3/3/13
 Foreign Policy (blog) |
Mad Libs: War Edition
Foreign Policy (blog) —Frederic Wehrey • The implosion of Mexico is the most serious near-term threat. —James A. Russell • Russia, whose resources, large military, nuclear arsenal, geostrategic position, and intentions make it the most powerful counterweight in the world ... |
via anti-americanism in russia - Google News on 3/3/13
US and Russia Team Up in Bid to Aid Polar Bears
New York Times Russia's decision to cooperate with the United States not only defies a recent wave of anti-Americanism here, but it also reverses Moscow's opposition to a similar American proposal at the endangered species conference three years ago. The impetus for ... and more » |
via anti-americanism in russia - Google News on 3/4/13
 The Atlantic |
Why Cuba Will Still Be Anti-American After Castro
The Atlantic Raul is unwilling to renounce the support and close collaboration of countries like Venezuela, China, Iran and Russia in exchange for an uncertain relationship with the United States. At a time that anti-Americanism is strong in Latin America and the ... and more » |
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